Site seeing in San Francisco

January 1-6, 2008 

A summary of the twenty-five days that we spent in Palo Alto and the surrounding areas in California.

On Tuesday, January 1, Lora, Meadow, and I were on a plane flying to San Francisco, and on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, Meadow took several tests.

She had to stay overnight on Friday because her blood pressure bottomed out during that test.

We spent many weekends sightseeing. One weekend, we rode to San Francisco, where we walked part of the way across the Golden Gate Bridge, walked in Muir Woods National Park, and ate Lunch at Bubba Gump's on Pier 39. We also traveled along the coast on hwy CA-1 to Half Moon Bay. 

On Monday, January 7, Meadow has her first doctor's appointment with Dr. Gary Steinberg. Her first surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, January 8, and she will have to stay in the hospital until Friday.

The weekend after Meadow's first surgery, we went to Hollow Park Zoo and to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Meadow's last surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, January 15, and she will stay in the hospital until Friday, January 17.

One weekend, we visited the San Francisco Zoo, the Pacific Ocean Coast, and Parents Helping Parents. 

Meadow's last doctor's appointment is on Wednesday, January 23, and if Doctor Steinberg gives us the okay, we will travel home on Friday, January 25.

Meadow will have to return in six months to make sure that the grafts have taken.

Day 1: January 1, Tuesday 2008 

We are beginning the new year in a jet flying from Nashville, Tennessee, to Palo Alto, California, where Meadow will have surgery on the right and left side of her head to repair her carotid arteries.

Hubby was driving us to the Nashville Airport, so we were both up at 1:30 A.M., we both took a shower and dressed. 

We loaded my luggage into our Yellow VUE and went to pick up Lora and Meadow. 

Marcus, Jr., & JR (Marcus's Nephew), and JR's girlfriend were still sitting in the living room at 1:30 A.M. watching television.  

I dressed Meadow in a one-piece suit after Lora put Meadow's medicine in her G-Tube.

We loaded all of Lora's luggage into our VUE.

We arrived at the Nashville Airport at 4:30 A.M. Hubby helped us unload the luggage, and we said goodbye. 

At the ticket counter, we checked our bags and received our e-tickets. 

We went to the restroom to change Meadow's diaper before we stood in line at security. 

We had to remove our shoes and watches, the computer had to be removed from its carrying case, and all our carry-on luggage had to be placed on the conveyor belt for scanning.

Meadow was pushed, in her wheelchair, through security, and the guard brought out a wand to scan Meadow's wheelchair for bombs and drugs. 

After passing inspection, we again loaded the wheelchair down with all our carry-on baggage and started walking towards the gate area. We will be flying from Nashville to Denver on Flight F9239.

We were among the small children and disabled people who entered the plane first. 

We are seated near the front of the plane in seats 220A, B20, and C20C

All our carry-on baggage had to be stored in the compartment above our heads. 

Flying over the now-capped Rocky Mountains near Denver, Colorado

We slept most of the way on our flight to Denver, Colorado. 

I went to the restroom twice during our flight, and on one of those trips, my foot got tangled in the straps of Meadow's diaper bag. 

Lora was still asleep, so I had to wake her up so she could help me untangle my foot.

Our flight from Nashville was delayed. We had to wait for another plane to taxi off, and it took a long time to take off, which in turn caused us to miss our connecting flight in Denver.

During our final descent inte Denver Airport, the stewardess said over the interco "Please,se if you do not have a connecting flight, stay in your seat"s.

Since we were in front of the plane, and we had a connecting flight, we were the first to leave. 

I took Meadow out of her car seat, rushed up the walkway, carrying her in my arms, and walked to the ticket counter for our connecting flight. 

The person at the ticket counter said, "We have given your seats to someone else since the doors had not been closed for the flight's competition. We will have to ask the people we have given your seats to to get off the airplane." 

Lora had to stay behind to wait for Meadow's wheelchair & our luggage to be brought up from the bottom of the plane and transferred to our connecting plane before she could board the plane with us.

We were flying with Frontier Airlines, and the plane we're on now has a porcupine on the wings and tail. 

I sat in the aisle seat, Meadow sat in the middle seat, and Lora sat next to the window.

During the flight, we were served a drink and a small package of cookies. Meadow slept during most of the flight.

We saw the snow-capped, foggy Rocky Mountains from the airplane, where the landscape looked like chocolate-swirled ice cream.

Lora was sitting by the window, so she took several pictures of the snowy mountain range.

I tried to watch "A Harry Potter Movie", but I kept falling asleep. 

We were the last to leave the plane when we landed at San Francisco Airport because we had to wait for Meadow's wheelchair to be brought up from the plane's bottom. 

The flight attendant and pilots were very helpful in getting us into the wheelchair and out of the airplane with all our carry-on luggage. 

We walked to baggage claim, found a cart, loaded our luggage, and took the shuttle to the rental car area.

We got off the shuttle at the airport's basement level, which was not the rental car area.

We met a woman who worked at the airpor,t and we asked for directionstor the rental cars.

She said the directions I am about to give you are the directions I take to cut down on walking time, and she said you can go this way. Signs are posted to discourage people from flying in and out of the airport, which helps workers get around.

She said that we would come to an area with a sign that reads, "This is a security area." 

She said we could go through the area, which we did, and it led us to the airport area, where we could take the shuttle to the Dollar Car Rental area.

Lora had rented a PT Cruise. We loaded the car with all our luggage, buckled Meadow into her car seat, and Lora drove us down Highway 101 to Palo Alto, California. 

We arrived at the RMH on Sand Hill Road just before 3:00 P.M., which was when the office closed. 

The woman working in the front office checked us in, then she gave us a copy of the rules, and we were shown around and were given two keycards to our room.

I pushed Meadow to our room, M213, while Lora parked the PT Cruiser in the garage under the RMH building.

After parking, Lora loaded our luggage onto a cart and pulled it upstairs to our room, where we unloaded it.

Meadow and I went back downstairs with Lora to return the cart.

We rode to McDonald's for lunch, where I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, Lora ordered a Fish Sandwich, and Meadow some chicken nuggets. 

We rode back to RMH, where we rested for a couple of hours.

Pasta, a large salad, and several sweets had been prepared and brought to the RMH for supper, which Lora and I ate.

After supper, we rode to Safe Way Grocery Store to buy Meadow some Pedi-light and some snacks. 

Then we rode to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital to check it out; this is where Meadow will have her surgery.

It had been a long day, so we rode back to RMH and went to bed.

Day 2: January 2, Wednesday 2008

It is day two, and Meadow was awake at 6 A.M. Alabama time, not California time, which is 4A.M.

It was just a little too early to be getting up, but Meadow did not know the difference, and she played for two hours.

Meadow will have an MRI today. She can only have clear liquids, so she is fed only apple juice.

Meadow after MRI

Lora and I both ate oatmeal with canned fruit for breakfast.

Meadow was crying because she wanted her Pedi Sure, which she could have after her MRI at 2:30 P.M.

We left Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at 6:30 P.M., stopping at Walmart for a package of tea and a box of cookies. 

We stopped at Jack-in-the-Box to buy a large unsweetened tea; most of the employees there spoke Spanish and did not understand our Southern slang.  

Lora said repeatedly, "I would like to order a large unsweetened tea." Finally, I said, "You know, a large drink like Coke." They were still laughing as we drove away. Lora rode to Taco Bell, where she ordered an unsweetened tea and a sandwich. Ironically, they all spoke English.

We rode back to the RMH, where we ate supper, watched some TV, and were in bed around 12:00 P.M. 

Day 3: January 3, Thursday 2008 

Again, Meadow woke up early; she was up at 6:00 A.M., and her diaper was soaking wet. I changed her and put her back to bed with us. 

Both of Meadow's eyes were very red because she was allergic to the tape that the Anesthesiologist used to put over her eyes when he put her to sleep for the MRI test.

They put an IV into Meadows' arm for the MRI test, and she will be having another test tomorrow, so they left the IV needle in her arm.

They covered the IV with Coban so Meadow would not pull it out, but she is biting at the Coban with her teeth, trying to remove it.

Meadow is trying to remove the cob from her teeth.

Lora and I both got up, showered, dressed, and walked downstairs for breakfast. 

Again, Meadow could only have clear liquids, so she was fed a can of chicken broth.

Both Lora and I ate a bowl of Kasha Cereals for breakfast, and after breakfast, we rode over to Save A Lot Grocery Store, where Lora bought some diaper wipes.

Meadow was taken back at 1:30 P.M. for her second SPEC SCAN test at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, and Lora and I stayed with Meadow until she went to sleep. 

During Meadows's test, Lora and I went to the hospital cafeteria for lunch.

Lora ordered a cheeseburger and fries, and I ordered chicken fingers, a salad, and a parfait.

After her test, Meadow was taken back to PACU for recovery. After she recovered, she drank a can of Pedi-Sure.

By the time we returned to the RMH, it was pouring rain.

Meadow's test went very well, and she was playful for the remainder of the day.

That night at RMH, we played Bingo.

Lora won two dolls, one for Madison and a Dora doll for Meadow.

It was terribly stormy that night, leaving 1 ½ million people in San Francisco without power.

Day 4: January 4, Friday 2008 

Meadow will have two tests today; she can only clear liquids, so once again, she is fed Chicken Broth.

Her first test will be the second part of the SPEC Scan Test.

Lora had Meadow's Pedi Sure shipped to Doctor Stanford's Office.

We met Jill from Dr. Stanford's office in front of Stanford Hospital to pick up the Pedi-Sure.

Both Lora and Jill got wet while loading the Pedi-Sure into the car because it was pouring.

Lora parked the car in the parking deck at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

We walked to admitting, where Meadow was admitted to the hospital once again for the two tests.  

We met with Dr. Dodd in the neurosurgery department. He is doing Meadows's angiogram and explained the procedure he will be doing on Meadow. 

Dr. Dodd said Meadow will be under anesthesia until the Angio and the second part of the SPEC SCAN are completed. 

Meadow's little body could not stand all the stress of the two tests; her blood pressure and pulse dropped. 

The team administered B/P meds and IV Solu-Cortef (Cortisol replacement) or stress hormone due to panhypopituitarism. 

The doctor came looking for Lora and me, but he couldn't find Lora because she had fallen asleep at the lobby door, and I had gone downstairs to use the restroom.

When the doctor found Lora,, he explained what had happened, and took her back to be with Meadow.

When I returned to the lobby, a male nurse took me back to the PICU.

Meadow was placed in the PICU overnight for observation. Lora and I stayed with Meadow until 12 A.M.

We went to the second-floor lobby and tried to sleep.

I walked up and down the stairs about 5 times during the night because there was no public restroom on the second floor.

Lora said they got cold sleeping in the lobby corner and that it made them sick.

Day 5: January 5, Saturday 2008 

I was up at 6 A.M. I checked on Meadow, then went to the cafeteria for breakfast.

I ordered muffins, eggs, and bacon, and I went back to the lobby to work on my computer.

Meadow was discharged from the hospital at 12 P.M. We rode back to the RMH, and everyone took a nap.

The RMH had grilled hamburgers for supper, and after supper, we talked to other families staying there.

We met a couple from Oregon who had lost their little girl to kidney failure and had come back to the RMH to bury her. They had four more children waiting for them back home in Oregon.

Day 6: January 6, Sunday 2008 

We were up at 8:30 A.M., we both took showers, ate breakfast, and Lora drove on Highway 101 toward San Francisco.

We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, and Lora stopped at Golden Gate Bridge Park.

We had to put our jackets on before we got out because it was still a bit chilly outside.

We put Meadow in her wheelchair, and then we wrapped her up in her pink blanket.

We stop to take a picture with a statue of "The Lone Sailor Memorial and his duffle bag." This memorial commemorates the sacrifices made by sailors of all branches for the sake of freedom. In the background, we saw rolling hills of green and brown.

The Lone Sailor

We had walked about halfway across the Golden Gate Bridge when we stopped to take pictures.

A lovely woman offered to take a group picture, and we said yes.

Standing on the Golden Gate Bridge

While we were on the Golden Gate Bridge, both Lora and I took many pictures of San Francisco and Alcatraz (the Rock), the now-deserted prison. 

We returned to the car to feed Meadow a can of Pedi-Sure.

We rode to Muir Woods Memorial Park, with all the twisty curves we made as we descended into the canyon below.

Driving to Muri Woods

There was no electricity at Muir Woods; the storm the night before had knocked out the power.

We paid three dollars each to enter the park.

Some of the paths we walked in the park were concrete, while others were wooden, and some were just dirt.

We saw a bubbling creek flowing beside the path we were walking on, and next to it was a white wooden fence to keep people on the trodden path.

The dense forest was loaded with Redwood and Sequoia trees, and they were big enough to stand inside.

The forest was probably full of bears and other wild creatures, but we did not see any.

The path was muddy and full of debris, and the rough terrain made it hard to push Meadow in her wheelchair. Meadow's little head bobbed up and down as I wheeled her along in her wheelchair, which she found funny, and she laughed. 

We walked about two miles into the woods, crossing a bridge to reach the other side.

We looked up at the sky from inside the forest, where we saw the tops of the Redwood and Sequoia Trees.

Redwoods and Sequoia Trees

Standing inside one of the many trees in Muri Woods

We also saw a giant redwood stump that dated back to 1100 AD.

We stopped at the restroom to change Meadow and use the restrooms.

We met two strangers outside the restaurant, and they asked one of us to take a picture of them with their camera.

Then one of them took a group picture of us, we were standing next to a wooden carved brown bear.

I told Lora I would be afraid to eat a picnic lunch in Muri Woods because the bears might smell my food. 

We saw an Indian family from Europe eating a picnic lunch in the forest.

We headed back to the car and wiped the debris off Meadow's wheelchair and our shoes before getting in.

We cross the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco and turn left toward Fisherman's Wharf.

Lora parked the car inside a parking deck, and we walked across the street to Pier 39.

We took the elevator up to Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Restaurant and Market, where we were seated at a table overlooking the San Francisco Bay. 

Bubba Gump's Seafood and Company at Pier 39
Bubba Gump's was a movie sign that read: Movie posters, Pirates of the Caribbean.

We start our meal with a spinach dip appetizer and chips. 

Lora and I split a plate of salmon cooked in rice, served with asparagus, carrots, and snow peas. 

When we finished eating our meal, we took Meadow to the restroom, changed her diaper, and then took the elevator to the lower level. 

We walked to the end of the pier, where we both took pictures of Alcatraz.

Alcatraz

Along the pier were piles of brown and black sea lions lying on pallets, bathing in the drizzling rain.

Sea Lions on Pier 39
We saw a sign posted that read: PIER 39 Harassment of the Sea Lions is a Violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. No docking, approaching, feeding, or throwing objects allowed.

We stopped in at Candy Baron to buy some saltwater taffy. They have 66 varieties to choose from, and Lora bought Meadow a colorful sucker. 

We all rode the San Francisco Carousel, handcrafted in Italy, and I filmed Lora holding Meadow as the Carousel went up and down.

At Pier 39 Marina, we saw 39 houses, a 300-berth marina with a double-fingered wooden dock, boat slips that housed sailboats and powerboats, and a vast white cruiser with the name Regent painted in black.

Lora wanted to drive down Pacific One Highway, the road that runs along California's coast.

Lora needed direction, so when we spotted a parked police officer, she pulled over next to him and asked for directions.

He said I can give you a shorter route so you will not have to drive back into the city.

He said, "Follow Third Street; you will go under the Golden Gate Bridge to Market Street, then follow Market Street to Highway 19, and stay in the middle lane." 

We followed Highway 19 to I-280 to Pacifica Highway One. By the time we reached Pacifica Highway One, it was too dark to see the ocean. 

We enjoyed the ride, even though it was drizzling, as we traveled up the winding, mountainous roads.  

By the time we reached Half Moon Bay Beach, it was closed.

We stopped at a local store near Half Moon Bay, where I purchased some cough drops and a non-winning lottery ticket.

Lora purchased a bottle of water, and we used the restrooms.

Lora drove us back to Palo Alto, driving down I-280 to San Hill Road.

We saw a family of deer on the mountainous road that Lora took to bypass the city on the way back to the RMH.

We stopped at a local grocery store to buy washing powder. When we arrived back at the RMH, I washed three loads of clothes.