Throwback Thursday: One Year Ago This Week

I hate that we had to be at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Fox Valley one year ago this week, but I'm so thankful they are here. Thankful that I was able to stay with Sammy the whole time. Thankful that the hospital is close enough that Karl could be home with AJ when he was needed there. Thankful that our stay was short, and even more thankful that we haven't been back since those first few days of Sammy's life. That was our third visit, the first two in AJ's first year. While two years had past, many of the faces we saw were familiar ones, doctors and nurses who had helped us deal with AJ's seizures and ITP were now talking us through what it would take to get Sammy home again. It sucks to have a baby who is sick, but it's so reassuring to be greeted over and over with friendly compassionate faces, to know that our whole family was in good hands.

Since AJ's first Christmas, we've used the holidays and birthdays as a chance to give back to Children's. We'll do it again this year, collecting board books and teethers at the boys' birthday party, and then making a trip up to the pediatric unit to deliver the loot. Our boys don't need more clothes and toys. We are very blessed and our house isn't big enough to hold much more. So, we'll use this birthday as another chance to talk about how we can "make the sick friends happy." Sammy won't understand for a few more years, but AJ is getting there. I can't wait to see where this tradition takes our little family of four in the coming years.

(And I silently pray that the only time we're ever back at the hospital is for those happy gift drop offs!)