Do I Look Suspicious?

I got to the hospital this morning around 9:30 a.m. (thanks to my SIL, Heather, for taking the night shift last night). Just like always, I walked in the front door, past the security guards sitting at their desk. As I walked by, I heard one security guard call out to a woman- asking her what she was doing. I kept walking, and heard the security guard call out again. I pushed the button to wait for the elevator, and before I got on, the security guard hurried up to me and asked where I was going- apparently she'd been calling out to ME the whole time.

She asked where I was going- I told her the 3rd floor. She asked WHY I was going there. I told her my daughter was a patient up there. I felt very uncomfortable and somewhat embarrassed- what was going on??? I asked her, "Do I look suspicious or something?" I had been carrying both a laptop bag and supersized purse, but I can't, for the life of me, figure out why I would have looked out of place. She said that they (meaning all security guards at the desk) couldn't see a hospital personnel badge or a pink parents' bracelet on my wrist, so they weren't sure what I was doing there.

[Side note: I'm laughing out loud as I'm typing this (reliving the awkwardness of the moment); Lolly is lying in her bed, trying to take a nap- and giggling whenever she hears me laugh].

I have no idea why I would look suspicious- they must have three thousand visitors (without personnel badges or pink parents' wristbands) walk through the door every day...but for some reason, this morning, I must have looked extra suspicious.

Lolly was alone for a while this morning before I arrived...do you think she minded?  NOT AT ALL.  She has made friends with all the nurses here, and they just dote on her, despite the fact that she has not been the easiest patient.  She has had Attitude (with a capital A), and barely says a word, but they all work SO HARD to get a laugh or a smile out of her (we LOVE our nurses here).

So, when I walked in this morning, our friend (and nurse) Jamee, who isn't even actually our nurse today, was sitting with Lolly, helping her finger paint (with an art she'd brought for her this morning).  Lolly loves Jamee and really trusts her, and she was having a GREAT time.  Since I wasn't here yet, Jamee went ahead and ordered Lolly's breakfast for her- yogurt and chicken (awesome!).

We really do have so much fun here, now that Lolly is feeling better.  It's so strange to hear me say it, but as much as I'm DYING to get home, I'm also going to really miss the friends we've made here.

A few pictures from last night and this morning:

Lolly is really into painting nails now.  She has been gifted several bottles of nail polish, and she has painted the nails of Grammy and several nurses...and her own.  While we've been here, we've discovered that she is left-handed (like me).

Lolly doing Nurse Brittney's nails last night:

And Grammy's (for the second time):

Getting checked by Nurse Michelle:

Late this morning, the Music Therapists came to visit Lolly.  They were AMAZING!  She LOVED it!  She seriously had the best time.

Shannon (the Musical Therapy Student) was so good- she sang songs and read books (while singing) and let Lolly play all sorts of instruments and musical games.  She (Shannon) had a beautiful voice and an amazing talent for engaging Lolly.  My girl was in heaven.  It was so cute to watch.

She especially loved strumming the guitar.  She kept trying to pull her lips inward and pull down her chin so that she wouldn't smile (if anyone knows Luke, you'll know just the look I'm talking about!), but in the end, the smile won out.  She really had a great time!

We got all sorts of good news from the doctor today.  Since she's doing so well eating (and not throwing up), they are discontinuing her TPN feeds (her IV nutrition).  That is great news- not only will she now be able to drink all her fluids, but it also means that for most of the day, we can move around without her IV pole!!!  We were able to go to the playroom without any medical equipment!  It's not the easiest job to push Lolly in her police car and hold onto her IV pole.  It was so strange to leave her room without it.

The main thing holding Lolly here now is her inability to take in enough fluids orally.  Discontinuing her TPN feeds will help a lot, though.  Now she'll probably start to feel thirsty.  She has to take in all her fluids for several days before they'll feel comfortable letting her go home (which means that it will likely be early next week before we get to head out of here).

Ben and the boys are coming tomorrow- it will be Luke's 4th birthday!  Hooray!  Good thing he likes coming down here so much.  Every year, for his birthday, we go with Grandma and Grandpa Andersen and Aunt Joelle to a pumpkin patch.  This year, we're hoping to visit our friends' pumpkin patch here in Utah (Mark and Jen- can we come???) to carry on the tradition.

It should be a great, happy weekend.

A few last shots from today, in the playroom:

We're happy.