Myrtle Beach 2015

Kevin thrived on our Myrtle Beach vacation that we took with his Grandee & Pap, Aunts & Uncles, & Cousins.

I can’t remember a time during vacation when Kevin was disagreeable (of course I wasn’t telling him to crawl or creep laps on vacation). He was so happy! He was smiling. He was laughing. He was so excited to be with the family for a whole week. This excitement enabled him to create enough breath to make a lot of verbal sounds - A LOT! I think whenever there was an opportunity, Kevin always said “bye”. He was giving kisses when asked. He was climbing over the back of the couch to plop down on the couch seat. He was smiling for photos. He shared a room with us and had his own bed. He slept soundly so that we could come in after he went to sleep and not wake him. But he awoke nearly every morning at 4:30am to snuggle with me and get a little more rest before 6:30am (his normal wake up time) when he was ready to get up and wait for the rest of the family to wake up. I was surprised that he didn’t obsess much over the ceiling fans while we were there. He enjoyed being on the beach more than last time. He still preferred the hot tub over the pool but by the end of the week he was in the pool more often. And during his enemas, he pooped on the toilet (first time ever!) - frankly because it was just easier - and he was proud!

One of my favorite moments during vacation was when his 5 cousins (ages 7-14) wanted Kevin included in some of the beach activities - sitting in a big sand hole together, riding the waves on a boogie board (thanks to Uncle Steve and Grandee for helping Kevin with this huge balancing act for him). Kevin even participated in painting a 4th of July craft and a skit with Uncle Steve. It meant the world to me that the kids thought to include Kevin and not only did he stick around for the various activities but he was having fun too. 

My other favorite moment was our last night. We had the pool to ourselves and Grandee and Pap were in it with all six grandkids. Not only was Kevin in the pool but he was swimming back and forth the length of the pool and having a blast. This moment was extra special because it was the first time all week that my Dad was in the pool and had his shirt off - this gave us the visual reminder that this favorite moment would not have been possible without his Heart Donor. So I have to stop and take a moment to thank God for making this moment possible and to thank all Donors that enable recipient families to have extra moments such as these.

(I was waiting to post this until I could put the photos with it but I’ll just post them separately when I get them.)