Home :)

That's right.... We're home!!  We actually got home Thursday and it has been so wonderful to be out of the hospital.  When I told Abbey that morning that we were going to get to go home, she quickly helped me pack up our room.  She couldn't put our things in our bags fast enough and she was all smiles and hugs as we waited for daddy to come get us.

Wednesday night the doctors had to make their decision about whether or not to start the second half of this phase on Thursday, or to wait one more week before continuing on.  The doctors were split on whether to start or wait another week (stressful!), but at times like these we need to trust our doctors and remind ourselves that God truly is in control of this situation .  We were really feeling like we wanted her body to have one more week to recover.  Especially after how very sick she was just a few days earlier.  So on Wed. night they decided to wait and we felt very comfortable with that.  As much as we want to get into maintenance, we even more want her body to be strong enough to get through the rest of this phase with no issues and for her to be feeling good for a while.  On Thurs. morning her ANC was 720 anyways, so her body naturally was telling us she wasn't ready to start (it needs to be 750) so that was confirmation from God that they made the right choice. 

Our last two days in the hospital were pretty uneventful, which is always so wonderful!  It was even more refreshing after the absolutely crazy week that we had.  We went in to the hospital with our Abbey having one major health issue (leukemia) and now came home with two major health issues (blood clot in brain), so our emotions have been on a roller coaster to say the least.  We continue to be confident though that we too will get through this.

The very hardest part about this new finding is these horrible shots that I have to give her.  She has been getting them since they first found the clot, but I have been giving them to her since Thursday.  It is hard to say the least and each time it breaks my heart.  She asks me please not to give it to her and then keeps saying she's not ready.  I am so nervous doing it still so it is very new and stressful for all of us.  Once the shot is over she quickly settles down, but the anticipation for the minute or two before is the hardest.  As an adult, I hate getting a shot so for this poor baby to have to get them twice a day is sad.  Our doctor told us that when the medicine goes in, it burns.  She has little bruises on her arms and legs where she's gotten them already, which is normal because it's a blood thinner.  The thought of her having to get them for six months is overwhelming and at this point we are just taking it one day at a time.  We are praying hard that this clot would go away MUCH faster than normal so these can stop sooner. 

Yesterday at lunch we had a really good talk with Abbey (and Jacob) about the shots and the little thing in her head that has been causing headaches and her eye's to hurt.  We talked about how the shots are making that go away so she can be healthy.  We've had these talks several times before about her chemo and port and all the medications that she's on and she amazes us as she listens intently.  She trusts us and finds her comfort in us so it helps her to understand and accept all that she has to go through.  We know with time she will get used to these (and maybe I will too??) so we just need to keep taking this day by day and trusting that God will get us through this new trial set before us.  

Our last couple days home have been wonderful.  We have enjoyed every second of being out of the hospital and all together again.  Yesterday we colored Easter Eggs and today we did an egg hunt around our house with our kids and my sister's kids, Gracie and Joey.  They had a blast and we had just as much fun watching them!  We then spent some time playing outside and we are so happy that Abbey is feeling better and has been able to do normal things with the rest of the kids.  

We hope you all have a wonderful Easter as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior.  We are so thankful for His sacrifice for us and are even more thankful that He did not stay in the grave, but that He is alive.  We pray that as you reflect on that this weekend, that you would know how very much He loves you.  Happy Easter and God bless.

Love, The Colberts