A Not So Perfect 10

This past Sunday was Mason's tenth birthday. Tenth birthday!! Where did the time go? And while we always make a big fuss about birthdays around here, we wanted to make a REALLY big fuss about this one, I mean come on, we're talking double digits now! Mason wanted to go to Universal Studio's to celebrate and since we only live an hour or so away we agreed to take her for the day. One of her requests was that we take her alone, no sisters to steal the limelight, but that was going to be a tougher wish to grant. We had planned on bringing Natalie along to share in the experience knowing that there would be areas set up for kids to play in and Mason wouldn't want to do it alone and also because Nat knew we were going and it wouldn't be fair to leave her at home when she had seen Mason browsing online at all the cool rides and shows at Universal. And we knew that even though she thought she wouldn't want Nat tagging along, once we got there she would be so glad she had another kid to play with. Now with Cam-a-rama it was a different story. Anyone familiar with this this blog knows of our "theme park issues". When you take Camryn to an attraction, you become an attraction yourself with all the screaming and hand biting. It's an undertaking for sure. We do it because it's important for us to include her in some family outings even when we know it's not going to be good. But there are times when we don't include her and not because we don't love her or don't want her to experience what her sisters do, but because sometimes you just don't want to deal with all of the craziness and difficulties that can and do occur when she is in certain situations. And being that this was Mason's special day and we wanted to really be able to focus on her we decided to leave Cam with my Mom for the day and give our time to Mace. At first my Mom wasn't sure she'd be able to watch Camryn all day so Brad had said that if that were the case we would take Camryn with us and he would be on "Cam duty" all day. To which I replied "Honey, that is sweet but then that is like me going to Universal with Mason and Nat and you going to Universal with Camryn and that defeats the entire purpose of going!" He is a great Dad and wanted Mace to have her day no matter what, so then he proposed staying home with Camryn and I could take her sisters to Universal so they could still go. To which I said "Honey, I think you are missing the point here. One of the reasons Mason wants to go is so she can have a day with her Mom and Dad together without the constant distraction of Autism." He knew that, but he also knew there was a possibility it wasn't going to be able to happen and he was trying to make sure she still got to go. It turned out though, that my Mom was going to be able to watch Cam and so all was on track for the four of us to head up to Orlando for the day and have some fun. Saturday Mason woke up with a sore throat. I swear germs keep a calendar. Saturday happened to be my Mom's birthday and Jackie's as well and and Mace and I were supposed to go to dinner with them as a birthday girls night out. It's something we do every year. We were going to go the "Melting Pot" because we thought Mason would get a kick out of it and she was so excited about the evening. I kept telling her maybe her throat would feel better if she rested all day, so she did, but I knew this was going nowhere good.  By four o'clock the decision was made that she would stay home with Brad and her sisters and I would take my mom and Jackie out to dinner somewhere else, saving the "Melting Pot" for when she felt better.She was bummed, but knew she was too sick to go. Sunday morning I came in to sing "Happy Birthday" and her nose was red and raw from blowing it so much. She had circles under her eyes and I knew Univeral was out of the picture. She knew it too and although she was disappointed she knew it was for the best. However it was still her birthday and we were still going to do something special, just local special, not hour and a half away special. My mom was still on board for watching Cams because even though we weren't going to a theme park, we were still going out amongst the masses and when that happens there is always a good chance of trouble. Cam was at her gate waiting for me to open it and I took one look at her and knew this bug was going to be pulling a double shift. Her eyes were dripping, her nose was dripping, she was a mess. She was coughing and sneezing up a storm. I touched her head and she took my hand, brought it to her cheek and said "Are you sick honey?" I knew it. One of the things about Autism is that if you're child can't communicate correctly then they are not able to tell you when they are sick and what exactly is feeling bad. She could have strep throat for all I know and not be able to say "My throat is hurting." I just have to pay real close attention to her non-verbal cues to see if I can tell what's bothering her. Obviously she was stuffed up and with her eyes watering and her nose dripping, I had to assume her throat was at the very least itchy. I gave her some Benadryl and put her in a tepid bath. I called my Mom to see if she would still watch her for a bit and she said she would. Cam didn't have a fever and although it was obvious she didn't feel up to par she was still talking and very active. We dropped her off at my moms and then headed out to T.G.I.Fridays for lunch. Mason ordered chicken fingers, her favorite, but picked at her meal. She didn't have much of an appetite and when the waiters sang "Happy Birthday" and placed a gargantuan bowl of vanilla ice cream drizzled in chocolate and caramel in front of her she smiled, but took two bites and pushed it aside. No worries though, Nat finished for her. I felt so bad though. Ten is such a monumental birthday and one she would remember, however this one was turning out to me memorable for all the worng reasons. Nest stop was Toys R Us. Mace had gotten one of those awesome birthday cards where when you open them up money falls out ...love those cards! As we walked through the doors Brad's eyes widened and his face lit up as he said "I don't think I have ever been to Toys R Us without Camryn!! This is going to be so much fun!" I know, sad right? It's true though, taking Cam there is super stressful and you can never let your guard down, so this time we would be able to actually stroll and browse, two things you don't do with Cams. Mace picked out a toy, but I could tell she was not feeling up to par. After that Mace wanted to go to the mall, a mall I hadn't been to in five years. Since I grew up here, I spent much  of my childhood at that mall and alot of good memories were made there so I was excited to go. And again, the mall doesn't even come up in conversation with Cam because...it just doesn't. So we took the girls and they rode the little train and we went to the toy store and they got icee's. It was a great time, but Mason was slowing down. My mom called to say that Camryn had thrown up in her car and was hot and sniffly. Yay. We headed straight home and when we walked in the house poor Cams cheeks were bright red and her eyes were dripping. Her skin was clammy and warm and she immediately wrapped her arms around my neck and shimmied up me like I was a coconut palm. My mom said Camryn had hardly eaten which is a HUGE red flag that she doesn't feel well because the girl doesn't turn away food. That made me wonder if her throat was sore so I asked her and she grabbed my hand, put it on her cheek and whined. It is so frustrating to not know what is hurting your child. I gave her some Advil just to cover whatever pain she may be having and sat down on the couch with her. I held her like you'd hold a baby with a bottle. She curled up to me and lay there like a heavy sack, going in and out of sleep. It was totally out of character for her because one...she doesn't fall asleep unless she is in bed and two...she doesn't lay still for more than two minutes at a time. I could tell we had a second sick girl on our hands. Nat was in the clear because she had been sick the week before and was probably the one who had done like Mommy always tells her to and shared. With Camryn laying there and Mason looking at me with her pale face I knew I needed to get some Chicken and Stars soup pronto, not to mention some cupcakes,after all it was still a birthday! It was also Superbowl Sunday and Brad was all geared up to watch the game so I said I would go to the store. He told me to lay Camryn on him and I knew that wasn't happening. Camryn is Mama's girl and there was no way she was going to lay like this on Brad..... but she did! That scared me because for her to be moved so easily and know I was leaving and not get upset meant she was really sick and not being able to have her tell me how she felt was very worrisome. I got the soup, they ate the cupcakes and we put them all to bed. I prayed the morning would be off to a better start and when they woke although they were not a hundred percent, they were well enough for school. We have rescheduled Universal for next week and hopefully we all stay well. I can't wait to take Mace and watch how much fun she and her sister will have as they roam the themepark and take in the sights. Turning ten is big, really big and for Mace they haven't been your typical ten years. She has had to deal with alot in her short time and I am so, so proud of the wonderful young lady she is growing into. She is an incredible big sister to not just Natalie but Camryn as well and the way she interacts with them amazes me. I cannot wait to see how their relationship will grow in the next ten years. So Happy 10th Birthday Mason Noel Walker!! I love you!!!