Hotel Children's Hospital

That is a nice hospital. Rhys had his own room. A large flat screen TV, wall mounted and tilted so it was easy for him to see. There was a big pull out bed with the thinnest mattress in history. They had a nice coffee machine along with the usual snacks for kids in a little kitchen.

Rhys was out of it when we got to the room. It was about 1000. I turned on the TV and found some cartoons for him. Then I pulled the rocking chair up next to his bed. He woke up and wanted comforting. He calmed down and watched some TV. He started to look like he was with it again.

He looked at me, pointed out the door and said "Daddy, Out of my room!" I smiled. "Are you mad at Daddy?" "Yes, Daddy leave!". "Do you really want Daddy to leave?". He thought about it. "No, Daddy stay." It made me laugh then and it still does.

We spent most of the day just like that. Him in bed, me in the chair. He had an IV in his left hand and a sensor on his left index finger. He was throwing up from the anaesthesia. The first two times we had to change his bed and his gown. After that the nurse showed me where the bedding was and let me do it myself. I stopped putting his left arm in the gown so we would not have to disconnect the sensors and the IV every time he threw up. I also got good enough at spotting the barf signs that I only had to change the chuck pad under him twice more.

He started out eating ice chips. We moved up, over the course of the day, to a Popsicle, ice cream and finally some real food, fruit and juice. He was eating, drinking and peeing. He even had a poop. All good signs. There was no blood in the throw up, except the first couple, when he swallowed some during the surgery.

Owyn was in the room right next door. He and Tracy did not get up there until 1330. The plan had been to send Owyn home but his O2 levels were too low so they kept him. He had a crib, but otherwise his room was just like Owyns'.

I had grabbed some breakfast when they were working on Rhys, but Tracy didn't get any when Owyn went in. I had an omelet with all the fixings, buried in green chili with potatoes and orange juice and it was less than six dollars. Tasty too. When lunch rolled around the nurse told me that I could order room service.

They have a sweet deal there. You order an entree, two sides, a drink and desert and it is seven dollars, delivered to your room. The food was good and it meant that I did not have to leave Rhys. When Tracy called to tell me they were coming up I ordered her some lunch too.

Once both boys were settled it was just a matter of getting through the day. Every time their O2 would drop the sensor would go off. Both boys had oxygen hoses running onto their beds but they were not wearing masks. I taught Rhys to take some deep breaths when he heard the sensor, but no luck with Owyn.

Before I knew it the day was done, dinner was down and it was time for the boys to sleep. Both Tracy and I were woken repeatedly by the O2 sensors. Then there were the nurse checks and the med doses. Rhys was up at 0600. It was a LONG night.

Both boys were feeling better in the morning and wanted out of the bed, now! Rhys was doing laps around his bed, playing with the elevation, which he had figured out the day before, and hitting the nurse call button.

We finally go out of there at 1130. Owyn fell asleep on the way home. He went straight to bed once we got there. Rhys was up for a few minutes then followed. Owyn slept for five hours. Rhys slept for three. After their naps they were chasing each other around the kitchen screaming.