Father and Son camping trip.

Got to go on a sleepover with Russell over the weekend.  We left just after lunch on Friday and got back home on Sunday night.  I must admit our accommodations were less than ideal and Russell was not in the best of humour.

The Winnipeg Children's hospital is not the best location for a sleepover and they keep sticking sharp objects into my son (get the point?).  Fortunately, they found no big issues with Russell.  He was just dehydrated from the cold he has been battling.  We were discharged Sunday after lunch and proceeded on our way home.  Russell is not feeling 100% as he still has his cold.  They aren't going to keep him in hospital with just a cold.  They ran every test on him known to man to ensure there was no other issue; then kicked us out.  It was a true father and son trip though as Susan who is still fairly incapacitated with her broken foot and also has a pretty nasty cold.  She came with us to Emergency but then stayed home. 

So it has been 13 months since Russell was last admitted to hospital.  I suppose thats OK.  In some ways it was a good learning experience.  We learned how resilient the little boy is.  All of the tests showed that he is actually doing fairly well, in spite of his cold.  His kidneys reacted as they should and his immune system is doing what it is supposed to.  Unfortunate that we had to be incarcerated for the weekend to learn this.  The boy just needs to keep drinking and stay hydrated. 

I get a little "short" with the staff at the hospital as I have very little patience (lack of sleep doesn't help).  I need to learn patience.  However, we are treated very well there and they are only looking out for Russell, and being careful.  Most of the staff there are great to work with and are good at what they do.  Do issues come up?  Yes...most definitely but fortunately these are infrequent occurences.  My biggest frustration is the lack of communication.  It seems to be a recurring theme.  Most of the frustration occurs when various specialties and departments do not communicate.  I'm not talking rocket science here.  Some of the information I provide becomes very critical when communication breaks down.  So these trips tend to be mentally taxing because you do have to pay attention and speak up at appropriate times or "bad" things will happen.

I just wonder why we can't do anything normal.  Looking forward to a real Father and Son Camping trip.

One small step for a little boy!

With the weather getting nicer...we tend to start thinking about spring-like activities.  The last couple of years we have been looking forward to Nicole's Soccer season.  This year we have a bit of a wrinkle.  As hard is it is to believe...Russell is old enough to play soccer this spring.  It seems just a little unreal that he is old enough; as he is still just a little guy.

We did it...we took the plunge and signed him up for soccer.  I suppose it isn't a big deal...3 year olds everywhere are signing up for soccer, it should be no different for him.  Then we think about where he was 3 years ago and it then becomes a big deal.  What a three years it has been.  It seems so surreal to be thinking about him playing soccer given everything he has been through.

I have no idea if Russell will enjoy soccer or what he will do.  I guarantee it will be entertaining.  I think the big question is how Mom and Dad will handle this.  Get out your Kleenex.  I am sure we'll get lots of funny looks and people will be wondering what is wrong with us.  I guess it won't be what is wrong but what is right!  These moments make everything worth while.  Stay tuned for the date of the first game and pictures to follow!