Busy Day

I thought last night I would sleep like a log after almost 24 hours in the hospital. But I could hear the cat' s claws on the floor. The dog got up at 2:00am. I got up with him to make sure he went out and not in the house. My mind skittered over everything we have learned the last two weeks. I get up at 5:00 am and do a load of laundry.



When I am in my car my mind does the same thing. It wanders, flitting from thought to thought. I am focused at the hospital. Away from the hospital it hits me. I was honked at at a green light this morning. I was just staring out the window when the light changed. Rush hour traffic is not condusive to day dreaming at the wheel.



I called my mom and asked her to pick up some pajama bottoms for Riley. Nothing funny or funky Riley is a solids or plaids kind of guy. Trevor would have been all about red hot chili peppers and monkeys. Riley also needs slippers, size 13 men's. I think he is the biggest kid on the ward this week. Mom couldn't believe that was the size and called me twice to confirm.



I made Trevor take a bath before school today. He used Tom's shaving cream, not to shave, but as a body wash. He said the girls loved to smell him after he uses it. Now I know where all the shaving cream has been going. Just what I need is for Trevor at 12 to get a girlfriend.



In eighth grade they have the sex talk. There is a whole spring segment dedicated to sex education in Wellness. Nothing is held back. Riley got sick right at the beginning. he is going to miss the whole class. I don't know if I am pleased he is missing it or worried I will have to tell him all about it myself. I am sure Tom will enjoy explaining it to the boys. He went over the meaning of every swear word they knew. "If you are going to use it you had better know what it means". Honestly, I don't think I have heard them swear since.



Today we were inundated by hospital staff and volunteers introducing themselves and their programs. Riley will be kept quite as busy as he wants to be. He qualifies for the make a wish foundation. So he will have to think hard as to what he wants. I said be careful or we will all end up going to play golf at St Andrews in Scotland. There are four categories; be someone for a day like a fireman, get something like a computer, meet someone famous, Tom suggested Mike Riley the Head coach for OSU, or take a trip (my personal favorite).

Riley slept this morning. He slept through rounds when the doctors came in to talk to us and tell us the plans. They told us the pick line would be put in shortly. Its a perminant open line from the arm directly to the heart. No more baths and it must be completely covered for showers. It will be really bad to get water in the line. The benefit is no more bad IVs all treatments and blood draws will be through this line as long as it is well maintained. We skiped morning school from 10:00 to 12:00 thinking they would be puting in the pick. The teacher came looking for us. We had to put her off.

They finally came to put the line in around 1:00 pm. I had to leave the room. I went down to the car to walk the dog. Mom was running errands and had not been over to pick the dog up. He was contentedly waiting. He truly is an easy dog. I would recommend the Cavalier breed to anyone who really doesn't want a dog, but has to have one. He is really a cat at heart.

After the line was in, Riley was high from the tranquilizers. Quite chearful about life. He headed down to the art room to put his name on a racing shirt. There is to be a fund raiser bike marathon for Anemia disease. Someone will wear a shirt bearing Riley's name.

An afternoon teacher found him there and offered to help him with math. It turns out Riley has been keeping up quite nicely. His school math teacher had e-mailed his assignments. It was a very satisfactory afternoon. I pray that they all will be this pleasant, but tomorrow Riley receives his first course of nasty drugs. they want to start in the morning so there is staff available in case there is a reaction. We don't want a reaction to occure in the middle of the night with no one around.

Mom and Big arrived with gifts, pajama bottoms and slippers size 13. They also brought a sandwich for me, very tasty. Big was sure Mom had gotten the shoe size wrong, but when Riley tried the slippers on, he says they were snug, but they'll stretch .

We now sit and watch Jackie Chan in Around the world in 80 days. Riley is loving it. He still needs a shower after three days. He promises after the movie he will get his arm wrapped and take a shower. They are tracking his urine output also, so he has been peeing into the jars and they need dumping. Might as well get used to it. Hospital life is on a different time schedule.