"Doggie" and Map

We have all of our appts set up at Doernbecher Children's Hospital now with the exception of Genetics. Hopefully, they will call on Monday. We were able to get the 9 appts thus far into 4 days which is helpful. We will start with the renal ultrasound and GI Consult on the 31st. GI will then set up the endoscopy in April. Our biggest concern with all these appts is not traumatizing Ava! We are hopeful that the Doernbecher staff is AWESOME with kids given that it specializes in kids, right? Ava's cardiologist specializes in Turners and is on the Turners Society Board, so it looks like we're in good hands!
Last night, I took the kids to Build-A-Bear, so Ava could make a friend to take with her to her appts. She wanted Aiden to fill it for her (it's a loud machine, so she wanted to cover her ears), so he kept filling and checking to get just the right amount of stuffing. How could I not get teary when he held the dog's heart in his hands (making a wish for his sister), kissed the heart and put it into her dog before it was sewed up. She chose a scrubs (nurse) outfit for her dog. She proudly announced to the cashier that her "Doggie" (how original) was going to go with her to her appts at Doernbecher! Hopefully, we are getting the idea in her head, so she can have some time to get used to it. Aiden benefitted by getting Alvin the Chipmunk for himself. :) Not to worry, Grandma Neudeck, he's not getting left out.
Grandma Stieber astutely suggested we make a calendar, so Ava knows exactly what days she is going to her appts to hopefully decrease the anxiety. I printed off March and April, and she crossed off all the days in March that have passed. We wrote the dentist and doctor on the days she will be going as well as our upcoming trip to Bend/Sunriver and Mt. Bachelor. She LOVED the calendar and calls it her "map." Aiden told her it was a calendar, and she said, "I call it a map because it tells me where to go." (that makes sense, actually) She has not been asking about the appts anymore because she keeps her map on the table and looks at it as needed. She continues to decorate it and make it her own. What a simple thing that has made an incredible difference thus far!
Lastly, the kids and I went to Flying Pie Pizzeria for dinner, and it was so much fun! They had board games, so we played a couple games of Sorry while we waited. It's so nice the kids are both at an age where we can play games and talk and just hang out. The Sorry pieces were missing, so Aiden was coins, Ava was almonds and I was pistachios (what I had in my purse)! While we were eating, Ava said, "Mom, gravity rocks!" She takes an Art and Science class and ever since the gravity unit, she has been so excited about gravity. She checks out the Bill Nye the Science Guy movies at the library, and her favorite....the one about gravity of course! She also told Aiden and me that today she learned about solids and liquids, and did we know that water is a liquid but not if it's in the freezer? :)
Brien is enjoying a long overdue weekend with his college buddies in Phoenix. I sent a text late last night, and he replied, "VERY FUN!" After the week we have had, it's awesome to hear he is relaxing and having a good time....hopefully not fixating on cardiology! Today they are going to watch spring training baseball.


Ava and "Doggie" who will go to Doernbecher with her and help her through her appts and tests!

Ava's "map"...a work in progress. I didn't really mention that there are several doctors appts on each day...TMI (too much information).