In case, like us, you believed that we would all be home and together by now, I’m going to have to let you down.

We are not home

or together.

Actually, I am at home tonight and David is on hospital duty for the long weekend (which I believe our paediatrician is enjoying immensely).

Ivy is still in the hospital after several bone scans and is awaiting a gallium scan.

IV antibiotics are still going in and she is onto her second canula.

It appears that the doctors believe there may be a deeper infection than just the middle ear.

Yesterday our plan included release from the hospital on Tuesday

but as of this morning, Tuesday is a bust.

The doctors (ENT, Infection Control and our paed) have decided that they will place a PICC line  into Ivy and she will have long term IV antibiotics.

The good news is she (we) will be allowed to come home and either I or the community nurses will set up the antibiotic therapy here.

The bad news is that will mean, theatre for Ivy on Wednesday and  a projected discharge on Thursday.

Stress levels are high but everyone knows this is going to be the best thing for the I - girl.

Here are some highlights of the last few days:

Doctor in training, “Hello Princess, I’m just going to take some blood, okay”.

Ivy to doctor in training: I’m not your princess, I’m **M’s princess”.

** M is the paed (the one she draws spiders for).

Captain Starlight to room full of kids: “Which movie would you like to watch on the Starlight channel?”

Malachy to Captain Starlight:  ”Angels and Demons!” (not yet released at the cinema here, Mal. Also, G rated movies only on the starlight channel… Ahem.)

On Friday, David was given the promotion that he has been working towards for the last six months, after several assessments and interviews happened while this long month of hospitalisations has occured.

Talk about working well under stress.

Phew.

Today we were given gate leave for two hours and we spent it in the park near the hospital, all of us together.

It was lovely.

We’ll do the same thing on Monday.

Low points include:

Noah getting car sick just before we reached the hospital this morning (mmm…taste it twice Weet Bix) and me not packing a change of clothes for him, having to dress him in Ivy’s shirt and leggings until we could secure him a new outfit from the shops and the paed ribbing him for wearing Ivy’s leggings and shirt, despite several excited explanations from the kids (read blow by blow (no pun intended) description of vomitus projection and target status. Ewwwww).

The suggestion that I may need psychiatric help by one of the Paed underlings, when I laughed hysterically and uncontrollably, until I cried hysterically and uncontrollably, as he lengthened our stay by days.

So, that’s all I have for you my friends.

Ivy is getting better and better with each passing day.

I would have to go as far as saying I have never seen her so well.

Ever.

Here is a favourite photo of the girl just before admission. I haven’t picked up my camera in over a week, although I’m thinking I might take it with me on Monday.