Day 13 Engraftment Day??

Emilys ANC was 1600 today!!!! If it is still up tomorrow they will count today as Engraftment Day! She is doing really great. We are hoping to bring Emily home next week sometime if her counts look stable and she is able to eat and take her meds without any difficulties. It looks very positive but we are not telling Emily until the day she gets to come home. Why? We don't want her to get her hopes up and then end up with a fever or something else which will keep her in the hospital for longer.This would devastate her.
She has had a stomach ache tonight and her pants were actually bothering her tummy. For those of you who know Emily this is very different for her since her pants are usually falling off her! Her tummy is very tight and swollen. We are hoping it is because she is getting TPN(food through her IV) and eating real food; which is probably too much for her body to take in. They are going to take her off the TPN tomorrow to see how she can do on her own.
Mike came in to play with Princess Emily today-(all the nurses kept peeking in our window to see how cute Emily looked. She kept telling me how much she loved her "gown" and that she wants to go to a ball!) Mike helped her make a face for her IV pole. It is now her paper prince! It is very cute. He also brought in one of her favorite drinks-chocolate milk, as well as a variety of different cups. they had a great talk about how yummy the chocolate milk is and that it tastes exactly the same is each of the different cups. The outside just looks different. Even though Emily looks different on the outside than she used to, she is still Emily. I am so grateful for children's hospitals and the Childlife specialists who take time to be there for my sweetheart.
I was very stressed last night and this morning thinking of all that needs to be done and not being able to start on anything since I am up here! My sweet friend Angie took charge and got a cleaning crew all set up for Saturday morning. This takes such a load off my shoulders.I feel so much support from everyone. Now If Emily gets to come home next week we will be ready! Matt is also staying home tomorrow to get things done. I am so grateful for him and all of his help. He and the the kids have done such a great job of taking care of things at home. They have been so amazing! Jacqueline and Thomas get up on their own make their lunch, do their jobs and are on time for school without any prompting from mom or dad! They have really stepped up. (Matt's trying to follow their example!)Ha Ha
Wish us luck for tomorrow--maybe I will be able to take Emily outside!
-Jill