Harison's 10th Bday

Harrison had his favorite breakfast, french toast with podwer sugar and squeezed fresh orange juice. His siblings gave him Mario Sport Mix wii game and mom and dad an airsoft gun.

He chose to have his party at Hinckly Family Fun Center with his friends. Their favorite thing was Laser tug.

Hunter and Hayden drove the go carts all their time. They can wait to drive for real.

Harrison is so bless with fun good friends.

He chose GiGi's as he calls it, his favorite place for dinner.

Spring Break

Spring Break it has been layback. I was behind on my studies because my trips to Chicago and I had to study a lot for my midterms. Hunter has been sick almost all week. On Monday a the kids stayed on pijamas all day, Tuesday movie Rango, Wednesday was friends over time, popcicles, outside play, Wii and sprinklers. The weather was beutiful.

Thursday, we took Harper to her first zoo trip. We had been in the past 9 years at the zoo so many times, so I took a break going. The kids were actually excited and we had fun introducing the animals to Harper, she loved it.

She keeps calling the wolf a dog.

Harper is acepting the idea of walking, she soon will be on her own.

Harrison and Hailey were so great teaching her the animal's names.

We had a great time, the weather was perfect. Doug could not go with us because he is no supposed to be around animals.

1st walk

The Sunday we got from Chicago, Harper took her first steps, the funny things is that she did not realized completely what she did. She has no tried again. I sounded crazy because I did not expected her to walk.
I am just glad I was home for that event and that my video camera was on.

Getting home

Harrison was in the front door waiting for us to arrive, when he saw the car, he run to get the rest. Doug get out of the car to hug his loved children who run towards him.

Hailey asked him why he was crying if it was a happy moment. She still does not understand that people cry for hapiness as well. Harrison was behing holding the tears.

He claimed that it was allergies. Yeah, right.

When Harper first saw Doug, she was confused because he looked different, no hair and 20 lbs less. She did not want to go to him first. Few minures later, I took her to touch her face with his face, perhaps she'd remember was Dada. It was funny how his smell and warm help her to see that that was her Dada. The second that happen, she said: "Dada". The rest of the day, she only wanted Doug to hold her and Doug had to sit down to do that, it was too much weight for him.

He is recovering slowlly but surely, he has some discomfort but mostly fatigue.

Leaving the hospital for good

I have been super busy getting back to normal life but I must record this event.

Saturday afternoon Doug got his PICC line out. That really told us that it was for real that he was leaving the next day. Saturday was the last long difficult day. Doug had an extreme pain in the stomach from even drinking water. He would bend ans cried of pain. He pleaded God out loud to take away the pain several times during the day. He did no ask for pain meds because he was afrain, he would have to stay longer. Finally that night he got morphin and was able to sleep some on the night. I was doubtful of he coming home. Doctors could no explain why the pain but told us that he would be getting better. Today we think that were ulcers on his stomach as a side effect fron chemo that appers days after, some people get them on the mouth, he did never got them in the mouth.

Here, he is with the main doctors of the treatment, they came every morning and one of them came back most afternoon to see him again. Doug would tell me for years that he knew that someone would be working in the cure for Chron's. I can't believe that we found that someone, Dr Brut. I gave him a hug and thanked him for working on something that would be bless my husband and family so much. It is kind of early to claim that Doug is cure of Chron's but the probability is big enough for us to be excited.

As a promised, here is Doug getting on the taxi in front of the entrace of the hospital.

He was exausted after the walk in the airport towards our gate, but he did it.

Almost the end

I got to Chicago last Wednesday and found the pile of mail Doug has gotten. We have been so bless by the support and love of everyone, thank you all. It has really make him feel better to know that people care and pray for his recovery.

He was naping a lot whenever his stomach let him rest. He could not eat for 3 days because of Chron's flare up. The doctors wait to treat the flare up until white cell count was close to rise. The fevers were gone but the fatigue and pain were there.

Thursday he had two popsicles in the morning. He had finally the meds for the Chrons's that afternoon. After that, he tried cereal, bread and Ensure. He slept better with no fever and pain of free.

This morning (Friday), he got grits, eggs and herbal tea; the restof the food in the picture I ate it. The doctors are expecting the white cells to show within the next 24 hours. I sure hope my next post be Doug and I on the taxi way to the airport.