First, the winner from the Johnson Made Design giveaway is Bethany V. I sent you an email so look for it in your inbox.
Second, an update –
Ryan continues to progress toward recovery. He was able to get one chest tube removed this morning and his pacing wires. This means we are just waiting on one chest tube to stop draining before we can hit the road (Jack).
His morale is low – – he continues to be frustrated and cranky, but we are working on keeping his spirits lifted. We did a thankful hand today (trace your hand and put something in each finger you’re thankful for). He’s thankful for his Pirate Parrot Pillow Pet, that Mickey Mouse was on Disney when he turned it on, for a new toy robot he received, for mommy (I swear he said this on his own and my heart melted right out of my chest and onto the floor), and for his chest tube removal. Here he is watching a part of The Sand Lot yesterday (another gift!). Maybe we can finish it today.
He also realized he can take a shower (on his lower half) so we are using it as an incentive to get out of bed. He loves standing under the spray. He took three showers yesterday… if anything, his lower region is very clean.
The girls are doing well… with all the fun they’re having with their cousins, I’m not really sure they miss us at all. It does this mama heart good to know they aren’t sitting around worrying about their brother and are forming memories with their cousins to last a lifetime.
Lastly, here is a list of things I’ve been telling myself over the last 14 days of being hospitalized:
1. Beans and rice don’t have to be refrigerated overnight if it means you don’t have to walk all the way back to the family lounge fridge. They’re just beans and rice for crying out loud.
2. Wearing the same jeans every day for a week when you don’t go outside means they don’t get dirty.
3. You will still look cute even if your white jeans have a slightly pinkish toddler-sized hand print on the thigh.
4. The first few days you tell yourself the cafeteria food isn’t that bad. About a week in, you’d rather stab yourself in the eye with a fork than eat another plate of hospital food so instead you subsist off of donations from friends and apples and almond butter. And hey, that’s not too bad either.
5. Today is Monday. Wait, no it’s Wednesday. Yes, Wednesday. Crap. It’s really Tuesday.
These and more as the days mesh into one another and I have a hard time remembering what happened when. Ryan requested a Subway sandwich for lunch today so I walked the 1/2 mile to the closest Subway. He ate five bites of it when I got back, but I was thankful for the simplicity of a walk on a sunny 82 degree day with very little humidity (felt more like Pittsburgh than DC).
Please pray that he continues to heal well without complications and that his last chest tube would come out soon.
Over and out.
Comments (5)
Hi, Leighann! The updates are so nice to read. I love hearing about your experience and can relate to some of them. Eric had open heart surgery a few years ago (and just had a hip replacement on Friday) and although it wasn’t my child, I had some of the same thoughts/experiences and it’s nice to know I wasn’t alone. I think Ryan is a trooper and having you there with him is part of the reason he is doing so well. I am so bad about sending things, but we did manage to get a card out to Ryan. I was hoping to find some cool thing to send, but I am not sure what exactly it was I was looking for..haha! Hope he gets out soon. Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers even if we don’t write or send a card. Take care of you and that cutie pie little guy. See you soon,
Lisa
Another good report! Yay!!!
He’s making progress…and I am so thankful!
Leighann you crack me up…and I love that you still have your sense of humor even while going through all of this!
Continued prayers!
Love, Momma Linda
Yay!! Great report! Prayers of course continue.
Love your updates and that you haven’t lost your sense of humor although I’m sure you are having to dig deep for it – I know would be. Ryan is doing great and I love the thankful hand idea – even in a hospital room you keep giving us good ideas to use with our own. and what school did you go to that you should only wear your jeans one day instead of five – just the other night it was in the newspaper that most people don’t wash their jeans for 30 days – I won’t put my mama’s comment here when she read that one out loud to me…Glad the girls are doing great – I know that is a lot off your mind. Have a super day with your 1/2 clean boy and hope you will be going home very soon to “real food”
Another good report and one day closer to getting back home! Praying Ryan’s final tube is removed soon and his spirits rise. ((hugs))