Fourth and Final Hospitalization. God Bless Letters.

I’m pretty luck to have extremely supportive, hands on parents who come and stay for weeks and help me until I think I can make it on my own.  After my Dad helped me drive to North Carolina and stayed through Lincoln’s third hospitalization, my mom came for two weeks to help me through Lincoln’s fourth and final hospitalization.  They both had to change and push back their plane tickets to extend there stay because Lincoln kept having delays and I’m just so grateful they were able and willing to do that. 

Another reason my parents rock is because they spoil my kids.  Especially my mom to Lincoln.  Anyone who knows him knows his obsession with words and letters.  *Random side note funny story – Lincoln finds and see letters in everything everywhere.  In the pieces of his cereal, in folds and creases in his shorts, everywhere.  Well the other day I was changing his diaper and I had both of his legs propped up with one arm going across the back of his knees while I wiped his bum with the other hand, and he exclaims, “look mom, an H!”  I got a good laugh out of that one.*  He loves the huge letters on his wall of his name and always wants to play with them.  So my mom bought him the whole alphabet and several repeat letters.  Then she covered them all with scrapbook paper.  Then we found a store right by my house that sold them for, not exaggerating, a third of the cost from where she bought them.  That bugged.  Lincoln loves them and spends all day spelling words all over the house.

Lincoln’s last hospitalization was by far his worst.  You couldn’t tell from the pictures, but that’s because I only took pictures on his good days.  But the day after he received chemo for 24 hours straight he got really, really sick.  Looking back I feel slightly responsible and guilty that I wasn’t more on top of all the medication he was and wasn’t getting because come to find out the nurses didn’t give him anti-nausea meds after the chemo.  There was a misunderstanding about how much and how long he got it in the past.  Sunday morning he wasn’t acting like himself and wasn’t eating and by the time I got back from church I walked into the hospital room, picked him up and he immediately threw up all over me and sawyer.   I thought they’d been giving him the zofrane, but they hadn’t been.  Then he didn’t eat for about two days.  That was stressful.  I felt so bad for him.  We ended up being there longer than any other hospitalization this phase.  I was so glad to finally come home on Tuesday night.   Yay for Phase three ending!!  This really is a big milestone in his treatment and I’m so glad we’ve made it this far.  Phase four starts Wednesday August 22nd and lasts for 57 days.  After that’s over everything should get much easier and less intense in his treatment.  

Hanging out in the family kitchen.

Lincoln’s hospital room and his Blessed Letters.

I took Grammy to the airport Tuesday morning and it was hard to say goodbye.  I just wish she could live with me forever.  I know that seems weird, but that’s how awesome she is and how much I love her.  Come again soon Grammy.