Day +101 (Reunion ...)

Monday - Hunter had his final blood draw via his Hickman Line. We attended our departure conference where we received a great deal of information, which I will share in a subsequent post. Although, the highlight was we were actually being released from outpatient care in Seattle!

Tuesday - Hunter underwent a brief procedure to remove his Line. I assume things went smoothly because I found Hunter in the recovery room giving kisses to an orange popsicle. He must have been feeling generous as he had a second orange popsicle he was feeding to his "Lamby" security blanket. There has been an overwhelming feeling of relief each time Hunter has come out of anesthesia without any trouble. After we got Hunter dressed we went to visit Ashley and her family. All Hunter really wanted to do was finish his popsicle so Ashley made him comfortable on her bed, loaded him up with napkins and a tv tray and helped him negotiate eating it by coming up with a spoon and plate once it fell off the stick. We were able to spend an hour together before we needed to be at our immunology appointment, the main purpose of which was to discuss potentially switching Hunter's monthly IVIG to weekly subcutaneous injections. However, after performing a trial run with a nurse's assistance, it's safe to say at this point we will be continuing with Hunter's monthly IVIG! Can you say make me want to throw up?! Nasty! The only thing that made this appointment worthwhile was seeing our friends Ryan and Angie ("Ryan's mommy" as Hunter calls her) in the waiting room.

Wednesday - Hunter received IVIG. (We were extremely disappointed when we learned of this appointment within an hour after his Line removal!?) Even though Hunter had not received an actual needle stick in several months, he showed no signs of distress, handling it like the true professional he is.

Thursday - Hunter attended his final physical therapy appointment. We were happy to hear from his therapists he has surpassed his baseline evaluation from July. This particular day was bittersweet. While we were eagerly packing for our flight the next morning, we also shared in many difficult goodbyes with all the wonderful people we got to know during our stay.

Friday (New Year's Day) - We flew back to Los Angeles and were reunited as a family. Hunter did very well on the plane, even wearing a mask, after waking up at 4:30 am for our 7:15 am flight. We left extra early for the airport not wanting to take any chances with TSA since Hunter had close to twenty prescription medications in our carry-on. Hunter was so excited to see Grandpa pull up curbside in "Daddy's car". When we arrived at our house Hunter began reciting which neighbors lived where, his memory as sharp as ever. Thankfully, Harper was delighted to see us when she woke up from her morning nap. One of my bigger fears had been Harper not remembering me (us). However, that fear was quickly erased once she saw me (us), squealed and handed me her "Doggy" security blanket. It was touching to see Harper reaching out of her crib for Hunter and Hunter reaching into Harper's crib for her.

Saturday - We spent much of the day getting reacquainted and trying to smooth out a routine.

Sunday (today) - Hunter and Harper had their first ever bath together!