"NO POKES"

or WHY DOCTORS AREN'T THE ONES WHO GIVE SHOTS

Since we have been home dwellers over the last two months some of you may not have heard about the crazy week that Maren arrived. Let's just say that she and I were not the only people in the hospital. The boys' hospital experience has inspired the new family mantra "no pokes".

This is how Little G looked upon leaving Memorial Hospital since the pictures load in reverse order. Boy, do I need blog lessons. I have no idea how to do this whole thing. I always load the pictures first to avoid frustration. Our blog is in no way cute...but I digress. This is the tiniest wheelchair I had ever seen and G loved every moment riding in it.
Daddy was on hospital duty since the girls weren't allowed in the pediatric unit at all. Maren needed me since she was only days old-so we camped out at the Ruffs' house downtown. (We love Amy, Jason, and Hudson!) I would leave every so often and visit G leaving newborn Maren with them.

Really it is by the grace of God that Daddy had to be the one at the hospital because Mommy could never have endured the adventure of the IV. They tried five times to insert it with him strapped down and screaming (with no voice since croup swells your throat and makes you lose your voice.) There was even an "expert" who couldn't do it. Finally, in Daddy's wisdom, he asked if there was any other way to administer the medicine G needed. Indeed, our doctor said yes...shots in the leg. Thus, the "no pokes" mantra. Every time we go to see the doctor we say "no pokes" (until the flu shot a month later.)

Yet somehow, he loves our doctor. He trusts him, hugs him, talks to him about how he feels and what it wrong. G can articulate to Dr. Shah if he feels bad and needs medicine, but wants "no pokes" he will "just take my medicine." We thought this was amazing considering the doctor is the one who sent him to the hospital, but now we realize the great wisdom of doctors. No doctors give injections...nurses do. Thus, he still loves his doctor and knows he can help him feel better when he is sick. Crazy, I know.

So, since this post is backwards, I will now tell you how G ended up in the hospital. Here's the short version. He had a cold, he started coughing which turned to barking. (Fitting, I know, after all he is a Seals.) We took him to the doctor that afternoon, all five of us. Why I'm not so sure, but we all went. Breathing treatments in the office made his breathing worse, but lulled him to sleep. He made an awful noise when we were putting him back in the car...thus, they sent us to the hospital with croup. Turns out, croup is a result of a cold. So now when he gets a cold, he almost always gets breathing treatments at some point. His immune system is down so he catches every little thing.

This winter is going to be very long.

I will say that he looks cute in his gown and he loved controlling the TV himself with a remote. Grammommy brought him all the comforts of home i.e. toys and animals. He stayed only 24 hours and we have since recovered from the trauma of having a child in the hospital (other than a newborn.)

My heart goes out to all of the families who daily endure the rigors of hospital care. I cannot imagine what that would be like, but I know that God can sustain us during times of stress and the unknown.

So we wish you a Happy New Year and hope that 2009 is your year of "No Pokes" because that is what we hope for our own 2009!