Kind Hearts

Tara arrived early to take over for me at the hospital. We spent a half hour or so reviewing his care, our thoughts and some plans over the next couple of days. My mother returns to Kansas tomorrow for a couple of weeks, so I'll be driving her to Baltimore on our way to swap again tomorrow.

Before I left the hospital today, I leaned down to give Henry a hug. I felt the warmth of his feverish neck on my nose and his little arms reach up near my shoulders. I kissed his neck and felt the layer of fallen hair all around him. It felt so good to have him hug me. He took one hand down and reached for his beeble (his binky) and kissed me. What a sweet boy.

I drove to a soccer tournament for Anna directly from the hospital. I didn't arrive in time to see even a part of their last game. I was, however, the beneficiary of an amazing act of generosity and support from the team, parents, and my extended soccer family. Just as we didn't ask for Henry's cancer and feel helpless regarding its outcome, the generosity of friends, family and coworkers has been equally overwhelming and we're in awe of the outpouring of kindness from everyone around us.

Someday, its my sincere intention to explain to Henry, what kind of love and the extent of support that was provided him and his family by those around him. I can only hope that it will help him become as caring for others as those around him have been to us. As it is, I expect that these times will leave a lasting impression on our girls and give to them a generous and caring heart for other's as well.

Tara called me late in the day and told me that Henry was finally tired of little hair falling all about and they'd pulled the remaining bits out. She says he has a fine 'fuzz' over his head. I heard her over the phone saying she liked his 'new haircut' and its just like daddy's. I'm proud of him for handling that so well. They went on an elevator ride and took a wheelchair to an x-ray today to check out his belly and his chest. Its good for him to get out and about.

Everyone's off to bed now as I write this. We're hoping that his constipation issues resolve soon as its preventing him from taking some of his medicines and causing a lot of anxiety about nutrition. As for now, we're just going to try for a good night's rest and cross our fingers for tomorrow.