Princess For a Day

Hip Chick has a big appointment scheduled this week.  We have enjoyed the three month reprieve from her myriad of medical assignments... but, alas, the respite is drawing to a close.  But first:  A bit of fantasy.

We in the Hip Chick household are preparing for a visit with a celebrated m-o-u-s-e in the coming days.  After a 2013 filled with traction, two major surgeries, four day surgery procedures, and a total of 26 weeks in five casts, it was decided that we all deserved a vacation- especially Hip Chick.  Details were double and triple-checked prior to solidifying reservations... and yet imagine our surprise when we learned that a two week technicality may disallow Hip Chick from realizing her bippidi-boppity dream as a famous book-loving, yellow-gowned princess!   

When a member of our local renaissance fair heard of this unfortunate setback, she was aghast... there is no "age limit" on becoming a princess!  A special part in an important ceremony was lovingly planned for our little hippie and off we set, for a strange, new land, filled with magic and fantasy:

Neither Daddy nor I had previously visited this mysterious land and so our little hippie's princess inauguration was an adventure for all three.  I cannot pinpoint with certainty what our expectations were, but they were certainly no match for what awaited us.  Fairies... check!  Gandalf... check!  Whip cracking contests, turkey legs, medieval speech, kilted men, human chess boards, glass blowing, and jousting... all check!

We began with a visit to Scottish Court, for conference with the Queen.  Hip Chick was invited on stage.  After a promise to eat her vegetables (even the yucky ones) and an extra sprinkling of magic dust... *poof*... we had Princess Hip Chick!  We were curious as to whether she would shy away from the celebrity, but Princess Hip Chick gleefully waved and exclaimed, "Mommy, Daddy... I'm on stage!"  After standing with the Queen's Court and dancing on the human chess board, Princess Hip Chick held hands with our guide, a certain honorable Lady, as she began exploring the strange land.

She met another Queen and Prince's acquaintance.

Knights bowed before her, exclaiming their honor to meet the Fair Princess.

She shielded her snowy white skin (come on... this blog entry begged for that quip) with a beautiful parasol.

We crossed paths with a fairy who granted an extra special sprinkling of dust and soon our little hippie donned wings to become a fairy princess.

However prim and proper the fair maiden may have been dressed, the truth of the matter is that she begged for the largest and most dangerous ride she stumbled across.  We attempted to substitute the excitement with an elephant ride (what magical land doesn't feature elephants and camels down the street from Mermaid Lagoon?), but Her Majesty had a royal meltdown when the elephant's ear flapped her leg at the ride's end.

Princess Hip Chick regained composure by joining every drum circle she found.  No matter how dressed and fussed over, our little girl will forever be more of a hippie than princess. 

She also wanted to crash a young lady's gypsy dancing performance, which is where Queen Mommy drew the line.  (We failed to snap a pic, but the young lady also balanced a sword on her head... and princesses do no such thing!)

A very special day, indeed.

And now we have the appointment.  There is a smidge of angst heading into it, as this week's xray will be the determining factor for the remainder of Hip Chick's year.  At best, she has a day surgery this coming summer, to remove the femoral plate which remains from last September's osteotomies.  And if her xray shows that her hip is redislocating?  Well, I feel safe in saying that nearly every 'hip' parent I have crossed (whose child was diagnosed late) has these sorts of roller-coaster experiences.  As always, we think positively.