Round Four

Today there is snow in the mountains of Utah, so looking at this picture of our return trip to Minnesota taken in July seems like another lifetime. 

Wyatt was the epitome of a patient patient. He bore everything with dignity, and a splash of goofiness (thank heaven!).  I can almost read his mind in this photo: "Okay I'll smile - AGAIN!"

Back at the Hallstrom homefront, here's the cat utterly exhausted. He would chase the broom around when I'd sweep the kitchen floor (always accompanied by the music of either the Beatles or Herman's Hermits which was played by their magic music machine "Alexa!"). I told Angie my job was to be "Alice" on the Brady Bunch. It's a lot more fun to clean someone else's house. It's no fun to clean my own house.

This was taken the from the freeway as we were heading into Minneapolis. I love the Mississippi river and the Minneapolis skyline in the picture.

My project for round four was making Wyatt a Twin's blanket. I saw a smooth binding like this on a blanket he received during round three and wanted to copy it. The cat was enthralled with everything about this. He would pounce on my arm, attack the pins, loll about on the fabric and completely derailed my progress. You can tell when a family owns a kitten because everyone has scratched-up arms! I finally had to lock him away in the mud room so I could finish pinning the blanket. And then I completely forgot about him because he didn't meow or anything. That'll teach him!

We celebrated so many milestone in that hospital room. That's what happens after six months in that hospital room. Happy Anniversary Angie and Forrest! And yes, that's a cast on Angie's arm. Unbelievable but she broke her arm riding her bike while they were on a get-away at a resort, between rounds three and four. She handled it like a trooper. No, that's not even a good enough description. She handled it like a general! She has been amazing. Pins, plates, cast, zipper stitches up the forearm and all. Like she said, "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I will add, "HATE, HATE, HATE, HATE, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!

Angie and Forrest's Anniversary crepe. Wyatt reaaallllly wanted crepes that day, and Forrest and Angie produced some beauties! Forrest made the crepes at home, with lemon curd, fresh home-grown raspberries and all the trimmings. Then we brought everything to the room along with the griddle (!) and rewarmed them right in the room. I was nervous that we would get in trouble. You know, give 'em an inch they'll take a mile, the next thing you know the Hallstroms will be bringing in Forrest's smoker and doing a turkey! But Forrest told me that if any of the nurses objected, just give 'em a crepe. And of course, none of the nurses objected, they thought it was awesome. Wyatt demolished five crepes and could have eaten more but Angie told him that was plenty!

Round Four was a long haul for Wyatt. He was in the hospital for about 40 days, during which time he went through puberty and grew a stach!"

One evening Forrest drove us to St. Paul and oh my gosh we loved it! Jonas and Elise started laughing every time Dennis and I would say "look at that!" "Hon, look at THAT!" over and over as we drove through the area with the old houses. I adore old houses. Forrest, we discovered, leans more toward the post-modern sleek and angular look. And here is beautiful Elise looking very post-modern, sleek and angular on the river  walk.

Wyatt playing jazz with his cool music therapist. She was pregnant and due any minute as were four of the nurses. CRAZY. They were all due within two weeks of each other.

Dennis with eyebrows! Egad!

Touring the heart of downtown Minneapolis. It's all fun and games until Dennis and I both try to take selfies at the same time, and his arm hit my arm and my phone went flying. My first shattered screen - it's never been the same since. My cheeks are constantly hitting "mute" and "speaker" while I talk (as you kids know, sorry!).

Duct tape slippers! Wyatt and I also made a duct tape wallet and it was a blast! We followed a  YouTube tutorial given by a darling little 12-year-old girl who was as exacting as a rocket scientist. I didn't bring a ruler but a nice nurse found me a nursing tape measure (used to measure the circumference of limbs or heads?) and we meticulously cut out and assembled a duct tape wallet in a night and a morning, including six handy dandy pockets for credit cards! No photos though, dang.

Every day fresh sheets and a mopped floor and a bed made so tight you could bounce a quarter off it. It probably is billed at $1,000/hr. but sure was nice to watch.

Each Sunday a family would bring Wyatt the sacrament. This day it was two Priests - the one in the suit coat had just been ordained a Priest that very day. Three mighty handsome, glowing young men there!

Wyatt trotting along behind the guys as they left, pulling his cart full of a myriad of medicines

We saw winter, spring and summer come go through this window on the 7th floor of Children's Hospital.

Here we are playing Ultimate Werewolf , a game which I never quite got the hang of, but it sure was fun. It always gave me a jolt when during the spooky music beginning part my eyes would meet someone else's eyes and it would be like, "okay, hey, we're both Werewolves!" But NOW what do I do? We played a ton of games in the hospital. We taught Wyatt Up and Down the River, played Old Maid and Speed, and a super fun game I'll always remember playing with one of their friends Kimmie Sandberg that they no longer make but you match pictures with your team-mate and score points on how many you guess that match your team mate. It was so fun.

This photo was taken on our last day at the hospital with Wyatt before we headed home for Utah. I love this photo. He looks so calm and knowing and sweet.

And Joe-Joe bunny. I guess that's not a name a 15-year-old still wants? He's the greatest. I love being with Jonas. He is the glue in so many ways!!

Waving a final good-bye until we see you in Utah in a few weeks. Love you Wyatt Dean!! I didn't think it would be difficult to leave the hospital for the last time, but it was really hard.

I love you too kitty, but not quite enough to keep you in the suitcase, although I am impressed with how perfectly he fit himself in!

Good night moon; Good night room; Good night pillow, Good night lamp, good night blankets, good night blinds, and good night to an old lady who never eats mush and never says hush.
Thank you, bless you Angie and Forrest and Jonas and Elise and Ethan and Wyatt for sharing your lives with us during this time of trial  and sharing such great faith and love.  Wyatt is in remission, he's healthy and glowing and loving 4th grade. So grateful!

XOXOXO
Grandma