Photos, as promised... tho late.

Kaleb's reaction to the good news...



We change outfits and he's showing off his walkin' legs



So happy to be home!!

We're home but on a 'no visiting' policy. No public places for the boy, either. Almost a bummer, if we didn't have so much to do around here! Never thought we'd be fighting to beat the other out the door for grocery errands, but the threat of cabin fever is very real.

What a BIRTHDAY!!

Imagine my surprise when the doctor came in to our room yesterday at 10 a.m. and told me to pack our things!!

Now I'm blissfully stuttering around, trying to remember what the heck our routine was before this all started, a month ago. I've got to rotate out the clothes he fit when he left and refresh the drawers with our stash of the next phase for him. There's about 20 new bottles of meds to factor in to the organising, but we're getting things ironed out. They're a stark reminder that things won't be 100% for quite some time yet, but at least he's here and bouncing around now.

Kaleb himself is very interested in remapping his surroundings. He's so much more developed in his sensories than when he was last home. We're chasing after him frantically, re-baby proofing everything within his reach.

My most precious gift this year was lazing and playing in bed, the three of us, this morning.

Thanks everyone for the well-wishes. You're all amazing friends.
Will post pics later tonight!

Foot Loose!

He was cut free from his IV lines yesterday and boy is he loving it!! We make regular tours of the ward so he can ply his charm on all the ladies. The nurses are just crazy for him and he's happy to oblige with endless gummy smiles.

The one person he really dances for is the singing lady! Every other day she brings her guitar and her stunning voice, plunks herself right down in front of him and they have a spectacular time! He even shakes and bangs his rattling toys for her and blasts out an occasional chorus line. Yup, she's pretty much got him wrapped up.

All the professionals have what I'd almost call a loss of clinical interest in him. This relieves me greatly. Our round is done, we're through the first hoop. Now is the fulfilment of policy waiting games until our release. I thought it'd be more trouble than worth, the moving of all our gear out and then back in 7 days later. Let me tell you, I'm clinging to the day we have him in his own room again. I washed everything and got it smelling baby-ready again. It's more exciting than bringing him home for the first time (he's sleeping better now)!

The Family Fun Day in Stony on the 20th is shaping up to be one heck of a monster, apparently. I can't believe what you ladies are pulling off! Amazing work. This is one grand event to be at, people!

I've always been childishly excited about my birthday, reserving the entire weekend, week, even month for little "birthday boons". I know I "should" grow up and process it like every other adult... only part of me feels that that would be somehow sad. I guess my mother's never-ending quest to impart "magic" at all landmark events has stuck with me. Now, on the eve of my 29th, I'm digging deep to feel something. I'm pretty sure there's a tiny twinkle left, down there at the very bottom. The respite from the hospital and a quick dip into our old lives with a movie date and possibly a horseback ride is something I'm looking forward to, anyway. With limb-shaking relief, actually.

The entire prospect of our next year just somehow feels like standing before a wall in the road so tall it reaches beyond sight, through the clouds, with only a bale pick glued to my minor left hand. Well, at least the handle offers a good grip. Damn, I'm heavy.

*smacks forehead*

I crawled into bed last night when it dawned on me that I did not offer thanks for everyone's efforts on Kaleb's behalf! Please keep up it up - it's working!!!

Good News!

We're through the holding-your-breath stage, post first chemo treatment. His counts all bottomed out and are one the rise! He never did suffer any high temperatures this time. If he continues at this rate, we might be able to bring him home this weekend!! That would mean that we can enjoy two weeks at home with him!

They haven't had any leukemia cases like his in the hospital, so his treatment plan is based on the other kids' situations. They all have affected bone marrow and are very sick. Very few of them ever even sustain lumps. Kaleb's lumps are really responding well to the chemo and with healthier marrow and not being sick, he's handling the treatment better than they could have ever guessed he would. I'm constantly squashing these little bursts of hope that, as we go along, they will revise his treatment plan and decide we don't need to pull the full five rounds. But the realist in me is prepared to run the full course, even if we get to shave a week off the time line, here or there.

I CAN'T Forget to Use Spellcheck!!!

That's right, I may be able to play with pretty words, but for the life of me, I more often than not cannot spell them. I also cannot function on any remote mathematical level (and I run a business??) and couldn't read a face clock until I was twelve. My mother particularly likes that one.

We have a sweet little wolf-hybrid boarding with us right now. While I don't encourage this kind of ridiculous breeding, I've always said I would evaluate each dog based on it's individual personality before accepting it into our social boarding structure. I've turned down some vicious labs who were miserable examples of their breed. You wouldn't know that this dog had anything in it but siberian husky until he opens his mouth. I'm currently being serenaded with the most eerie, musical sound... Just wanted to give a back drop to my morning post, here.

My parents pulled yet another rescue move last night, showing up at the hospital to relieve Patrick and give us the night and day off. I know our agreement was for once a week, but I was so relieved and ecstatic to hear he was coming home. It's amazing to me how the simple monotony of the routine can wear you down.

Suddenly, doing anthing remotely "adult" away from the hospital has become the most difficult chore. I remain stubborn about paying the bills and doing baby laundry, but anything beyond that just sits. There's our laundry, scattered about in various stages of folding throughout the house. Remnants of our past individual meals, eaten on the run, litter the kitchen and living room. I know I must clean and that it will feel good and productive and healing to clean, but when I enter this home we've built for three, alone and enveloped by silence, all I want to do is crawl into bed. Lately, I've had a couple of good books hurry me into that pillowy sanctuary even faster... Escape into someone else's life!! I seem to just function on autopilot, systems cut down to Life Support. Do I have clean underwear? No? I'll do a load of laundry. Damned if I'll fold it, though! It's humorous and sad to me, both at once. I'm normally so Type-A... a place for everything, blah blah blah. In fact, I used to be annoyed by certain little inefficient chores like watering the plants. How could I not think of a way to water them all at once? Now I mourn for their drop in status. I truly don't care if they don't make it. I would almost prefer not having those few tiny drains on my attention and energy.

Today the goal is to make some headway on this hovel that is our home. Lawn to cut, house to clean... it will feel so good to get it all in order and doing it together will make it great. First stage: establish who gets the pleasure of working outdoors. Picking up dog poop looks much more appealing than doing dishes.

Two of my most sweet grooming clients popped by this morning, arms loaded with grocery goodies and a gift card to toys-r-us. They totally nailed all our favourite snacks and I'm stopping in to get Kaleb a new toy today. It will feel so great to do some fun shopping!

How lucky are we? People are so generous and thoughtful of us. I have a very hard time feeling worthy of such consideration. There are two other people in this little family nucleus who are worthy. What a crazy world.

The little man continues to do well. I just love that bathtub picture, sitting up and surveying the situation with such authority. His little hands gripping the sides just cracks me up. His entire little self cracks me up. Even as I know I need the break from the hospital, I leave each shift missing him before I hit the main floor. We're both more smitten with him every day.