Super Nats, The Colonel, & Dr. Tart: Overcoming!! --Regionals & State!!

After going to swim practice with Daddy for the first day after our trip to California; Natalie came running up the stairs and posed like this for me!! She was ECSTATIC to show me her medals from the regional swim meet!!! Two golds and a silver!! She came in signing the theme song from Superman as she posed like this!! I will long remember this moment!

Her accomplishment at regionals is especially impressive given the circumstances! The day she swam in the regional meet, was her fifth day of a high fever. She of course missed practice ALL week and really laid like this on the couch the entire week!! Poor girl--if you look close you can see her swimsuit on the couch next to her...just in case she started feeling better, she would be ready to go.

The day of the regional swim meet, she woke up feeling better and her fever was just low grade. Finally!! Stephen had the same virus the week before Natalie, so we knew the course and what to expect. Day five should be the last of it. We of course worried about letting Natalie swim since she clearly wasn't 100%. But she was feeling MUCH better and she had worked SO SO SO hard all summer, if she didn't swim at regionals then her summer of swimming was over and she had no chance of making the State Competition. We let her swim.

She had a competitors spirit! It was amazing to watch her--she swam some of her best times!! And as the afternoon dragged on--swim meets are LONG--she clearly started looking worse. Her skin was all mottled and she was having a hard time warming up. But she has such strength and did amazing!! Stephen and I freaked out at one point because somehow we both got confused on the lanes and thought the slowest swimmer was Natalie--Stephen was devastated that Natalie was losing so badly. It was SO sweet!! Turns out Natalie was in the next lane over and won first place. So Natalie made it to State in all three strokes she swam in and didn't let her relay team mates down.

After we left the swim meet that day, we went to get some food for Natalie and before our McDonald's dinner even arrived Natalie was running a high fever. The urgent care I wanted to take her to was already closed (I was pretty sure her virus had turned to a sinus infection and didn't want her to have to get blood work done if we went to the more thorough urgent care--darn cancer dx makes some people nervous). I took her early the next morning and got an antibiotic for her sinus infection and the ear infection that was starting to set in. I felt guilty, but they told me it had just turned to a sinus infection the day before--just like I thought.

Natalie said swimming at regionals was worth it!! The only hard part was having to learn to take huge antibiotic pills since her mickey button was GONE!! That was interesting; but with a little inspiration, peanut butter, and patience--we got through it. With that sinus infection, Natalie missed swimming practice until we left for SF. So by the time she got home from vacation, she had only a few days to prepare for State and a body that hadn't gotten a lot of recent practice. Those are kind of tough odds, but she still swam very well at State and I was SO proud of all she overcame!!

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State was held in Corpus Christi again this year. Last year I had a brand new baby and so David took Natalie by himself. This year we were able to make a family weekend out of it!! It was such a fun weekend!

I had to post this random picture of a truck just sitting in the parking lot of a gas station we stopped at on the drive down there. Kind of crazy!

Then we HAD to stop for dinner at Natalie's favorite place. I guess stopping here is our new tradition when we go to Corpus. It is good for the kids to stretch their legs a bit...

Stephen needs to get all that energy out!

And back on the road...

The pool for State is crowded, but we got some pretty great seats. Even with good seats, we weren't able to get good pictures or video. But Natalie swam great!!!