Our first weekend away with Maaike and her changing table

As we were driving home yesterday from our little getaway I caught myself thinking that life in that moment was perfect. The logistics of taking Maaike and all her gear on a trip seemed stressful, almost insurmountable, and just plain crazy, but with hopes of taking a family trip this Summer it was time to give it a test run close to home. We stayed at a hotel with a little indoor water park just 40 minutes from home. We figured if it got too crazy we could just turn around and go home, but thankfully that didn't happen. Instead we conquered fears, made memories, and proved to ourselves that with a changing table all things are possible. Maaike has never taken a real bath, let alone, gone swimming, but we felt it was important for her to be in on the action too, even if only ankle deep. A trach is an open port directly to her lungs, so you can imagine how Maaike and water don't mix. I have great anxieties having Maaike near water, but it was high time she got to experience a little water splashing.

Sid and I took turns playing with the water rats and tending to the land-locked little lady. It worked out rather nicely and I think we all had a wonderful time.

After swimming it was time for a movie in bed

We discovered a few tricks that will come in handy on our next adventure. First, the princess canopy. Maaike was able to have a dark corner under the hotel curtains while the rest of us took in a little March Madness.

Second, hotel furniture can be moved. We cleared out a lamp, table, chair, and ottoman to build castle de Maaike in this corner.

And third, never under estimate the power of a changing table. Back in July we put wheels on her changing table so that it could be wheeled throughout the house when she had to be attached 20 hours of the day. Now she is only hooked up when she is sleeping, but the wheels came in handy once again. It was so nice not to worry about disconnecting everything, finding a place for them to sit, and then reconnecting everything. It was a simple unplug, plop it in the back, wheel it into the elevator, and plug it back in. We are hoping to find a smaller cart for our summer trip as the changing table takes up almost the entire back of the van, but lessons learned and mission accomplished.