A welcome intermission...

I have come to realize, as have all parents with sick children, that the long periods of gray on these journeys can be completely eclipsed by brief moments of brilliance. The past two days have been brilliant.


As I'm sure you've already guessed, we have Levi at home. He is currently sleeping soundly in his own bed, with his own sheets, his own blankets, in his own little room properly decorated as a young boy's should. Yesterday morning I headed down to Indianapolis to pick Levi and Stephanie up at the hospital. Levi's fevers had gone away, and his counts were up high enough that the doctor felt comfortable letting him go home to rest and recuperate. He didn't have to tell Stephanie twice; I am pretty sure she started packing as soon as he walked out the door.


I got there around 10 am, and Levi was very awake and very happy to see me. I gave him some love and we talked about the big trucks on the highway outside his window for a few minutes, then I tracked down a red Riley wagon and started making trips down to the van. It took four trips to get everything loaded; he had been in the hospital for exactly one month, and apparently that's long enough to accumulate quite a bit. I got a few odd looks from the people in the waiting room as I trecked through, but I think most people are smart enough to not ask too many questions in situations like that.


Levi was very excited to get out of the hospital. He wasn't sure that the car seat was the place he wanted to be, though, which made the drive back up to Warsaw a little more interesting. His happiness in being home was evident, and he immediately picked up where he left off - yelling at the cat as she ran by after we carried him in the front door. I brought Caylee home from daycare later in the afternoon. I hadn't told her that mommy and bubby were home; she wanted to go to the hospital to visit him, and I told her we would see him but had to go home first. She didn't like that, but her countenance immediately changed when she walked in the house and saw mommy and bubby relaxing in the recliner. It was heartwarming to hear her shout "Mommy's home! Bubby's home!" as she raced to hug them.

She and Levi have been making up for lost time. They are playing hard, and it didn't take long for them to start arguing just like any little sister / brother duo. There are times that Stephanie and I find ourselves just sitting back on the couch with a smile on our faces while we just watch, soaking in the moments. Levi is eating like a champ - he even polished off two pieces of pizza and some cheesy bread last night for dinner. He slept for almost 11 hours, waking for only a minute or two when we gave him his midnight meds. He is crawling everywhere, and is cruising effortlessly around the furniture. I predict he will start walking again in the next day or so.

We are not sure how long we'll have him at home. We have a home healthcare nurse coming to the house on Monday to do a blood draw. It really depends on what his counts are and if he's recovered enough to begin his second round. I think the earliest they may want him back is Wednesday, so we at least know we have a couple of days together. We aren't able to take him to church tomorrow, so we're just looking forward to another day of letting the kids play and being filled with the joy of being a complete family again.

Thank you all for your prayers; I know a great number of you were praying specifically that his fevers would go away and his counts would come up so he could come home. For that I thank you; God answers prayers, and He has given us a chance to relax, regroup, and refocus. It will be hard to take Stephanie and Levi back in a few days, but we're not concerning ourselves with that just yet.

We love you all, and hope you have a great weekend. Don't miss any opportunities to love on your kids - they truly are gifts from God!

- Michael, Stephanie, Caylee, and little Levi