Nursing Adam has allowed me to be apart from him for limited amounts of time. However, since he has become mobile, his patience to sit and nurse is almost nonexistent. It's as if he's afraid something extremely important might happen in the 5 minutes he would be eating. Plus, he's keenly aware that in the time it takes to nurse, he could have shoveled in half a pizza, so why bother? Sure, part of me is sad to say goodbye, but let's face it, Adam hasn't looked like a baby since he was 2 months old, so I've come to terms with the fact that he is growing up. But what is he exactly? A toddler...maybe. But he can't walk. So maybe he's a "special" toddler. 
Adam Bomb can pound 8 0z in 3-5 minutes. I'm thinking of getting him one of the hats with a can on each side and a straw. You know what I'm talking about.
Anyways, point being, I haven't been many places by myself in ages. Thanks to a wise decision made 8 years ago, I have a wonderful husband who took some time off work so I could go to Memphis alone. In actuality Lindsey isn't suppose to be around germy kids and since Adam has discovered to joys of splashing in the toilet and eating leftover cheerios from under his high chair, it was more of a necessity that I keep the kids away from my immunosurpressed sister.
2) Attend an ice cream social were we met up with the Ivies(our old Memphis neighbors who's daughter is now a patient at St Jude and was on the transplant floor the same time as Linds).
4)Find a cute scrapbooking store for paper to complete Adam's letters.
5) Steal some sewing projects from my sisters house since she was out of town. We stuck around and found a cute spot for a rug she didn't know where to put. Hope you like it Mel! Oh and I owe you an Oreo pudding snack pack. Thanks, it was delicious. 
It's good to be King
Did I mention Adam is deep into his separation anxiety phase?
Wednesday = manicure and William & Sonoma dinner and carnival (karaoke, craft, and face painting). 
Thursday = Bingo with ALSAC. They are too good to us around here. I know it's time to go home when Shannon's starting to complain about the free stuff. 
(although I give her props for multi tasking. Now, if she had only moped more than a 2 sq ft area...)
Communication is done in a fish bowl that reminds me of methods used during prison visitations. 
These were her first and last radiation treatments, which means she got a small NO MO RADIATION celebration.
Or Lindsey might beat the boredom with a rousing game of I SPY.
But one of the hardest changes about being under the care of the bone marrow team was saying good bye to the guidance of Dr Pui, a world renowned oncologist whose care over the past 11 years has gotten Lindsey into remission 3 times despite her bodies rebellion. He still stops in 3 times a week to keep the transplant docs on their toes (because EVERYONE is scared of Ching-hon) and visit his favorite patient. We miss you Dr Pui!
I had only one moment of heart racing, sudden rush of heat, fear. It came when I was being wheeled to the OR suite, watching the rectangular lights above whirling past me. I turned to see the blaring lights of an OR, you know, the huge circular ones they move around to focus on the site. That's when it hit me that I was actually having surgery. But then I remember the conversations of surrounding patients in the pre-op room...one lady screaming for a pastor, another saying it was her birthday, and another asking what the biopsy revealed. Sadly enough, this was calming as I realized that only good could come out of this experience. 
The actual transplant. Kinda looks like a blood transfustion, except with heart monitors and epi taped to the window.
Why I had to stay an extra few hours (too much drainage)
A Perfect 10! 10 sticks to get the max amount of bone marrow. Either my right side was more giving or the surgeon on the right worked a bit more quickly than his partner on the left. 
