I spent Saturday night in a hospital room holding my week-and-a-half-old granddaughter so her mom and dad could get some sleep. She was on oxygen, had an IV in her hand, and was on two different monitors that kept track of her heart rate, breathing rate, and oxygen levels in her blood. One foot was bandaged where they had taken blood that morning and she had a bandaid on her lower back where they had drawn spinal fluid to check for menengitis. All this on such a tiny little body. Her face was puffy from the fluids they were pumping into her. She had so much congestion in her nose and head that she couldn't breathe laying on her back and she needed the comfort of being cradled close -- so we took turns holding her. They said she had RSV, an upper respiratory disease of young children especially and the flu that everyone else has had recently. She slept most of the night Saturday, waking up only once to be fed and then going back to sleep. I was very glad to be there and to be able to hold her.
This is the second time we've gotten a call saying that one of our grandkids was going to the hospital. I'm trying to figure out why that is "scarier" than when our own kids were sick? Maybe it's because there are two to be concerned about -- our child and our grandchild. Or maybe it's because we have absolutely no control over the situation and we are not intimately acquainted with all that is going on. We are not there to evaluate the situation on a moment by moment basis. And maybe also, God gives special grace to parents with sick children to be able to trust Him and handle it in a calm way for the sake of the child (and other children). I was so proud of Melody and the way she handled the whole thing. She did not "lose it" at all, but was calm and composed and trusting (the Lord). And Caleb was such excellent support and strength for them both.
They stayed in the hospital until Monday morning so they could get the results back from the 48-hour blood and spinal fluid cultures. I went today to help Melody with getting groceries and a few other odd jobs. They are doing fine. Julia is very glad to have all the tubes and monitors off and to have her hand back! And Ethan and Kylie are ready to get back to being a family again. (They stayed with Caleb's parents during the hospital stay.) I am so very thankful for the Lord's comfort and peace in these kinds of life experiences.
This is the second time we've gotten a call saying that one of our grandkids was going to the hospital. I'm trying to figure out why that is "scarier" than when our own kids were sick? Maybe it's because there are two to be concerned about -- our child and our grandchild. Or maybe it's because we have absolutely no control over the situation and we are not intimately acquainted with all that is going on. We are not there to evaluate the situation on a moment by moment basis. And maybe also, God gives special grace to parents with sick children to be able to trust Him and handle it in a calm way for the sake of the child (and other children). I was so proud of Melody and the way she handled the whole thing. She did not "lose it" at all, but was calm and composed and trusting (the Lord). And Caleb was such excellent support and strength for them both.
They stayed in the hospital until Monday morning so they could get the results back from the 48-hour blood and spinal fluid cultures. I went today to help Melody with getting groceries and a few other odd jobs. They are doing fine. Julia is very glad to have all the tubes and monitors off and to have her hand back! And Ethan and Kylie are ready to get back to being a family again. (They stayed with Caleb's parents during the hospital stay.) I am so very thankful for the Lord's comfort and peace in these kinds of life experiences.
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