Visiting Ethan

On Sunday, Annika and I visisted her little friend Ethan at Children's Hospital. Ethan is one of the sweetest kids you'll ever have the chance to meet; he and Annika are just a few month apart in age and play really beautifully together. I truly hope this is a friendship that lasts the test of time, and I have to believe it has a good chance of doing so because we're also friends with Ethan's parents, Jim and Elaine. (Back story: When I was expecting Conor, we quickly discovered that two of our friends (Elaine and Rachel) were also pregnant and due about the same time. Our babies were born in a 6-day timeframe; we had Conor, Elaine and Jim had Grace, and Rachel and Eric had Liam.)

Ethan was born with a congenital heart defect and had surgery on October 20th to basically replumb how his heart works. We were very excited that Ethan was up for us to visit him yesterday and I think it was good for Ethan to have some fun kid time, too. The look of sheer delight on his face when we walked into his room just about brought tears to my eyes. It was beyond a look of utter joy. We brought Ethan a little get well care package that contained some invisible ink books and a sticker/activity book. He and Annika cozied up at his hospital table and had a great time coloring and making their way through his activity books.

While the kids played, I caught up with Jim and Elaine. I can't even imagine the stress and fatigue they must be experiencing. Not only do they have their 4-year-old son in the hospital for multiple weeks, but they also have a little girl at home who is 19 months old. Oh, and they have full-time jobs. God bless them and the care, compassion, fortitude, and endurance they're displaying.

After about 15-20 minutes, Ethan's pain level started hiking up, so Annika and I made a quick departure so Ethan could get medicated and feel a bit of relief. I hope we'll be able to visit again soon ... even better, it would be great if our next visit is at his home instead of in the hospita. Hoping he gets discharged soon and feeling better even sooner!




Color, color, color!

 

Silly kids!