Day 913 - 3rd Week Roadtripping: Heading South (PA, DE, MD, D.C., VA, NC)

Sunday, June 25th, 2023 - Saturday, July 1st, 2023

25th Sun Day 14 - A couple of hours' drive brought us to Baltimore, where we found out the hard way that Florida Medicaid doesn't extend its coverage here. After a frustrating encounter at CVS, we managed to secure James' stomach medication refill. Later, we celebrated Dad's birthday at Medieval Times, situated quite unusually inside a Baltimore mall. 🏰🤺 Our red knight met an early demise but that didn't dampen James' spirit. 🚩 James ate a lot of the tomato soup even though we did have to do a quick shirt change amidst jousting (while the lights were dark) because of a severe G-tube leak. Overall a great night! 🐎

26th Mon Day 15 - Baltimore's National Aquarium beckoned us next. 🦈 It was a hot one! 🥵 Initial worries about stroller accessibility were quelled with a handy handicap pass. ♿ Despite the labyrinthine elevator system and going against the crowd, the experience was worth it. We wrapped up the day with good music and a strawberry milkshake at Hard Rock Café 🎸, just as we had promised James. 🥤

27th Tues Day 16 - 🚗 We did a lot of driving today and stopped between Baltimore and DC to see one of Dad's old friends. James was able to scoot around their beautiful home. Our final destination was Virginia for the evening. 🛣️ We would be staying in Richmond Virginia for two nights. Dad was able to do some research and find us some brand new hotels. Is there anything better? 🛏️

28th Wed Day 17 - 🤸🏻‍♂️ James experienced his first trampoline park at DEFY Short Pump in Richmond, VA. [Video below] Dad supported James through the different areas. James really loves to explore and climb. We love that he is so curious and not afraid! Afterwards we came back to the hotel where James played with some toys and then we went back out across the street to a very bougie shopping mall called the Short Pump Town Center. This place had every story you could possibly imagine and music pumping throughout. James couldn't help himself but dance! We came across a toy store that said there were huge discounts but supposedly everything we bought was full price. 😂 We walked around and showed him all the toys but he really wasn't interested until he saw the balls. James tested out every ball they had! Yes, we added a rainbow bouncy ball as another souvenir from the trip!

29th Thurs Day 18 - 🚗Lots more driving today! We started in Richmond Virginia stopped in Durham to have lunch with "Uncle" Doug and then continued on the road to Charlotte, NC. We would stay in Charlotte for two nights. This was also a brand new hotel! 🛌🏻✨

30th Fri Day 19 - 🛌😴 Ah, the joy of sleeping in! Our morning started a little late but full of energy. Every morning Dad has been playing country music for James and he has been loving it! Off to Whole Foods we went, and what's a visit without a sweet treat? We couldn’t resist and brought cupcakes and cookies to the Drinkhahn’s house 🧁🍪. Talk about a sugar rush! James was on fire, doing the “Bum Shuffle” (Bluey’s words) all over their house, with their adorable daughters aged 4, 6, and 8 cheering him on! 🥳 In the evening, we started James on a 24 hour round of Pedialyte because he had been having diarrhea since Wednesday. Tomorrow we would add his formula back in at 50%.

1st Sat Day 20 - ⏰ Noon-ish, we bid farewell to Charlotte and hit the road to Savannah. Oh, the Southern charm was calling our names! We checked into the Westin, a comfy haven. But no rest for the wanderers - we hopped on a ferry and crossed the river 🚢. Despite the sweltering heat 🥵, we made our way across the river by ferry to soak in the 4th of July vibes and James showcased his dancing talent, much to everyone's delight. Several people came up to us saying they couldn't get over James' dance moves! 🕺 After a few hours of tunes and joy, we headed back. We already needed more Pedialyte so Dad quickly ran up 7 blocks to a drug store before catching the ferry. 🏃🏻‍♂️ During that time Mom and James had quite an adventure on their own with trying to find a restroom which involved getting lost downtown with Mom being pregnant pushing James and his medical stroller and getting yelled at by random people. Lots of tears by the time we found Dad again. 😭 Interestingly enough while in a line for an outdoor elevator (it was like a human oven) we met a nice Spanish lady who after noticing James' G-tube shared with us the story of her trach scar due to an accident. ⚕️

Tomorrow we head to Jacksonville for our last stop before heading home. 🌴

Forgot bath toy, so 60cc syringe came in handy!

P.S. You can email James your love and support as often as you’d like. Mom and Dad read these email to James as they come in. We all love them! JamesWestonAbramowitz@gmail.com