Another New Normal

It's been a good week. Ollie is happy to be "home" (at least in our temporary Toronto home, but I always say home is where your people are, not in the dwelling that you live in), even though Monday and Tuesday he had to be back at the Day Hospital bright and early for bloodwork. When he got there on Monday the team on 8B in the Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Unit had left him a certificate and a special gift for his strength and bravery in getting the transplant. 

They also had to check his Tacrolimus (immunosuppressant/anti-rejection drug) levels. On Tuesday his level was high, so they bumped down the dose a bit for the rest of the week. 

The great news was that he was otherwise well and didn't have to go to hospital Wednesday or today, so two "normal" days of being home. I think we've played with every toy he has here!

The first thing he wanted to do Monday was order new "transplant gift" Beyblades from It Came From Japan. The owner, David is a super nice man (thanks for the intro, Kim Aube!) and Ollie's story has touched him (he has a 9 year old boy of his own) so he had offered to meet me instead of shipping them so Ollie could have them right away (his business is an online ordering). Ollie was pretty thrilled and we've had many epic battles this week.

Abby is preparing to leave later this week, despite the fact that we're now uncertain exactly when school will start for her. So this week she and I have ventured out a bit while Ollie napped and Mario worked. She was in love with Doc Martens, so we went to the outlet to get her first pair. 

We also went to the Lego Store and got Ollie some of the Ninjago sets he can't get elsewhere. 

Lately Abby and Ollie swing from happy to be in each other's presence to bugging each other, which is a sure sign things are returning to normal for them. I'll miss the sweetness they showed each other when he was sick, though. 

This afternoon Abby and I did a whirlwind tour of Casa Loma. It was pretty dead, so a great place for a socially distanced activity in public. I was supposed to first visit Casa Loma for my grade 7 trip (and then the bus was late getting into Toronto and we missed it!!!), so Abby is about the same age as I was when I learned about it, but funny enough I never actually made it there until I was in my twenties and visiting one of my best friends for a weekend in the GTA and asked if we could go (thanks, Walker!). 

Abby enjoyed it and the kids have become accustomed to their father and I dragging them around museums, old houses and forts (last summer it was Fort Henry in Kingston and Fulford Place in Brockville) on family trips.

I'll really miss her not being with us (I miss her when she's away for a week of overnight camp!) for at least a month and am praying that things continue to go smoothly for Ollie so that we can get home and be together again soon.

Hopefully tomorrow's blood tests are good and we get to continue as we have been this week with a few less hospital visits.