a bright and shiny day...

Elijah loves the handmade quilt he was given..it fills the room with sunshine.

 Jordan and Kaden played Wii with Elijah..it was lots of fun.

 Pretending he is asleep on Maisy...that lasted about 30 seconds

 Kaden doing his own version of breakdancing to entertain Elijah.

A visitor or two lightens the load of this long hospital stay for Elijah and for me. It made a such a difference to have friends and family stop by today. The day goes by so much faster. The weekend seemed like it was going to be a long one..but it is flying by now. Elijah was very happy to see his siblings although it quickly can get overwhelming for him. They can only come in two at a time, but even that can get to be too much for him.

It was hard when Hope gave him a good bye hug when they were ready to leave. Big tears rolled down his face as he said something about the elevators and the parking ramp...and then he cried.  Elijah understands so much more than he can tell us with his words. Tears poured down his cheeks and he held onto Hope's leg as if he would never let go. He missed her. But he was also grieving the four walls that he must stay within. He was fully aware that when his siblings walked out of that door, they would be entering the elevator that he so wants to ride. He is aware that they will go to P3--the parking lot that we park in. And that they will be going home...and that he won't. And he cried lots of tears as he clung to their goodbyes. Ouch. That hurts. Poor sweetheart.

He is doing well..very little side effects from the chemo. He has a bit of a temp tonight but nothing much. We have such a thankful heart tonight...thankful for so many people who are praying for us and supporting us. Isolation is not a place...it is a state of mind...and we are going to refuse to be in isolation.

Day -6

Elijah has been tolerating the chemo very well. We will find out if he needs some infusions this morning but he seems to be feeling good overall. He has had a few bouts of feeling umcomfortable but seems to bounce back really quickly. He is staying very focused on playing his leapster and occassionally plays the Wii that is in the room. His stuffed animals, Leo the Leopard, Larry the Leopard, and cats Mia, Meow, and Tangerine have all been good company for him. If I ask Elijah how he is feeling, he always says "happy." If I ask how Leo is feeling, I get a better estimate of how things are going for Elijah. Today Leo feels "a little sad." But, overall things are going very well.

What an incredible praise!

Kaden and McKenna came up yesterday to play with Elijah. Isaac and Aaron are not able to come up to the hospital for issues with infection control and I haven't been able to see Maisy or Hope either. Tomorrow, I am hoping to be able to see them. Can't wait..