Dovi is at camp! (LONG!!)

Tired. So. Tired. Head. Spinning.

Yesterday, Dovi and I left for the airport at 6:30am. Benjie followed behind in his car to help us with luggage-b/c as I predicted, there was a lot of HEAVY bags (3 to be exact) plus the BiPap and Pulse Ox which both need to be carried on, plus the boy in his very large, very heavy Convaid stroller:So after him turning around to get my camera and me stopping for money (who the heck knew how much they were going to charge me for the overweight), we set off.

The extremely nice curbside woman let us leave the van out in front for a minute while Benjie pushed the luggage and I pushed the boy in to check in. Miracle of miracles, they did not charge us for either the extra bag (we had 3, and United only gives you one free bag now and charges $25 for the second) or the fact that the bags seriously weighed 150 pounds each. They first told me that if ALL the medical supplies were in 1 bag then they wouldn't have to charge me but b/c there was clothing also they would.

So I said "Well I'd be happy to consolidate all 4 cases of formula and 2 cases of pedialyte and the IV pole and the neb and the 5 bags of diapers and the 1 bag of chux into one bag-but that bag would weigh like 400 pounds. I was trying to distribute the weight to make it easier for you guys."

They were like, "Umm just keep it how it is."

Dovs was fab on the plane-he's such a trooper what with the oxygen and the eye drops every 10 minutes. But he watched Over the Hedge and that was that. Of course our flight was delayed about an hour but what else is new.

Got to Newark, Raphi (Dovi's new counselor) met us at the gate-how he pulled that off I don't know. We went to baggage claim, and of course only 2 of D's bags came out. One of the body bag sized duffels was missing. Turned out it was on the next flight. So we mosied over to the rental car rental place with the 2 bags, got the car rental. I made the mistake of prepaying for an entire tank of gas but whatever. Then we went to get our car. It was this:

I felt like a 85 year old grandpa. I was unable to drive the beast. So I made Raphi drive us up to camp :)

Swung around back to baggage claim, grabbed the 3rd bag which came on the flight it was supposed to (shocking!), and off to camp we went.

Dovi must have asked 400 times on the way there: "When we get to camp?" but we persevered and got there.

He refused to be met by singing and dancing, although he had promised he would let them-mostly b/c all he wanted to do was go to his cabin and find his BFF, EZRA. Which he did. Much hugging ensued. Pictures to follow. I'm at work and don't have my cord thingie to get the pics onto my putey, but I promise they will be worth the wait. They are tear worthy. They were sooooo yummy, chatting in there little FD voices together, comparing their medical supplies-

YES! They have the same nebulizers! WOOHOO!! Differnet oxygen tanks!! Different pumps! Cracked me up in a pathetic kind of way.

D was literally dragging his luggage across the cabin and flinging his stuff onto the shelves.

Then I spent 2 hours freaking Raphi out with all D's crapola. Seriously, the child has a lot of equipment. Raphi has done FD kids before, but that kid didn't use a G-tube, so we had to start from scratch. Took a while, so I'm glad I went. My OCD-ness paid off. Although they mocked me for my psycho notes. We also had to change all the times for Dovi's schedule. Camp schedule is....slightly.....different.....than the rest of the year. Dovi stays up just a skotch later at camp. Who am I kidding? the kid goes to bed after 10 every night. So we had to change the times.

Then they went to dinner at 6, Dovi basically kicked me out. I ate some meatballs and potato kugel (why were they serving potato kugel for dinner on a Thur? Who cares-it was YUM!) and was on my way. Well first I went (ventured over) from the family area of the dining room to the slightly more anarchy-filled area of the campers. Seriously a bit bananas over there. Hugged the D, and he pushed me out. See ya!

On the way to my boat/car, a guy came running over to me (now all you NY'ers who go up to the mountains will find this HYSTERICAL):

"Are you going to South Fallsburg?"

"I'm going to Teaneck-will that help you?"

He looked at me with a look of utter shock on his face.

"Umm no. Thanks anyway".

It turns out they are in OPPOSITE directions. Completely :)

Got back to NJ at about 8ish, after taking multiple wrong turns in Teaneck-I was literally 5 minutes from my brother's house, but there are no streetlights, the signage is awful, and my GPS was getting pissy with me. So I had a nice tour of Teaneck.

By about 11:00, I was literally incoherent and went to bed.

Got up at 4:10 in the morning for my freaking 5:45 flight. Got to the airport. THE FLIGHT WAS DELAYED UNTIL NOON!!

I got in the line with every other person who was supposed to be on that flight. We were one tired, crabby bunch. And the line. was. not. moving.

Finally (here's where I'm one smart cookie) I called United reservations WHILE IN LINE and got them to put me on the 9 am flight-the 7:30 was completely full so the best I could do was 9.

Got my boarding pass and got through security, behind some man eating a garlic sandwich-I swear-at 5:45 in the morning. Got to my gate. Bought a $5 container of Honey Nut Cheerios and milk and settled down with my book and my cereal for my 3 hour wait for my flight. Which was a 9.

Then it started.

A boy PLAYING. HIS. GUITAR. AT. 6 AM

WHY????? I wanted to punch him in the face. It's 6 am, dude! I know that you're hoping that a talent scout will be walking through the airport at 6 am and declare you the next American Idol, but could you please NOT play your guitar in the airport at 6am? Everyone else here is tired and crabby. He finally stopped.

Got to work at 11:30 in the morning, and have been sipping my Dunkin Donuts ice coffee ever since.

I realize that I have been up for over 8 hours and it's only 1 pm.

I fear this afternoon will be a very Wii afternoon for E, S, and J

Thank G-d the weekend is coming. I hope to be in bed by 7:30 tonight, but I fear what my house looks like. Benjie-I will say I have the most lovely well meaning husband in the world. He tries. He really does-but his version of neat and clean and my version of neat and clean are two vastly different animals.

So the boy is happy at camp and I am tired and at home. Pics will follow this afternoon.