Hospital stays and amazing days

Bring on the new year! Ishod and I are home from the hospital, finally. A couple days before Christmas he started showing signs of a worsening cold... which he has had since he was two weeks. To make a long story short, he was diagnosed with Bronchiolitis caused by RSV (the scary baby-killing virus!) and a few hours later admitted to the hospital when he couldn't breathe. Oxygen wasn't getting to his lungs and he had hypotoxemia (I think that's what it's called, he couldn't stop sleeping) because his little body shut down from the lack of oxygen. It was horrible. His respiration and oxygen levels were crazy--- his oxygen was supposed to be around 95-100 and it would go all the way down to 3! His little heart beat would slow waaaaaaaay down then because he was shutting down.
They let me stay in the hospital with him because I was nursing him... I spent the entire time pacing the room and praying while the nurses did their thing. I made them teach me how to do things like put on his oxygen tubing and read the moniters, etc, because it made me feel useful. The church was closed and all my friends were out of town, so there I was. Wayne took care of Annika as best he could at home while me and Ishod tried to make every breath count.
There's something about seeing your child lying there with tubes all over that really stops you. I know from my experience last month with Annika and now with him---- breathing is a good thing.

Anyways, I was pretty devastated until the Lord spoke clearly to me: I named him Ishod, He told me. It means MAN of renown. Not BABY of renown. This will not take his life. I was soooo comforted by that word and I clung to it. Over the entire next day I prayed that his oxygen levels would stay up because brain damage is a concern when oxygen isn't getting in. Finally I snapped and called some friends for prayer (see how I hate to ask for anything? :P) and they blew me away.
Some of the girls from the new mommy group made the rounds and gathered up disposable diapers for Wayne to use on Annika (Cloth is hard for newbs!) and some frozen dinner trays for them. They made me a big basket with all kinds of sweet things in it. I was sooo blessed.
Within several hours his vitals stabilized and all seemed to be returning to relatively normal.
Anyways, they released Ishod last night and we've been home since, but we are not out of hot water yet. We are quarantined, so anyone who comes in has to wear a large teeshirt and a mask, wash their hands on the way in (for not infecting Ishod) and then on the way out, taking the shirt, putting it in a plastic bag, and washing it in hot water to avoid contaminating anyone else. Needless to say, we aren't having visitors for a few weeks. And we can't go anywhere. Annika has it too, now, but her lungs are far stronger than his. We are checking him by shifts to make sure his breathing stays below 50/minute again, and

She has to be admitted to the hospital on Friday for a Barium Enema... they want to see what's up with her colon so they're doing some tests. It seems overwhelming to think about how much my kids are going through right now, but I am totally encouraged.
God gave me so many opportunities to minister to people in the hospital... and I was able to pray for some very amazing sick children. I had NO idea that I would do well in this type of environment, it's very wierd. In fact, I was so moved by how powerfully God was using me that I took to heart what a couple of the nurses said to me about how I should be a nurse because encouragement was a natural part of who I am. I have been talking with Wayne about going to night school to get a nursing degree, which is something I could use to help us make ends meet and a job I think I could really connect with, considering how familiar I am becoming with the hospital environment and what a powerful witness you can be to the hurt and afraid in their hospital beds. He thinks it's a great idea so a couple years from now, I may be Nurse Barbie, hehe. Most of the girls who were assigned to us had young children at home, they worked a couple shifts a week and they loved what they did. I interviewed all of them about job satisfaction, etc.... (I'm still a journalist at heart) and they all seemed to really like it. I'm continuing to explore my options, because I'd really like to do school online but it seems like you can only do a BS online, and not an associates, which is what you need to become an RN.

Anyways, it's a thought.

Praise God that tonight is peaceful and my kids are quiet.... I would love it if you guys joined me in praying for their healing and wholeness! Who knew being a mom could be so painful and just how much I was going to love these incredible children who have been entrusted to me??? It's just amazing.

Anyways, probably wont be online for a while. Everyone have a good first! I'll do the roundup when the kids feel better.