June 11, Day 7

Our first 3 nights at Children's Hospital were spent in the ICU.  Ari was having serious trouble breathing and he needed to be monitored very closely.  Now, in no way am I saying I want to go back there for any reason ever again, but I will say the accommodations were pretty sweet.  The room was huge, the bathroom private, and there were two beds for the parents.  We had a large window and a private nurse and lots of TLC.  It was like the Ritz Carlton of hospital stays.

And just as we got used to things, we were moved to the Motel 6...better known as the 6 North Oncology Ward. 

We still receive great care, but we only have one parent sleeping bed chair cot bench and we also have a roommate and a roommate's temper tantrums and a shared bathroom.  But what we thought was worst of all, we have a terrible view.  Our room looks out at a construction site...and not a few blocks away or downstairs but rather, right next to our room. 

I was pretty bummed when I first saw this and realized we wouldn't see sunlight enter our window for 30+ days.  But as it turns out, this view is a toddler's paradise.  Ari can watch the construction workers, the ladders, and the little trucks moving all day long.  The workmen wave to him and show him their equipment and he's sad when they go home at night.  (This also made for one very long weekend.  We tried to explain to the little guy that they were Union but he did not understand.)

Here are two pics of Ari and the construction workers and Ari's awesome new hard hat (thanks Zayde).

Daily update:

Ari had a great day yesterday.  As promised, we were able to take him outside to the garden.  He loved the flowers and walking on the grass (particularly where the "do not walk on the grass" signs were located) and tried very hard to get in the fountain.  (He must know he hasn't had a bath in 7 days.)  Next time we go outside, we'll remember pants.

Today, Ari had a lumbar puncture and he did great.  He ate a falafel and hummus lunch immediately following surgery and is now taking a nap.  Well, to be more accurate, he's doing this.  His counts are all still steadily decreasing and the doctor told us today he is responding better than they even anticipated.  As I said yesterday, we expect things to get worse in the coming days and weeks as the drugs begin to take a toll on his little body. 

Thank you everyone for all of your love and support. 

(p.s. some of you emailed asking if the blog updates could be emailed to you, and yes, all you have to do is use the "follow by email" field on the left side of your screen and go through the steps.)