Did he do an xray? Or CT scan? My dh needed both befroe they made a definitive diagnosis of diverticulitus. After his infection cleared, he had to have a scope to make sure everything else was okay. :grouphug: I hope you were able to enjoy yourself at the wedding! PS My dh has only had a couple recurrances of diverticulitis. He recognizes the symptoms early and takes antibiotics.

My brother is a very active alcoholic. He has spent the last four days in detox in a local hospital. He lives in Florida, but came here for treatment, presumably becaus he thought I would help him. I won't. We gave him a ride to rehab and that was it. Well, since then, he has been released and gotten really drunk again. I am actually scared of him. I was up most of the night last night because he had gotten so paranoid that we were going to lock him up with the looney bin and he stopped texting. I was so scared he would come to my house. Anyway, he found another hospital and was able to get a ct scan. He was diagnosed with an arachnoid cyst in the posterior fossa. I saw the paperwork, so he is not lying, this time. Is there anyone here who can tell me about this? Is it related to the alcoholism in some way? I am afraid he is going to use it as an excuse for his behavior, because in his own head, he isn't an alcoholic. Anyway. Prayers would be appreciated.

I think it is worth it! If they like EE, there will be a ton of roller coasters for them. Im thinking of some of the older coasters from when i was in high school - gemini, corkscrew, iron dragon, and the like. Those dont have huge lines! And you may be able to encourage them to ride something bigger! Discounts - sometimes in our area, if you buy a soda (I forget if it's Pepsi to coke), and have it at the door, you get a discount. One time, I think it was $8 per ticket. We went last year with a group discount. Beyond that, I don't know. Google search it! Google hs all the answers! :001_smile:

Really????? We'll be there in Sept too! I sure hope it's open. If not? It's an excuse for another trip!

The Dunes are absolutely GORGEOUS!!!! Really, really nice. We aren't huge beach people, so that would probably be a shorter stop for us, but you could spend a day there! Amish Country - Shipshewana Indiana. Worth the stop and it's not too far off the highway (I'm assuming you're taking 80/90?). Eat at the Blue Gate! It's owned by a fellow WTM mom and her husband. You can't miss it - it's in the center of town. Browse at the beatiful furniture made by the Amish. There is a hotel in Shipshewana that has a water park in it. I haven't stayed there, but it looks fun! (I grew up 20 minutes from Shipshewana and our town has hitching posts at the local WalMart!!!) ETA - almost forgot - there is a museum there - Menno-Hof. It's all about Amish history. Very nice place. When are you going? Because IF you are going to be there within a day of a Notre Dame game, you won't be able to get a hotel within an hour from ND. We had to plan my wedding around the ND schedule to make sure there'd be enough room in the hotels in my hometown! :001_smile: Your trip sounds fun!!!

Niagara Falls is fun. Absolutely gorgeous. The Canadian side is prettier, so go there if you have time. Take the Maid of the MIst tour - definitely. Lots of fun! We also rode on a HUGE ferris wheel on the Canadian side. That was really fun! I didn't find that we needed more than a couple hours there. Niagara Falls - the city itself is really cheesy and touristy and we didn't like it much. And, the hotels there are all overpriced. So, leave and drive a couple more hours that night. Cedar Point is amazing! Do your kids like rides? They have some of the biggest, fastest roller coasters in the world. Definitely worth a stop. The hotels on property are NOT worth the additional cost. They are worn down and ugly (IMNSHO!). We stayed off property for less at Great Wolf Lodge (but we had the HUGE suite and shared with my sister's family - so that may have been why it was cheaper). It was a 10 minute drive to CP. Lake Erie Islands. We're doing this for the first time next year! You'll have to let me know if you like them. Hotel chains - I have a cousin who swears by Drury Inn. She says they set a spread out around 5 pm that is their dinner! And they have a free breakfast. It's nothing fancy, but it's cheap and food is free and they all have indoor pools. See if you can't earn free nights. I know sometimes Marriott will run a special where you stay three nights and the fourth is free. See if any chains are running those specials.

We were there for the day on Sunday. We bought day passes for the bus and subway (I forget what it's called). I used my iPhone to get directions on the public transportation. It was SOOOOO easy!!! We also walked a TON. Don't be afraid of the busses and trains. Everyone there was so willing to help us out.

NOPE!!! Because, see, when you stick a WET leg outside of the nice, warm shower, it gets COLD!!!!! No way! The only way to do it is to use two towels. (Yes. Seriously. Hear me out.) You use the first one to put your hair in - wrap it all up. You are already IN the shower. No need to worry about spray. (See my logic? I'm really very smart. Just trust me.) Next, you use the second one to dry off the body IN the warm shower. INSIDE. See? This way you don't get cold. Duh. Then, you step out, gingerly. 'Cause, it's cold out there!!!! Get dressed as fast as possible!!!!!

NO!!!! YOU are right!!!!

You are SOOOOO right!!! Why would anyone get OUT of a nice steamy hot shower to drip dry? Why not take advantage of the nice warm-ness of the shower and dry off there? It makes perfect sense! You step OUT of the shower to dress. Duh. Anything else is just plain nonsense! ETA: I'm always right. Just ask my kids . . .

Sounds like you have a leader in training! It's frustrating to raise this type of child through infancy and early childhood, but in the end, it's worth it!!!!

For us? Sometimes. Most of the time it's the kids that are hard work. The rest of the time, it's dh!!! LOL

Beautiful!!!!! I SO wish I weren't allergic. I'd take one!!! What a fun experience for your family.

I feel famous!!!!! Thanks Denise. I really am a peacemaker. It's a blessing and a curse.

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree: I had the same baby. My dd was just 16 pounds at a year. Now, at 6, she weighs 35 pounds. She's tiny. That's okay. When she dropped off the chart, my doctor wanted to push hard for weight gain. ANY gain. So, we worked hard with healthy high-fat foods. In six weeks she put on a couple ounces and he told us not to worry any more. we haven't. Your son looks perfectly healthy!!!!!

Agreeing with the others. Tree nut allergies are soooooo common. Most restaurants know how to handle it. :grouphug:

Sorry. I skimmed and misunderstood the point you made about liking to be with your family as meaning you wanted to take them.

You are a much better sport than I am!!! I am impressed with your lack of swearing!!!!

Maybe give it a chance. Honestly, concierge level is absolutely wonderful. All the additional perks are fun and make you feel pampered. I normally wouldn't allow a stranger to watch my baby either. But, you have a lot of kids - they would help watch out for each other with the adult in charge. In your situation, I'd seriously consider it. If you are a do-er - find things to do in the city you are visiting. Ritzs are usually right in the middle of the city. You should be able to walk to do most things. Ask us here for suggestions! We'll help you out. Then, come back for time with the family. I'd jump at this opportunity! Who knows? Maybe you'll end up loving it!!!???

"A hero is a sandwich!" I love it!!!!

I'll go!!!! I'll go!!!!! Seriously, sign me up! Is your dh serious about it? Would you go and use the nanny to watch the kids while you two did some sightseeing? Man. That sounds heavenly!!!

55. Ugh.

Would you believe we didn't??? We go to Chicago a few times a year. It's a quick train trip from my parents' house. I want to take the entire family for a week or so next year. I'll need suggestions!!! We went to the Church of the Ascension. I'm not sure about lunch. We were in Water Tower Place (we needed the AC!!!) and got Chicago style pizza. My dd was very disappointed. She really likes thin crust. Silly girl! At least she tried it!!!

Hey! I was in Chicago yesterday!!! And, we saw a lot of very tattoed people. I wasn't sure if it was a lot more people getting tattoos or if it was just that people were more exposed. It was HOT!!!!! We had such a nice day!!! Church downtown. Chicago style pizza for lunch. american Girl store for dd. A walk down the Magnificent Mile. Dinner at Weber Grill. MAD dash to the train back to my parents' house!!!! I'm exhausted!!!

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree: I couldn't agree more. We love to have "extra" days on our park passes. Last time we went, we had 7 days. We have been to Disney a lot. So, when the park got REALLY full one afternoon, we felt no guilt in leaving that park for that day. We knew we'd be coming back that trip. And, the last two years we've gone in Jan/Feb it's been warm enough to swim. It was in the high 70s. OP - you can all stay in one room at Port Orleans Riverside. We did that (we officially put one of our kids in my sister's room) in February. We did a short trip that time. POR, 5 nights, 5 day park passes, free dining - around $2000. We are going in September again for free dining, same resort four nights, 2 day tickets to the parks (we're doing some other stuff in Orlando this time!): $1600.