Philly Logistics a Little Rough This Time

This will not be a long post, but wanted to fill you in on our first day in Philadelphia, and specific prayer requests for the next several days:

Sunday:

• We arrived safely yesterday after mostly uneventful flights. Lilly snoozed during the second leg of the trip, and was pleasant during the entire trip.  We got word just before our connecting flight departed that the Ronald McDonald House was full for the night, and that the staff there would attempt to secure a room for us at the Omni Hotel in downtown Philadelphia at special rates for us.  I would find out once we hit the ground in Philadelphia whether that worked out.  

•  Once we landed, I had a voicemail confirming that we could stay at the Omni.  Although it is technically located on the same street as the RMcDH, it is located in the heart of Philadelphia's historic district (2 blocks from the Liberty Bell), roughly 4 miles from the RMcDH, and 3 miles from CHOP.  There was a possibility that a room would open up at the RMcDH for Monday night, so we could only stay at the Omni for one night at that rate.  If no room opened up at RMcDH, we would have to re-book at the Omni to get the same rate again. 

• So, we made the most of our lovely location last night, heading out to see some sites and find some dinner.  The historical sites were all closed since it was Sunday evening, but we were able to see the Liberty Bell through the glass, and I splurged on a "budget" (20-minute) horse-drawn carriage ride around the historic district for Lilly and me.  Lilly was mainly interested in the horse and the "poop bag" attached on his harness, but the guide gave some great history for me and it was a really pleasant ride.  Until the end.  When we arrived at our disembarking location, the guide led Lilly to pet the other horses in the row.  The final horse proceeded to attempt to eat LIlly's hair ribbon, and when I quickly jerked her away he turned his slimy mouth onto my shirt, nipping it and leaving behind a nasty brown streak of saliva all over my shirt and dripping onto my pants.  Yuck.  The driver of that horse looked dumbfounded, but made no attempt to help or apologize.  I left feeling angry, but thankful that our hotel was just around the corner.  We quickly changed clothes and headed back out in search of Chinatown, which I had noticed on the map was not far away. 

• We picked a good restaurant--you could tell because it looked like a dive on the outside but was filled with Chinese people enjoying dinner.  Lilly was so excited to have some jiaozi and noodles. She easily ate 3 times more than me, and I wondered if she would ever stop!  The waitresses were all taken with her and gave me the Chinese menu (but I was happy they gave me the English menu too since I never was very good at deciphering Chinese menus and this one used traditional Chinese characters rather than simplified).  The food was delicious.  Forget Philly cheesesteaks!  Philly Chinatown was way better.
• Back to the Omni for our complementary "Milk and Cookies" that they provide for their younger guests.  Then bath and to bed.  

Monday:

• So, not having a car here (but having a large suitcase, a stroller, a back pack, a small backpack for Lilly's toys, and a car seat that I brought so she could get safely in a cab from the airport to our lodging) and no longer having a room after check out this morning meant that we had to leave our luggage in the Omni before heading out on foot for CHOP.  It was a little misty this morning, but not raining outright, so it was a pleasant morning for a little hike to Lilly's pre op consults.  I was thankful for the chance to stretch my legs.  45 minutes later, we arrived, a little early for our appointments.  Thankfully we had a little time to kill, because I received word en route that the RMcDH once again did not have room, and the Omni also did not have any rooms unless I wanted to pay $300 for the night.  Plan C was the Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey, a little bit farther away but only $15 a night with dinner.  Call made; room secured. 
• Pre op consults with Dr. Campbell went well--she has grown as inch since February, and everything looked great on her x-rays.  Anesthesia cleared her for surgery tomorrow, and she survived (with much wailing and gnashing of teeth) the blood draw for lab work.  
• Weather was great for a long walk back to the Omni to collect our luggage, grab a cab, and head to the other RMcDH.  Along the way (as Lilly snoozed in the stroller), I ducked into the downtown Macy's to snap some photos of the beautiful lobby and pipe organ I had heard about. 
• Our cab ride from the Omni to the RMcDH was NOT the highlight of my day.  The driver pretended he knew where we were headed when I gave him the address, but it was quickly apparent to me that he had no clue.  I knew we were going WAY out of the way.  Finally he admitted he was lost and began asking pedestrians about McDonald's.  His English was not great, and people had no clue why he wanted to know where McDonald's was.  I tried to show him on my GPS phone where we needed to go but he waved it away.  He did eventually stop the meter, but only after he had racked up a $30 fare (for what should have been only about a 5-mile ride).  We had to call the House for directions.  When we finally made it, he claimed that I could not pay with my credit card because he had stopped the meter.  The RMcDH folks were wonderful, and spotted me the cash.  I called in a complaint on him.  And I felt humiliated that my first impression here was not so good.  
• Dinner, however, was yummy, and the house has great play areas, computer area (hence this blog update), laundry facilities (taking care of that horse drool as I type), and a shuttle back to CHOP tomorrow for admission and surgery (no more crazy cab drivers for me, thank you.  The 3-mile walk, however, will be missed...)
• We are bracing for a long fast tomorrow, since Lilly can have nothing to eat after bedtime tonight, and nothing but clear liquids until 9:30am tomorrow.  We show at CHOP at 11:30 for an afternoon surgery.  Surgery itself should be a breeze, but Dr. Campbell has a long and more complicated surgery before hers, so I am praying that one goes smoothly and LIlly's case is not pushed to Wednesday.  

Thanks in advance for your prayers for:

• Good rest tonight;
• Supernatural ability to entertain Lilly and pass the time while we both go without food in the morning (I fast when she does--not fair to eat in front of her);
• Dr. Campbell's first case tomorrow--building a ribcage from a clavicle for a little girl who has no ribs on her right side.  Yowzers.  
• Dr. Campbell to have wisdom as he determines the best way to lengthen Lilly's rods, safety under anesthesia, and a smooth recover.
• Logistics of leaving luggage at the House while I spend the night in the hospital with Lilly tomorrow night, then retrieving items on Wednesday when Tom's sister, "Aunt Judi" kindly comes to whisk us up to Grammy's house.
• Logistics of Tom coming on Friday and our house-hunting this weekend, that Lilly would be ok and adequately pain-free for us to leave her with her cousins so we can be quicker in our house hunting efforts.
• logistics of Jared and Anna with good friends at home.  

All for now. . I guess it wasn't so short after all...thanks for hanging in there with all these words and no photos!