Fair Adventures

The past few weeks have been slow for us and honestly, it has been quite wonderful! July was packed full of traveling, doctor appointments, adventures with family and friends (which we enjoyed immensely) and Bryce getting really sick (which wasn’t so enjoyable), so the little break we got was more than welcome. Sometimes the best vacations are those spent relaxing at home. Still, we did have a few exciting moments, like Bryce’s NG tube mishap.

Happy to have his NG tube out!

Wednesday mornings I take Bryce to Kindermusik (he ABSOLUTELY LOVES it!). Usually I can get us out the door on time without much difficulty, but that morning things just weren’t working out for us. We were running a bit behind, so Jus offered to feed Bryce while I finished putting myself together so we could leave in 15 minutes (have I mentioned how wonderful it is that we can now feed Bryce in 20 minutes or less?). As I was handing Bryce to Justin, his NG tube got snagged! In an instant, the tube was yanked out his stomach, up his throat and shot out his nose!

There it was, coiled on the floor. All we could do was stare, mouths open, eyes wide and in total shock of what just happened! We looked at Bryce and you should have seen the grin on his face! He was all too happy to FINALLY be rid of that annoying thing! But he needed to eat and he couldn’t do it without the tube. Thankfully the kind nurses in the pediatric unit told us they would put it back in if it came out (I really didn’t want to be the one to shove it up his nose).

At the hospital, the nurses took us back to a bed to wait for them to replace Bryce’s NG tube. We thought we’d only be there a few minutes, but we were wrong. Turns out they had to get our pediatrician’s okay before they could do it. So we waited . . .

And waited . . .

And waited . . .

And waited . . .

Happily awaiting a new tube

Two hours later they were finally able to put a new NG tube in. I actually felt a little bad to get a new one. Bryce was so excited and playful during those two hours because he didn’t have a tube coming out his nose. Once they started pushing it in, he IMMEDIATELY got upset and started fighting! The nurses were smart though and had pinned his arms down so he couldn’t move. Once it was in, I snuggled with him for probably 15 minutes before he decided it was okay to have a tube again. Although the tube was finally in we weren’t allowed to go home until an x-ray confirmed it was in the right spot. So again we waited . . . until we received the okay to go home an hour later. I just have to say, there’s nothing like spending your entire morning at the hospital.

For all the fun we had in the pediatric unit, it wasn’t nearly as much fun as we had at the County Fair on Friday. Justin doesn’t work on Friday’s so we spent our evening as a family, showing Bryce how much fun fairs are! We decided to start the fun by letting Bryce ride a pony! Lucky for us, he was the only child riding at the time, so we were able to go a little slower (it’s not the easiest thing balancing such a big boy on a moving pony). He LOVED it, for the most part. He wasn’t too sure about it when we first started moving, but feeling me holding him gave him the reassurance he needed to enjoy the ride!

My little cowboy

Then something amazing happened! You see, the James Cristy Cole Circus offered the pony rides between shows. When we arrived, they were about to take the ponies back to prepare for the upcoming show, but they left them out just for Bryce! When he was done riding, the owner came up to us and did something so heartfelt I couldn’t help but let a tear or two escape my eyes (have I mentioned how easily I cry nowadays?). The show was starting in less than 10 minutes, but he said “Follow me, I have a surprise for you”.

We followed him back behind the curtains to where they kept most of the animals (horses, dogs and even more ponies) out of sight and away from people. He stopped in front of a camel! We were so excited to show Bryce such an exotic animal! And then he handed us some food so Bryce could feed it! Not only did Bryce feed the camel, he let it taste his fingers! He must be pretty tasty because the camel kept coming back for more! Thank you so much James Cristy Cole Circus! Your simple act gave our precious boy a once in a lifetime opportunity. Your kindness touched our hearts more than you will ever know!

After so much kindness shown to us, we couldn’t help but stay to watch the show! It was so much fun! Bryce LOVED the flashy costumes and all the noise! His favorite part was the whistle act. He has never heard a whistle before (sorry bud, that’s my fault) so the new sound made him perk right up! I love it when he pays attention to new sounds. His eyes get really big, he holds so still and he focuses so intently on the new sound, trying to figure out what it is. All-in-all, the circus was a blast! We had loads of fun cheering on the animals and laughing at the different acts.

Shortly after the circus ended, we had to call it a night. The heat was starting to get to Bryce (he doesn’t handle it too well), and it was almost time for him to eat. We had such a wonderful time at the Fair, and can’t wait to see what next year brings!