Thursday, March 26, 2009

Day 4: Breakfast with a bear

We awoke on Monday feeling really refreshed. We had a full kitchen in our room so we had some easy breakfast items on hand. Since we had reservations at 9:00am to eat we had a quick bite to keep us from starving, and then it was off to the Magic Kingdom to eat at the Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore.
I have read about people getting breakfast times before the park opens therefore, being able to enter the park before everyone else can because of these reservations. I decided that we should do this. I booked us at the Crystal Palace for breakfast. The Magic Kingdom opening time was 9:00am, and boy was there a crowd. Since we had breakfast reservations we were able to go into a seperate line and bypass these crowds. Once we entered man, it was great. Not a soul around. We were one of just a few families walking down Main Street. It was cool. I had really been looking forward to getting some pictures taken in front of the castle with no one else around. I hate it when I get random people in my pictures. Anyway, this would be the day except for one little tiny problem.
It was just a tad bit foggy. We still got our picture though. Next the kids wanted to take pictures by the little statues in front of the castle. Here are a few
It was time for our breakfast so off we went. Crystal Palace is a buffet. Normally, I am not one to eat at many buffets. Disney's buffets are extremely good and clean so it makes me more comfortable. At the character breakfast you wait for the characters, in this case, Winnie and friends to make their rounds to you while you are eating. Here are some pictures of us with the characters from The Hundred Acre Wood
















After breakfast we headed to Frontierland to ride none other than Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. Ty was tall enough for both of these, and he was so excited. On the way we saw "Davy Crockett Donald"
I rode Splash with Tristan and Ty while Andy sat with Evan. He was doing a little more of this
When we were getting off of Splash, there was Goofy in his Frontierland get up. Ty and I wanted a picture, while Tristan went with Andy and Evan to get the ever popular pressed penny.







As naptime was inching closer, we decided to head on out. I took Evan and went to get Fast Passes for Space Mountain that evening, while Andy headed toward the exit with the kids. When I called Andy to see where they were he informed me that they were at the Barber Shop on Main Street getting haircuts for the kids. I know it sounds funny, but the Magic Kingdom Barber shop does their haircuts up right complete with style and "pixie dust". It is really reasonably priced too, believe it or not. So Tristan decided to get 3" cut off of her hair. I was happy because her hair is thick, and it takes forever to dry. Ty got his normal haircut. This was the end result. Talk about some wild and crazy hair. Notice the orange and blue Mickey in the back of Ty's hair. It was lots of fun.
We had a great day, but it was time to head back and rest. We did come back that evening for little bit. It had gotten rather crowded though so we just really rode Space Mountain, and ate our supper. Then it was back to the room for bedtime. Join us tomorrow at Animal Kingdom.
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1 comment:

Jenny said...

Love the pictures! Pooh is my all time favorite Disney character. How fun that Andy took the kids to get their hair cut. He is such a great Daddy! Ty and Tristan look so cute!

March 31, 2009 at 3:34 PM

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Ty's birthmark

Ty's birthmark
Ty before laser treatments

Tyler's Birthmark

A port wine stain (PWS) is a congenital birthmark that affects approximately 3 out of every 1,000 people. They are most commonly found on the face and neck, but they can be found elsewhere. The underlying dilated blood vessels cause the red/pink color of the PWS. When Ty gets upset or hot the blood flow to his face increases causing the birthmark to appear redder. When Ty is colder and the blood flows away from his face the PWS can appear invisible. If left untreated, the vessels may become enlarged and elevate the skin causing the surface to take on a cobble appearance. Sometimes the PWS can also develop into a deep purple color. Occassionally, the vessels can create overgrowth causing the area where the PWS is to become larger than normal.
PWS are present at birth and usually clearly visible. PWS grow with the person and never regress. The problems of PWS can now be treated by laser.
With different wavelengths a laser beam can be made to react upon materials of only certain colors and densities. The laser is tuned to only affect the darker more dense blood vessels deep in the skin that cause the birthmark, leaving the lighter less dense outer skin with minimal damage.Unfortunately, at this time, most people do not see complete removal of their birthmark by laser treatments. 10%-15% of those treated see 75%-100% fading, 70%-80% see 25%-75% fading, and 10%-15% see 0%-25% fading.
Treatments have a better chance of being effective when a person is still young. The skin is thinner and the mark is smaller. The skin has also not been exposed to the sun as much on a young infant or child. The sun thickens the skin and makes it darker, which in turn keeps the laser from penetrating the skin and hitting the vessels. Ty has had 15 treatments so far, beginning when he was 2 ½ months old. He will be 5 years old in Sept. 2008. He has had 80%-90% lightening in most areas, and almost complete clearing of the pws on his neck. The hardest areas to treat are the mask area around the eyes, and his lip area. Ty’s laser doctor is Dr. Roy Geronemus. He is the director of the Laser and Skin Surgery Center in New York, Ny. Ty goes to New York’s Eye and Ear Infirmiry for his laser treatments and eye surgeries/appointments for treatment under anesthesia. The healing time varies for Ty’s laser treatments. It is usually between 10-15 days, but we may see fading for up to a few months. There's no definitive number of treatments that Ty will need. So far we have always seen some improvement so we continue to get them. He will always need to maintain treatment in order to keep the PWS from getting darker again.
A PWS may also be a marker for associated syndromes such as Sturge Weber. Sturge-Weber Syndrome (encephelotrigeminal angiomatosis) is a congenital, non-familial disorder of unknown incidence and cause. It is characterized by a congenital facial birthmark and neurological abnormalities. Other symptoms associated with Sturge-Weber can include eye and internal organ irregularities. Each case of Sturge-Weber Syndrome is unique and exhibits the characterizing findings to varying degrees.
Ty has had three MRIs to check if the vessels were involved in his brain. Brain involvement is one of the symptoms of SWS, and it can cause seizures. All MRIs were clean for vessels in the brain. Ty does have a malformation behind his eye in the area called the chrodial area, which is another marker for SWS. Since his birthmark covers his eyes, the blood vessels are causing the intraocular pressure in his eyes to elevate. Therefore, he has been diagnosed with glaucoma in both eyes. This malformation, along with his glaucoma, attribute to Ty’s diagnosis of SWS. One reason why his eyes stay so squinty and red all of the time is due to his glaucoma. Glaucoma can cause light sensitivity and watering of the eyes. It can also cause loss of vision and enlarged corneas. Ty has had 9 surgeries to control his glaucoma. Unfortunately, it can not be cured only controlled. He takes three different types of drops two times every day. He will most likely have frequent surgeries on his eyes for the rest of his life, or until a cure for glaucoma is found. In May of 2007, Ty developed a severe bacterial infection in his left eye. He was in the hospital for a week getting his eye injected with antibiotics. The result of this infection coupled with his severe glaucoma has left him blind in his left eye. This is also the reason for the droopiness and the physical appearance of his eye. He has since been able to see an ocularist. She formed a new partial prosthetic eye for him. You can not even tell that it isn't real. It is so cool. We are still learning day by day about PWS/SWS/Glaucoma. The hardest part about Ty's condition is not knowing what the future holds for him. We just take it day by day and rely on our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to help us through.

Thank you for taking the time to learn a little about Ty and his condition. For more information, please visit the sources of the above information at http://www.sturge-weber.com/, http://www.birthmarks.com/, and http://www.laserskinsurgery.com/

What Ty's skin looks like after having a laser treatment

Tyler after 15 laser treatments

Sturge-Weber Syndrome Awareness