Camp No Limits- The last full day

The morning ran the same, breakfast, energizers, OT/PT, life skills and sibling groups, lunch then peer support groups. During OT Bella got to try some other prosthetics, which was really fun AND she got to test out the i-limb. Can I mention that the i-limb costs $90,000?! Holy batman. It was really interesting to watch all of the upper limb difference kids try it. Bella was able to trigger it perfectly to get the hand to open and close... to which her response was "This will be my next hand!". Lord help me! I know there are grants and other programs that make this sort of thing possible. If she continues to use her sports arm, then we may pursue something more.

(Hungry hungry hippos, human style!)

Next up, slip and slide. This was insanely fun! Who knew?! We watched campers, staff, volunteers and parents go down. The facial expressions while watching at the bottom were hilarious! I know you are dying to know if I went down it... you bet! I mean it's not every day that theres a slip and slide that's big enough for an adult. Ryan didn't go down it. Loser :) I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid for my life while I went down. I did slide off the end and into the grass. It was quite fun and the kids are sure to agree.

Water front activities were next. We found out that Camp Cross doesn't have a provision in their contract for stand up paddle boards which meant that an adult had to be on the paddle boards when someone that was under 18 was using one. Bummer for the kids because they really enjoyed it. Next year, Mel talked about building this into our Camp No Limits programming. However, if you know someone in the Idaho/Wisconsin area that would come to Camp Cross and do adaptive sports, we could have a whole day of adaptive water front activities! Please connect them with me if you do! Email me

The last night is always a slide show, talent show, and dance. Honestly, I want to cry every time I see the slide show. There are so many moments that other people capture of my kids or other kids that make my heart melt. Watching ALL of the kids at camp grow in just a few short days is worth every penny. They make tremendous growth in activities of daily living, being more effective with or without prosthetics, running, walking, buttoning, pony tails, shoe tying... most of all, the amount of confidence they gain in this time is worth a million dollars.

The talent show... oh dear Lord where do I begin... with this I will share one photo before I tell more.

Please tell me that you didn't laugh? I about died a million deaths! What good sports these guys were! 

Shine's hair shop was a big success. The "customers" left with lip STAIN, moles, mascara and who knows what else. The best part of the talent show is seeing the kids have SO much confidence to present something that they are proud of or be creative. I love it! Not to mention, I loved that Ryan was willing to put on a dress, witches hat, wig and feather boa all for his daughter. I got a good one!

They finish the night up with a dance. By this point, Bella was exhausted. She's our girl that has no problem saying when she's ready for bed. About 45 minutes into the dance, she asked to go to bed! It was fun seeing all the kids just let loose and dance around. Even parents and volunteers got in on the action. Truly no judgement, which is the best part of the whole thing! 

Arriving

The first day at a new Camp No Limits is always exciting but a little nerve wracking too. Did we pack all of the right things? What did we forget (because you know there's something!)? Who will we meet? Will this be the camp that we want to come back to year after year? Will this be like all of the other camps? What will be different from the different locations? How will the families be different? How many volunteers will there be? Will there be a sibling program? Will there be something new? What will Bella master this year? Where will we sleep? What will the food be like? Will there be any downtime? Will we sleep at all? What will it be like without Mary? Will we pick up with old friends just like before? How many new friends will we meet?

It's safe to say the questions that flood my mind are never-ending. It's also safe to say that after four times of attending Camp No Limits in three different locations that it's something I would be heart broken to miss. It's an experience like no other that's virtually impossible to put into words. That's one of the reasons that we've raised funds to send three other families.

Back to arrival day... we arrived late due to driving around the lake for a good hour and a half. Go figure. Not ideal but also not the end of the world. This is by far the most remote camp! You arrive at a dock, use your cell phone to call Camp Cross and they send a pontoon boat over to pick you and your luggage up to transport back to camp. We left our rental car, rode across the lake and took in the amazing views, while watching a bald eagle fly overhead.

Introductions were under way when we arrived and lunch was complete... only we hadn't had lunch! The kitchen was nice enough to be sure we all ate. Bella and  I stayed for introductions, while the boys all ate. Then we swapped. I inhaled because I didn't want to miss anything and Bella flat out refused and ate an apple instead. How dare I even ask her to come away from the group!

Waterfront activities followed. The "beach" is a rock beach. Some sort of water shoes were pretty much a must for most people. There's a swimming area that's deeper at one end as well as a side for water activities, like canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding and paddle boating. Grayson tried the stand up paddle board that was donated to Camp No Limits and didn't do too bad! Luca and I kayaked around for a bit, he was a free loader and I did all of the paddling. It was fun though and we chatted about what we saw around us.

Bella tried kayaking with her new sports arm. She was less than thrilled about using it. It's a new tool for her, which creates a challenge. I "made her" try it for about 10 minutes. Yes, tears fell, yes she was NOT happy with me, yes I was the worst mother on the planet. Here's the thing, you don't just get a new tool without a few errors. You try it and try again until you get it right. Yes I "forced her" (her words) to use it. She's not used to using her elbow and shoulder in the motion necessary for kayaking so her prosthetic popped out from the paddle a few times. This pissed her off to say the least! Either way, it's trial and error and she'll have to practice which will help her find a way that this new tool is useful for her.

Then we had a short break to change for dinner. Dinner was decent. I was warned that it was edible and that was about it. Apparently, Camp Cross has upped their game. It wasn't bad. They have family style meals, so there's a bowl of each item at your table. It's free seating. This is where you lose your kid (or at least Bella) because she's already made too many friends to be bothered sitting with her parents.

Next up, a family art project. This was a really cool idea! I brought ours home and can't wait to frame it. It's the perfect addition to our house and a strong example of working together. Way to go Camp No Limits staff for coming up with this one!

Then, campfire and smores! The kids LIVE for smores, it's likely one of their favorite parts of family camping trips. It's no different for Camp No Limits, they know that it's a tradition to have a fire at each location. We opted to put the boys to bed here and the rest of us enjoyed the fire while they slept.

We made some great connections day one. We welcomed some new campers into the Camp No Limits family and we joined the Idaho Camp No Limits family. Friends were made by all... wait until you hear what day two brings!

Pool friends

Happy Monday! The first day back from Camp No Limits is always a little let down. No friends knocking at your door. You aren't surrounded by your group of people that get you. Your circle is now back in their part of the world. You are left to fend for yourself. Today, I worked out and then took the kids swimming to get their mind off of the disappointment.

Bella instantly found a friend. Adrianna and Bella were both swimming around in the pool then started playing together. They were  playing in the pool, splashing, kicking, going under water, jumping in and then holding hands and jumping in. Adrianna asked Bella about her hand. I couldn't hear her but I could see her. I watched as Bella lifted her left hand above the water, showed her, they talked and then begin playing again. I watched as they sat on the side of the pool and Adrianna HELD BELLA'S LEFT HAND and they jumped in! It was so naturally, it happened so quickly. Then it happened again.

My mama heart melted. I had taken a break to sit at the side and boy am I glad I did. It allowed me to opportunity to watch this sweet moment happen. My heart was bursting with joy. I'm not sure if Bella's still on her camp high or what. I'm not sure if Adrianna just has a sweet old soul or what. I will tell you that I'm sorry I didn't take a moment to tell her dad about the moment I witnessed.

Life happens so quickly. I was in the moment. My phone was tucked away in my bag. Luca was on my lap and I was rubbing Grayson's belly as he sat next to me. I'm so glad this moment didn't pass me by. I'm glad I got to watch even if I couldn't hear.

Adrianna's dad, if you are out there, please reach out. I'd like to get our girl's together again. Pat your daughter on the back, commend her for being a curious little person that didn't offend my daughter, hug her tightly and know that you are raising her right. If you happen to know a fire fighter that works on the north side of Milwaukee with a daughter that is 8 and a son that's about 2 that was swimming at the WAC in Brookfield today, please have him reach out to me!

Denials

Our insurance hasn't been the best when it comes to getting Bella the things she needs. It feels like we are constantly jumping through hoops when we are trying to get things that we think she needs or benefits her. Currently we are STILL working with Hanger and her pediatrician about a prosthetic. 

Her pediatrician isn't well versed in limb differences which can make it slightly difficult to get the resources that we need. This means that I end up educating her pediatrician on the resources we need and then showing her why they would be beneficial. As everyone knows, those pediatrician appointments aren't that long and don't leave much time for discussion. Which isn't a big deal for most but when I need to do some education about resources and needs, this can create an issue. 

 Shriners is an amazing resource that we connected with years ago. At that time, we found out that there weren't really any immediate needs. Bella didn't want anything or find anything that she felt would be useful. Shriners was one of the most amazing hospitals I've ever encountered and that's saying a lot because I'm a nurse that traveled for some time! I opted to reach out to them again due to the issues we are currently having in PE class. We have an upcoming appointment at the end of this month. I was shocked that we could see a specialist so soon! Who's in the Chicago area? Message me if you are, maybe we could do a limb different meet up while we are there! 

Back to PE class, the teacher wants her to be independent and we do as well. Remember how I mentioned that we talked to our friend, Keegan. She had some amazing suggestions about how to help her be independent and be self sufficient without hurting herself. Again, people find those resources, use them! Keegan is an invaluable resource to us, both Bella and me as her mama. 

Stay tuned, until the end of the month!

Discover New Berlin

This weekend we went to the Discover New Berlin event at Eisenhower. I've never been and figured it's a free event right in our community so I should take advantage of the opportunity. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect but why not see if we can learn something new about the area where we most frequently are exploring.

The police and fire department were there. Ryan and I both learned about the crime report and how to get a copy directly to our emails each month. The fire department talked about how to put out a fire and we were able to demonstrate with a fire extinguisher. The fireman also discussed what fire extinguishers we should have in our home, where they should be located and how often they should be replaced. One thing I really found interesting is that some fires are caused by bathroom exhaust fans filling up with dust, dirt and whatever else. It made me think back to the last time I cleaned ours and that it's probably due again! Something I'll be doing today and should be done twice a year.

There were a variety of preschools there with information. This could be really helpful for someone looking into a preschool. For us, we have a GREAT in-home care and it's working well for our schedules. One thing I did notice is that many open at 7 am and close at 6 pm. While those may seem like great times for those working 9-5 jobs, that doesn't work for us. There is one day a week that we have to drop off at 615am due to our work schedules (I start at 6am that day and he starts at 7am and has a commute), so there wasn't an option there that would work for that early drop off. They did have some fun activities though that the kids REALLY enjoyed!

There were a few animals with JoDon farms. We had never heard of them but found them very helpful and kind. There was a sloth that we all got to pet! I've seen them in nature in Costa Rica but never up close. The caretaker of the sloth was very informed and genuinely seemed to adore the little sloth. She was talking to him and very sweet with him. They also had a large bunny and a baby emu. Interesting for sure! We'll be exploring their farm this summer and I'll give a full review then!

There were also a variety of businesses. Gyms, karate, tree trimming, hospitals, churches, insurance, girl scouts, summer camps, chiropractic care, etc. They also had a sign if they were hiring, which could be helpful if you were looking for employment. Many of them were hiring!

Why I am talking about stuff in our community in addition to being a parent? I often find that I go to blogs or various sites to figure out what to do with the kids for the day or where to explore. One of our favorite things in the summer is to explore different parks. There are a TON nearby that are great. Outdoor fun, fresh air, picnic lunches, playing, exercise, FREE, what more could one want? The kids LOVED trying out different parks all summer last year and are asking if we'll do it again. Of course! I'm hopeful that our blog will help others in our area to find some great places to explore too, while also continuing to raise awareness about raising funds for Camp No Limits AND awareness of limb differences and feelings.