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!
