Sitter for Sick Little Angel

Is the hospital nearby where your own home is?
Have you looked into the Ronald McDonald House? They provide accommodations for families of ill children...
here is a link:
http://www.ronaldhouseoc.org/ronald_mcdonald_house.php

Perhaps see if there is one in your area.

Also, do you have other relatives/grandparents, or a close family friend who can do baby-sitting for your other child?

Other than that... probably you and your Hubby would need to take turns, being at the hospital, and then being at home, in order to be with your son and take him to school/pick him up/ and just be home with him. That is probably the best way.

When my Dad was sick and in and out of the hospital and care centers...well, we all took turns doing hospital duty.. and staying if we had to. Some took off work... for as long as they could too. Then the others,like round-robin... did the house responsibilities like getting the mail, watering the plants, cooking dinner/meals etc. for the others whenever they came home, kept the house tidy, did laundry etc. And we rotated. Otherwise, it is very exhausting if we all didn't take turns.

If you or your Hubby work....I believe, that like employer covered maternity leave under the FMLA (family medical leave act), that for an illness/sick child that PERHAPS you can utilize this option as well, to take off time from work.... you should ask your HR person or department.

The thing is, if you get a baby-sitter... you HAVE TO make sure they are background checked... do NOT just pick anyone, just because you are in an emergency situation and under great duress.

I hope the info. for the Ronald McDonald house can provide you with a needed resource.

All the best to you and your dear daughter... take
care,
Susan

C.,
I am very sorry to hear, we will keep you in our prayers.
It would be ideal if someone could stay w/your son so he doesn't miss out on school. It would be nice to keep his routines as normal as possible. There are several sitter services where they've already done the screening for you. As someone else mentioned, depending on where you live you may want to inquire about a room at the Ronald McDonald House in Pasadena. Your son could stay with you there and they provide transportation to the hospital. If your interested in staying at the RMH I would call them ASAP because they may have a wait list.
Good luck!

I'm so sorry for what you are going through.....I will keep your daughter and your family in my prayers.

If you can give me some additional information about what kind of help you need I would be happy to search through my church. During the time my husband was recovering from a brain injury, they were a tremendous help for me. What area of town are you in?

Blessings, N.

Please share what area of town you are in. The administration at your son's school may be able to give you ideas/suggestions about transportation issues and after school concerns.

I offer my prayers for your 4 year old.

I have a fabulous friend/nanny that I have used off and on for 8 years. She is currently between jobs but is professional and I have learned alot about kids from her. She is late 60's, does alot of projects with kids (art is her speciality).

Her name is Paula Spaulding and her number is ###-###-####.
I currently use her as a house/dog sitter. If you contact her, tell her N. referred

I so feel for you. I have a son who struggles greatly with his health and it makes it so h*** o* the whole family!

Some thing s that have worked for us...

One is that when it is time to take our other children home from the hospital my husband and I will take turns staying the night with our son. One night I will take the other kids home and do the "regular mom thing" while my husband stays at the hospital, the next we will switch places. It's hard not being together, but it is imprtant for the other children to still know that they are priorities too. Also, at our hospital there are volunteers that will read with the chilren or play games with them. As difficult as it is to walk away from my son, we have learned that we MUST take a coffee break at some point during the day and be able to sit down and talk through the past 24 hours without ANY of the children present. This way we can be completely honest with each other. In the mornings on the way to school, if the hospital is close enough, we bring the other kids by to say good morning to their brother and have family orayer time.

We also try to include the other kids as much as possible. I am sure that your son has many questions and concerns about his sister. I know that it is scarry, but we have to be honest with our children! I would talk your pastor and put together a support team for your son. He has to know that he can take his questions to you, but he also has to have another safe person or group of people for when he thinks his questions will upset you too much. My kids have their pastor, who we are very close to, and each of them have a "safe" person at their schools (we stretch out over three schools!) These people have direct access to my husband and I at all times, and we will ALWAYS take calls from these people. We know that our children need to discuss all of their thoughts, questions and fears in a safe way!

Another important tradition for us is family prayer time. EVERYDAY when our son is in the hospital. If it is not possible for our whole family to be together, then we have a conference call. Talk to your nursing staff.... we have found that often an entire hospital is posted NO CELL PHONEs, but when we explain what we are doing and that is is imperative to our families health we are often given permission to use the cell phones in his room. We will all share and give praise reports and prayer requests. This great on so many fronts, and really bonds our family togehter during these tough times. Another thing that this dose is let the other kids know what is going on daily (to what ever extent we feel is appropriate for them to know) and they can share specific prayer requests with those from our community who dialy ask them how things are going. It makes them really feel part of the whole situation.

I am running out of time, and I am sure this novel is a little overwhelming to you, but if you have more questions or want to talk then email me please. I have been dealing with this for over 8 years and am always willing to share what has helped us! I think that it fufills our calls as christions in 2 corinthinans :)

Blessing to you, and of course your family is now in our prayer time!! We pray for peace and healing fou all of yoU!

I am so sorry to hear about your daughter. Your family will by in my prayers. Have you tried the local colleges. They are in winter break till Feb but winter session starts Jan 5th so maybe they might have a list of girls or a place for you tp post for anyone who want to earn some extra money and can sit for you to help you out in this time of need until the grandparents come. Best of luck to you all.

first, i am so sorry for this tragedy. its so hard when someone is sick, let alone your baby!!! the good part is that they are acting agresssively (i am a nurse and know the procedures well) and your family will be in my prayers. first, family is best because you want someone your daughter is comfortable with when you or your wife can't be there. just make sure whoever is there is 100% healthy because her little immune system is going to be in the tubes for a very long time. with that said, if you have a regular sitter that she knows, that is also helpful because that can help restore some normalcy in her life. you mentioned you're christian, reach out to your church!!! this is what your congregation is there for. see if they can help you fill in the gaps with cooking, cleaning, or if they are close enough, sitting with your daughter. i guarantee that there will be more than enough help if you ask. for your daughter's sake, bring favorite things from home for her, please, like her baby doll or stuffed animal, blanky, whatever makes her feel good. please don't be frustrated if she begins to regress a little (bedwetting, tantrums, etc) this is really normal and her only way of expressing her fear and frustration at things she can't control or explain. and ACT NORMAL around her, like this is part of any other day. this will help her cope so much better. i lived in diamond bar for a few years and worked at Pomona Valley. ask your daugher's nurses for info about counseling, support groups, etc. for you, your wife, and son. we had a huge amount of info for families to help cope with the stress of something like this. for your boy, just keep him in the loop, and he is old enough for you to be completely honest with him. he will respect and appreciate the honesty instead of feeling like an outsider if you skirt the issue or try to downplay it to him. talk to his friends' parents and ask for help with drop off, pick up, etc. from school and maybe arrange a few extra playdates/sleepovers to try and give him an outlet from all this. best of luck, you are at the best place you can be for her and i will add you to the prayer list at our church.

Praying for the best for your little girl.
May want to try craigslist under both jobs wanted and childcare. We found a great Christian babysitter on there.
So sorry this is happening to your family. :-(