Hey my friends! Welcome to Part 2. Waking up on April 9th, DJ started not feeling well. His stomach was off following dinner the night prior, but him and Pete ate the same thing and Pete was fine, so it was a little odd. We figured maybe something wasn’t settling right for some reason or he caught some bug. The poor guy was in bed the whole day.

We tried to still make the most of it, even though we missed him. My mom and Pete chilled with Quinn while I got a workout in, then we headed to the pool.

I tried to swim with Quinn in the pool, but she was not feeling it. She was very clingy to me and didn’t want to leave my side. It was clear she still wasn’t totally feeling back to herself. Even though I love all the cuddles, these were definitely sick cuddles :(.

We just lounged and kept it super chill all day, especially with Quinn and DJ not feeling 100%.

We ordered in pizzas for the evening and dashed some soup for DJ.

DJ thought maybe he was feeling a bit better in the evening, so we sat outside to get him some fresh air.

As we were walking back to the room something about the way he was walking didn’t sit right with me. I did a couple physical exam maneuvers, and I didn’t feel confident that he didn’t have appendicitis. The thought had crossed his mind too. His pain was also shifting from the umbilical region to the right lower area- alarm bells. Even though he may have thought he was improving we couldn’t play around with appendicitis, so my mom and Pete watched Quinn while we went to the ED.

Sure enough, he had appendicitis. His surgery wouldn’t be until the next day. I felt so incredibly torn in two places at once because Quinn was not feeling well and obviously DJ was in the hospital. I stayed with him as late as made sense then we both agreed it’d be best for me to go back to her and help her get a good night’s sleep then return in the morning.

My mom took over while Quinn was still sleeping the morning of April 10th. I was a little uneasy because Quinn felt feverish overnight. I jetted back to the hospital before the sun came up. I grabbed a croissant from the lobby coffee shop to take on my way.

I cannot say enough good things about HCA Florida Mercy Hospital. It was a massive blessing that the nearest ED and surgery center happened to be absolutely stellar. I have completed rotations and worked in quite a few hospitals, and this was easily one of the best hospitals I have ever seen in action. All the medical staff was phenomenal. The systems, the flow, the speed, the cleanliness – it was something all hospitals should aspire to. This was the view out of DJ’s window.

As we were waiting for surgery I texted my mom that I was concerned Quinn had developed an ear infection from whatever she’d been fighting off prior. My mom said she had the same feeling 😔.

Side note, it was a bit odd being on the other side of things when DJ was getting ready for surgery. I work in presurgery, so I’m usually prepping patients. Anyway, as soon as he was checked in, I drove back to Key Biscayne and went with my mom and Quinn to the nearest minute clinic. There were no openings on the schedule until after 330 pm that day, but we decided to camp out and hope for a no-show. We bought craft supplies, a new baby doll and some snacks to try to keep Quinn occupied. She did great, I was so proud of her, she’d been such a trooper the last few days.

Finally there was a no-show and the NP snuck us in to check Quinn out. Sure enough, she had a double ear infection. I was grateful to the NP for getting us in, but she also lectured me on Quinn’s pacifier use. Keep in mind, she wasn’t even two yet at this time (right after she turned two we did totally stop). I told her “We have started weaning… but my husband is having an emergency surgery today and she’s sick, so we’re kind of in survival mode right now”. She didn’t have much to say to that 😬.

Once we got her started on meds and it was nap time, I went back to the hospital to be there when DJ got back to the room. I ordered a poke bowl and was eating it when they wheeled him back in. Even though I’d received a call from the surgeon who said all went smoothly (Praise God), it was a relief seeing him in person.

I spent a couple hours with DJ while Quinn enjoyed some fresh air, milk, and time with Grammy, Grampy and her new baby doll.

Once I knew DJ was doing ok and settled for the evening, I returned back to the resort (I drove over that bridge from Key Biscayne to Miami and back more than I could count!!). It was tough leaving DJ in the hospital for a second night in a row, but he agreed it was best I be with Quinn and encouraged me to make the most of our time left.

When I got back I cuddled up with my girl on the couch, sipped a glass of wine and watched either Elf or Bluey. No idea what we did for dinner that evening, probably leftover pizza.

The staff of the resort heard about Quinn not feeling well (my mom chatted with one of the housekeepers) and they sent her the sweetest note and goodie bag with swim floats, a coloring book, and a couple other toys 🥺.

My mom and I decided to take a little evening walk with Quinn in the carrier. It was a gorgeous evening.

Quinn seemed to already be bouncing back and wanted out of the carrier so she could dance to some tunes that were playing by the pool. The water looked so inviting- I love to swim, and I hadn’t gotten much of that in yet this trip. I jumped in and swam a few laps before we turned in for the night. It felt glorious!

April 11th was the day we had to leave, but by golly, we were going to make the most of it.

Quinn was totally back to herself for the first time the whole trip! I got her fed and ready, then Grammy and Grampy took over while I headed back to then hospital to pick up DJ.

She had a blast at the pool! This is the girl I know!

“Catch me if you can, Grampy!”

They took her to the beach too!

We spent the last bit of time we could by the pool, including DJ with his hospital bands on and all lol.

I got some time to swim with Quinn which brought me so much joy. Other than that we just soaked up our last couple hours with my mom and Pete. What would we have done without them this trip?!

After hearing everything that happened and with DJ fresh off surgery, my in-laws arranged us an easier flight back which was so generous and helpful. On the plane, sweet girl had an awful ascent – I have never felt so helpless. Her ears had to be killing her. I got more meds on board to try to help her out and thankfully she conked out the whole rest of the flight and was fine on the descent.

And that wraps part 2 of our Key Biscayne/Miami adventure! We are just so grateful everyone was safe and healthy by the end. We still had some lovely memories despite the turn of events. I still have a little itinerary of restaurants and places we wanted to try, so we may just have to go back some day!

🫶🏻,

Mackenzie