Bell time!

Steven's last few days at the hospital were fairly eventful. He had lots of visitors--two of the visitors he had been looking forward to for a while. First of all, his cousin James had long wanted to skip a little school to come and "babysit" Steven in the hospital. On Friday he got his wish while Alisa and I headed off to do a bit of shopping.



On Friday night, my brother, Matt, came and had a sleep over and let Rob and I off the hook. They stayed up late playing board games and video games and eating pizza. My brother, Mike, showed up for the party, too. Steven was in heaven.



Saturday morning was a big day--DISCHARGE! First, the nurses all sang to him "Happy Last Chemo!"



Then it was time to ring the bell.





Steven rang it and truly it brought tears to our eyes. One of these days, if I can muster up the energy, I'll post the video of him ringing it.



Goodbye hospital! I know we will be back, but hopefully not for any more chemotherapy.

I have a lot on my mind as we finish this up. I got home yesterday and part of me wanted to crawl into bed and sleep until 2012. I feel like I have run an emotional marathon and now it is time to crash. On the other hand, part of me wanted to start cleaning out my drawers and cupboards and catching up on our budget. In the end, I did neither. I wandered around kind of aimlessly. In fact, our suitcases are still packed. Go figure.

I am very happy to be done, but also apprehensive about all that lies ahead. I think it would have been the most glorious day of my life if I knew for sure that we would never be back and we could just walk back into our old life. But in many ways, this is just the beginning of a journey on a whole new path. Steven has to learn how to walk and we all have to learn how to live with uncertainty.

But even with my hesitations, I can see how leaving the hospital is a really really good thing. Steven will feel so much better and that will help him make progress. Having our family together and back into some of our old routines is going to help us all, too. So it truly is a reason to celebrate!

(P.S. Speaking of celebrations, don't forget that everyone is invited to Wheeler Farm Monday night for a family night party. Dinner, games, and fun all provided. Come anytime between 5:30 and 7:30. We'd love to have anyone who wants to join us!)