Bird & Mom's Excellent Adventure

Bird and I just returned from our excellent adventure to participate in a Turner Syndrome Research study.

Day 1:

We were up early, early, early for our 6:25 AM (yes, AM as in morning) flight to California. Of course, as is per usual for us, we were late getting out of here and over to my brother's house (he was driving us to the airport). We get there with a whole half hour to spare and there was a HUGE line at the security checkpoint. Rats. Luckily, they opened up more lanes and we got through with no problems. I was worried about the growth hormone stuff but there was not a problem. Thank goodness.

The first leg of the journey was on a half full plane so Bird and I had a little row to ourselves. Got to Denver with no problems and switched planes. The plane from Denver to San Jose was also not full so there was some space there, too. This was important as it was on Southwest and they are not the largest seats out there.

Got to San Jose and our shuttle was right there to take us to the hotel. Bird was staring and soaking it all up as we drove to the hotel. And it was warm...so warm. Love the warmth!

Our reservations were at Creekside Inn. I love this place. I really, really do. There was a flat screen TV. And a comfy couch and chair. And fluffy, comfy beds that were self-making! And a balcony overlooking a creek! Oh, I could live there!!!

We got the directions to get to San Francisco to do some sightseeing and off we went. Along the way to the CalTrain station, we passed Microsoft and AOL. Hopped on the train and down to San Francisco. Caught the bus and hopped off around the corner from the Chinese gates at Grant and Bush. Bird got a new Chinese outfit (purple). We walked down (up?) the street to Pine then cut across to Stockton. Oh my goodness, I thought I was gonna die.


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Maybe that was a bad choice. Maybe. But we walked down Stockton to Pier 39. We saw the sea lions and Alcatraz was off in the distance. Visited some shops and took some pictures. Bird loved it.

As it got dark, we headed back to catch the bus back to the train station (and we missed the train but seconds and had to wait a half an hour for the next one). While waiting, we grabbed Subway to eat back at the hotel. Finally, we got back about 9 o'clock. We were sore and worn out. But, we had fun.

Meanwhile, while we were having fun, the boy was calling. He had the flu and was running a fever of 104. What could I do from so far away? I don't know.


Day 2:

The inn shuttle took us to Stanford to meet up with the researchers. Bird had some IQ tests and I had mounds of paperwork to fill out. I had my laptop along to work on my homework...which didn't really happen. At noon, we broke for lunch and, after eating, took a stroll over to see the Angel of Grief which led to comedic comments about the Weeping Angels from Dr. Who. Of course, now we know if we had just followed the path a little further, we'd have seen the mausoleum. Oh, well.

After lunch, we got to take a hike to go to the building where the practice MRI was set up and Bird was taught the games. Then, another hike to where she had an MRI done. She did well.

Shuttle picked us up at 5:30 or so, back to the hotel and then a stroll down the street to Taco Bell to pick up supper. Taco Bell out in CA is not nearly as good as Taco Bell here. Not enough fat and grease. Definitely affects the taste.

While all that was going on, the boy was texting. Huge snow storm back home. He was sick. What could I do about it? I don't know...

Day 3:

Back to Stanford. Today, we took a hike to get the paperwork filled out for blood work for Bird then back to the first psychiatry center. There, Bird had blood work drawn for a karyotype and then more cognitive testing. I had more questionaires to fill out. Joy, joy, joy! Break for lunch then back at it. In the afternoon, Bird had more cognitive testing and I got to have an IQ test with a research student from Canada. He had a lovely accent. :) I guess we'll find out how stupid I am after the results are in. :)

After that, we trekked over to the imaging center again for another MRI for Bird. She had her "games" to play while the MRI was a'working. I had learned from the treks the first day and didn't take my laptop.

Back to the hotel again about 5:30 and then down the street to McDonald's for supper. Again, the lack of grease and saturated fat is quite evident. It isn't nearly as tasty without those. *sigh*

Day 4:

Back to reality. No more beds that magically make themselves.

We get to the airport in plenty of time. Boarded the plane and sat there for half hour or more after our scheduled departure time. The plane was cram packed full. We were supposed to have an hour between planes at LAX which is when I thought we'd eat. We got there with minutes to spare to get on the next plane. I was hungry and grumpy. Fortunately, the plane was half empty for the last leg of our journey.

All in all, it was a great trip. The weather was warm and sunny. The staff of the study were friendly and professional. It was a fantastic experience and I hope we can participate in more research studies. I'm sold on these things after just one.

But, more than anything, in a couple of months we'll have the results and maybe it will help us to help Bird with her learning differences. I hope. I also hope that I passed my IQ test.