Decorating For Christmas

Today was a good day for Luke.  It's so good for my heart to see him so happy and playful!  My shift at the hospital started bright and early at 7:00 am, and Luke slept in until about 9:30.  Which was awesome!  It's been so hard to get anything done, whether I'm at home or at the hospital, that it was nice to have a couple of quiet hours so that I could catch up on some computer work.  When Luke woke up, he was so happy to see me!  He nursed like a champ, and we spent an hour or so playing before he was ready for another nap.  Truly awesome. :)

His chemo treatment started right around 2:00 pm, and he actually got a few less drugs today.  The chemo drug that was most likely to cause him nausea was only for Monday and Tuesday, so hopefully we won't be seeing much nausea and no vomiting at all.  Which is really good.  It's apparently very difficult to keep a baby on track with growth during chemo, so it's great that he's keeping everything we're giving him down.  

Luke also got a lot of time off his IV again today, except during his chemo, and we loved walking around the room and looking out the window.  He loves when he can get around a bit!  And I love not having to be so conscientious of all those tubes.  

The most exciting part of the day started at about 4:30 pm.  That's when Danny and the rest of the kids came to visit!  We love it when we can be together as a family for a little bit, and Luke really does miss the kids.  Not to mention how much Claire, Sophie, and Johnny miss Luke.  And we had great plans of decorating Luke's room for Christmas.  The girls had been working on decorations, and I scored at the dollar bins at Target.  Luke and I waiting anxiously all day to see the kids and get started.

The kids were so excited to see Luke!  This is only their second time visiting since Luke was admitted.  But they were much less intimidated by their surroundings this time.  They ran right up to Luke and gave him kisses!  After we made them wash their hands, of  course... :)

After everyone had a chance to get reacquainted, we had some pizza.  This was about the time that I realized that cramming 4 little kids for dinner and Christmas decorating in that tiny room was not going to be the Walton Christmas Special that I had been looking forward to all day.  Especially when you add two emotionally and physically exhausted parents and an IV tree to the equation.  

We managed to get the kids fed without too much pizza sauce on the floor or walls, and started in on the decorating.  The girls really enjoyed helping me, and I was very impressed with the decorations they had made for Luke.  Johnny, on the other hand, decided he mostly wanted to practice being two in a very confined space.  It was a little bit of a disaster! 

 But, in the end, we got Luke's room looking cute, we had some time together as a family, and I really think Luke enjoyed being among the chaos again.  I suppose, even with the craziness, the trip was a success. :)  Here's Luke's room in Yuletide fashion!

In our own special way, we're welcoming in what promises to be the most interesting holiday season we've had yet.  How grateful we are that we understand the true significance of our Savior's birth, and recognize how much we need Him right now.