Day 3 in the Hospital

Yesterday was quite a day.  Lots of Ruby awake time – lots of talking – lots of happy time.  Also lots of screaming bloody murder when getting moved or getting tape off.  Poor girl is just scared and worn out.

It was a big day.  "Just-in-case" IV out (it was hurting her - or maybe just scaring her after the first stinging time - when they flushed it), Epidural out (screamed like crazy 'cause the tape hurt and didn't come off easy), catheter out (has gone pee 3-4 times since in her bedpan), they stopped monitoring her Oxygen and heart rates (which I think is stupid since her Oxygen was dropping into the 80s and her heart rate was still up in the 140s/150s), and went out and about in her wheelchair for the first time (to go to the rec room and play Chutes and Ladders and "Sorry", which didn't work well since she can't see the board as she's looking up at the ceiling pretty much, but we managed).  Following her "out and about" time, she was in what looked to be bad pain for the next hour or so.  Probably overdid it on that one.  =(  Dozed only a few times yesterday and so by night time she was EXHAUSTED but just about manic - talking and cheerful and talking and talking and talking and talking and...did I mention that she was talking?  ;)  She didn't want to shut down for the night and had a little cry when I told her that we would finish looking through the bag from Ms. Sally again in the morning.  Crazy gal.  Oh, and they also re-wrapped the top of her cast to cover where they cut it the day before.  Ruby's three questions about that one - how long will it take?  What color will it be?  Will I get wet?  No screaming, though, I don't think.  It took them a while to get the stuff together, which gave me lots of explaining and reassuring time. 

She had some visitors yesterday - Paster and Mrs. Clark stopped by with a little stuffed lamb which Ruby has surprisingly named a normal name - "Sheepie" - and a card.  Sheepie is for wiping her tears so her soft blanket won't get stinky.  Or something.  She's quite particular that her soft blanket not get wet with sweat, tears, or anything else wet.  Because then it's stinky and not nice to sniff.  ;)  When the Clarks were here, Dr. Montgomery stopped by to take the epidural out.  He wisely shooed the Clarks out of the room, and proceeded to take the tape off and epidural out.  Didn't go real smoothly and Ruby screamed absolute bloody murder the entire time.  Later the PT stopped by and said that the Clarks looked a bit traumatized standing outside the room.  =O  Anyways, when they came back in, Pastor Clark wiped Ruby's tear with Sheepies paw, and Sheepie has stayed by her ever since.  =)

Mr. Bill from church also stopped by for a visit, and we got some AWESOME flowers from Smell.  (Thanks, you stalker you!  =D)  They get commented on a lot.  And I got pictures.  Which I will need to post for you sometime.

Ruby's much more likely lately to talk to the nurses and visitors, but not so much with the doctors.  Or her male nurse.  They seem to scare her a bit.  =O  And she's not all about phone conversations, either, which is STRANGE since she will normally talk on the phone at any given opportunity and beg for other opportunities along the way.  ;)

Some things Ruby did that about melted my heart yesterday: decided that she wants to give away all the pictures we're coloring.  To "poor" people.  Meaning, to her, I think, people that are hurting.  She named two particular people she wanted to give them to, but the only one I can remember is Baby Mercy.  She thinks that Baby Mercy (who had heart surgery when she was just a few weeks old and is now only a few months old, and also who Ruby has never met) will like looking at it when she's older.  I told her that Baby Mercy might like looking at it now.  She thinks that we should write "I love you" at the top for all the "poor" people she gives her pictures to.  I'm glad she's thinking of others.  =)  Also, we were playing with special stickers that you can scrape off like a waxy purple coating to reveal sparkly silver underneath, and she wanted me to draw a heart on the sandcastle - "to remind me of Jesus" or something.  And last night when she was jerking so bad and often and getting scared because it felt like her bed was tipping and she was moving, she asked me to pray that Jesus would make her not jerk anymore that night.  So I did.  First tears I've had at the hospital, I tell you.  I'm so glad that Ruby is learning to love Jesus! And she trusts Him.  She told me this morning during one of her awake for med/turning/diaper/vitals time that she thinks she is all done jerking now.  Sweet girl.  And to top it all off, she sang several times yesterday.  Not as boisterously as usual, but still singing - Silent Night, "The Lord is with me, I will not be afraid", Only a Boy named David, My Mommy told me Something, and one more I can't remember. 

Also, I love that Ruby has no desire to watch TV.  And when she was in the rec room yesterday and offered an IPad she said "no" quickly.  Not real enthralled with that type of entertainment, that gal.  She's always been an active, hands-on, bossy type.  And with lots of independence.  Now, to find things that she CAN do on her own!!!  I'm gonna have David whip us up an easel-tray-thing to go over her so when she's laying on her back she can color/look at books, etc., and the hope is that when she's stronger and not hurting, she'll be able to play with things on the floor while laying on her belly...which will also be good for her neck muscles, which aren't doing so hot right now - her head just flops back when she gets picked up.  Oh, and her free leg muscles ain't so hot, either, so we'll work on that today.  Her arms and hands are MUCH stronger, thanks probably to her eating some, and all our coloring/game exercises where mean Mom has made her move her arms all over the place.  =)  Oh, and we are gonna be on the look out for magnetic games, which we can prop up when she's on her side so she can actually see what she's playing.

Ruby has told me that she won't be scared at home because she knows where everything is.  But she will want a guard on her bed so she won't fall out.  Good thing Lynnie's done with it!  ;)  She has also told me multiple times that she wishes she could get the cast off...poor gal.  I'm afraid of how afraid she will be going in to this for the left side (finally got the dates yesterday - May 9 for the second surgery and hopeful cast-off date for June 29) since she knows the pain that will come.  Well, I will do my best to find peace in Jesus and not worry about it!  =O  Learning times are here.  May I develop the character, patience, and unselfishness that I need!

Adios!