Re-Entry from Beach Life

This is why I haven't blogged for a while: Laundry.

We're in the midst of re-entry back to normal life after vacation. Hopefully the exhaustion we feel is a good indicator of a great vacation! (Also, our beach house didn't have internet---a blessing and a curse.)

We had a wonderful time at the beach, being with my parents and siblings and all their children. Our buckets were filled. Of the 13 grandchildren, William is the oldest and 9 of them are boys. It was wild and crazy and simply marvelous.Most of the days were cloudy and overcast in the morning before the sun made an appearance for the afternoon. This was perfect for William. He was able to run around in the sand and surf without being too uncomfortable or restricted. Due to one of his current prescriptions, his skin is very sensitive to the sun and he must be covered up and slathered up.

By 11 AM he was usually exhausted and retreated to the beach house. The kayak usually coaxed him back out in the late afternoon. It was wonderful to see him be active and happy.

Ryan, William, my sister, Natalie, cousin Sam

His main disappointment was not being able to boogie board and get all the way in the water. Ryan helped him with the next best thing, but standing on a board in shallow surf doesn't give the same thrill.

Early morning crab hunting!

Sunset s'mores!

Medically, things went as smooth as expected, but what we expect is not smooth. UCSF needed additional labs before we left for Newport to make sure William was recovering from his treatment appropriately. His labs earlier in the week showed a few mildly surprising numbers. I drew labs on our way out of town and dropped them off at the hospital lab on Friday morning per instructions. On Monday morning at the beach, I got a call from UCSF explaining that the hospital received the correct orders for labs, but ran the wrong tests. New labs were needed. Luckily we're not new to this sort of inconvenience and I packed the necessary medical supplies needed for more labs, just in case! I spent most of the day making phone calls, leaving messages, and waiting for call backs with insurance and the hospital to get everything in place so I could draw the labs and drop them off locally and then insure the correct results were faxed to UCSF. It all came together and his lab result were perfect. His ANC was back up and everything looked typical. Phew!

My Beach Boys

Rites of passage: ferris wheel ride, ferry ride, sand burying, eating Balboa bars!

Last trip to the pier before heading home. All boys sporting their shark tooth necklaces. (Dad's idea, not mine.)

So I'll finish the laundry this week (cycling it all isn't a problem, it's getting it folded and put away that kills me). Then William and I pack up again and head to UCSF on Monday for another week of antibody therapy. Hopefully the hospital has a good view of some fireworks! (Holidays and hospital stays seem to be our thing.)