Reflections....

I kept thinking last week of all of the snippets I wanted to "reflect" on after Micaiah's hospital stay--I should have made a list because I have forgotten most of them.
God provided for us in some huge ways during Hannah Kate & Micaiah's illness:
~Nana was able to take care of Hannah Kate when I had to take Micaiah to the doctor/emergency room or when he was in the hospital & Wesley was at work.  Each time she had Hannah Kate, she had only Hannah Kate-even on days when she normally should have had Maggie & Mollie, it just worked out that she was free.  She said God was being merciful to her :)  I was really thankful that she was able to bring Hannah Kate to our house for her naps & be here in the mornings when she woke up (instead of having to wake her up early).
~A wonderful pediatrician & nurses who called to check on us several times before Micaiah was finally admitted into the hospital.
~Amazing doctors, nurses, & respiratory therapists at the Children's Hospital-I wasn't super crazy about the ER doctor when we went on Tuesday (the first time), but he was still a good doctor.  The PICU people were amazing & extremely thorough.  They took great care of Micaiah & of me-especially the first night when I spent the entire night sitting by his bed.  They brought me water & a blanket, got Micaiah a soft blanket donated by a local congregation & a Beanie Baby giraffe, & assured me that he was MUCH better off than most RSV cases they see.  I loved every nurse we had the entire time.  That is saying a lot because you almost always have someone who you might not mesh with personality wise, but I loved each one of them.
~Papa drove us to meet Wesley on Thursday night when Micaiah was admitted to the hospital & came to pick me up on Friday morning so I could come home to get my car (Wesley had driven it back around 11:30 the night before).
~Hannah Kate started getting a little better right before Micaiah was admitted to the hospital.
~I had plenty of Puffs Plus tissues on hand at home! That was important!  We've gone through over four boxes in a week!
~Micaiah was in the hospital over a weekend, so that was two days that Wesley was able to stay with Hannah Kate & keep her in a somewhat normal routine.
~Hannah Kate really does better when our entire family is home.  Who wouldn't?! She is getting over being pretty sick herself, but she has also returned to the "funk" she was in when Micaiah was in the NICU & the few weeks following.  Hopefully, she will be back to normal soon.
~Until the night that Micaiah was admitted to the hospital, Wesley & I had never spent a night apart since we got married seven & a half years ago. We went from never to four nights being apart.  On the last night, I texted him "We broke our streak." I was so consumed with Micaiah & being in the hospital, it didn't occur to me until then.  Hopefully, we can start a new streak & not break it again! No more kids in the hospital would be fine with me. :)
~Micaiah was one very sick little boy, but we are so blessed to not be in the hospital regularly or for extended stays.  I thought of our friends who have a son who has had many lengthy hospital stays (five hours from home), of several little girls I know of who have cancer & treatments have taken their families far from home, of NICU families who have babies in the NICU & other children at home.  We are so blessed.  Over the weekend, there was a tragic car accident that took the life of a precious little toddler's parents.  They rear ended a tractor trailer at 65 mph.  They died on impact & she was taken to the hospital. I am 99% sure I encountered her & her family in the hallways several times.  They were absolutely pitiful. 
~All doctors, nurses, & medical personnel are awesome, but it takes some really awesome people to be in a Children's Hospital.  You know they have to see some terrible situations (like the family I just mentioned or the little girl we saw in PICU who was about Hannah Kate's age with a terrible home life-I was in tears several times just seeing her crying for her mommy who was not around or would show up for ten minutes then leave her alone)-they see terrible situations or illnesses, but they still have a joyful spirit & are able to take care of sick kids & their families!  On Sunday, Wesley & Hannah Kate came after morning worship.  She was out of sorts, tired, etc. & Wesley was tired & short on patience.  After they left, our nurse saw that I was upset & came to the room to sit down & talk with me & make sure everything was okay.  I ended up sitting there crying while I talked to her & she just listened.  She was so sweet.
~RSV is a serious illness. It is scary how quickly Micaiah became VERY sick.  You know it's bad when the ER doctor thanks you (the parent!) for bringing him.  (So, on a side note, if you or your children have "just a cold," please please please do not go around someone with a tiny baby or a baby who has been a preemie or had lung issues.  What is "just a cold" for you or your bigger children can be life-threatening for them.) In the hospital, any medical person who came into Micaiah's room had to wear a mask. In the PICU, anyone who came to the bedside had to wear a mask, plastic gown, & gloves.  It's serious. And scary.
~I am so thankful we went to the hospital.  There were several nights that Micaiah would have a coughing fit that lasted over 30 minutes & was bad enough I had to call a nurse for help.  I would just be standing by his bed holding him up & crying because it was so pitiful.  It scares me to think what might have happened if we had stayed at home.
~Being in the hospital with a nursing baby exhaustion is WAY worse than regular being at home with a newborn baby exhaustion. Until now, I didn't know it could get worse than that!  Those sweet nurses brought me a Coke when I needed one.  I'm SO thankful! :) 
~I have a pretty fabulous husband.

We are immensely blessed & thankful to God for providing for us exactly what we needed at exactly the right time.  Thank you to our church family for your prayers & to everyone for checking on us.  Hopefully, everyone is on the mend!