Life as I know it

Not much to write about on here that I haven't written about on Elijah's website. What is going on with him is pretty much what I have been doing. I did have a huge weight lifted last week though. My catastrophic leave through my empoloyer was extended through January 8th which means I will be able to keep taking care of Elijah until then.. After that point, I will have to return to work in some capacity. I am praying that he is to a point in treatment where I will feel comfortable going back to work. I think I need to be working. I need to have something to think about and talk about other than what is going on with Elijah.
I have been looking at things on line to continue fixing up our house. I am really excited about Christmas this year. I would love to be able to have our home feel warm and full of holiday spirit. I want this to be a Christmas full of meaning, not just presents.
Thanksgiving has never been much of an important day to me. I think it's because so much of what the Holiday is all about has been lost. It has become more of a family obligation than a reason to give thanks for your blessings. I think we should all give thanks every day - not just one day a year. Now that one day a year just seems to be a hassle.. I wasn't really bothered by the fact that we would be in the hospital for Thanksgiving until yesterday. My in laws were down yesterday and my Father in Law said they would like to come down here and eat Thanksgiving dinner with us in the hospital because so we could all be together. It really touched my heart and made me look at Thanksgiving in a bit of a different light. It's a blessing just to get to be together and share family time. I need to look at it that way instead of an obligation. I am very lucky to be part of the family I married in to. So.. this Thursday I will be giving thanks for many things.. For Elijah's healing, for my family, for being able to be on leave to take care of Elijah, for Britt, and for good things to come for our family.

sounds

It's strange how you get used to the night sounds of a hospital room. The helicopter coming and going, the subtle clicks of his iv pumps gently gliding medication in to his body, the clock ticking, doors opening and closing, and the frequent middle of the night calls of "mom, I really need to pee".
I left the hospital for about an hour this evening to run a couple of errands. I could still hear his iv pump beeping in my head while I was gone.
I felt rested today. I probably slept better last night than I have all week. Probably from being worn out. I never sleep well the first night at the hospital.
Elijah is doing really well. He got sick this evening and we had to give him phenergan and ativan. He is sleeping like a rock now. I doubt he will even move.
My dear friend Susan put together the COOLEST scrap book for him of all the people she organized to run in his honor. He really thought it was cool. I have been sharing it with all of our visitors.. Running friends, we are so honored by YOU.. Susan - I love you. You are the best. It's a great feeling to have your child honored in such a tremendous way by someone you admire so much. I wish we were going to be there to see the St. Jude Marathon, but even if we are out of the hospital, Elijah most likely wont be well enough to travel that far. I am sure we will see lots of awesome pictures.
I got to hold the sweetest baby girl today. She is 19 months old and has the same diagnosis that Elijah does. Her dad needed to go to his vehicle to get his things. I love these cancer kids. I guess that sounds strange, but it's true. They have the most amazing fighting spirits. People really don't understand what all they go through until you walk this road with them. Elijah got to meet a really special guy yesterday. He is 15 and lost his leg to osteosarcoma. Yesterday he got his new prosthetic.. He came in to meet Elijah and show him his new leg.. now.. in true Elijah form he stared - but not because Tray was different and was missing his real leg, Elijah was staring because the new leg looked like a robot and was "really cool!!" I love these kids.