Jodi is back in the loop and JT is happy about it. He was beside himself with excitement to see her this morning and was not at all interested in taking an afternoon nap with Mommy around. When I spoke to her around 9:30 p.m. they were still up and playing in Room 21.
We got our first lessons in home healthcare this morning. Actually, as I’m fond of reminding Jodi, I was a Pre-Med major during my first year of college before I switched to English/Lit. Education. So I went in confident, hoping that the long-ago hours spent agonizing over biology, chemistry, and calculus would finally come in handy for something. Nope. Avogadro’s number never came up. Meiosis was never mentioned. Instead it was all about needles, syringes, Heparin, programmable pumps, flow rates, saline flushes, hemostats, and stethoscopes. Yup – I’ll have to wear a stethoscope. This life is a strange business. Anyway, our teacher was patient and kind and we worked through some basic central line care and the mechanics of tube feeding. We’ll have a pole just like at the hospital for his IV meds and feedings, but he’ll also get a kid-sized red backpack so that he can be mobile during daytime tube feeds – pretty cool for a kid who’s all about Dora the Explorer. We’re signed up for another lesson tomorrow. Other parents have assured us that this is like so many other things – overwhelming until you do it a few times and then no problem at all. Plus, a nurse will be there to supervise us at first and if anything goes wrong we’re just around the corner from the hospital – another huge reason this apartment has been such a blessing.
Jodi got JT to eat two pieces of wheat toast with peanut butter on it so we’re pumped about that. His counts are holding steady and they’ll continue to do engraftment studies every two weeks. He’s got a cough which hasn’t yet resolved itself yet so we’re praying that goes away completely by the time he's discharged next Thursday. Please continue to pray for protection from any illness and from GVHD as well.
Jodi and I often say that, in a way that’s hard to describe, our best Christmas ever was the one we spent with JT in the hospital two years ago. But we also think this one may be even better…so many gifts, so much to celebrate.
Check out the “Pictures” page when you have a chance. There are some great ones of Justice, by far the most photogenic member of the family, and there’s also a couple of handsome bald guys you won’t want to miss.