Garfield Park Conservatory

Monday, July 27th:

I received a message late last week that Governor Pritzker was going to be doing a Bill Signing for Sami's Law today! We didn't know where or when, so I kept checking the Governors website and with anyone connected to the bill. Unfortunately, we never got a call about the bill signing and as of Sunday night the ILGA website says it hasn't been signed yet. I know he WILL sign it, so I'd like to be there when he does.

Luke, Andie, Porter, and Kenna are at EPCOT today with Andie's entire family. They got matching shirts and they sent me one! I'm excited to wear them when we are all together at EPCOT in 320 days!

[It's always freezing in the basement, so I gotta wear my flannel 🥶]

That afternoon Nurse Stephanie and I took Theo to the clinic to get his bloodwork done. He was a rock star and only cried a little. I think he knew Nurse Stephanie was waiting for him in the lobby and he wanted to be brave for her!

Tuesday, July 28th:

Nurse Stephanie came over to watch Theo today.

We had some severe weather yesterday, so I was not surprised to see this on the news! We've had an insane amount of tornadoes in our area this year! 57 so far!

That afternoon we went to The Legacy Ranch for Theo's riding lessons. Sherman the tank is still injured so Theo had his lesson with Zeus. Zeus doesn't know Theo very well and it seemed like he had a hard time walking slow enough. So, Theo was bouncing a lot more than he usually does.

Wednesday, July 29th:

Today Theo, Nurse Stephanie, and I went to the Garfield Park Conservatory. I had been emailing with the Senior Director of Public Engagement and she told me that when the "EMG children’s garden opened last month, we can now officially say we have a motorized adult changing table for guests. When the lobby renovations are done this summer, we will have a second one."

I was really happy to hear that! So, we went to the Garfield Park Conservatory for the day.

When we arrived the lobby was still under construction, so we entered through the side entrance. There was a path so we didn't have any issues getting Theo's wheelchair into the Conservatory.

[Closed front door and lobby]

[Path to the side entrance]

[Side entrance]

[Sensory bags! How nice!]

We made our way through the Show House and Aroid House

and then through the Desert House.

We then entered the newly renovated EMG Children's Garden. 

This area is super cute and is a great place for kids to run around and climb! There is also a huge slide!

We found the family bathroom and I was disappointed to find a fixed height, child sized changing table, not an "motorized," adult/universal like we were told.

I really don't like these changing tables. On the vendor's website they are listed as "adult sized," which they are NOT. AND they state that they can hold up to 400 lbs. Who can lift a 400 lb person onto this table?! Fortunately, I can still lift Theo onto this table, but it's not safe and I won't be able to do that for long. And Theo is almost too long for this table. Ugh.

After documenting the table, we walked up the ramp and explored the Children's Garden. 

[Nurse Stephanie and Theo]

We then made our way through the rest of the green houses. They had so many beautiful plants!

We then headed outside and went on a walk around the outdoor paths.

[A group of bonsai trees!]

[Demonstration Garden]

[Bees! I think bees are so cool!]

Here's my facebook post about our trip to the Conservatory:

After we got home I sent a follow up email to the Senior Director of Public Engagement. I told her that we were not able to find the motorized adult sized table that she told me about. And I asked her to PLEASE make sure that the table that is being installed in the lobby is actually a powered, height adjustable, adult/universal changing table. I haven't heard back from her yet.

Other than being disappointed (AGAIN! *Looking at you, Brookfield Zoo*) with the changing table situation, we still had a great time. Theo loved strolling around and we loved walking around on this gorgeous day!

Josh wasn't able to come with us because he was playing in another golf tournament for work. 

Josh put out the raffle stuff that Northern Integrity had donated. I worked so hard on them and they turned out great!

Josh said they had a lot of fun and they also found a dumpster of raccoons 🤣 Good times!

Thursday, July 30th:

Nurse Stephanie hung out with Theo while Josh went to work and I went to see the new Spider-Man movie. It was so good! 

Friday, July 31st:

Nurse Stephanie helped Theo draw this amazing rainbow! I love it and it is going on our wall!

That afternoon Theo had PT with Ms. Becca.

Weekend:

We got these awesome tally books made for Northern Integrity! I think they look great! And yes, that is Josh working on his Jeep in the back ground.

It rained all day Saturday, but on Sunday Theo and I went for an hour long walk/jog around the neighborhood in his cool new jogging stroller. During our walk we came across a lemonade stand where we bought lemonade and a muffin from some cute local kids!

Brookfield Zoo and Savannah Bananas

Monday, July 20th:

Theo had a long list of school supplies to get, so today we made a Costco run. Theo LOVES to go to Costco and stroll around. Well, he likes to go anywhere to stroll around 😁 We bought a bunch of stuff on his list and what we didn't get at Costco we'll get at Walmart next week.

That afternoon, Ms. Becca and Ms. Laura came over for PT and OT. 

[Theo and his current BFF, Rollin Rovee]

Tuesday, July 21st:

The next day Nurse Stephanie came over and watched Theo while I got caught up on some work. That afternoon we went to The Legacy Ranch for Theo's riding lessons.

Wednesday, July 22nd:

Nurse Jess, Theo, and I went to the Brookfield Zoo today! I've never been before and I had heard that there were possibly four adult sized changing tables there, so we had to check it out!

[Dinosaurs!]

[Goats!]

[Adorable wallaby]

[Snow Leopard]

[Lion]

We went to the dolphin show, which was a lot of fun! We sat in the front row and they gave us a plastic sheet to protect us from any potential splashes!

[Gorillas!]

[Bears]

[Polar Bear]

[Don't pet the fluffy cows!]

[Nurse Jess treated us to Dole Whip and cotton candy]

[More dinosaurs!]

Here's my post about the changing tables:

Fortunately the changing tables are adult sized, BUT, unfortunately, all of the changing tables are fixed height. After we got home I called the Zoo and talked to the ADA Administrator. I asked her why "Location 4" was closed and she said it was because the door was broken. I asked her what kind of table was behind the door and she said she thinks it was a fixed height one. But then she told me that the two in the the men's and women's restrooms were height adjustable. I told her they were definitely not and that they are really high (37"). She seemed really surprised. It's a bummer that they have four adult sized changing tables at the zoo, but I doubt any adult can use them since they are not height adjustable. 

Luckily, Theo only weighs 55 lbs, so I can lift him onto these fixed height tables, but I won't be able to do that much longer.

In the end we had a great time at the zoo! We weren't able to even see all of it because we had to get home, but it was fun to walk around and see all the animals. I think Theo really enjoyed it too! We'll definitely be back!

Thursday, July 23rd:

Theo and I headed down to Peoria for Theo's appointment with his new Ophthalmologist, since Dr. Steve retired... or so we thought!

We arrived at the clinic and as we were being taken into the exam room I saw Dr. Steve out of the corner of my eye! After we got into the exam room I asked the technician about Dr. Steve. She said that he did retire, but that they were not able to find someone to replace him as head of the department, so he still comes in once a week to the clinic.

She then tried to examine Theo to see if his prescription is correct, but he did NOT want to open his eyes. We managed to get him to open his eyes for a few seconds at a time as long as I had peek-a-boo barn or a video playing for him. After her exam she put in some eye drops to make Theo's eye dilate. He was really mad about that and ended up scratching me really good on my face and neck.

We then went to the dark room to wait for Theo's eyes to dilate. 

After about 30 minutes we were taken into another exam room. We waited for the new doctor to come in, but to our surprise Dr. Steve came in! We caught up for a minute and I told him that he needs to officially retire and go on a cruise. He said he and his wife were about to leave on a cruise to go see the upcoming solar eclipse! I am so jealous!

He then tried to examine Theo, but of course Theo fought back and pretended he didn't have eyes. Oh, child. 

I told Dr. Steve that Theo does not like to wear his glasses. We try, but it's a battle. He told me to keep trying and to let him know in a few months if it's still an issue. 

Dr. Steve then told us that we will probably not see him next time... but I know there is always a chance. I got teary eyed when he told us that it's been a pleasure to see Theo and work with us over the last 8.5 years. I get so sad when Theo's doctors leave us, but Dr. Steve has always been one of my favorites. We are going to miss him, but I am glad he is finally semi-retired! 

[Theo scratched my neck - I really need to cut his fingernails]

Friday, July 24th:

Nurse Stephanie came over again today to watch Theo. I love it when I am working in the basement and I can hear them giggling upstairs!

Theo has been struggling with some post nasal drip and he's been a little stuffy. I think his allergies are just acting up. His right ear has been leaking on an off for the last week. I'm glad his tube is still working because it would be awful for all of that to be stuck behind his eardrum. 

That afternoon Ms. Becca came over for PT. Theo did really well!

Saturday, July 25th:

Josh participated in a golf tournament today. He said he did really well and had a lot of fun!

I took Theo to the lab today, so he could have an EKG and get bloodwork done. I didn't realize that the lab closed earlier than the rest of the clinic, so we couldn't get the bloodwork done, but we were able to get the EKG.

Sunday, July 26th:

Josh's friend won tickets to the Savannah Banana's vs The Firefighter's at Wrigley Field. I entered a lottery too, but I didn't win. Tickets are really expensive on the secondary market, so I figured we wouldn't be able to go. But then Josh's friend couldn't go and he offered us the tickets! YAY! We are going to Banana Ball at Wrigley Field!

Nurse Milto came over at noon to watch Theo and Josh and I headed into Chicago. We wanted to park in Chinatown and take the metro up to Wrigley, but there was a festival going on and we couldn't find parking. We parked north of the loop instead and took the train from there.

We arrived at the Wrigley Field with plenty of time! 

We grabbed a couple of hot dogs and drinks and made our way all the way to the top of the stadium. From my seat there was a HUGE pole in front of homebase, so if I wanted to see the action there I had to lean into Josh.

["Lion King" Banana Ball style!]

I jumped on StubHub to see if I could find some last minute ticket sales. The secondary sellers can't sell tickets after the game technically starts, so the count down was on! I found two seats in the lower level and as I was trying to buy them my credit card freaked out and someone else snatched them. BUT I was able to get two seats that were even closer to home plate for half the price! We grabbed our drinks and headed downstairs! We made it to our new seats just in time for the national anthem and team introductions!

[We were in the sun now and it was HOT, but it was worth it!]

[Game started at 3:00! Got the new tickets right on time!]

We were sitting on the Firefighters side even though we were rooting for the Savannah Banana's. So, the Firefighters kept us entertained by doing tricks, throwing shirts into the audience, and dancing on the dugout!

Cy Young Winner, 3s MLB All-Star, and retired Cubs pitcher, Rick Sutcliffe threw out the first pitch! In Banana Ball the first pitch counts! And if any of the fans catch a fly ball that counts as an out! There are a lot of fun rules when it comes to Banana Ball 😁

The game was so much fun! It was a non stop dance party! The teams score points by scoring runs and by doing trick plays, so they are constantly trying to show off.

 [Can you spot Split the SB mascot? He's wearing camo and standing in the ivy]

It was really hot so we got some Cubs soft served! 

At one point they had a a race between all of the hot dog condiments and Split tackled the guy who was dressed up as ketchup! There was no way ketchup was going to win! You can't put ketchup on a hot dog in Chicago!

In the end the Savannah Bananas lost, but we had so much fun! Let's face it, baseball can be kinda boring sometimes. Banana Ball is non stop entertaining and I didn't see one bored kid during the entire game. AND the game is only two hours long (they have a count down clock), so it's perfect for those who have smaller attention spans. But I could have watched for another hour at least! 

After the game we bought Theo a shirt and I got a pin (of course)! The metro stations were crowded so we decided to walk south to a wood fire pizza place for dinner. It was a beautiful evening and it took us about 40 minutes to walk to the restaurant, but when we got there it was CLOSED! UGH! Remember when that happened to us with the Nutella Cafe?! Bummer.

So, we jumped on the metro and took it into The Loop. We ended up eating at Broken English Taco Pub where we got tacos and margaritas! It was delicious!

Gorgeous Chicago!

I love this city!

We can't leave Chicago without swinging by Mastro's for their famous mac-n-cheese and butter cake 😋 🤤

If you get the chance to go to a Banana Ball game definitely go! Their league has expanded and they now have six teams: Savanah Banana's, Party Animals, Firefighters, Texas Tailgaters, Loco Beach Coconuts, and Indianapolis Clowns. They are on a world tour, so I am sure they are coming to a stadium near you soon!

And this popped up on my Facebook today. Emily and I at Disneyland and DCA 20 years ago!