An overdue update...

Wow. A week since I posted last. Guess I have some catching up to do. I do have to admit – I had good intentions of posting the past few days, but each time my plans were thwarted… by sleep. On Sunday, I had every intention to post something while at the hospital, but Levi went down for a nap, so I promptly passed out on the couch/daybed thing. Then Sunday night I wanted to post something, but the demise of my Colts in the Sunday night football debacle must have worn me out, and I passed out on the couch here at home before the end of the game, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Same thing last night too – the football game and the comfort of my own couch got me again. So tonight I determined to give you all an update…

So, to start with the events of last week; on Wednesday night, Levi got his last dose of his fourth round of chemo. We had been told that the “blue juice” (aptly named due to its Smurf blue color and tendency to turn urine and the whites of your eyes a shade of blue) he was getting at the end was notorious for knocking patients down, so we were very thankful that he seemed to emerge from the round with only a case of diaper rash. I had originally planned to leave on Sunday for a business trip to Austin, so I dropped Caylee off with my parents on Wednesday night in preparation for a week away from home. I found out Friday morning that I needed to cancel my trip plans due to some work priorities, so that meant I was able to head down to the hospital Friday night to spend the weekend with Steph and my little buddy.

We had a great weekend together. Levi was extremely active, and was busy taking over the 4th floor peds unit. The nurses pretty much give him the run of their nurse’s station, so he spend his time bumming Twizzlers off of the doctor, sitting on their desk eating popcorn, and making blank copies on their copy machine. It is cute to see him sprint down the hall and just head back there to hang out with them. He’s like their little mascot, and they love to spend time with him. Steph and I were able to sneak out of the hospital for a lunch date on Saturday as his nurse kept an eye on him. On Sunday, Steph’s parents came down to visit and watched him while we snuck out for another lunch date and a trip to the mall to walk around wide-eyed at the lights and sounds of the outside world. We were able to take him outside on a wagon ride a couple of times; he thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine and watching the geese swim around in the pond across the hospital parking lot.

Caylee spent the weekend with my family at Kings Island in Cincinnati. Apparently we have a thrill-seeker on our hands, as she rode every ride her three year old stature allowed. She had a great time, and is still talking about the roller coasters she rode. They brought her back to the hospital on Sunday night completely worn out, but she was still a little chatterbox the whole two hours home.

Levi’s counts stayed up all weekend, but I talked to Steph today and he finally dipped into the neutropenic range today, which means that he is confined once again to his room. He’s not very excited about that, as he’s gone from king of the peds ward to an inmate in room 409. But we are happy to see the drop, as it means that he is getting close to bottoming out. You all know the drill by now, once he’s bottomed out, we wait for the rebound. Once he rebounds, we hope for a break and a trip home for some R&R. Then, it’s time to kick off the fifth and final round!

We are encouraged and thank God for the way Levi is handling his treatment. God’s protection of our little one is apparent. We continue to pray that Levi can stay away from sickness, fevers, and setbacks during this fourth round of the waiting game. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, and thanks as always for the many ways you support our family. We love you all, and will keep you posted. I will make sure it’s not a week before my next update…

Love you all,
Michael, Stephanie, Caylee, and little Levi