ohio: day one

If there's one thing that I'm consistently reminded of in our journey with Cale is that there is always a child  who is suffering more and a family who is hurting greater.  As we've been walking the halls of the hospital we get a brief peek into what other families are having to deal with and it helps put the personal hardships of our journey into perspective.  One child's room was decorated with lights and even had a Christmas tree, indicating that she had been there for quite some time and would most likely be there through Christmas.  It makes our week long stay seem petty.

However with that said, today was no easy feat.  We checked in this morning and were admitted into his hospital room.  We met with one of the primary doctors that will be in charge of Cale's care and then he was taken to have an impedance probe inserted through his nose.  This process was incredibly scary and uncomfortable for Cale and to be honest I had to look away as I held his head to keep him from moving.  No matter how simple the procedure, the emotion of seeing your child in pain and in fear is always extremely difficult as a parent.  His constant stream of tears made it challenging to tape the tube to his cheek.  I hate seeing tears of fear.

The rest of our day was spent walking the halls, watching Max and Ruby, playing on his iPad, and typing on the computer.  He was very despondent for much of the day and finally cracked a smile when he found a string of fiberoptic lights hanging from the ceiling of one of the play rooms.  I anticipate spending much of our day tomorrow playing with these lights.  I have no idea what draws him to these so much but I was thankful they brought on a smile and even a few laughs.  Our Cale is one strong boy and I am constantly amazed by the bravery and poise he shows amidst the most difficult of circumstances.

The highlight of our day came late in the evening when we got to Skype with Riley.  Seeing her and hearing her voice brought on the biggest smile we'd seen on Cale all day.  Riley immediately noticed the tube in Cale's nose and asked him what it was for.  Without waiting for us to respond she quickly asked if it was helping his tummy to feel better.  Her words to Cale brought tears to all of our eyes!  At only three years old she is one of the most compassionate people I know.  Cale ended our Skype session by telling Riley that he loved her. :)

Now that today is over I am feeling even more confident that we are at the right place in the right hands.  I'm hopeful and encouraged that these tests are going to reveal part of, if not all, the reasons Cale is in so much pain.  The biggest encouragement so far has been the "constant" that is assigned to him.  A "constant" is a nurse that is required to be with Cale 24/7.  She monitors his every move; whether he is sitting or laying down, eating, coughing, gagging...anything!  She will even sit at his bedside the entire night while he sleeps, which is a little awkward for Alex who is spending the night with Cale in the hospital. :)  Apparently siblings are not allowed to stay the night which immediately made me unable to be with Cale.  Alex and my mom will take turns spending the night.

Thank you for praying for Cale and our family.  We feel every prayer and are so encouraged by the amount of love and support we have been given.  More to come tomorrow!