Dancing with his Line

Friday was the start of my vacation and I took Faith out to breakfast before dropping her at school (she had school; I didn't). This is the scene I walked in on when I returned. Both boys dancing happily to "Frosty the Snowman."
Rainer has been really really sick these last several weeks with a gastrointestinal bug. In truth, it's been scary--he's lost a lot of weight. From a leukemia standpoint he's doing very well--he's going for treatments as usual and his "counts" are actually nice and high. But he doesn't seem to be able to kick this GI bug. So Thursday night he started on a form of nutrition that goes into his IV line. Fortunately we can give it to him at home. Hooray!
And he only has to be connected for 12 hours overnight--so he's free most of the day. He's tolerating it quite well so far, as you can see from these pictures. When I walked in he very excitedly wanted to show me his "line." Sometimes he pretends it's a rattlesnake.
It's amazing what a difference just one night made. He was much perkier and more animated, less fussy. Of course, he'll continue to need it for awhile.
Dieter is a supportive big brother (most of the time, anyway).

In the morning I disconnect him and flush the line. In the evening I get everything ready, inject vitamins into the bag, prime the tubing, flush his port again, and connect him. I'm a nurse, but a school nurse, so working with IVs not something I'm used to. The last time I worked in a hospital was 8 years ago, and I was a new nurse at the time--I never got tons of experience in that setting. So even though I'm comfortable, it's still kind of nerve wracking. But I'm so very grateful he's not in the hospital.

In other news, we're getting ready for Christmas. It feels wonderful not to be scrambling so much at the very end like I usually do. I have quite a bit done already, and we're keeping things simple, so I'm very much enjoying these last few days before Christmas. I think our situation helps me be mindful that keeping it simple is just fine--more than fine. It's perfect for us.