We could learn from our kids

Poppy's first visit to the hospital was a great one, I had been worried about how she would cope with the new surroundings that she was going to be put in. She had looking forward to seeing her baby brother for such a long time.  She had seen pictures of him and the family had been explaining to her that Ruadhri had a poorly heart and need to be in hospital to help make him better.

She walked down the ward like she owned it with full of excitement about seeing her baby brother and trailing her suit case at the back of her that Daddy had bought her.  She couldn't wait to show me what Daddy had bought her, her new clothes and a suit case which she thought was fab, she pulled out a drinks bottle and was telling me all the things she was going to fill it with.  And with that she took the bag of washing that was mainly covered in sick and put it in her case happy as Larry.

I really was amazed at how nothing seemed to phase her at all, she wanted to look in the cot and see him, she hung off the bars and looked down at him and said "awww he is cute, that's my baby brother" after trying to climb in the cot with him she got down and said I'm bored now, with that she walked to the play room.

Just like that she had seen what she had waited for never cried about how he looked, or seemed scared of anything around her, nope she took it all in her stride and found something to amuse herself with.  Looking like orphan Annie with her case in toll she was off to see what treasures she could find in the play room.

I couldn't understand why I had worried myself in to a state about what she would see and how she would cope.  To her it was just her brother who was a bit poorly.  Everything really was that simple to her, we had given her the facts and told her truth about what was going to happen and what was planned, she had taken it on bored and that was the end of it for her.  I thought maybe she didn't understand after all she was only 3 and we had given her very grown up facts.  Sure enough when she saw people and they would ask where her baby was she would tell them, he has a poorly heart and is hospital.  Simple, she would then go on to tell her little life story about how she had been going to Nan's work, and Daddy had bought her a case with wheels.  Even now I laugh at the thought of seeing her leave the ward holding Lee's hand (who is GOD in her eyes and can fix everything) pulling her case on wheels at the back of her, thinking how great it was that she got to put special gel on when she came and went.

Even as time went on with Ruadhri (which will follow)nothing seemed to phase her, she would help with cleaning up sick and change his bum, and she done it all with such love and kindness and never saw him as a sick or ill child, she would encourage him to do things, even get him in trouble at times.

To Poppy she had a brother with a poorly heart but that would stop him have a normal life in her eyes and she had no plans on treating him any different than had he been healthy.  She would make sure of that, ooh and she did even as far as dragging him round the front room floor by his feet.