Elliott continues do well since starting the maintenance phase of chemotherapy. Now that he can finally get out of the house, we have packed so much into the past two weeks.
Day 253: Elliott enjoys a few snacks at the Easter party while his sister looks on
On Good Friday I took Elliott to an Easter party at Laurel's school. This was his first actual interaction with other children in 250+ days. I was quite nervous headed into the party. How well had Elliott's social skills developed? Would he be scared of the other children? Would he get sick? With in minutes of our arrival one of the teachers sat a chair next to Laurel and asked if Elliott wanted to sit down. To my surprise, he walked over, pulled the chair out, scooted himself up to the table, and started eating. When he was done he got up and played with the other kids. He didn't miss a beat. It was really amazing.
Day 261: Having a good time at the museum
That Friday evening Laurel and Elliott spent the night with Kyllan's mother. This was the first time that Elliott spent the night someplace other than our house or the hospital. (He literally had just weaned from his mother's milk the week his symptoms appeared, so he never had the opportunity to spend the night away from Kyllan before he was diagnosed.) This gave us a much need break and also happened to be my birthday.
This past weekend we took Laurel and Elliott to the Perot Museum of Science of Nature and Science. This was our first real family outing since Disney World in May of 2014. Planning our trip to the museum, I had this beautiful image of a magical afternoon of my children being filled with wonder and amazement .Soon after our arrival they gave me a reality check and reminded me how exhausting two small children can be. Ultimately, we had a great time. Sunday we took the kids to the mall while we ran a bunch of errands we have been putting off for the past several months. I think it was the first time any of us have been in over a year. I would say both kids enjoyed getting out of the house, but it is more accurate to say that we all enjoyed getting out of the house. Big or small, I am looking forward to our next family excursion!