Cinderella Days! Doc Mcstuffins Is In The House!
Due to all the holiday festivities and our recent our Disneyland trip, I didn’t have my usual Cinderella Days with my two granddaughters during the months of November and December.
Although we’re pretty much back tonour regular Tuesday schedule now, my youngest granddaughter, Marli, did undergo surgery recently to have her tonsils and adenoids removed. To help Marli feel better prepared and more at ease for her hospital stay, the girls and I spent some time together playing Doc Mcstuffins!
Doc Mcstuffins is a darling character, who along with her animal friends, stars in a new cartoon on the Disney channel that Makena and Marli dearly love!
The nurse in me loves that Makena and Marli have always enjoyed playing with the doctor kit I have in my play room…
…but for Christmas I gave them an updated Doc Mcstuffins version–complete with sound effects and sparkles! It’s especially fun to watch the girls play with this doctor kit and maybe in some small way, feel like they are part of their favorite “Doc Mcstuffins” show!
Prior to it being determined that she needed surgery, Marli had suffered chronic congestion and sinus infections on and off for about a year. I was impressed as I watched my daughter, Malia, and her husband prepare Marli for her surgery. At two and a half, Marli obviously couldn’t really understand all that was going on, but my daughter said that taking the time to play “check-up” and explain to her that the doctor was going to help her feel better was key to helping Marli know she was safe and loved.
Here’s a few other things my daughter shared with me on how she prepared Marli for surgery:
Since Marli’s favorite color is purple, she was thrilled with her purple hospital gown!
No matter how smooth things may go, it’s never fun to see your child undergo surgery!
Malia also told me that setting aside some of the non-essential activities in their busy schedules helped them all feel less stressed and better able to give Marli the care she needed. Malia and Shane were also good to include Makena in Marli’s care to help her feel a special compassion during Marli’s recovery. Grandparents and loved ones are essential in lending a helping hand to care for the children left at home! Makena and I enjoyed an extra special, one-on-one Cinderella Day while Marli had her surgery, but we were happy to get updates and pictures from Malia to help reassure us about Marli’s condition and let Makena see how her sister was doing.
With all her good care, Marli is nearly fully recovered! We love this precious, happy girl!
Even though I worked in pediatric surgery for the first few years of my nursing career, as a grandma, I was anxious about Marli’s surgery. My mom always told me that this was how she felt whenever her grandchildren faced anything outside their normal routine, but I couldn’t fathom it until I became a grandma myself…imagine that!?!
At age five, Malia, also had to have surgery to remove her tonsils and adenoids. I have such special memories of the loving concern my mom had for me and my family at that time, and the wonderful care she gave us!
It further proves that…
–Mary