Aurora Day 3
Today, a large majority of MAB Aurora woke up to deflated air mattresses and the floor was about as hard as waking Thomas up from a nap. Getting up was also a struggle today for many of us due to the deep heart to heart pillow talk. Dad (Chris) and Justin woke up to make us yet another wonderful breakfast. UPDATE: the boys are yet to get hot water in their shower.
Upon entrance to the hospital, we noticed many more sick kids—likely because we weren't as distracted by the design of the atrium, metal panels and all. Jackie, the volunteer coordinator, told us that the number of kids in isolation doubled. Our schedule was the same as the day before, but we made our theme for the day, "Don't give a hoot," so the kids in the atrium got to make foam owls. We had a very busy morning with a lot of cute crafters. One family that we met really stuck out. The family included six kids, whom had recently been evicted from their home, and were hanging out at the hospital to pass their time. While spending time with the children, we realized that despite their unfortunate circumstances, they were unbelievably polite, friendly, positive, and resilient. When we reflected on our day, we discussed how it is kids' unwavering stength that makes pediatrics such a rewarding field—no matter the circumstance, kids will persevere. We also met a little boy who had been on the heart transplant list for his entire life. His mom told us how she and the rest of his family uprooted their home, left their jobs, and moved to Colorado so that they could be closer to his care at the hospital. We are all continuously inspired by the strength of these families and their willingness to make sacrifices.
In the daycare, we were faced with a crisis. There was a famine—the kids ran out of goldfish and orange juice and we could've sworn that the world was ending. They survived, however, due to the beautiful weather to distract their growling tummies. They were yet again brutally honest and picky.
Justin, Elissa, and Alissa were given a new task today: taking the art cart to the clinic waiting room. They went to floors one through four and created some sticker and stamp masterpieces with the kids waiting for their appointments. Though their interactions were short, all of the kids and parents really enjoyed having something to do in the waiting room.
After the girls taking about 4 hours (exaggeration) to change pants, we were on our way to Red Rocks. After looking more "touristy" than we ever believed possible and taking around 200 pictures each, we found a path to follow to a climbable rock formation. After the first, oh, 30 extremely steep stairs (we're talking level 12 incline on the treadmill right now) we brave hikers were struggling to continue inflating our lungs with crappy mountain air (not an exaggeration). Ashley actually claimed that by the time we got to the top she would need to be taken down by a hospital helicopter because she would be dead. Meanwhile, we were being passed by middle aged people running the trail, so it was safe to say we were a little embarrassed. SHOUTOUT TO ALISSA THOUGH FOR FACING HER FEAR OF HEIGHTS! The journey down was not any less treacherous, as 2 MABers wiped out. Disclaimer: we are all expecting to be waddling for the next few days due to soreness.
After our tiring hike, we returned to the church excited for our kindergarten dinner by Elissa, Amanda, and Ashley. They stuffed 120 chicken nuggets on 2 cookie sheets, 2 bags of pizza rolls in one brownie pan, 22 servings of shells and cheese in a cauldron, and were forced to heat 2 family sized cans of baked beans in a skillet. Oh, and don't forget the one miniature can of peas. Only six chicken nugs remained by the end of the night.
Top Things:
1. Lizzie popped a squat
2. Thomas called the pastor frat
- Complimented his seersuckers….ok Thomas
3. The pastor asked if we had explored the back of the sanctuary…little does he know that the place is our favorite hiding spot
4. Justin took selfies in elevators
- We are actually getting a little concerned for his manhood
5. A 4 year old has a major crush on Kelly and said he'd be third wheeling the date he planned for her and Chris
6. Another 4 year old was trying to make moves on Ashley
7. One doctor we met was a Mizzou alum
8. Justin asked that we take glamour shots of him on a parking garage
- Case in point
9. Ashley and Amanda have been consistently finishing each other's sentences
10. Thomas makes every single thing uncomfortable for everyone
11. Chris and Lizzie got like 30 stickers on Emily's back without her noticing
12. We reached 80 followers on twitter
- It's hard being this famous
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