One Week

Psalm 27:14  Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Ruby woke up at 7:15 in a great mood. We ate some cereal (yay!) and then I asked the nurse about Ruby coming off of the IV for a bit each day. She said she'd check into it and low and behold, we could be free!! Ruby did not have to take Zofran (or anything else) orally this morning, so that was another major plus.

After cleaning up, Ruby and I went downstairs to explore. We tried to check out 'The Zone" play area, but it wasn't open until 10, so we opted for the garden instead. Ruby had a blast walking all around the fountains, pointing out the water and everything else. Around 10:30 we came back to our room to have a quick snack (including me making her drink water before every cracker) before the Songs for Kids music hour. So much fun!  (Seriously, it is amazing the amount of stuff they have going on at the hospital during the week for these kids!) There was only one other child in there when we started, which was great because Ruby tends to be a bit 'in your face' at times and she lost interest in the one child quickly. After about 10 minutes more showed up though, so I had to hold her a little more. But before that, she was dancing and singing...the volunteers were going crazy over her! Halfway through the music, I got a call from the nurse and rounds were starting, so we had to head back up.

During rounds, the team said Ruby's numbers are still looking good. As long as she doesn't appear to be nauseous, she can skip the Zofran (orally), BUT she has to take an anti-fungal med twice/day orally in these after-chemo days. (The day nurse let me give it to Ruby after lunch and it was less dramatic than expected.) Also, as long as her fluid levels are good, she can stay unhooked during the day and just reattach at night. SUCH good news! Lunch was boring: only Fage yogurt and raspberries seemed to appeal to Ruby (it could be worse!), but she did eat a whole container.

After a short nap, Aunt Ju-ju came to visit and brought Ruby a few new distractions. Then we ate dinner (or rather turned our nose up at everything and begged for 'nack' (crackers) instead) and walked downstairs so I could buy a salad. Lehr brought the kids by for a quick visit: Ruby so loves seeing Eli and Maddux! We walked out to the fountain again since Ruby loved it so much this morning. Bedtime was quick and easy (except for the oral meds) tonight as this girl was tuckered out!

Last night was our seventh night in the hospital. The seventh night that our family has been split up so drastically. The seventh night that Ruby has been hooked up to fluids. Seven down, 15 to go. We are waiting patiently.....