two hospital visits

 We went in for Carter's monthly chemo and check-up a few weeks ago.  Everything went great, but slow.  He's doing fantastic and is feeling great!

 

View from his hospital room.

 

 There's lots of pink in the hospital. 

 

This was when they were preparing to do his lumbar puncture.  They give him something similar to laughing gas which helps with pain and anxiety.  He did great of course.

Last week we were playing at the park when Carter somehow fell off a ledge, face-first, and hit his port on the ledge.  He ran over to me crying hysterically and holding his chest.  I was so scared!  I looked at his chest and there was a big bruise already forming right above his port.  I tried calling the hospital but no one spoke english and they eventually hung up on me.  I really don't like this hospital.  I had my french-speaking husband call later that evening once he got home from school.  The nurse asked what time the accident happened and then asked why we didn't call sooner.  Rrrrr.  I know I'm in France and I should learn French and I'm trying, but I really thought there would be more resourced available, especially at a hospital while dealing with very important health issues of my child.  Dennison took him in the next day to have everything checked out and it's all working perfectly still.   I felt so relieved that he is fine and also that I wasn't the one who had to take him in!  Thank you husband!

a replacement

What do these pictures all have in common??

 

 

 Besides Carter being in them all...

 

 

It's nothing cancer related....

 

That's right!  His precious blue blanket!  He has had that blanket since birth and it has always been his most prized possession.  It has been through quite a journey alongside Mr. Carter.  It was his constant sleeping companion.  It's been dragged through many a playdate and roadtrip.  Everywhere Carter went, the blanket was there.  He always HAD to have it with him.  And all those rough hospital days were made a little easier when he had his blue blanket.  As we journeyed to our new home in France, the blue blanket somehow escaped his possession.  I still don't know exactly where we lost it.  It was on the plane with us to Paris but I'm not sure it got off with us.  If it did, I'm not sure it left the airport with us the next day.  Or maybe it's final resting place is the train we took to Nice.  I'm not sure, but it's gone.  Carter is very sad that it's gone but I think I might be more upset about it than he is.  I'm a sentimental fool I guess.  That sweet blanket represents so much to me.  It reminds me of how brave my little boy is.  How strong and smart and thoughtful.  And now it's gone.  We've been searching for a suitable replacement ever since we discovered it's disappearance but nothing has been quite good enough.  One day while we were skyping with my mom Carter told her the sad tale of the lost blanket.  He promptly ordered up a new one from Grandma. 

Yesterday, this came in the mail:

 

He is so happy to have a new favorite blanket.  It hasn't left his sight since he got it.  As sad as I am to not have the blue blanket anymore, I really love that he's moving on to a new favorite blanket.  One reason we loved the idea of moving to France was to have a sort of new start.  Try to move past all the crap our family has been through these past two years and start to make new memories in a new place.  Now Carter has a new blanket to start with.  I like this.  I like the symbolism and I love the blanket.  Thank you mom!!