Rub a dub dub

It had been over 8 weeks since Ari last took a real bath.  I'm not exaggerating.  He received 3 sponge baths while in the hospital and 1 soap-less dunk in an inflatable pool.  But it was more than 60 days since his feet were scrubbed, his armpits washed, and his hair head shampooed.  I love him more than anything, but I did not love the way he smelled.

So after a little coaxing (I got in), Ari agreed to splash around in a bubble bath.  Once he was in, he was back to his old bathing self.  He even booted me out so he could enjoy the tub all to himself.   Much to his chagrin, the water got cold and his skin turned pruney, and we insisted bath time was over.  He did his best to convince us to let him stay just a little longer in the cool water.  He happily kicked his legs, sang a song, and washed his face.  And then, at the last possible minute, he did the one thing that would ensure a longer bath.  He pooped.

I should have known it was coming.  Watching him frolic in the water, he was truly like a pig in sh*t.
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Weekend update

One week at home and I have almost forgotten what life was like in the hospital.  Everything feels right again and we are back to our normal routine.  We even dined out at a restaurant Sunday night (early in the evening to avoid crowds and we sat outside to avoid germs).  Ari is eating well, playing well, and sleeping somewhat well (okay, he still wakes up multiple times per night.  I blame the IV fluids and multiple diaper changes for 48 straight nights.)

As Ari chants over and over again, all 3 of us are just so "hap-py, hap-py, hap-py." 

Today, Ari had a bone marrow biopsy (results tbd) and tomorrow, he starts a 5 day chemo protocol (immediately followed by a new 3 week phase).  We had made the choice to do these 5 days in-patient, but because home life is so wonderful, and because we live so close to the hospital, and as our hot shot doc told us today, "there's really no medical reason to do this in the hospital," we're going to remain at home.  We will go to the Dana Farber Jimmy Fund Clinic every morning for 5 days for a few hours of meds and checks, and then we will be free to go home.  If Ari has any negative side effects or if we get at all nervous, we can check into the hospital. 

As of this morning, Ari's blood counts were all stellar and nothing signaled the return of cancer cells (though the bone marrow will be a better indicator), so we can sleep easy tonight (who am I kidding?  between the peeing, the leg cramping, and the sweating...and Ari calling "mommmmmy" at 2:30am, I don't sleep much).

Most importantly, Ari's spirits are high and he continues to be so much fun, so funny, and so incredibly brave.