In Years Past, I Flitted Through Life.
Very La Di Da-ish.
Sure there were Uphill Climbs. But We Always Managed to Have the Proper Tools for the Task.
Sometimes We Looked to My Creativity to Conquer the Foe.
Other Times We Needed the Inner Strength of Mr. Doodle.
Together with Laughter and the Job Got Done. The Battle Won.
But Standing Here at this Juncture and Looking Back, Most of the Battles Were Manageable.
Until Suddenly They Weren’t.
A Sick Child.
When it Hits, the Command Center Falls Away.
The Sickness Consumes Your World. The Sounds of Fear Seep In.
The Manageable is Gone.
We Certainly Have Learned Lessons and Did Proper Battles.
And We are Mid-Point in the Healing Quest.
Amen.
This Weekend, Another Hospital Excursion. A Procedure that Needed to Be Completed.
A PICC Line in for 9 Months Had to Be Removed.
We Divided and Conquered. And Got the Jobs Done.
Mr. Doodle Did the Hospital with Miss Doodle.
Dad is so much better at the hospital stuff than you are Mom.
Build on the Strengths of Each Other. Pick the Correct Battles.
Today I Did Saturday Chores with Miss Doodle 2.
Food Shopping. Costco. One of My Big Thrills for the Week…sad, right?! 🙂
House Cleaning. Laundry. Changing Bed Linens.
Miss Doodle 2 knows the drill and we are a good team.
All Members of a Family are Affected when Sickness Hits.
I Took this Opportunity to Spend Needed Time Together.
With Warm Temps and a Bone Dry Winter, We Watered.
The Pond Needed Filling.
We Checked on the Fish.
Fish are Swimming at the Surface. Slowly. But No Feeding Until Spring.
Time for Snacks in the Afternoon Sun. 1/2 Junk.
Time to Talk. Time to Listen.
Catching Up on Mid-School Drama.
Did you know that 11 year olds are dating? Guess I missed that in the olden days of the 1960s.
We Talked and Talked and then Talked Some More.
Divide and Conquer.
To Build Strength.
To Throw Fear to the Winds.
To Make Magic.
The Mantra for 2018. Ready?
You’re right. Family illness is a family job. And what I love, love, love about Team Doodle is that you have done this together. It doesn’t always happen that way, especially when the ill one is a child. Sometimes the other child feels resentment for the time spent with the sick one, no matter how hard everyone is trying to be equitable. Or feels they are pulling the weight for two kids’ worth of work instead of just their own. But I don’t see that in your family and I think that speaks volumes for the kind of parents you and Mr. Doodle are. You have incorporated both your girls into your activities — good and bad — and found ways to find fun amidst the concern and worry. I applaud you.
Nine months for the picline? Yikes. I had mine in for three weeks (twice) and seeing it go was such a gift. I remember the showers and having to bundle it up with cling wrap so it didn’t get wet. Bravo to you all. (And I’d say that picline removal deserves a cupcake or two!)
Thank you Jeanie…I didn’t know that 9 months was an exceptionally long time for a PICC…we diligently flushed/heprined it every night (I was petrified not to) and showering was done with the arm wrapped in Press N Seal (a trick from a pediatric nurse that saved the day and money…thank you Press N Seal) and hardly any complaining from the patient…that was the biggest help of all. I understand that usually blood clots are the reason for removal. We were all clear on that front. She did become allergic to the tape and sticker and her skin under the patch was raw and itchy. She feels free now…like Pinocchio. Two rounds of a PICC…yuck…but as you know, you do what you have to do. And as for the cupcake reward…we did one better…a tiny diamond necklace. 🙂
Divide and conquer is usually a bad thing but we have redefined this concept to the good of all concerned – we kinda rock
Yes we do. Silly, rockin fools. 🙂
You all totally rock!! Just keep swimming!
Love you
Ms Gypsy has done it again … could not agree more. You and Mr Doodle are awesome people and awesome parents. Your girls are awesome young ladies. That is not easy, especially in these times (I have grandchildren and I know). You should be proud of yourselves, of your girls and of your family. You inspire!
Hi Suzee…and thanks…yes, we are very proud of these girls…and without all this, we never would have known just how proud of them we really are.
How right you are. These kinds of illnesses become a family challenge. Sometimes it feels like everything around you is foggy. But you have to make a choice. Either keep moving forward, or retreat to what little safety we think we have. Hugs to the troops! <3
The troops say thanks! 🙂
Swimming is the goal and the path to get there. 🙂