Saturday, April 11, 2020

Saturday, April 11, 2020

Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2005. Mattie was three years old. That day I took him to the mall to get a picture with the Easter Bunny. This was the only photo we ever took with the Bunny. In fact the only copy I have of this photo is the original one from the mall. So naturally I took a photo of the photo so that I could have an electronic copy. I absolutely love Mattie's smile here! Mattie had a healthy fear of these large story book characters, but there was something about this bunny that made him seem okay and approachable. 





Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins. 

• number of people diagnosed with the virus: 522,286
• number of people who died from the virus: 20,283

After meeting Sunny's needs today, we decided to take a long walk. We walked 5.6 miles. We walked over the Key Bridge into Virginia. Walked around Roosevelt Island and then walked over Roosevelt Bridge to get back into the District of Columbia. So we walked in two states. The walking does help manage stress, anxiety, and lots of frustration with being in this virus lock down. 

Roosevelt Island never disappoints. While on the Island we saw several deer. 

Even a Great Blue Heron. It is wonderful to see greenery, birds, deer, and signs of spring. All things unaffected by the virus. Reminding us that there is hope and life won't always be like this. 

While crossing over the Roosevelt Bridge, we were looking at the Potomac River dotted with birds! I am talking hundreds of Cormorants all over the water. A sight we have seen in Florida, but never in DC.  

Friday, April 10, 2020

Friday, April 10, 2020

Tonight's picture was taken around Easter of 2005. That year we took Mattie to Bunnyland, an event held every spring at Butler's Orchard in Maryland. They had an Easter egg hunt for the kids and lots of fun activities (hayrides, pedal tractors, giant slides, and live animals). Mattie loved going to this farm every fall (for pumpkin picking) and spring! I am so happy Peter captured this cute photo of us, right before  Mattie went hunting for Easter eggs. 








Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins. 

• number of people diagnosed with the virus: 491,358
• number of people who died from the virus: 18,316

I am quite certain Indie understands that Sunny is not feeling well. She is sticking close. While we are in the living room with Sunny, she is hanging out by the windows. 

This morning, Peter took photos of Sunny's leg and text messaged it to the surgeon. Who was nice enough to give us her mobile number. She instantly responded and feels that Sunny's incision looks good and was pleased with his progress. I have cut down the amount of pain meds Sunny was getting, as the only thing it seemed to be doing was making him stupefied. Not to mention constipated. To address the constipation, she has us giving Sunny Metamucil and pumpkin. Can't say Sunny likes pumpkin. Pumpkin pie... yes, pure pumpkin... no!

This is Sunny's incision. I would say it photographs better than it actually looks. Thankfully I saw progress today with Sunny taking steps and bearing weight on this leg. 

Sunny is dealing with bruising and edema (swelling in which small blood vessels leak fluid into nearby tissues). So his leg needs an ice bag on it periodically throughout the day for 15 minutes at a time, and we also have to do edema massage which is rubbing the leg from the ankle on up using firm, but not painful, pressure to move the excess fluid out of the area. The massaging helps, because when I feel Sunny's leg, it feels like it is filled with a sac of jelly. Rubbing the leg does seem to help get this jelly feeling reabsorbed back into his body. 

 This is the extensive bruising on the back of Sunny's leg (the leg that was operated on).

 We got Sunny up and walking today.   He needs to start doing this for his   physical recovery, to aid his   constipation, and to help get all the   sedation out of his system. His Sunny   spirit seemed to perk up when   outside. But he tires very easily and   after his walk, literally came back   home and slept for several hours. 

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Tonight's picture was taken on April 4, 2009. Mattie's 7th and last birthday. Mattie celebrated his big day in the hospital's child life playroom. His cancer buddy, Brandon, came to the hospital to spend the day with him. Mattie and Brandon were diagnosed around the same time, but after three months of treatment, Brandon went into remission. Nonetheless, Brandon returned back every couple of weeks to visit Mattie. Which was a big deal, since he lived over an hour away from the hospital. I love this photo as it still speaks to me about the power of friendship. 




Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins. 

• number of people diagnosed with the virus: 456,828
• number of people who died from the virus: 16,267

Sunny still remains very lethargic and looks to be in pain. He is on two different pain meds and the doctor's office called to check on him today. She feels he is doing okay, considering he had a big surgery Tuesday night. He is eating and drinking water, but is unable to walk on all fours yet. Typically Sunny wants to take walks, but he clearly knows he isn't up for it. 

We don't leave him for long, as we like to monitor him and make sure he isn't touching his stitches. But we did get outside for about an hour's walk. We would have continued our walk, but it was windy and beginning to rain. The sky in this photo says it all. 

Wind and rain while walking, seemed to capture the ominous world we are living in now. 

This afternoon, I was working in Mattie's room. Check out my colleague! Typically Indie stays with Peter, but today, she stuck close to me. She seems very aware of the fact that something is wrong with Sunny, and this is bothering her. 

Our boy getting some sun and fresh breezes later in the afternoon! Thank goodness for Sunny and Indie. As they keep us to a schedule and engaged with the world. 

A sunset from our living room window. 

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2008. It was Mattie 6th birthday. That year Mattie wanted his party at a bowling alley. We literally invited his entire kindergarten class and a few preschool friends. The theme was Scooby Doo, as Mattie was a big fan of the show and all the movies. What you may not be able to see was while at the party, Mattie developed a fever. He made it through the party, but as soon as he got home, he went to lie down on the couch and fell asleep immediately. Which was unheard of for Mattie. 



Quote of the day: The coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins. 

• number of people diagnosed with the virus: 423,135
• number of people who died from the virus: 14,390

Poor Sunny waited in the surgical center yesterday for 12 hours before he went into the operating room. The center was dealing with many emergencies, so I am grateful that they found room for Sunny. 

At 9pm last night, Sunny's surgeon called us to give an update. She felt the surgery went very well, but the issue went beyond the ligament and impacted the meniscus [the meniscus is a piece of cartilage that provides a cushion between the femur (thighbone) and tibia (shinbone)]. 

Needless to say, we went to pick up Sunny at noon today. Because we aren't allowed into the center, everything is done by phone. So it took us over an hour of waiting until Sunny came out to our car. The hour wait makes sense, if you think about the fact that we needed to talk to the admin folks and then the tech who talked us through follow up care on the phone. When the tech brought Sunny out to the car, as soon as Sunny saw and heard me call his name, he perked up and tried to walk faster to the car. 

They gave us a sling to help Sunny walk. The sling helps us get up from a seated position. 

Peter and I have a lot of experience managing surgeries on limbs! As Mattie had three out of four limbs operated on during his cancer treatment. It is a bit daunting to see surgical incisions, and of course in Sunny's case, besides the incision, his beautiful fur was totally shaven off. 

A close up of the incision. Sunny's recovery is 8-12 weeks. In two weeks, he gets examined and then starts physical therapy for 6 weeks. At 8 weeks, he gets an x-ray to make sure the bones are setting and healing. He has a long road ahead and his movement is restricted significantly for at least 7 days. Including no steps. He is on three different pain meds and right now he looks sleepy and out of it. But I know that is better than the alternative. 

Sunny came home and was starving. He is happy to be home, happy to sit on his own doggie bed, and of course spent time on his 'yoga mat,' outside on our balcony.

Check out who flew onto our oak tree, right outside our living room? A big red tail hawk! 

Tuesday, April 6, 2020

Tuesday, April 6, 2020 -- Mattie died 549 weeks ago today.

Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2007. Mattie's fifth birthday party was held at the National Zoo. It was quite the day with intense rain. I really thought Mattie's party was going to be a disaster. But it turned out as a real adventure. The kids loved touring the zoo in the rain and every animal was out and about for the kids to enjoy. In fact, given the torrential rain, I would say that we had the zoo to ourselves that day. It made for a very special and memorable day. 

Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins. 

• number of people diagnosed with the virus: 387,547
• number of people who have died from the virus: 12,291

Peter dropped Sunny off at the surgical center this morning at 7:30am. It is now 7pm, and poor Sunny just got into the operating room. He has been waiting ALL DAY, given the number of emergencies that came into the center today. Under normal circumstances, I would be livid. But given that we are dealing with the virus, most surgical centers closed down, and multiple dog fight victims that came in, we really have no other choice but to be patient. Sunny absolutely needs this surgery and we are lucky that this orthopedic surgeon is willing to fit Sunny into her schedule. 

This morning I received an email from Adina, our child life specialist at Children's Hospital at Sinai (Baltimore, MD). She wanted to share a few photos and to also let me know that our ipad wheeled stands arrived. Not only have they arrived but they are already making a difference at the Hospital during the pandemic. 

Adina shared this story with me, and I think it truly illustrates how vital her role is and the incredible difference she is making in the lives of children with cancer and their families..................................................

When a mom came to the emergency department over the weekend because she was experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, she did not anticipate the turn of events that would separate her from her children.


She was admitted for respiratory support and her three children remained in the Pediatric Emergency Department over the weekend until a plan could be made for where they would go while their mother was being treated. When they were ultimately moved to the Pediatric inpatient unit, the child life team arranged comfort items in their room, including a variety of snacks and treats from the Mattie Miracle Snack & Item Cart.

Thankfully, their mother is doing better. Utilizing the iPad stands from the Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation that just arrived today (and were ordered just last week), the child life team was able to coordinate for the children a video chat with their mother and they were reassured to see she was doing better. The iPad was wheeled into their room so Adina could introduce herself and child life services via the iPad and explain how they could use the iPad to video chat with their mother on the other side of the hospital.


The collaboration to normalize the hospital for these children was the combined effort of child life, nursing, doctors, and social work- the multidisciplinary team uniting during these difficult times.

Many times children and families get admitted to the hospital and do not have an ipad or laptop with them. This is a problem, because without these devices it gets harder to remain in communication with family and friends. The hospital has access to ipads, and they allow families to borrow them. But now with the wheeled stands, it is easier to bring these devices into patient rooms and secure the ipads so that they do not get misplaced or taken off campus. Now ipads can remain in patient rooms and when not in use, they can be cleaned and directed to another patient room in need of this technology. We know more than ever how crucial the internet and technology are during this pandemic. These devices keep us connected and sane. 

Monday, April 6, 2020

Monday, April 6, 2020

Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2006. We were at Mattie's 4th birthday party, which we held at Riverbend Nature Park in Great Falls, VA. That year the birthday party theme was dinosaurs. It was fun party, where a park ranger took the children on a nature walk in the woods and then had a pretend dinosaur dig in a very large sandbox. Plastic toy sized dinos were buried in the sand and the children had a great time digging and finding! After the walk and dig, we came inside for snacks, cake, a pinata, and finally a meet and greet with some of the nature center's animals. 



Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins. 

• number of people diagnosed with the virus: 362,759
• number of people who died from the virus: 10,689

We started our day at 6am. As Sunny had an 8am appointment at Virginia Surgical Centers in Vienna, VA. Sunny knew something was up this morning, since I was up early (which is unheard of), and we did not give him breakfast or water. We did this because we were told that Sunny could potentially have surgery after his doctor visit.

Trying to deal with a health issue while Coronavirus is going on is difficult. We are not allowed to enter the Vet's building, we can't meet the doctor in person, and everything is done remotely. Literally we got to the office, called on the phone to announce we were there, and then a tech came out to get Sunny.

Needless to say, Sunny needs a TPLO surgery. Which will be happening tomorrow.  The TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) surgery has become one of the most popular orthopedic surgeries performed on dogs who have torn their cranial cruciate ligament, also commonly referred to as a dog’s torn ACL.

Developed by Dr. Barclay Slocum, the TPLO surgery was originally considered a radical procedure for addressing canine ACL injuries. Now in existence for over 20 years, the surgery has proven itself time and time again, to be an extremely effective long-term solution for addressing this injury in dogs, providing quicker recover and superior long term results.

The philosophy behind the TPLO surgery is to completely change the dynamics of the dog’s knee so that the torn ligament becomes irrelevant to the stability of the knee itself.

When a dog tears its ACL, every time the dogs goes to stand or put weight on the leg, the femur slides/rubs on the back of the tibia. This rubbing causes pain and inflammation, which is very uncomfortable. This is why most dogs with a torn ACL will not even put any weight on the leg, or if they do, they will just toe touch the leg to the ground.

The true beauty of the TPLO surgery is that it completely alters the dynamics of the knee. Once the bone is cut and the tibial plateau is rotated, where the femur and the tibia communicate, no longer can the femur slide backwards. The knee is immediately stabilized. By doing so, this eliminates the need for the ACL ligament entirely and returns stability to the joint immediately.

Today we also went grocery shopping. Who knew grocery shopping would be the major outing of the day! We come prepared with gloves and scarves. What surprised me is how many shelves are still empty. Forget paper supplies, cleaning supplies, and there were NO lemons and grapefruits! What's happening with citrus? Any case the manager of the store explained to us that in his 30 years of working in the grocery store industry, he has never seen anything like this. They can't stock the shelves fast enough and stores are allotted so many units of items per week. Once that supply goes off the shelves, the store can't do anything about it until the next week. Fascinating no?


Later in the afternoon, we took a 4.5 mile walk to Roosevelt Island. Normally we'd drive to the Island, park, and then walk around the Island. But the National Park Service has closed the parking lot. So the only way to get to the island is on foot or bike. So we walked over Roosevelt Bridge and saw kayakers in the water. 

We even saw turtles. Seeing some of the usual sights we would expect to see in the spring, provides us with hope. Consistency in our lives is important. 

A photo on our walk. You can see the Roosevelt Bridge behind us. We walked over that Bridge to get to the Island. 

The beauty on the Island. 

Beautiful blue bells. 

We used to take Mattie to this beachy part of the Island. He used to love it. Behind Peter, you can see Georgetown University in the distance. A campus that became our second home in 2008 and 2009. 

Washington Harbor in the distance. 

Green is unfurling on the Island. 

We even saw garden snakes. Mattie would have absolutely LOVED it. 

As we were walking back home over the Roosevelt Bridge, I snapped an overview photo of the Island and its wonderful boardwalk. 

Crossing over the Bridge, some cars going by, but traffic is significantly down in the city. The Kennedy Center was in the backdrop. 

The dogwoods are blooming!

Sunday, April 5, 2020

Sunday, April 5, 2020

Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2005. This was at Mattie's third birthday party. We had Mattie's first three parties at home and then by his fourth birthday, we started having parties somewhere else. For Mattie's third birthday we had a Blue's Clues themed party, since Mattie was in love with that TV show. We even had a student from the university come over and perform magic tricks. Tricks which included his pet rabbit. It was a very fun and memorable day for Mattie and us. 


Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus numbers from Johns Hopkins. 

• number of people diagnosed with the virus: 335,524
• number of people who died from the virus: 9,458

Last week I found out that a childhood friend of mine who lives in NY, lost her husband to the Coronavirus. If that wasn't bad enough, yesterday, I found out that my friend has been diagnosed with the virus and is hospitalized. Not that the virus wasn't real to me, but now it is even more personal. 

To keep our sanity, we walk each day. Normally we have Sunny in tow, but since he tore his ACL, he truly is unable to walk with us. So we first walk him outside, then settle him back at home, and then return out to walk. Today we walked four miles around the National Mall. We are very lucky to have access to all this wide open green space. Certainly we see people walking around, but with these big open spaces, we can easily social distance. 

We walked passed the Capitol and the Washington Monument. It was a lovely spring day and people were walking, biking, and jogging. It almost looked normal! Well emphasis on almost, as DC is NEVER this empty!

I love those hot pink trees. They are red bud trees. Which I never saw or even heard of before living in DC. These trees stand in front of the Natural History Museum. A favorite of Mattie's. 

Saturday, April 4, 2020

Saturday, April 4, 2020 -- Mattie would have turned 18 years old today. 

Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2004. My mom snapped this photo of us right before Mattie's second birthday party. That year the party theme was trains. As Mattie was fascinated by locomotion! We do not have many photos of the three of us together, so this one is special to me. 

Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins.

• number of people diagnosed with the virus: 301,902
• number of people who died from the virus: 8,291

Our thoughts are with all of you as our nation and world face this health crisis. In many ways, how we are impacted by the Coronavirus (isolated, anxious, sad, angry, and uncertain about the future) is reminiscent of our life when Mattie was diagnosed and in cancer treatment. 

Mattie would have turned 18 years old today. Unfortunately for us, he will ALWAYS BE 7!  We carry his spirit and memory with us and his journey reminds us that childhood cancer is NOT JUST ABOUT THE MEDICINE.  

To describe Mattie in a nutshell, I would say he was precocious, strong willed, humorous, and wise beyond his years. He was called our "little engineer," because at the age of two, we realized he could take apart his toys with a screwdriver AND put them back together again. Any sort of locomotion fascinated Mattie and to us he will always be the KING of the LEGOS! Of course if we asked Peter, he would say that Mattie was a "Mama Lover." As Mattie and I not only looked alike, we were very close and similar n personality. 

In honor of Mattie, I have shared below the story I wrote for his celebration of life ceremony in 2009. This was the story of the day Mattie was born. A story Mattie LOVED hearing during tender and scary times in his life. The last time I told this story to Mattie was on August 5th, the day we learned his cancer metastasized throughout his body. 

Today marks 11 years of missed birthdays, more than the number of birthdays we had the opportunity to celebrate together. Yet somehow we continue on without our boy, more committed than ever to preserve his legacy and to support other children with cancer. 

----------------------------------------------


My Dearest Mattie,

It is said that parents love their children right from the moment they are born. However, in your case, our love for you began as soon as we learned we were going to have a baby. In fact, right after seeing your sonogram picture, we felt like proud parents. We posted those pictures everywhere. We shared these pictures with practically anyone who would listen or showed interest, and each September when I taught prenatal development in my undergraduate human development class, out would come your sonogram pictures to illustrate my points. Even my students got a sneak peek at our baby, a baby who would have a profound and meaningful impact on not just his parents but also every community he touched. Daddy and I did not only love you, we FELL IN LOVE with you, and that love grew stronger with each day. Your energy, spirit, love for life, intellectual challenges, sense of humor, and loyalty to your friends and family were only some of the wonderful traits we always admired in you.

This video is a tribute to you and your wonderful, yet short life. It seems fitting as we celebrate you, and say good-bye to your physical presence that I share the story about how you entered the world. The story of your birth had to be one of your most favorite stories to hear, and I found during times when you were reflective, overly tired, or in need of hugs and tenderness, the request for this story arose. In fact, I remember on August 5th, the day we found out that your cancer metastasized everywhere, you and I were sitting in the hospital’s rose garden, and you requested the story. It was almost as if you knew this was going to be a bad day, so in essence we might as well brace ourselves, cuddle, and prepare for this together.

Here is the story I always shared with you. A story Daddy and I will never forget. On April 2, 2002, at 11pm, I decided to head to bed. I was anxiously awaiting your birth, and as your due date approached, I couldn’t help but wonder, when will “the baby” be coming? I was restless and uncomfortable, so while in bed, I began to watch television. I was having trouble concentrating on what I was hearing, mainly because you were kicking up a storm inside of me. At which point, the kicking became so intense, that I literally felt something pop. You clearly wanted OUT, and you were going to kick your way into the world on your terms. Naturally after feeling this pop, I looked down at my tummy, and when I jumped out of bed, I realized my water had broken. This only happens to 25% of moms, and in retrospect, I should have guessed that this was just the beginning of how different our lives were going to be together. I immediately called the doctor and told her what happened. She asked if I was in pain, which I wasn’t, and she instead told me to get a good night’s rest, because my baby was going to be born the following day. Well I can assure you after hearing this news, sleeping was the farthest thing from our minds.

So on April 3, 2002, Daddy and I headed to the hospital and we were admitted to the maternity unit at 8am. The labor process began, but it was a VERY slow process for me, and at times as you moved inside my tummy, Daddy could see your head pushing against my backbone. Needless to say Dr. Mike, the anesthesiologist, became my favorite doctor that day. The hours kept rolling by, and still there was NO sign of our baby! I was getting weaker, I developed an 102 fever, and by 11pm I really had no energy to give birth to you. In addition, to how I was feeling, your oxygen supply was getting cut off, and your chin was positioned in such a way that would make the birthing process almost impossible. So it was at that point that the doctor recommended an emergency c-section. Things began to happen very quickly around me. I was signing paperwork for surgery and Daddy was being transformed by putting on a bunny suit so he could enter the operating room.

I had never been in an operating room before in my life, but I really wasn’t concerned at that point about myself. I was solely focused upon you. I was wide-awake for the c-section, but unable to see the process, which as you know, was probably a good thing. Daddy on the other hand found the whole thing very exciting, and began to videotape and take pictures of the surgery. Literally a team of people surrounded me and I will never forget Dr. Mike, the anesthesiologist who sat by my side, and talked with me and did whatever he could to keep me pain free.

When you have a c-section, your arms are strapped to the operating table, so I couldn’t move, and directly over my head was what appeared to be a rope with a clamp that was holding open my abdominal cavity. Normally by this point I would have passed out, but when it came to you, I developed strength I never knew I had. As the doctor began cutting, and finally got to you, the first thing she said was, “what is this?” That is NOT what you typically hope to hear when having a c-section. The doctor let me know that I had a grapefruit sized tumor on my bladder, and my immediate thought was, did this affect the baby? The next thing I knew, I felt her tugging, and I heard the loudest cry ever. Now here is the part of the story that I know was always your FAVORITE! I would always try to replicate the sound I heard coming from you that day, a sound that will always remain in a parent’s ear. It was a very large WAAHHH! WAAHHH! At which point the doctor told us two things: first, that you were one of the most beautiful babies she had ever seen, and second, that you had quite a set of lungs on you! I concurred with both statements.

The doctor then brought you over to me, and she felt that I needed to be the first person to touch you. So despite my arms strapped to the table, my right hand miraculously reached out and grabbed your tiny, soft, and cute foot. It was a moment I will always cherish, a moment in which I will never forget, and a moment I am so happy you too enjoyed hearing about. Each time I retold the story I felt as if it further bonded us together, and I always enjoyed hearing your comments, thoughts, and reactions to your story.

Seeing you made Daddy very happy! Though he was worried about me, since after the c-section, I had to have bladder surgery to remove the tumor, we both agreed that Daddy should stay with you and accompany you to the nursery. It is there that Daddy got to see you cleaned up, he learned that you weighed 6 pounds and 13 ounces, and that you had high Apgar scores of 8 and 9. Within an instant, Daddy became one of your fiercest protectors, and he cared for you for five days straight while we were in the hospital together. In fact, Daddy is the first person who changed your diaper, and though those were five very challenging days in the hospital, they were days that helped us form our strong family ties. Ties that were imperative and that we relied on for seven years of your life!

Your presence is so greatly missed. Nothing seems the same, is the same, looks, feels, or tastes the same without you in our lives. May you always know that Mommy and Daddy love you, cherish you, and that feeling will remain with us forever and always. Good-bye my Mooshi Moo angel and goodbye Daddy’s best buddy. With love from Una Moon and Daddy!

Friday, April 3, 2020

Friday, April 3, 2020

Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2003. This was Mattie's first birthday party! The theme was Elmo. As Mattie loved that red Sesame Street character. I would say Mattie's first party was challenging and he found it overwhelming. Several times we escaped upstairs together to regroup. But as you can see Mattie was alert and on!

Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins. 

• number of people diagnosed with the virus: 273,880
• number of people who died from the virus: 7077

Thank goodness for Mattie's red wagon. It now serves as transport for Sunny. I am not sure Sunny really likes riding in the wagon, but he sees why it is necessary. We take it with us on all walks, as Sunny can manage hopping on three legs for a short time, and then he needs a break. We feel badly that Sunny needs surgery on Monday, but we also realize this is his best chance at getting his quality of life back. 

After walking Sunny, Peter and I walked around the National Mall. We saw very few people, but definitely others out trying to get fresh air and exercise. This is a photo of the World War II memorial. One of my favorites. 

On such a bright and sunny day, it is hard to believe that life as we have known it is gone. Today is day 18 of the stay at home order. 

Looking over the fountains at the WWII memorial, and you can see the Lincoln Memorial in the distance. 

I loved the ducks! They were basking in the sunshine and enjoying the fountains. With not a care in the world. 

The WWII memorial has two of these signs etched into the stone. It says...'Kilroy was here.' This is an American symbol that became popular during World War II, typically seen in graffiti. Its origin is debated, but the phrase and the distinctive accompanying doodle became associated with GIs in the 1940's: a bald-headed man (sometimes depicted as having a few hairs) with a prominent nose peeking over a wall with his fingers clutching the wall.

I had read about these 'Kilroy was here' etchings and we were on a mission today to find them at the Memorial. We found both of them.