As Sloane's summer clothes are piled up on the dining room table awaiting their placement in her suitcase for Turks; I decided to make arrangements for another kind of over-night stay we will be having. I called the Best Western in the Longwood Medical area and reserved our room for Sloane's cleft surgery. I had said I was going to do this last month as we drove by when we left our appointment with Dr. Rahbar and never did. Call it denial, call it procrastination, call it refusal....whatever you like, but on Sunday, mammie called me on it. She reminded me that I had said I was going to book the room last month and I'd better before I couldn't get one.
You wouldn't imagine that a hotel next door to a medical center would get sold-out, but it does. We have stayed here before...in fact, my first time was over 18 years ago when my mother was an oncology patient at Brigham and Womens. There is something very convenient about not having to get into your car to go somewhere to shower or sleep. I like it.
Sloane will be spending at least 2 nights at Childrens for her surgery and we will need a room to re-charge our batteries during her stay. This is not to say that she will ever be left alone. She wont. We will switch off for showers, food and sleep. I ALWAYS pull rank over the ICU nights. Leaving Sloane to do anything is not an option. The minutes in the bathroom feel unnecessary at times.
Truly, our nicely appointed double queen bed room at the Best Western wont get much use. It'll be a drop off point for our suitcases and a place to splash water on our faces. I am not even sure the bed got used the last time Sloane was inpatient at Childrens. We have family a short drive away from the hospital and I tried that once, but truly the minute I got in the car to make the 10 minute drive I wanted to throw up. It felt like I was years away from Sloane. I cant do it.
Life stops when there is a hospital stay. After Sloane was in the NICU for a few weeks and was stable, I started forcing myself to go home at night. The routine was the same. My hubby would come after work and we would stay until 10pm or whenever Sloane fell asleep and then we would drive home, eat, shower, set the alarm to call the overnight nurse at 2am to check on Sloane and then re-set the alarm for 4:45am to make it back for the 5:30am feed. There was sleep and there was incredible guilt. I can remember doing normal things like going out to eat and feeling like the whole world was staring at me because I left my child in the hospital to have a life. Balancing our 7 week stay in the NICU emotionally was challenging as a new mom. One piece of advice I tried to hold on to, when I left, was that I was leaving my newborn with the most qualified babysitters ever....nurses. That did ease the irrational thoughts at times.
So, our stay at the Best Western has been booked. It'll be the place we hang our hats (ha)
May 5th -7th. We have a "my child is a patient" discounted rate....isn't that the exact type of discount everyone has ever wanted!! not!
Can't say I am looking forward to it at all......What I am looking forward to is seeing Sloane's face on Saturday am when she steps on the airplane for the first time! She is spewing with excitement about her vacation. Telling anyone we see that she is going to see Elmo. It is quite adorable!! Sloane's level of zest is very high to begin with...she zips around her world and her energy is almost infectious. I have seen grown men become completely subservient to her ideas.... (poppie, who is a few years shy of 70, did a sommersault on Sunday in honor of Sloane's version of fun and Shu, who is a bit beyond 70, has been adorned in play jewels and had his teeth brushed with soap because he was caught up in a moment with Sloane! LOL! My daughter approaches everyday life with a whole lot of spirit...watching her on this vaca will be memories of a lifetime....
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