Restoring

I have been informed by my daughter that her dad is better at shaking the water out of her oxygen tube than me. And that he makes a nicer hot chocolate. And he 'sleeps better'.

He replaced me - rather too effectively for my liking - last night.

I got some proper, luscious, soul-restoring sleep in my own proper, luscious, soul-restoring bed (and I might even have gone out beforehand, watched a band, and had a drink or two, or three. You might think that, but I couldn't possibly comment).

I returned to hospital to find my girl another few steps on the road to recovery from pneumonia.

She's on 21% oxygen now (essentially air, but still needed to help her airflow). Earlier she tucked into a Sunday dinner and om-nom-nommed. I restored my Mum Is Occasionally Better Than Dad status by bringing her two things she's not had before: 1) A little snack tub of Wasabi peas and 2) some no-sugar Capri Suns. The latter items were received with actual awe - it's the first time I've ever seen a no-sugar version of what she wistfully calls the 'pouchy drinks with too many calories', so I snapped up a few multi-packs from the supermarket shelf. My girl held one with Holy Grail-style reverence and examined the packet, wide-eyed. "They're only 10 calories, Mum, only 10!".

I was convinced this would be the highlight of the day, but I was proved wrong. The topper of the toppermost moments was when two of my nieces came to visit their cousin on the ward. My girl was thrilled, especially when a nurse asked if they were her sisters. She was tickled pink with this - and that's the thing, that's the brilliant, brilliant thing: she is pink now, not the horrible, pale, grey colour she was a few days ago.

Life is starting to look more normal.