Days 2 & 3: A Few Less Bad Days, and a Blooper Reel

An Update:

It is now the afternoon of Day 4.  Since we last updated, Idan has had two very good days, and today is starting out well, too.  Idan is eating, playing, and after 10 days of refusing the bottle, finally showing signs he is ready to drink again.

Despite having several days of multiple chemotherapy drugs, being tied like a leash to an IV pole nearly 24 hours a day, constantly being prodded by nurses to check his vitals, and being pent up in the same room (albeit with a beautiful view) for the last 10 days, Idan continues to amaze and surprise us.  He is full of energy and light.  When we take a walk around the hall, he still perches forward in his stroller, excited to see the world (even if it is just a row of identical hospital rooms).  When we brush his teeth with a little sponge, he grabs it out of our hands and does it for us.  When he wakes up in the middle of the night, he sits up in his crib, reaches for us, and smiles when we come near.  It is a blessing to be in the hospital for a week and a half and see no signs that his personality has been affected.

Although we still cringe to think what the future might bring, we are thankful that he has gotten to this point without any severe toxicities, side effects, or infections, and we are thankful that we chose Seattle Children’s Hospital.  We hope and pray that we can continue to keep him safe and well, and that the donor’s stem cells are working their way towards Idan’s bone marrow as we speak.

Now, for Some Comic Relief, the Bloopers:

So, as you might imagine, two people sharing a small space can make for a reality TV show as it is, but add in lack of sleep, stress, and a toddler full of energy and you have the recipe for a sitcom.  We thought we’d share with you a few of our slapstick moments:

Making a Big Mess:  Akiva has this very large jug he likes to fill with ice coffee – all the way to the top.  It is one of those 32 oz nalgene bottles, I kid you not.  Anyway, every day when he brings it into the room, refilled, Idan goes crazy for it.  He reaches for it, tries to grab it, and protests when we take it away.  Thankfully, he is less interested in the iPhone now that he has found this jug.  If his Aba treasures it, so does Idan.  So one day, I am feeding Idan, and Idan excitedly reaches for something behind me.  I turn around to look, and before I knew it, Idan’s little fingers wormed their way over to the table that Akiva left his jug open.  As soon as I turned back around, the entire jug was all over the floor, along with about 32 oz of coffee!  The very next morning, this time Akiva is feeding Idan.  Now the jug has found its way into some other corner of the room, and once again, Akiva left it open (says Akiva, “I was drinking out of it!”).  Akiva asks me to pull another pair of pants for Idan from the closet as he had made a bit of a mess.  So I pull open the door, and next thing I know, I am standing once again in a puddle of 32 oz of coffee that was hidden underneath the closet door.  Later that day, Idan got his hands in the Rice Krispies bowl, which subsequently wound up all over the floor.  Needless to say, Akiva has finally learned to cap his jug, I am constantly paranoid I will spill a jug of coffee, and all three of us keep hearing Snap, Crackle, & Pop.

 

What Day is it Again? We all know how days start to melt together when you have no regular weekend.  So yesterday, on my night off, when I set my alarm for 6 a.m., I did not take into consideration the fact it was set to a “weekday” alarm.  In any event, when Akiva called at 8:30, I jumped out of bed, and rushed out of the house to the shuttle that goes from our apartment to the hospital.  When I arrived to the parking lot, it was practically empty, and the shuttle did not come on time.  Nor did it come ten minutes later.  I called the transportation services number three times, puzzled why no one was answering the phone.  Finally I decided to walk (we are only a mile away), and appreciated the exercise.  When I got to the hospital, Akiva was also puzzled why there was no shuttle.  Akiva also remarked how I missed rounds, but they were much smaller than usual, and everyone seemed casually dressed – how odd?  As if a lightbulb went off in our head, we suddenly put two-and-two together, realizing that the faulty alarm, the absent shuttle, the transportation services voicemail, the small rounds and casual clothes were all because everyone else in the world was enjoying their weekend.  Whoops.