Logan – Discharged; Happy Thanksgiving!

Middle of the night snuggles

The clock read 2:55a when I heard Logan awake this morning. I passed Amanda in the hallway heading toward the nursery and said, “I got him.” Silently and in the dark, I lifted him up, grabbed a blanket and started rocking him. Logan, sweetly, immediately nestled his head into my neck between my head and shoulder. My thought to myself in the moment was, “this is the absolute best feeling.”

Logan reached up his little hand and gently felt my face. My nose, mouth, chin. AJ and I later agreed that he was checking to see if this was Dad or Big John. It took me three tries of getting him to sleep and putting him back in the crib before he stayed asleep. Before Logan was diagnosed, he was able to go back to sleep during the night unaided. The nighttime medical care in the hospital has unfortunately ruined that ability. But he will learn it again. The good news is that last night Logan slept for 10+ hours, including the 60-minute interlude with me. He needed that sleep, as did Amanda and AJ.

Discharge

Logan’s discharge yesterday from round 2 chemo was a great surprise, as we expected it to happen next week. Blood counts were increasing on Monday. On Tuesday, AJ said that Logan’s numbers were increasing fast, and he may be discharged on Wednesday or Thursday. Yesterday morning – Wednesday – AJ asked me to be ready to swing by the hospital with my truck to pick up stuff – they have lots of stuff – to bring to our house. So, great news that Logan’s little body rebounded strongly after the second round of chemo. Otherwise, they may have been stranded in the hospital over the four-day weekend. Of course, the hospital staff wanted to discharge those they could, and that certainly helped their cause.

Logan was discharged without a feeding tube. This is wonderful for his mobility and simplifies his care for his parents and grandparents. That said, we are uber obsessed with making sure he drinks enough fluids and eats enough. For Logan, eating enough is not an issue. Getting him to drink is another matter, even if it is chocolate milk. We will be hovering with water bottles…

Thanksgiving Weekend

Our holiday weekend changed dramatically with their discharge. Donna and I were prepared to cook steaks on the grill for ourselves today. That was so we would remain quarantined in anticipation of Logan’s presumed arrival next week. Instead, we headed with AJ and Amanda to also-quarantined Chris and Casey’s home for Thanksgiving dinner. Chris is Amanda’s brother and Casey is Chris’ wife. We are stuffing – ha, get it? – our weekend with things to do. A time is booked for the Dallas Zoo Lights, a drive-through experience which is socially-distanced as we will stay in the car. We also booked a first-thing-in-the-morning time slot for the Dallas Arboretum. We will stay away from others there, and it if gets too busy, we will leave.

And on Monday we will celebrate Logan’s 1st birthday early, before he goes back into the hospital. Logan’s birthday is Dec 2, Thursday, and it will be remembered because he will spend it in the hospital receiving chemotherapy round 3. By Monday, Amanda’s Mom Kimberly and Dad Mike will have cleared quarantine and be able to join us.

Lots to be thankful for, as you can see. I again thank you for your prayers and support. Your prayers are heard, and continue to work. Happy Thanksgiving!