Ryan

Our trip to ISU in Normal, IL (my old Alma Mater, for Robin's Destination Imagination State competition this past weekend) was not devoid of problems.  Robin's group left from school on Friday to head down and stay at a motel.  The rest of us didn't leave until Saturday morning because Ryan had participated in a lock-in at school and needed to be picked up at 7:00 AM.

Ry and his buddy Isaiah had a pact to see who could stay up the longest.  Ryan won, having slept not at all.  He was totally pooped when his mommy picked him up.  Then we stopped at an IHOP for breakfast.  Ryan confessed that he wasn't hungry and would probably only have a drink, but when he got to the table, he ordered a fairly big breakfast:  the Rootie-Tootie Fresh and Fruity meal option, with scrambled eggs, two slices of bacon, two sausage links, and three pancakes topped with apples, all of which he washed down with a glass of Sierra Mist.  He ate most of it.  I was amazed.

We all expected Ryan to nod off in the car for the three-hour trip south.  He didn't.  He was too busy working games on the electronic device that he had in hand.  After we arrived in Normal and saw Robin's first competition, we sought lunch.  It was probably 1:30 or 2:00 by this time, and we were ready.  We ate at Steak 'n Shake.  Ryan ordered a foot-long chili cheese dog with cheese fries and a milk shake, and even though I had my doubts that he could/would eat all of that, he did!

After lunch, we had some time to kill before going back to ISU for Robin's next public appearance. It was a beautiful (but windy) day, so we headed for Miller Park where Ryan let off a little steam on the playground equipment--although he seemed too tired to have much steam to let off!

When we got back to the next venue--Horton Fieldhouse on campus--we were probably an hour too early for the awards ceremony but needed to be there for parking purposes.  Ryan was good, bless him, even though the adults were getting impatient.  (Me!!)  After the awards, we left there in order to gather Robin's stuff from the school bus because she was riding home with us.  There was some consternation about that because the teacher in charge had said that the bus was going to the mall, but Robin had texted Megan that they weren't.  After some backtracking and sending Denis to try to figure things out, we determined that the bus had gone to Jimmy John's for sandwiches before heading north.  We found Jimmy John's, the bus, and Robin!

At JJ's, Ryan ate a slim beef sandwich, most of a chocolate chip cookie, and a diet drink.  This exhausted 10-year-old had done a stellar job of being patient and well-behaved, and ate most of what he ordered (which is rare).  And so we gathered up Robin and headed northward to Chicago after a long day.  Robin was still geared up after her excitement.  I thought Ryan might sleep...but he didn't.

Robin and I were sitting behind the driver and front-seat passenger, and Ryan was in the bench seat behind us, when Mt. Vesuvius erupted.  I heard a cough, then another cough and a large splash. Unmistakable!  Everything that Ryan had eaten all day came up all over him and the car!  I asked Denis to give me one of the big foam cups that had held their drinks earlier in order to provide a receptacle for anything else that would come out of Ryan's mouth.  By this time, Robin had figured things out.  She had her hand over her nose and her window rolled down...but the fact is that Ryan was covered in vomitus from the waist down, and the car was blotto!  We were probably only 45 minutes from home. There had been no warning from Ry.  He's usually pretty good about warnings--even as a very young child--but not this time.  All he was saying was, "I'm sorry, Mommy!"  We all felt so bad for him!

Meg took the first exit--Touhy Avenue in Des Plaines, IL, and pulled into a gas station.  We probably spent at least 45 minutes there, trying to clean up the mess.  Stripped Ryan down to his unders and wrapped him in a blanket.  Put everything contaminated into a garbage bag.  Cleaned up stuff as best we could.  (I say "we" but it was Megan and Denis that did the honors.)  We finally arrived home at 11:30 PM.  Put Ryan to bed on the couch and headed off to bed ourselves....  When Ryan finally went home the next afternoon, his stepmother said, "You threw up after the LAST lock-in!"  I suspect that junk food and lack of sleep contributed to the situation and that his lock-in days may be over.  We'll see!

Meanwhile, M and D spent the better part of the next day trying to get the vomit smell out of the car.
Ain't life with kids fun??