Glimpses of my Honey...

Every second of my day today was filled with self talk:
"Enjoy this smile!"
"He wants to walk around! QUICK! Get him out of bed before he changes his mind!"
"Savor those kisses."

Honestly, my Gideon, the Gideon before the cancer, has been trumping the chemically altered version of himself today. He woke up smiling and saying, "Wanna go for a walk, mommy?" Maybe it is just me, but his curls seemed extra buoyant and his eyes a brighter blue. He walked down one hall and got tired, but I'll take it! It breaks my heart the way he has learned how to make his arms stiff when I pick him up so that I don't brush up against his port. Then again, it is showing me that he can cope and is capable of making the best out of the most unpleasant situations. He wanted to get DRESSED today (no yellow scrubs)! Another happy moment. Except when the altered Gideon was beyond ticked that Brody had a Spiderman shirt on and HE didn't have his favorite superhero to don (Batman). The hospital saved the day by giving him Batman stickers to stick all over himself. Phew. Close one. The sweet Gideon returned soon after that breakdown.

(Here's my parenthesis where I admit that I escaped today with Cate. We ran away to Food Dance Cafe for lunch. I was in my sweats that didn't match, flip flops, and ZERO makeup. Cate went with me anyway. Bless her heart. It felt GOOD to laugh and joke with a kindred spirit... How can we not be soul sisters when her last name is "Wondergem"? Tangent: We need to have a Halloween party and dress up like 80's cartoon characters. Jem and the Holograms, The Misfits, The Smurfs, Heman...How fun is that? Hi. Have I already introduced you to the fact that my mind wanders? This is a TRUE sign that it was a good day.)

Back to the reason you are reading, and I'm writing:

Later in the afternoon, Gideon and I went on a hospital scavenger hunt and HE carried the clipboard in his wagon. As we found objects in the murals, he crossed them off his list (without my assistance). This moment of complete independence and accomplishment spurred on more smiles and giggles. He won a prize (A Lightning McQueen RACETRACK!) and he has proudly been displaying it to all nurses who enter our corner abode. That's right, y'all. We were transferred into the SUITE. It is not as decorated as our first room was...and honestly, I haven't had the drive to do it again. But, we have SPACE. This is so very important right now as Gideon has been cut off from using the Playroom since his sickness fighting capabilities have lowered even more.

All day long, Gideon talked about his "cheeks" hurting. We thought it was a sign of mouth sores (one of the side effects), but he was clear. When Gideon's dinner came, he about somersaulted with excitement -- he was famished! That was when I realized that it wasn't his cheeks hurting, but his jaw. The newest "hot spot" that Luke has decided to bombard is my precious one's jaw. Chewing is painful, so no matter how much he wanted to devour that pizza, it was just too tough. His little hands covered his jaw on both sides and he was forced to spit out the tougher pieces as it was beyond difficult for him. Morphine helped, and Gideon at least ate all of the cheese, pepperoni, and sauce! We take those victories to the podium for proper respects to be made, I tell you what! Those victories truly are blessings...