Return of One Cool Dude

Maybe it was because she had nowhere else to go, or maybe it was because she was so tired, 'cause she went to bed and slept and slept like she hadn't slept in years.  ~Forrest Gump

Whenever MC returns to the 9th Floor, I'm always reminded of this scene in Forrest Gump when Jenny comes home to Forrest.

One of the tragedies of having intractable seizures coupled with living in the hospital is that MC never sleeps. Ever. It's dreadful to watch as his brain battles his eyes in a never ending war for rest.

But it's contradictingly beautiful to watch how upon return to his favorite room on the 9th Floor, he somehow manages to calm himself and fall into a deep sleep that occasionally lasts for days.

So yes, this means we are back on the 9th Floor, and yes, this means that we can now resume our plans for heading H-O-M-E, an environment that I envision MC will find equally if not more peaceful. 

Whenever I start to plan, however, it's like deja vu from my time in India. So many variables, so much required input from so many different people, very few factors that I can control and a child whose medical status changes hourly make me feel foolish for even thinking about planning for an event beyond today.

During the last couple of weeks in India, I worked day and night to find a way to get our trio safely back to the states. Ultimately, I decided that there was no fool proof way to do it. It would always be a risk, a big risk born almost entirely by MC, but one that I was willing to take to unite our family.

We are once again going to have to take such a risk in an effort to unite our quintet. It's officially flu season which means Princesses are no longer welcome anywhere in the hospital.

Provided MC remains stable (I know, this is a HUGE prerequisite) it will ultimately be a choice between living as a family permanently separated or living as a family united-- albeit one that will endure the stress and anxiety of caring for a medically complex child 24 hours a day. We knew our decision weeks ago, and we remain confident that we are making the right one. Now let's just hope that MC is on board...

Below, a few of my favorite pictures from this week:

Princess decides that 2 spoons are more effective than 1. She has yet to meet a food she doesn't like.

A dad and his daughter.

It was like Christmas! Princess receives a package on the doorstep from her two incredibly stylish surro-blogging friends Eva and Rose. 

If asked to describe MC in one word, I would have to say cool. He is just such a cool dude (and he sure looks like it in this picture).

Transfer day-- laughing at all the "stuff" he has acquired. Thinking he may need a double wide in the near future. 

Blue velour for the occasion-- let the 9th Floor flirting begin!