Friday, January 27, 2012

A Break of a Lifetime

I got a chance of a lifetime in the beginning of January.  I know this blog is about my dear sweet daughter and how our family copes... but sometimes coping can be getting away for awhile from everything.  I was given that opportunity by my wife as a Christmas (and birthday and anniversary ) present where I spent 5 days at Mario Lemeuix fantasy hockey camp.

I grew up in Pittsburgh and was always a huge hockey fan.  Since I got my first stick at age 8 the neighborhood guys would play street hockey every weekend in the fall/winter/spring.  I started skating in high school and picked the ice game up in college.  Mario was everyones hero including mine.

This camp was a 5 day affair. I went with 5 other guys I play hockey with in Altoona.  The gist of it that I got to play hockey with former pros including Mario, Mark Recchi, Gary Roberts, Tie Domi, Bill Guerin, Bryan Trottier, Jay Caufield, Mike Eruzione and Rich Tocchet in a round robin tournament.  MArio rotated on the different teams. The camp Benefited the Mario Lemiuex Foundation.  It was Awesome. 

The first night we had a meet and greet at the Lexus club at the Consol energy center.  Top notch dinner followed by contract signing with Mario.  Then you gathered up your free stuff:hockey bag, shell, gloves, helmet, sweat suit, coaching windbreaker, hat, beanie, under armour shirt.  Off then to the Cambria Suites with private room.  All the players including Mario stayed in the hotel.

The next morning we had practice at the Consol directed by Dan Bylsma, the Penguins coach, along with assistants Tony Granato and Giles Meloche.  Coach Bylsma was funny and personable.  He ran us through drills.  It was fun. I would say I was middle fifty as far as the guys there at the camp.   We then had lunch and an autograph session.  Mario gave us a stick that we had autographed by everyone.  Had Gary sign something special for Naomi.  

The first afternoon I found out I was on the Domi/Roberts team.  We played our first game at the Consol.  In the locker room downstairs it was awesome to see my jersey hanging up in the same room as Dome, Roberts, and Mario (we played with him first).  The pros did everything with us the whole camp, dressed, ate, rode the bus.  Total access and they were super nice and accomodating.  Our team played the Guerin/Eruzione team.  We lost, but I scored the first goal of the game, and the camp assisted by #66 himself.  What a dream come true.  They announced my name over the rink.  It was awesome.

We had dinner that night at the Casino and Roberts and Recchi sat at our table and talked with us the whole time.

The second day we bused it to the Robert Morris University facility with two rinks.  Played two games and won them both.  Ended up the first seed in the elimination phase.  That night went to the Pens- Devils game in the party suite.  Spent the first period talking with Eddie Johnston.  He came right up struck up a conversation.  Food and beverages included.  Great night (except they lost)

The next day we play our semifinal game at the outdoor rink on the southside.  My folks as well as Brent and Grace came to cheer us on.  First period I broke in 2 on 1 with Tie Dome.  HE feathered me a pass and I missed the net - chased it down in the corner and shot it back in the middle and banked it in!  He told me it would look the same as a top shelf slapper in the score page.  We ended up going down 5-2 with 5 minutes left.  I took the ice with Artie Demarsico (on of my Altoona boys) and Gary roberts.  Artie and I each get a goal (sweet pass from Roberts) and then Domi tied it up.  We ended up winning in a shoot out.

That evening we went to the Pens - Rangers game. Talked with Bryan Trottier for a long time.  Great guy.  Pens lost again.

The next day was the final at Consol.  Anne was supposed to come in, but they changed the time and she missed it.  My folks and buddy Bill made it down.  We played against Recchi/Trottier team. He was fresh off of winning the stanley cup in may with Boston.  Tough game that went back and forth.  I played horribly.  Everytime I looked up Recchi was playing D opposite me.  You cannot imagine how good all the pros were. The mainly tried to pass to the campers but when they wanted to get around you they did.  Mario scored a sick shot on a breakaway where he effortlessly flicked it in the upper right corner where it grazed both pipes.    We were down one in the third.  Tied it with 2 minutes left and won in a shoot out.  My buddy Joe Nyanko scored in the shootout.  He had been snakebitten the whole tournament but picked the perfect spot for a big one.  We won the Cup.  Domi and Roberts celebrated like it was the Stanley cup!  It was great.  It would have been great anyway but winning was sweet.  

Anyway, those 5 days will be a memory for a lifetime.  I missed Anne and Naomi terribly, but sometimes a break is nice.  I have some pictures below.



Signing day with Mario

At practice with coach Bylsma

Ready for the drop of the puck at the Consol

On the bench me, Mario and Tie
Trying to keep up


Fist bump after scoring from #66


He told me I could have scored 40 playing on his wing
Reaching
Tearm photo







The Altoona guys with Roberts and Domi

Getting ready on the pond

Chasing down Mike Eruzione







Celebrating with Gary after a goal

Gary - I'm open on the wing

Shooting
Missing badly - I did get the rebound and score

Overtime win!
We go to the finals!


Celebrating after the Finals Victory!

Handshakes
Recchi was good
What every boy dreams of



posing with the cup






Sunday, January 22, 2012

The Plague

Naomi is on the mend.  She started feeling better Thursday and, other than some residual hoarseness, was pretty much acting like her old self today.  Lots of laughing, doing her 'yoga', playing with toys.  Mommy, however, is now sick.  She came down with pink eye on Thursday, started having flu like symptoms on Friday, and has been in the throes of fever, chills, aches, sore throat and headache all weekend.  If this is what Naomi had, no wonder she was so sad and sick.  We hope this is what Naomi had, because we don't want her to get this too.  The new development for today is that Daddy seems to be getting pink eye.  We're hoping he doesn't get sick too.  The most disappointing thing about all of this is that Naomi is going to miss probably another week of school (because Mommy goes as her aid and Mommy can't go if she is sick and has pink eye), which means we we will be back to trying to get her used to it again.  Once Naomi gets adjusted to school, she loves it, just absolutely loves it, but getting adjusted is hard.  We were mostly through the struggle to get readjusted after Christmas break, but being off sick last week, and probably missing this week too, we will be back at square one.  That is frustrating, even more frustrating than Mommy being sick.  We just want her to have fun and enjoy her life.

                                                   So sick.  She just wanted to lay on Mommy.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

A trip to the Hospital

The Caugheys made an emergency trip to the hospital for Naomi last night.  She had had a cough and some hoarseness for a couple days but spiked a fever to 104 yesterday afternoon.  The last time this happened Naomi suffered a significant regression and stopped using her hands.  Unfortunately this means that we can't mess around. She was sweaty and glassy eyed and we hit Altoona ER at about 6:30.  Naomi got an IV, blood drawn, a urine catheter and a chest x ray.  She barely cried, she is such a good girl.  She kept biting her pulse oximeter off of her finger.  Everything came back okay except for her white blood cell count indicating that she had an infection.  She got antibiotics and was kept overnight.  We got to our room at 12:30 am.    Her fever was okay until 7 am and it spiked again to 103.  They gave her some tylenol which brought it down.  The doctor came in and said she had croup/upper respiratory infection and that we could go home.    She enjoyed the stay as she got to watch many shows.  She found the nebulizer hilarious.  She has been doing better since we have been home, but we have to be vigilant about the fever and take her temp frequently.  Just another scare and now we wait to see if the fever will cause any more regression.  





I don't feel good

My stop hand is bandaged and I am sweaty

Mommy is tired but takes good care of me.  
I have had enough
Getting my dragon nebulizer at home

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Truth about Christmas

Here's the truth about Christmas with Naomi...it is really, really, really hard.  While Jesus may be the reason for the season, there is no denying the fun of Santa and seeing the joy and delight on the faces of young children as they enthusiastically rip into their presents and love at least some of the the things Santa left under the tree for them.  Naomi hates novelty and changes in her routine.  Therefore, she hates Christmas.  She was better this year at my parents house on Christmas Eve.  She was generally composed and occassionally happy.  Last year she screamed and cried the whole time and had to be kept in a separate room away from everyone else.  The noise and commotion was too much for her.  Unfortunately, Christmas Day was just as unfun this year was it was last year.  She hates the sound of tearing paper, so opening presents (we have to open hers for her...she won't touch anything new) caused round after round of crying.  She hated every single one of her presents and cried when we showed them to her.  Because she was so upset by the whole experience, she stayed upset all morning.  Normally she is very happy and joyful in the morning.  It was kind of hard for Mommy and Daddy to enjoy the day knowing their baby was so upset and off kilter.  It was also hard for us to enjoy the day because, frankly, it gets old having miserable holidays.  We just want to be like every other family and have fun seeing our child have fun.  Every parent I know has stories about this or that present that their child hated.  I get that.  And Naomi usually eventually does learn to like everything we get for her, though sometimes it takes up to a year.  Just once, though, we would love it if she liked something right away.  So there is next year, and maybe it will be better, but maybe it will be the same or worse.  Who knows?  Fools that we are, we always hope for better and then are crushed when it isn't.  You know what else gets old?  Feeling like we have to go through life with our arms over our heads to try to protect ourselves from the next big, miserable, bomb life lobs our way.  We are hoping 2012 is going to be our year.  2009, 2010 and 2011 certainly weren't.  We are hoping we don't get crushed, again.  But who knows?  Because as difficult as things seem sometimes, we are both wise enough to know that things could get so much worse.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012