Day 208: Elliott starts the second half of delayed intensification.
Elliott was able to start the second phase of delayed intensification last week. Elliott's nanny and I took him to his appointment that Tuesday thinking that there was no way his counts would be high enough and that we would be in and out of the clinic in about 15 minutes. After spending a week in the hospital I was looking forward to a week without Elliott having chemo. We were shocked when the nurse came back in the room and told us we were ready to start. Chemo that day meant a lumbar puncture and several hours of fluids, something I had not planned on. It also meant 4 chemo appointments last week. This completely caused havoc with our schedules, but not as much as the snow days this past Monday and Tuesday. That's right, less than 1 inch of snow closed down the entire Dallas/ Forth Worth metroplex. A cooped up, hyper active Laurel and a low-energy Elliott on chemo do not mix. Luckily Elliott's nanny was able to help us out, including watching Laurel while Kyllan went with him to chemo on Tuesday.
Day 212: Elliott enjoy his 6th family outing in 6 months.
Elliott continues to do well with the second half of this phase. He is nearly bald, again. He walks a little slower and he is definitely cranky and irritable, but he continues to be all smiles when Laurel is around. The two of them played non-stop when he arrived home from the hospital Sunday before last. Its a matter fact, Elliott was doing so well this past weekend that we took him to a quiet restaurant for dinner. This was only the 4th time we have eaten dinner out since he was diagnosed and I think it was the 6th time he has made it out of the house for something other than a doctor's appointment or hospital visit in 6 months. I don't know who enjoyed it more, Laurel or Elliott. Some family friends took Laurel on a play date earlier in the day, so this was definitely the busiest day Laurel has had in the last 6 months too. On a roll, we took Elliott to a furniture store the next day once the weather started getting icky and fewer people were out. He loved every second of it and become very upset when we didn't come home with a rug he picked out. It was good to get them out before the weather turned bad. It doesn't look like Elliott will be able to take any walks around the block this next week as we wait for the temperature to rise.
Day 213: He just kept pointing at the rug and yelling "ball!"
Elliott has about twenty or so days until he starts maintenance. It's weird. Though maintenance is going to last 3 years, it definitely feels like we are getting ready to turn the corner on his treatment and be headed down hill. We hope that the next stage is everything it is hyped up to be. I can't wait to take Elliott to a birthday party or to the park. He literally has not played with a child other than Laurel in 6 months and he is getting closer by the day. That being said, we know that we can't get ahead of ourselves.
This week we are taking it one day at a time. We want to keep Elliott healthy and avoid illness and hospitalizations.
Day 208: Elliott and Laurel spending some brother sister time after he returns from the hospital