1. Careful what you wish for
- All I have wanted was for a little time...just the 3 of us. A little vacation where we can just all be together. Well I got it! Nothing like 9 days of 24/7 togetherness in a hospital room. Not the vacation that I had in mind!
- I just wanted Will to be cuddly again - I missed when Will was a little baby and would sleep on my chest and just snuggle up with me. Now he is always running around and will only sleep in his crib or car seat. He does NOT want to cuddle! The week leading up to this hospital stay and the week of, all he wanted to do was cuddle and be in our arms. I am mad at myself for wishing for this.
2. Stay positive, but be realistic - Never say never
- When we first got to our actual hospital room from the ER, the nice transport man was telling us about the microfridge and how the couch pulls out to a bed. JT told him, "We'll be fine, we won't be here that long anyway."
- We also noticed at the time that Will's IV line said "change Tuesday". JT said, "I don't plan on being here long enough to see that get changed." - Yep, we were still there! And I think we even saw it get changed again before we left.
- We went to get something to eat and the elevator stopped on the 3rd floor (surgery floor). I said, "Glad we won't be seeing that floor again!" - Of course we saw it again 2 days later.
3. Trust your instincts
- There were so many times that JT and I just looked at each and asked if we were being crazy and should we just go home. We knew that this was not the normal actions of our child. But when no one can find an answer, how else are you supposed to feel? I am glad that we didn't give up. And I'm glad that Dr. Huss and Dr. Thomas didn't give up either.
4. Be thankful
- Thankful for family and friends - There was so much love and support ranging from a simple text, to bringing dinner, to staying with Will so JT and I could escape for an hour every once in a while.
- Thankful for Vanderbilt - We take it for granted that one of the best children's hospitals in 20 minutes from our house. The nurses and doctors were all wonderful!
- Thankful for our jobs - I am so thankful that we have jobs that we can walk away from when something important like this comes up. There was a little boy not much older than Will down the hall, and I never once saw a family member there with him. His door was always open so the nurses could give him as much attention as possible. I finally asked what was going on because I couldn't believe a parent wouldn't be there. I was quickly put in my place when the nurse told me that the family was from out of state and had to work to keep the insurance so that their baby could be at Vandy getting the treatment he needed. Wow - I can't imagine and don't even want to think about what that must be like.
5. Believe in the power of prayer
What Will learned from our Vanderbilt hospital stay:
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