MelissaStuff

So we did survive our first visit to the hospital, and I thought I'd share a few more pictures to show you how it went . . . We did move to the Pulmonary wing and get a regular bed. Riley continued to improve and steadily wean off of all the supplemental machines. Here is just on a monitor to continue to measure his vitals. He clearly started to feel better and began to be more difficult . . . although he did let tired, pregnant Mommy rest in his bed. We stayed one more night and Riley requested that Daddy sleep in the bed with him. I think Joey was more than happy to comply. I had to wake them both up each time the nurses came in during the night to do vitals and give medicine. Just before we left, they let Riley go out to see the train display and, of course, he had to stop and see all the Lightning McQueens that decorated the hallway. It seems our whole existence lately has been focused on survival. Surviving this latest pregnancy and all the exhaustion, fatigue, and sickness t...

We arrived downtown at about 5:45 a.m. Joey met us there, but when we entered the building we were surprised to be told that only two of us could enter the building. My dad had come in on the ambulance with Riley so they didn't know he was there. The area around Children's is not the best and it was still dark outside. I wasn't okay with sending my mom back to the car by herself. So after walking her back to the car and making sure she was securely tucked away, I went to find Joey and find my boy. We went straight to the ICU - unfortunately we had to walk right through the middle of the ER waiting area and all the flu contagious people on the way. When we arrived in the ICU, they had just put Riley into a crib. He was alert and interacting. Apparently he was telling the nurses all about how he had thrown up in the car earlier in the night. That's my boy! ICU has all kinds of rules and we had to gown up and wear masks when in the room with Riley. But his numbers were lo...

I want to record all the details before I forget. I'm sure one day Riley will want to know what happened...I don't think he'll remember much. Right now, I wonder how I could ever forget but then I know that in time it'll fade just like everything else. A week ago yesterday, my boys went to preschool like they do every Monday and Wednesday. They had both been coughing on and off but were running no fever and had no signs of infection, so we just chalked it up to allergies and the ever-changing weather around here. When I went to pick the boys up, Riley was in trouble for having refused to take a nap. He looked a little peaked, but I thought maybe it was from skipping a nap and knowing he was in trouble. He fell asleep in the car on the way home and I put him straight to bed when we got there. Joey came home from work around 3:30 and Riley woke up from his nap drenched in sweat and crying. Both of those things are unusual, so Joey decided it would be best to take him over...