Getting back to normal.

I've been wanting to give an update to our stem cell trip but some parts of the trip have really angered me and I needed a break before posting lest I look like I'm a ranting lunatic. But I probably will anyway so here goes...

Atlanta on the way down.

Can't you just see him asking if we're there yet.

The flights down there went pretty great. On our first Delta flight into the Dominican, a gentleman from business class immediately got out of his seat when he saw me get on the plane carrying Liam in that seat and he grabbed one side and helped me carry him all the way to the back of the plane. Not that I was going to refuse, but there was no way he was going to let me carry him alone. :)

On our return flight home I texted Shawn and told him I was never.ever flying with Liam again. It was the heat of the moment and I was done. Liam was over done. And I never want to do it again. Liam was a trooper. He really was. But sitting confined in a seat all day long when your body wants to move is painful.

On our first flight coming home from out of the Dominican he did pretty good. I got him situated well but he still isn't 'properly' seated so it can be a problem with his head control.

And that makes him cough.

So that's what he did.

The entire flight.

And the gentle(cough cough)man in the seat in front of Rylie rubber necked the ENTIRE flight to look at Liam. He even put his sunglasses on so he could stare with out looking so obvious. Like that wasn't obvious! I put Liam's iPad right in front of his face so the lookey loo couldn't see him.  Now, I understand, Liam is coughing. A LOT. But COME ON! Where did manners go? You look once or twice, can see the child has issues, then turn your face back around and keep to your own seat. Or, if you have a heart, ask if there's anything you can do. But don't ogle my son as if he has the freaking plague. He's obviously healthy, not crying, and I am attending to his needs. Leave us alone and get your staring fix by watching a movie. Rylie got a chance to stare him down when we switched seats and when he realized what she was doing he never looked back again. asdfghjkl...

After landing, a REAL gentleman in front of my seat, who never once turned around to look and stare, asked us if he could get our bags for us. That's what an empathetic, considerate person should do. I was so proud of him for being so kind. I wanted to tell him that but thought it would be too weird.

Trying to wake from the propofol after the extraction. This time they extracted stem cells from both hips.

When we got to Atlanta we had a three hour layover. I was happy about that because it allowed us time to get Liam out, eat, and just relax before another plane ride. Well, Liam was at his over done point. He was crying and crying and while Rylie and I tried to eat he wouldn't calm down. I had to get up and walk with him and let Rylie finish and then we'd switch off. Each time I walked him back to the tables where we were eating he would freak out and cry even harder. We switched off and I finished my now ice cold dinner and kept an eye on Rylie as she walked with Liam. Whenever she'd get close to my table he would cry again. I grabbed Liam and took off for the bathroom so he could lay out on the counter and relax and when I picked him up I lifted his shirt and saw a dark black and blue depression on his spine. His stroller straps had gotten twisted and had knotted right on the middle of his back and even though there was a thin cushion over it it was still digging into his spine.

After the cath, he wasn't complaining & for that I was shocked & happy.

I felt horrible. My poor wee man had been trying to tell me he hurt and I thought he was just bothered by all the traveling. Mom fail.

With the bruising on his thighs from the procedure and now the bruising on his back, he was not a happy guy. He cried for the rest of the layover. I felt so bad for the people in our tiny little terminal. They were probably only 20 seats and there was no escaping Liam's irritability.  None of them stared at us though. ;)

Once we were home Liam ran a low grade fever off and on for days. It would only last a couple of hours at the most.  He wasn't miserable, but he wasn't his happy self either and with not being able to give any medicines due to the stem cells, we relied heavily on homeopathic treatments to treat his discomfort. We did onions on the feet, egg whites on the feet, essential oils on the chest and feet, colloidal silver, and extra vitamins. It was the first time I've ever had one of my kids go medicine free for pain from a fever and Liam ended up doing really well.

He had to miss several days of school out of pure exhaustion and crankiness though and it took a full week following the procedure before he was back to his old self.

People ask when we will see improvements. It's a valid question. When will we see improvements? I want to see them now too. I'm praying we will see them now. But we might not see improvements for a while. It could be up to a year. And that's a long time to wait looking for signs of answered prayers and hopes and dreams.

This is the moment, after 20 min of a flipping, curving catheter, the Dr finally got it through and up into his carotid. You can't hear them in the room but they all shouted and whooped and were giving thumbs up in relief for finally getting it.

The gorgeous sunset view from our room. Ocean on the left & mountains on the right.

We're here!

We started out very early yesterday morning to catch our 6 am flight. I had Liam sleep in his clothes so all we had to do was put him in his car seat and go. But little wild man woke right up and stayed awake. We had to get patted down and swiped for explosives because I didn't want then to open Liam's formula and I didn't want him to go through xray. In order for me to get patted down they had to call for approval to do it. By the time they got finished we were the last ones to board the plane. I carried Liam and Rylie carried the seat. She only hit one or two people before a lady showed her how to carry it down the aisle. ;) Rylie sat in front of us, next to a very chatty woman who's husband was a harrier pilot, yet she hated flying. I think having Rylie next to her helped her a lot. Liam did great on the flight. I left his stomach empty so there would be no emotional vomiting from being in a different car seat and not in his car. But he did so good. He loved take off. In Atlanta the Delta boarding dude let me get on first. As I walked by he told me to tell the flight attendants 1b. I did which got us in first class. I was super excited and was finishing up getting Liam situated when a lady come on the plane and said I was in her seat. :( There was a lot of confusion at that point on everyones part and we ended up back in where we originally were. They apologized a lot and gave us first class pillows and blankets and water. Liam did pretty good on this flight too. He fell asleep for about 15 minutes and only fussed for the last 30 minutes when I couldn't get him out. He was done with being in the car seat. When we got off the plane we had to be taken to the immigration area seperate from everyone else because of the stroller. A guy silently put us on the elevator and sent us off. We were a bit confused when we got off the elevator but found the immigration sign and started to stand in line. Aother guy came up to me and spoke Spanish motioning for me to go around the long line. I wasnt sure what he meant, the line was really long, but when I walked around to the side the lady took me right away. What a blessing that was to not have to stand in that long line! We paid for our tourists passes, checked through immigration, and exited to find Dr. Anthony's daughter Rose there to greet us. Another family had come in right before us so we all rode together for the 45 minute drive to the resort. This family has been here before so I was able to talk to her about a lot of the smaller details. It's really comforting to be here at the same time as others. They are doing a different procedure though. Our resort is very nice. We didn't explore though after getting here. Liam just wanted to lay down and play so we ordered room service and got the biggest burgers I've ever seen and relaxed the rest of the night. We will get taken to the hospital sometime around 1 and we will be there for the rest of the day and long into the night. It's going to be a long day with no food for Liam. He'll be hydrated through iv and this evening is when the catheterization will take place for the dispersal of the stem cells. Praying Phillipians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And Joshua 1:9 have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be dismayed. The lord you God will go with you wherever you go. Thank you to everyone who has prayed and continues to pray us through this. I remember you in my prayers and am so grateful for you. I will be grateful to get this day behind us!