Final Flashback.....

A year ago today we were coming home from the hospital, but only after another full round of "education". The CDE came into the room to let us know we needed to come to the conference room. Jason went ahead, but I stayed behind because J.J. was by himself and didn't want me to leave. I wasn't about to leave my 4 year old all by himself in a strange place with a bunch of strange people.

WHY, oh WHY didn't we bring one the girls to keep him company? All the visitors from the day before were now going on with their lives. All the playroom workers were off to their normal school or day jobs.

The CDE came in again. This time visibly annoyed. She let me know that the other couple receiving education was waiting and we all needed to be discharged. I stuck my ground and told her I would be there when I saw that J.J. felt comfortable. She could go on without me....hubby was there to take notes.

After she walked out a very grandmotherly nurse arrived. She said she would sit with him and brought multiple videos. He finally said he was fine.....watching TV!!!:-) As I walked into the conference room I looked back at him in that big hospital bed, completely entranced. He would be fine.

A little while later the grandmotherly nurse knocked on the door and signaled for me. She asked if Santa could come to J.J.'s room. Would he be scared at all? I sized up the Santa, and then the Marines......and J.J. STILL entranced....and told her it would be fine. He knows Santa as a cartoon character, so to him it would be like seeing Clifford or Snoopy.

A few hours later we had finished our "education", and tiredly went back to J.J.'s room. The grandmotherly nurse was still there helping. He was busy packing up all his things. He had even packed my bag for me. When he saw me he came running (two days prior he couldn't even stand up!) and said,

"Mama, Mama!! You'll never guess who came to visit me today?"

"No?? Who came to visit you?"

"Santa came to visit me!"

He showed me the playdough set Santa brought him and then said,

"YEAH.....but I didn't get to see his sleigh."

I can still see J.J.'s bummed out look about the sleigh. Santa's mode of transportation is pretty important, don't 'cha know? It's like seeing Batman without seeing the Bat Mobile.

The grandmotherly nurse told me he didn't say much to Santa, and refused to sit on his lap. That's my boy!! Sitting on Santa's lap always creeped me out when I was a kid!! ICK...o.k. the concept still creeps me out!!

I will never forget what that one visit did for my son....and me. After seeing him sick for so long, then to see him light up from a visit from Santa was what my soul needed. I told myself last year that if we could we would donate to Toys for Tots...the organization that brought Santa to the hospital that day. I wanted to give back to some other child....lonely.....in a hospital bed.