Only in Rhode Island

I fell asleep last night before blogging. Sloane and I had a very busy day together and separately. I was spent. As was Sloane, because at girl's dinner with the aunties she said to the waitress as she held the small beverage menu open "excuse me, can I have a red wine?"  No, I am not joking. It happened!! We all bursted out laughing!! Now, I know many other toddler parents would be horrified at this but, we are raising an almost 3 year old turning 15 so it wasnt that bad! Ha. I am thankful she didnt try to order my drink of choice...an extra dirty martini rocks on the side...that would have sounded worse!! LOL

Going to Children's is still nerve wracking for me. I am seasoned, but it still gets me. On Tuesday, I was especially out of sorts when we got to Radiation because I forgot my cell phone in the car. Visions of it being stolen were tormenting me. I had just taken pictures of Sloane that I hadnt downloaded yet. My hubby also couldnt let the look of panic coming over my face go easily so he spent a few minutes razzing me about the valet guy who was now calling India using my phone!!

The mood certainly was not Rainbow Dreams. And then an "only in Rhode Island" thing happened. Around the corner came some friends who hold a special place in our hearts. They, too, have a child with a health concerns and were at Children's for some testing. I hadn't seen them since Christmas time and their immediate presence brought peace to me. Ryan's health concern is more involved than Sloane's, but we have shared many stories and experiences. I know Ryan and his parents through our primary NICU nurse. I have blogged about Donna before.....LOVE!!  Donna = Godsend. I still revert back to the tips she taught me almost 3 years later. For example, when Sloane had croup 2 weeks ago, I kept looking at her lips recalling that Donna said...to look at her lips, see if they turn blue, thats when its a problem. Ryan is Donna's grandson. Over the years since our NICU days, we have spent time with Ryan and his family. They are the kind of people who make you want to take your shoes off and relax on their couch.

Seeing Ryan's parents brought calm to me. All the reasons, I need not say, but I immediately felt eased. There is something about sharing our medical journey with another family who understands it that brings you back to baseline. Calling me silly (as many do), but I think it was the smallest divine intervention to help me find my center for the day!

After I centered myself, I was far more focused. And what did I focus on....feeding tubes! So many of the babies and children I saw on Tuesday had feeding tubes. I dont want to make light of them but it was like they were a dime a dozen. Let's be clear, Sloane's feeding tube initially sent me over the edge. It was anything but commonplace to me. Yet, here I was surrounded by them and they all looked quite normal. Normal right down to the mom who took out a glass bowl of pureed food and began pushing the food into her 10 year old son in the middle of Dr. Rahbar's office. It made me reflect on our experience with Sloane's feeding tube and wonder why it upset my center so deeply.