Family ties

The halls of the hospital were buzzing with activity.  Mornings were always a busy time. The nursing staff was in the middle of their shift change.  The night team was diligently passing off instructions to the fresh morning crew of nurses.  With pens and clipboards in hand, groups of eager interns were making their morning rounds, moving in unison from patient to patient.  Some patients were in the middle of their morning routines while others were being transported for surgical procedures or medical tests.

This morning was just like all the rest at the hospital.  The doctors had been in to examine Christopher and talk about his status.  They were happy with the progress that he was making.  The antibiotics seemed to be winning the war against the infection caused by the tape.  The plan was to continue IV fluids/antibiotics, and in a day or two they would try starting up his tube feedings again.  The nurses had also been in to help Christopher with his morning routine.  They took his vitals, refreshed his IV, and gave him his medications.  The sheets and blankets in his crib were changed along with his diaper.  They also cleaned his infection site and applied fresh sterile gauze to protect it. 

With his morning routine complete, all that was left to do was wait.  That's often the name of the game at the hospital, "hurry up and wait."  Much of my time, when Christopher was hospitalized, was spent just watching him sleep and heal.  It seemed like it was either endless activity or endless boredom. Some days were chaotic and busy each hour being filled with an operation, medical test, or procedure.  Other days were slow, and hours and hours would pass without much of anything going on at all. 

Grandma and Papa

Slow days were good days for Michael and Ryan to visit.  If they weren't able to come to the hospital, I would call and talk to them on the phone.  The conversations were usually short and pretty one-sided with me doing most of the talking since toddlers are notoriously busy and easily distracted.  On this particular stay at the hospital, Michael and Ryan were staying with their grandparents, my husband's (Mike's), parents.

Papa and Grandma lived on a 20 acre farm with a huge red barn, a garden, and lots of sheep.  It was like some kind of a boy heaven with plenty of dirt, bugs, and room to run.  It was where a boy could be a boy...play with trucks in the mud, catch frogs and grasshoppers, help Grandma in the garden, and ride with Papa on the big tractor.  There were trees to climb and acres to explore.  It was the perfect place for them to forget their troubles, and they loved it there.

Farm life was great, but it got even better.  Grandma was a preschool/kindergarten teacher.  She had tons of toys and games for them to play with.  She would read to them and do little art projects with them.  Grandma knew all the "toddler speak," and she had lots of experience teaching and entertaining little preschool minds. 

Knowing they were being well cared for and loved made being away from them a little easier.  I missed them terribly, but it meant a lot knowing that they were surrounded by people who loved them. Both Mike and I were so grateful to our families who really stepped up to help us in all kinds of ways.  I really don't know what we would have done without them.

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can pray like this:

More tomorrow...