Denver Diary Day 24: Getting home from the Rockies was...rocky...

We are officially at home in SC...for now.  We headed out Saturday morning at 5 from the Ron McD House to the Denver Airport.  We thought both boys would stay asleep, but they were raring to go once we got them up.  We will definitely miss the cool mornings in Denver while we are home...it was so nice to wake up to 60 degrees!

The Denver Airport was beautiful...it looked like little adobes sitting on the top.

By the time we got to the airport, unloaded our rental car (which was a huge feat in itself), got all of our luggage and both boys (blankets, stuffed toys and all) into the shuttle bus, got to the ticket counter (of course because we had a changed ticket we couldn't check in at the curb), and got through security (where we had to make Cade put his blanket on the conveyor belt for the security check--it's getting a bit ridiculous what goes on there, but that's another story...) we were wiped out and ready to get on the plane and sit for a while.  I got stuck sitting between both boys - Cade slept the entire way and Kai made himself comfortable with his legs stuck out in the middle of the aisle and whined about being in the seat belt. 

Cade in the shuttle from the rental car agency to the airport...he does look chipper for 5:30 am, doesn't he?!

Our layover in Atlanta was another story.  We are pretty sure that the altitude changes in the place greatly affect Cade - on our trip going to Denver he melted down in the Atlanta airport for our layover.  We were able to get him calmed down and all was well before we boarded, though.  This time Cade's meltdown happened shortly before boarding the plane.  We rushed up to board with the early boarders - a very nice man who saw my desperate face allowed us to get in front of him - I quickly passed our boarding passes up, only to watch in what seemed like slow motion as the ticket agent could not get them to scan.  As another ticket agent came up to help Cade's meltdown begin to reach monumental proportions...he was hanging upside down on Eric and screaming and crying.  Then the supervisor comes up to let us know that we really need to "calm him down" before we get on the plane.  Well...that's about all it took for me to begin my own meltdown -- as I ran after Cade, who had gotten away from Eric and was running, the entire crowd of other Charleston-bound passengers watched in "train wreck fashion" while our little family tried to get on the airplane.

At that moment God sent what must have been an angel to help us.  A ticket agent came up, gave me a hug to say it would be fine, and then picked Cade up and walked us down the hallway to board the plane.  He then led us to our seats, where he gently put Cade in, then made sure we were all settled before he left.  He even came back before the plane left to make sure we were all ok.  As the other passengers boarded and cautiously stared at us to see our outcome, I prayed silently for that man.  If it hadn't been for him we might still be in Atlanta (well, not really, but it sure seemed like it!).

All of us were happy to be pulling into Charleston (until we stepped outside and got assaulted by the heat!).  We were all in bed by early evening and slept in very late.  Cade is still adjusting...he got up at 10:30, took a nap at 1:30, then fell asleep again by 7:00.  But it is definitely so nice to be home, if only for a couple of weeks.

The boys checking out the Charleston view...we're glad to be home!

Tomorrow we begin therapy at home with our new OT Heather.  She isn't really new - I have actually been talking to her throughout our time at the STAR Center.  But she will be working with us here at home on a regular basis now.  Please pray for a smooth transition for Cade tomorrow.  We will be working on the model that the STAR Center set up for us, and especially beginning to address Cade's extreme oral-motor sensory needs.  Also, please continue to pray about the school situation.  I will be calling the coordinator for the Developmental Preschool in the county we are in tomorrow...hopefully we will be able to get Cade screened soon and have some definite answers on his placement.