Is it spring yet?

Back before any of all this started (before Sept 2009), on bad weather days Liam was also "down".  Sleepy, slower than usual.  Then on sunny days she would sit on the porch, go for a walk in the neighborhood, eat better, be much more lively in general.  It's probably  a simple coincidence or all just in my head, but the last few days were somewhat similar.  When we had snow and below freezing weather, Liam was under a lot of pain to the point that pain medication stopped working.  She hardly slept.  Then things changed for the better somehow - just as the sun reappeared.  In the last two days she's almost pain free, sleeps well, does not get any pain control meds.  She's very quite - which is not unusual for her when she recovers from *something*.

Da Boss
Did I mention already how great Rachel is with all the situation?  Oh well, you'll get a 2nd dose. 
Rachel really lives in the hospital.  I, who spends weekend nights here at the most, can't understand how she does it.  The condensed air, the noisy monitors and pumps,  the nurses and Drs who come in-and-out all day long (and nights too), the janitors, the very same walls, and most of all: taking close care of Liam, especially when she doesn't feel well. 

But Rachel takes it all in a stride.  At times it seems that she even enjoys some of it.  Don't let it fool you:  she doesn't.  However, she does know how to accept the situation as is and not try to fight it.  She's making the best of the situation.  And meanwhile she created a status for herself.  She's not just another parent.  Dr's seek her advice on almost everything.  And if they don't, she will get them - no joke!  Most Drs respect her opinion so much that there's more than just a working relationships here.  Some Drs even bring chocolate etc for her.  With the nurses she has even better and closer relationships.  They share food together, they work together treating Liam.  She knows all the nurses on the floor by now.  A few even volunteered to care for Liam if/when we get  home.  But don't let the good and warm relationships with the medical staff fool you.  Rachel manages the whole "war" like a true general.  If a certain soldier doesn't fit, Rachel takes care of it in one way or another - and she does it in a most non-confrontational manner.

And when she comes into the room, she lights it up.  No matter what the situation is. 

Here's what I think makes Rachel's attitude so special:  most of us, when faced with such situation, try to fight it - maybe even unconsciously.  We count the minutes we're in the hospital, we think about our everyday life, our chores, etc. We worry and we get anxious.  Rachel, on the contrary, seems to accept the situation as is and just go with the flow.  That doesn't mean she doesn't attempt to improve the situation.  Of course she does.  She's fighting for Liam's health every second, minute, hour, day....  But, with stuff that is beyond her control, like a hospital setup, she's like a cat.  Adapting.  She decorated the room's walls (with a good friend), she brought her art work over, her paper work, and made it "home". 

Laundry Basket Arithmetic
A football game takes 3 hours, on average.  A recent study, however, found that the net play time is.....11 minutes.  11 minutes (!!!) that the ball is not on the ground and players are running.  That leaves 2 hours and 49 minutes for folding laundry.  Or, 10-15 baskets.  (But hey, SSSSHHHHHHHH, don's say it out loud.  Not to the ladies.)  To even things out, not to worry, there's football (eh, soccer) and golf, where you don't even have time to run to the bathroom.

Shallow Thoughts
When I see a Toyota in the rear view mirror, I pull over and call my congressman.