Home ....

23 days.Not bad considering RSV and pneumonia could have sidelined us a whole lot longer.This was our longest stay yet but not by much.Round 4 ... officially over.Hard to believe I must tell you.Time plays that funny trick on you.Seems like Zoey has been fighting this latest battle forever but on the flip side,the time has flown by.Make any sense?Our attending sat with me for awhile before we left.I ended up crying.Poor guy.Probably didn't know what to make of it.Well,actually he seemed to genuinely understand my emotions.Today,I was filled with a bit of fear.Knowing that we were heading home only to return for the 5/6 final rounds.Final round means no more chemo.Final round means Miss Zoey must fly on her own.No safety net of chemo.Sounds strange I know.One would assume we would be more than ready to kiss this thing goodbye and we are but .... scary,uncertain times ahead,really not a whole lot different than where we have already been dwelling though.It's all scary.So,in one moment I was crying and in the next moment I had a bounce to my step as my little love and I headed out the door.Not of course before saying our goodbyes.Another strange component of this journey.My 4E family.Nurses,doctors and the other families that I miss and think of daily.Especially the kids.Each time I come home I feel the overpowering need to call and check in and find out how each of them are doing.Hoping and praying they are finding their way through their days.Zoey is looking and sounding really good.Still a slight cough which is apt to linger for awhile.Not uncommon after what her little lungs have just been through.So we keep a close eye on her.Stay in the confines of home and return for a follow up visit on the 20th.Chances are that her marrow will take just as long to fully recover as the last time.Knowing that,we will probably not access her weekly for draws thank goodness for that.5 weeks was the duration between rounds last time and it will likely be similar again for round 5.This time I will totally and completely cherish the time home.Last time I was so fixated on getting to the next round that I lost moments.Not this time around.The only draw back to treatment delay is that it puts us farther out until Zoey's protocol is complete.We are most likely looking at June as the month when we are finished.I keep saying I and we but really,this is all Zoey.This amazingly courageous little girl who is our light and our life and our inspiration.Tonight,once again,Zoey is home,safe and sound where she belongs and for that we are beyond grateful.God continues to bless us and carry us and remind us daily that life is indeed good.And to all of you,dear family and friends,our heartfelt thanks for loving this precious child of ours.