Hello y'all!

The last few days have been better. Mason continues to respond well to the treatments, he continues to have a mostly good attitude, and he continues to be VERY, VERY ready to go home (I stepped away for one minute to get him some ice cream and he edited in that "VERY, VERY" part all by himself). When I got to the hospital today, he made sure to point out to me that he did not get one single "normal" day of summer vacation this year since we went to the emergency room the day after school ended.

Mason has continued to work well with PT. He completed more miles on the bike, and was also able to walk all the way down to the Zone, where he was able to play catch with his dad with the brand new lacrosse stick he received earlier this summer. They also played corn hole and then Mason lost to his dad in ping pong.

John gave in and allowed Mason to sleep on the super comfortable window bed overnight- so I guess that might be his bed now.

On Friday, I was able to bring Alex up for a quick visit. We confirmed that even though he has grown a bit, Alex is still two inches shorter than Mason. This was the entire reason that Mason wanted his brother to visit- so he could make sure he was still taller. Boys are fun.

Alex and Mason were able to play video games for more than an hour before PT arrived and brought us to the "big gym" downstairs for Mason's daily work out. Alex was excited to tag along- but I think he was underwhelmed when we got there. They do have a lot of equipment, but I'm sure both boys had a much different picture in their mind when they heard "big gym." Mason was a champ and managed the exercises that she gave him without complaint- until I happened to mention that one of my favorites at the gym was the Superman move and she threw that one in for fun. I definitely got a grouchy look for that recommendation.

When we got back to the room, John and I were able to complete Mason's required dressing change with the guidance of the nurses in preparation for when he is able to go home. Alex was also able to watch and be instructed as to how he might be able to be an extra set of hands.

The ophthalmologist came to look at Mason's eyes again, as he continues to have a spot in his vision. They confirmed that because the platelets are still so low, there is still some active bleeding that is causing the continued spot. Once the bleed actually stops, the spot should resolve within a few months.

He also had a visit from a dentist who confirmed that everything is looking good, but he will need to go and have a full cleaning before the transplant procedure.

Also- Mason had a visit from his therapy dog, Blanche. I wish I had still been here to see it, but she came after I was gone for the day. When I asked him about it, he got a huge grin and was excited that he had gotten to spend time with her. What an amazing gift for the kiddos that are here for treatment.

Today has been another good day. Mason was able to play some video games, watched a little lacrosse and took a 6-pound walk (he strapped on 6 pounds of weight and walked laps).

We have been discussing ways to help him sleep better here in the hospital. He has difficulty falling asleep at night, which then leads to him sleeping late in the morning. I told him we could try several things that just make good sense- like:

1. NO MORE DR. PEPPER ALL NIGHT LONG (I think this one is key- he agreed except that he likes to take his nightly chemo pills with soda rather than water or Gatorade which he now associates with throwing up the pills- so tonight we swapped to cream soda- still soda but no caffeine).

2. Turning off the TV at a decent time and spending some quiet time before lights out reading a book.

3. Doing a few more exercises and walks during the day to help tire us out.

I also think getting home to his own bed will be helpful when we get to that point. I did bring him his comforter from home today, so he is currently curled up under that blanket and asking me if it would be possible to bring his mattress as well.

The supportive messages he has been getting through Smilegrams the last few days have been huge in changing his mood and his attitude from the difficult day we had on Wednesday. He continues to put his all into each "next step" that we take in this journey and we are so incredibly proud of him.

Thank you for all the support!