He’s Home, and We’re SO Thankful

I just wanted to thank everyone who was praying for sweet Benjamin while he was in the hospital, and praying for us as we dealt with this sudden trial! Benjamin was released yesterday afternoon and we are so glad to have him back home. The official diagnosis seems to be acute bronchitis that triggered bronchial spasms. It was very scary to learn the ‘signs’ that we should have noticed that would have told us that he needed to see a doctor right away {gut-breathing, nostrils flaring, chest caving}, and for them to tell Carl that this is serious.

There are tons of other mothers who have had children in the hospital before, maybe even a lot more, maybe it’s the norm… I don’t see how they do it, honestly. Maybe it’s my pregnancy hormones that have also amplified the feeling of terror when Carl told me they wanted to keep him over night the first night… and then when the doctor came in and listened to Ben’s breathing, shook his head, and told us that he needed to stay longer… but that was really difficult. Nobody likes to see their little boy {or girl} in that big hospital bed, sweaty and lethargic and wheezing.

My goal now? To not dwell on the “what could have happened”s – that does me nothing, except makes me start crying again. Instead, we are making sure we follow the doctor’s orders. Benjamin will be seeing the doctor for a follow-up this week sometime. Hopefully then we will see what sort of things we can do to help prevent this happening again, and maybe pinpoint why this happens so much. I am pretty sure this is like the fourth time Benjamin has had bronchitis this year, but obviously this is most severe.

And I’m not going to think about the hospital bill right now. Can’t wait for that piece of mail…

To everyone who stopped by the hospital to visit Benjamin while he was cooped up – thank you so much. I know that it meant a lot to him, even if he wasn’t too chatty and maybe a little crabby as well {hey, I would be, too!}. Thank you to those who dropped food off for Benjamin when the hospital continued to put eggs or egg-based foods on Benjamin’s plate {hello, egg allergy!!}, and those who dropped off coffee or Mountain Dew for Carl who was a super dad for staying with Benjamin! And to my sweet friend Pam who brought me food and water when I was at home worrying and trying to rest and not go crazy.

Also to my friend Andrew who let me know that it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to walk up to the hospital in the middle of the {freezing} night to be with Benjamin when I found out he was being hospitalized. {Because that is exactly what a 5-months-pregnant mama needs to do... walking alone in the dead of night, sobbing, freezing, etc... yeah, I wasn't thinking rationally.}

To those who gave Benjamin treats or made cards or in general asked about his well-being and texted me frequently to not only see how Ben was,  but to make sure I was resting and to make sure I didn’t need anything…

Seriously you guys. I feel so blessed by our church family here & in other places. You’re all so amazing. We felt the love this weekend. Thank you, so much.

And I wanted to say a few words about my amazing husband. This weekend would have been 100000x worse than it was, had I not had Carl there to take the burden off of my shoulders. The hospital room was NOT comfortable, at all. The food was frustrating. The sleep was very, very limited. And Carl had to see Benjamin get his blood drawn twice, get one shot, and receive an IV. I was only there for one blood draw and THAT was awful for me... I can't imagine being there through all of it. Seriously, my husband is super dad or something. He's so loving and caring and I know if he had to do it all over again for Benjamin, he would, because he always puts us before himself. I am so incredibly blessed to have him, and so is Benjamin and this little baby I'm carrying.

(Benjamin is glad to be home to sleep in his own bed!!)

About 40 minutes until Benjamin’s next breathing treatment. We’ve got this.

Please continue to pray for us as we figure out where to go from here!!