Visiting Daddy In The Hospital

Jesse has been in the hospital this week.  He's waiting for minor surgery that keeps getting pushed back day by day.  Hospitals aren't always the most reliable places to put your faith in.  

So, Cooper has been missing his Daddy all week.  Things are anything but routine lately, but more this week than any other.  Cooper really doesn't feel like playing.  Sometimes he gets a toy, but isn't really into the game, so he quits before he really gets to play much.  He mopes around, sleeps on Jesse's pillows and is very unsettled most of the day.

After the excitement wears off a little.  

Each afternoon I have taken Cooper to see Jesse in the hospital.  The first time I didn't say anything to him about why we were there.  I knew if I said 'Daddy' he would get excited and I really wanted to make sure he didn't get loud.  So we took the elevator, walked the halls and focused on how to walk properly without having his nose to the floor.  I led the way and we stopped at Jesse's bed.  Cooper looked up and saw Jesse and his head SPUN AROUND to look at me.  He was so excited!  He looked like he was going to explode.  His look was to question, 'can I go now?' He had been under strict behavior expectations and he knew it.  I quietly said, "Ok" and without hesitation he jumped up on the bed and buried his head in Jesse's chest and stood there pressing in while Jesse greeted him.  He knew not to make a lot of noise, and he was PERFECTLY well behaved.  

Burying his face

Lovin' Daddy

After a short time he was content to lay against Jesse's legs while we visited.  He was relaxed and didn't care what was going on anywhere else in the hospital.  All he cared about was what was going on in that bed.  If I got up, he looked worried.  When the nurses came in he didn't care.  He just stayed where he could touch Jesse.

The second day we visited, he knew where we were and could lead me straight to the elevator and right to the room.  He had NO interest in the ladies at the front desk who wanted to pet him.  He kept looking down the hall where the elevators were.  They thought it was so cute that he just wanted to go see Daddy.  His pace was determined and focused on getting to that room.  He went right to the bed and jumped up without hesitation.  He buried his head in Jesse's chest as he had the day before for his greeting, then settled in for his visit against Jesse's legs.  

Having Mama and Daddy at the same time is all he wants in his world

He was content to stay put but as usual, when he begins to be known, other's require his celebrity appearance.  He was requested to visit the nurses station.  I carried him out the door and started down the hall when we got to a crowd of other people who were visiting their mom.  Cooper waved 'Hi - Hi - Hi' to all the people and created an audience in the middle of the hall.  The nurses came to the gathering in the corridor since we didn't make it to the nurses desk.  It was a lot of fun.  We hope to welcome some of the people we visited to this blog.  We visited the Mom in her room too.  Cooper was as well behaved as I knew he would be.