When Josiah was barely 2 weeks old he was transferred from a small county hospital to a large city hospital, Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. Josiah had RSV and was not doing well. The difference between the 2 hospitals was astounding.

In the county hospital Josiah and I shared a room with 2 other mothers and their sick children. The adults slept in cots unfolded from nightstands next to our babies cribs.  Creaky cots with thin mattresses and paper thin blankets to cuddle up under.  There was only one T.V. for all of us to share.  We had to walk down the hall to get to a bathroom.  I don’t remember taking a shower or being able to wash up.

I wasn’t offered any meals.  I don’t even remember a cafeteria, though I’m sure they must have had one. I do remember free Lorna Doone short bread cookies that melt in your mouth.  And free juice.  I could walk to a fridge not far from our room and help myself to small cartons of juice.  I could take as many packages of Lorna Doones as I wanted.  I remember thinking that was amazing.  I helped myself to lots and lots of Lorna Doones.

When we arrived at Rainbow Babies we had a private room.  We had our own T.V.  We had a DVD player.  We even had our own refrigerator. We had our very own bathroom.  It had a nice shower.

Josiah had a salad bar crib.  You know, the kind in which he was completely enclosed.  There were no bars like on the crib at the first hospital.  There was plexiglass to keep him enclosed.  I reached under it to touch him. It reminded me of a salad bar.

There was a nice upholstered couch that rolled out into a bed.  I did not have to unfold it from a drawer.  I liked that.  A friend brought me a nice, soft, homemade fleece blanket.  I loved that.  If you ever know someone staying in a hospital, bring them a fleece blanket.

The kids came to visit once Josiah and I were settled.  They were amazed at how fabulous it was in this new hospital.  It was then I believe Breanne’s fascination with accompanying Josiah and I to the hospital began.  From then on, anytime we had to take Josiah to the Emergency Room, no matter the time of day or night, Breanne went along.  Josiah had something like 18 hospital visits his first 3 years of life, so we spent quite a bit of time in  hospitals.

I used to joke, some families go to  Disney World, our family goes to Rainbow Babies.

When Josiah was initially admitted to the county hospital with RSV, my mom came from PA. to stay with the other 4 children.  We were homeschoolers then so all the kids were at home, all the time.  They needed someone to stay with them while  I stayed with Josiah round the clock.  We figured it would just be for a few days.  We were wrong.

Shortly after Josiah was admitted to Rainbow Babies, Chandler was admitted also.  She was just 20 months old.  She had gotten sick  (probably from exposure to all the germs at the hospitals) and very quickly became dehydrated.  Josiah and I were moved from our private room to a much larger room we could share with Chandler.  While there, they discovered Chandler had contracted Roto Virus.

The fun was just beginning.