Jealous

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It's good to be home.

But I have to admit, this time around, there was something oddly comfortable about the hospital.  I was friendly with all of the nurses, I brewed a perfect cup of french vanilla coffee on the Keurig every morning, and I even remembered the best foods to order from room service. 

But most of all, I wasn't scared.  Ari wasn't receiving chemotherapy and he wasn't being monitored 24-7.  Every morning when I studied his daily blood count print-out, I looked for the number of white blood cells, not the number of leukemia blast cells.  (Because, he doesn't have any leukemia cells!)

Now, don't get me wrong, being back on the 6th floor of Children's Hospital is more than a tad depressing.  The floor, like usual, was packed.  We had a roommate who had just been diagnosed and I didn't recognize any of the other kids on the floor.  It seems that kids just keep getting cancer.  And being back reminded me that Ari is still very susceptible to infection, which is why they take a fever so seriously.

But Ari thought being in the hospital was all fun and games.  Literally.  He was happy to play in the toy room, participate in activities, entertain guests, and ride the elevator to see the tiny babies (one floor up was the NICU). 

Plus, he visited with his old friend Wally,

 

ate popcorn with Uncle Jeff at the "movies",

and played with his ukulele while spending quality time with Mommy (I look good for not having slept in 6 months, huh?) :

He even went to church on Sunday morning.

It wasn't until they told us we could leave that he started feeling crummy.  And since we've been home, something just isn't right.  His tummy is upset and he's in a not-so-great mood.  Did he catch a bug in the hospital?

Or is he just sick of this?