Home Sweet Home!

So we got the exciting news yesterday that we were allowed to go home! Yesterday was a frantic day for us, prepping to go home. We didn't quite realize how much stuff we had accumulated both at the hospital and at the Ronald McDonald house! Thanks to all of your generosity, we have snacks to last us for a loooong time.

We wanted to miss the rush hour traffic, so we left around 6:45, and got home promptly at 7:30. It was then a frantic hour of running around, unpacking, cleaning, re-organizing and just getting used to being back home. Jeannie's mom had thankfully been there earlier in the day to help, and Jason's sister flew in yesterday to help as well.

Sophie took her customary seat on the couch, and her demeanor was noticeably better, being in her own home. Selah also was happy to have a full house, and it was so nice to watch the sisters interact after not being able to play with each other for over 2 weeks.

Unfortunately, we didn't have much of a break, as we are at the CDH Proton Center. Because the recommendation is for Soph to begin proton radiation therapy no later than 30 days after her initial surgery, they called yesterday and asked us to come in today at 6am. I asked for a day to breathe, but with the holidays, and the 30-day constraint, we had no choice but to come in today to get started on her prep.

We hope the next week will be a bit quiet, before radiation starts up either late next week or early the week of 12/31. Then it's a whirlwind of daily radiation treatment, weekly clinic visits downtown, and any other miscellaneous appointments in between. Jason will also have to go back to work that week, so it will be the start of our crazy, new normal.

We could not have survived the past 2.5 weeks without all of your help, and we will continue to welcome any help we can get. To that end, instead of contacting our friend Jen now, we'd ask that you check out our meal train to find tangible ways to help and easier ways to organize and check for everyone. There you can actually pick a day to bring dinner and/or visit. There is also a place for donations. Please do not feel obligated to give anything. As we start this long journey, we are actually quite unsure of what we'll need going forward, but we thought it best to have the option.

Thank you again for all your prayers for our Sophie. More updates to come.