We had a slow morning at the Biltmore. Initially nothing sounded good to Nina from room service so we just order a variety of breakfast yummies: banana pancakes, Belgian waffles, and raspberries. Nina loved the banana pancakes and raspberries! In fact, she ate an entire huge plate of raspberries. Over the course of the week I've learned that Nina's hysteria over food and rejecting food is simply that...hysteria. If I insist that she try something before we move onto something else (something I know she loves) she will end up gobbling it up. The poor baby just doesn't feel good and I'm positive things don't taste the same so she's all messed up.
After breakfast, the big girls all took baths and enjoyed the steam shower. Sosie was especially impressed with the luxuriousness of the hotel in daylight, so while Nina napped, she and Yvonne explored the grounds and made their way to the exclusive Coral Casino (a really fancy pool and recreation center). When Nina woke she requested vanilla yogurt which Yvonne bought on her way back in. Unfortunately according to Nina it wasn't the right brand so she started to tantrum. Eventually she had me help her off the bed and into the kid's tent the hotel staff had set up in the bedroom. She yelled at me for about 3 minutes about the wrong yogurt teasing bad (although she hadn't tasted it!). Eventually, she conceded and took a bite. That bite led to another bite and then she ended up gobbling it all up.
Since it was such a beautiful day we wanted to take her strolling. Sadly, Nina was not game. The problem was that she had outgrown the Marban's stroller I had been using since August. For the past week I had noticed that it was increasingly difficulty for her to be comfortable inside the stroller. As we put her in, she screamed and hollered that she wasn't comfy. The only thing that helped her was asking if she wanted to go shopping for more make-up. Indeed she did and it helped motivate her to stay calm at least momentarily!
The rest of the afternoon was very challenging. She would have small moments of being happy (like buying make up at Sephora) followed by long periods of heartwretching discontentment. After shopping we drove around for a bit and it was all unintentional stalling. We had to pick up the Verced to give to Nina that evening. So after we left the mall we wen to not 1 but 2 pharmacies. I was extremely relieved by the prospect of Nina getting some rest.
In spite of Nina not fitting into her stroller, I was determined to find Nina some kind of traveling accommodation that wouldn't frustrate her. Lots of folks have offered us wheelchairs but I am pretty sure that would only cause Nina trauma. While Yvonne went to the second pharmacy, I stopped at a kids store to see if they happened to have a larger stroller. Sadly, nothing worked. Back to the drawing board.
Shortly after we arrived home, Brandi and Inga arrived to spend the weekend with us. We were all so excited to have them over, and no one was happier than Nina. She gave Inga-pie the biggest smooch ever. This was our life now; trying to construct bits and moments of happiness.
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| Nina and her angel! |
I don't know if you have a local source for any of these, but perhaps one of these strollers could work for Nina: http://www.especialneeds.com/special-needs-stroller.html
ReplyDeleteI don't know you, but have been following Nina's story from NH and holding you all in the light.
Praying today you find the just the right transport for Nina! Hope the above link that Ann offered will work for you!
ReplyDeleteSince I'm the night owl...I continue to pray for Nina far into the night that she sleeps and is "comfy".
My sister uses a larger stroller for her seven year old daughter--"the Easy Rider" was purchased from www.convaid.com (located in Torrence, Ca.) and it's a medical grade chair. She also mentioned that Kool Stride and MacClaren make larger strollers for children weighing between 65 and 110 pounds. Hope you find something comfy for sweet Nina as it's certainly the little things that make a difference.
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