My kids know how to lighten the mood!

I have been gone awhile. I got a phone call two weeks ago telling me my father had been taken to the hospital while he was visiting my sister in NY. No big deal, just a kidney infection. The next morning my mom called to say they had been moved to the ICU because he was having trouble breathing. The next update was the doctors were doing surgery to put stints in the kidneys to drain the infection. By 3:30 that afternoon the infection had entered his bloodstream and my father was in septic shock. In other words the infection was attacking all of his organs and they were shutting down. The doctors immediately put him on a ventilator and under massive sedation. Basically he was in a medically induced coma. During this time they were giving him antibiotics through his IV. My brother and I were told to come because he probably was not going to make it through this. Miraculously the doctors kept him asleep and each day he got a little better. Finally he was able to wake up and go off the ventilator after five days. Needless to say this was a stressful time for all of us. But each day one of my children would do a little something to lighten the mood.

Gabi made Pops get well cards and messages each day. I used medical tape and stuck them to the window. In one picture she drew herself saying "I love you Pops" and pops replying "I love you too babe!" just like he would say. In another I asked her what the purple things were coming off of her above her shoulders and at her waist. "Oh mommy, those are my backpack straps, you just can't see the backpack from that angle" One nurse told us that each night she would go home and pray for Pops. The next morning she would look up at his window from the parking lot and see his pictures in the window and she knew he was still fighting!

We had told the kids that Pops had a germ in his blood that was making him very sick and he was in the hospital trying to get better. Evan is my analytical thinker. He asked Uncle Scott where did the germ come from? Scott told him it was in Pops tummy. Evan thought about this all night and day. The next night at dinner he announces "OMa, we have to wash our hands before dinner. If you don't you can get germs on your food. Pops didn't wash his hands." Chad's mother said that she knew Pops always washes his hands, but sometimes people just get germs anyway. At this point everyone was getting up from the table and I overheard Evan talking to himself. "I know! Pops must have dropped his food on the floor! I wonder what he was eating?"

Another day OPa and Gabi were discussing how to tell time on the grandfather clock. Evan was standing in the other room near Chad's mother and asks while holding his hands in front of his face, "OMa, which one is my short hand and which one is my long hand?"

Andy is finally talking and is getting very vocal. He was sitting at the table across from Oma and they were both eating cheerios for breakfast. Andy dropped a spoonful on his shirt and yelled disgustedly "UGHHHHH!" We laughed and Oma said "its alright Andy, shake it off." To which he stuck both arms out to the sides and shook his hands wildly. He literally shook it off!

When Andy had to come up to the hospital one day, he managed to put a smile on Aunt Kristi's face. While in the waiting room Dora came on the TV. Andy stood in the middle of the room singing and doing the motions to "Twinkle Little Star" He especially likes the "in the sky" part where you get to raise your arms up high!

I would like to say a special thank you to my in laws for taking wonderful care of Andy all week. And to all my friends here at home who cared for Gabi and Evan and Chad in my absence.

God was watching over us last week and He gave us a second chance with Pops. We will treasure every extra minute we get to spend with him. And enjoy each chance we get to be with all of our family because you never know what could happen tomorrow!