Sprung!

Journal Entry Monday, December 15, 2004

Yesterday, right after I wrote you in bitterness and stomped around some more, Marilyn came. She had taken the day off to study, but spent three hours with us instead, holding Niko. I said, "Where's your gown, mask, and gloves, girl? Aren't you afraid of the mystery disease that Niko has?" She just kissed him and laughed, and honestly, that's all it took to break down this armor of anger and fear that I had built up. After she left, I managed to talk to a doctor who actually knew what was going on...pneumonia, RSV AND bronchialitis. I guess one kind of sets the other off, or something. Later that night, Luke came after work, and Marilyn and Jason visited, pizza in hand. Luke took Niko by the hands and helped him walk around the hospital room, looking so proud of himself with his binky and his little diapered bum showing through the back of his hospital gown. They cheered my handmade Christmas cards (I had lots of time those past few days!) and we had pizza and Cokes and made a party of it, right there in that hated isolation room. Niko loved it.

Today we got sprung in the afternoon. I dressed Niko's Tickle Me Cookie Monster up in a diaper, some bandages, and Niko's purple dinosaur nebulizer and stuck him in Niko's hospital bed and took a picture. Then we went home. It's Luke's and my anniversary tonight, and thus far we've always done something spectacular. Tonight we had a great meal of homemade chicken soup brought over by my friend, Andrea, in our ward, and kicked back with a movie. Just being free seemed to be spectacular enough.