Family day out

I spend all week in hospital counting down the days until I get to see Hubby, Big Girl and Big Fella. I only get to see them once a week because St Marks is so far from where we live so it makes our time together even more precious.

After 3 weeks of being stuck indoors (except for the 2 trips to Hobbycraft) I wanted to get out and get away from the hospital for a little while. I asked Dr 18 yesterday if I could have day release over the weekend and he said yes. As long I had all my medication I could go out in between drug rounds. Wahoo. Day pass. I was going to be free!

I knew I couldn't go home though. Firstly it would be too much for Hubby and the kids to come and get me, drive me home, to then drive me back to hospital after a couple of hours. They would end up being in the car for the best part of 4 to 5 hours depending on traffic and that wasn't really fair on them. 

Plus when I was in hospital in December I got leave for a day and went home to put the Christmas tree and decorations up. When it was time to go back to the hospital that evening it was absolutely heartbreaking to have to leave. The kids were crying, I was crying, even Hubby who is normally very sensible and level headed wanted to kidnap me and keep me at home. 

So I knew going home was out of the question. As a family we just couldn't cope with it. The next time I go home it has to be for good, not just for a few hours. But then what can you do on a cold winters day when you only have a few hours, two kids and a Mum that has no energy or stamina? We couldn't go into London as I wasn't well enough, didn't want to go to a soft play as I wanted to spend time with the kids and we couldn't even go out for something to eat because I can't eat hardly anything. 

So we went to Ikea. 

You probably think I'm mad, especially as after the last time we went to Ikea I wrote a post about it entitled 'Hell on Earth' (30th December 2013 incase you want to read it.)

But the kids love their hotdogs and ice-cream, I needed to get a photo frame to make a gift for a Christening we have been invited to next weekend and it is only a mile or two from the hospital. 

Being a Saturday the place was really busy. We tried to park in a disabled bay so I didn't have far to walk but there weren't any free. Instead we ended up parking on the top level of the multi storey but the kids loved it because of the views of Wembley stadium. 

**Sorry- it's not the best picture but Big Fella took it and he wasn't tall enough to see above the railings. Plus if he had tried he would probably have dropped my phone from 3 floors up!

We decided not to walk around the showroom and instead went and got hotdogs straight away. Given my recent thoughts on wheat I didn't have a hotdog because of the bread roll but had some fries instead, dipped in Ikea mustard. Yum yum. 

We then cut through the warehouse bit to get to the end of the marketplace so that I could get some picture frames. I think that this is the furthest I've walked in the last 3 weeks and felt exhausted pretty quickly. Plus we were walking against the crowd which is a feat in itself at Ikea. 

Leaving hubby to pay I took the kids to get ice creams but the queue was massive. I could barely stand by this time so put the kids in the queue while I sat on the floor leaning against the wall. The lady in the queue behind the kids noticed my hospital wrist bands and cannula that was bandaged up to prevent to falling out/getting infected while out and about and said that she would keep my place in the queue if the kids ran off. Its little acts of kindness like this that cost nothing but mean so much when you're feeling pretty yucky. 

So with full bellies, a blue bag of goodies and weary legs we headed back to the hospital. While waiting for the lift I noticed this poster which I think totally summed up my afternoon. 

Going to Ikea may not be your idea of a fun family afternoon out but it meant that we got to be together, doing what normal families do. We weren't in the hospital restaurant or the dayroom on the ward. I wasn't wearing pyjamas or hooked up to a drip. To the outside world we were just a normal family, taking a trip to Ikea on a Saturday afternoon. And I loved every minute of it. 

I got to hold hands with my hubby and my kids. I got to talk to them face to face not on a telephone. I got to go out of the hospital grounds. Infact when I called home last night to tell them the doctors said I could go out for a little bit, Big Fella said to me "Really Mum? You sure you're allowed. I mean are you allowed out of the hospital and past the car park? For real?" You see, in our little world being allowed out past the car park is a big deal. It shows that although I'm still poorly and needing to sleep in hospital I am getting better. 

This afternoon I had a text from a friend that is is Rome this weekend to say that she said a prayer for me in St Peters. So all in all it's been a pretty good day. 

I'm now shattered and ready to snuggle up in bed. I've just started to watch the first series of Homeland and am hooked so I think I might watch an episode or two before nodding off. 

NB x