Pool Party

We have friends that have a pool that are out of town for the weekend. So, when they said we could use the pool whenever we want and saw the temps were to be in the 90s, we jumped on it! The kids had a great time swimming and floating with donuts, rafts, and fish. Alexis got in quite a bit of practice swimming on her own. She is getting so good, and she can really hold her breath! So nice to be doing this today and not in the hospital still! Bunch Family pool party was a success!

1640

In just these three short days Alexis's counts (ANC) went from 300's to 1640 today! That means she has a better immunity to fight off things like stupid mosquito bites, can start her chemo again at 50% dosage, and can go back out in public safely. We are all celebrating today!

Back to School

Not only did Gavin have his first day of preschool today, but Alexis went back to school as well! I, of course, as a nervous wreck wreck...not about my two year old who as expected sailed into the classroom without even a hug, but my seven year old. I was nervous her foot wouldn't sustain a whole day walking at school, that she would be too tired to make it through the day, that she would have an accident, as the antibiotic is giving her a little looser stool, or that she would forget to go to the nurse for her medicine. So, I bawled my way through dropping her off.

At the end of the day, she had such a huge smile on her face. She said she didn't eat her lunch, and when I dug further, I realized that's because she somehow snuck a hot lunch of a cheeseburger despite not having money. She was so jazzed from her day and talking about her friends it gave me a huge smile! This is what first grade should be like. 

So, I guess I will try to keep from crying and add a little money to her lunch account in case she wants a hot meal. Gavin had a great first day and loved preschool! 

After school, all three kids had swim lessons, which they all did great with. Happy kids make for such a happy heart!

Home

Alexis got discharged from the hospital today. We were rather excited that we got to go home, as it sounded like most of the doctors thought it would probably be Wednesday. We are very excited to get the date earlier discharge! The boys were excited to get to play with the automatic bad that they put his high in the air as it could go, and then all the way down over and over and over and over again.

We are now all at home, resting peacefully, all as one family. It is amazing that euphoria you feel when you get released from hospital. They also said Alexis could return to school on Thursday. So, barring  no issues, that will be the plan. Our lives might return to normal for just a little bit.

Living in Hospital

Alexis woke up this morning with an ankle that was much less swollen. She was able to walk around on it today. It isn't bank to its normal size, but it is a lot better than it was yesterday. 

We spent the day playing games, doing homework, taking walks, painting, going to the garden, painting fingernails, and playing in the play room. It's nice she isn't contagious, so we can go out of her room for activities, as it makes all of us happier. 

Grandma Phyllis brought the boys up this afternoon. I took a walk with them and then hid figures around the garden for all of them to find on a hunt. They were also very entertained with the construction going on outside of Alexis's window. There were big cranes moving all sorts of metal beams around. They also got to see a helicopter take off from the hospital. It was good to see the boys...something I hate about Alexis bring in the hospital. I appreciated grandma bringing them, but didn't appreciate bringing Gavin in his Blackhawks jersey, as we try to keep that we are Chicago fans on the down low...we only got called out three times today. 

One of her paintings she wanted to give to her oncologist. Cece requested that Alexis sign it, so we took it back into our room. She said she wanted to write a message with it, so she was thinking of things to write. One was "I love you." I asked how you spell love, and Alexis said, "live." I explained that was close, but with the I it was actually live. She responded, "ok, live in the hospital." I didn't think her doctor would like the implication for either Alexis or her to live in the hospital, even though both spend plenty of time there. So, we settled on, "you are awsum." 

Right now we are just in the waiting game. We need the swelling to go down more, her counts to come up (they were still high 200 today), and temps to stay away. Until then, we will try not to focus on "living" in the hospital, but just "playing." 

Mosquito Mischief

After the doctors examined her today along with a PT, they are fairly certain we are not dealing with a torn ligament. They can't rule it out 100%, but they are fairly confident. Today her foot hurts a lot worse, and she won't put any weight on it. So, this means that you have to carry her to the bathroom all while pulling her IV pole with you and trying not to rip it out of her body. This is quite the feat in and of itself.

They currently think that the mosquito bite I saw on her leg is the cause for all of this. In a normal person, when a mosquito bites, there is a little bit of bacteria that gets transferred to the person. With a normal immune system, it may itch or get a slight rash, but then goes away and is just an annoyance. Since Alexis's counts are so low, her body couldn't fight even that little amount, and an infection occurred in her ankle.

She also spiked a fever today, but before the doctors could even give her Tylenol, her body was able to bring it back down. She seems in better spirits today even though her ankle seems to hurt a little more. They will continue to watch the fever, the swelling in the right foot and her ANC levels to determine when we get to go home. They are hoping mid-week at this point.

Until then, Grandma Phyllis has driven down to help with the boys. Alexis is getting fun time at the hospital, including art, math, reading, crafts, games, and even a scavenger hunt that Conner sent up for her where mom hides figures around the floor she is on, and then Alexis has to hunt for them. She seems to enjoy the game, and it is nice to be able to spend some time in the garden.

The boys went to the zoo in the morning with dad and bought Alexis zebra gear. They were all excited about that! 

She is resting comfortably, and we are hoping for rising numbers, falling temps, and shrinking ankles.