Zeeke can now spell several simple words (cat, dog, zoo, etc.) upon request as well as recognizing them written down. And if you spell the name of one of his friends, he can tell you whose name it is. He 's being amazing about wearing his helmet. He's really proud of it, happily showing off the stickers, and rarely complains even in hot weather when his hair is drenched with sweat.
Tuesday morning was Zeeke's first scheduled hematologist appointment. We got up to the hospital early and took Zeeke to the turtle pond as Kaskey Park. Zeeke had a great time walking along the water, looking for turtles and then drawing them with chalk. A nice couple there gave Zeeke pretzels to feed to the turtles. As we chatted, we learned that they've been living at Children's Hospital for the past month because their teenage son was hit by a train. Zeeke really enjoyed how every pretzel crumb brought an eruption of koi and turtles to the surface.
Zeeke was really brave about getting his blood drawn even though there was a kid next to him screaming and crying in terror. We all went a little stir crazy in the waiting room, but fortunately a gaggle of older girls started building a fort which kept him nicely fascinated for a while. We liked the two hematologists we're working with and they were pleased with how happy and energetic Zeeke is. Sadly, his platelet count did not significantly increase (up from 4 to 5), but at least it's moving in the right direction! The hematologists are still optimistic that his body will fix itself without treatment, but it's likely that we'll be going through this for at least the next six months. Next blood test will be in about a month.
After his nap, he and Steve went to the playground, a rare treat on a school day.
Saturday morning we went to the Please Touch Museum for the second of Zack's two second birthday parties. A fine time was had and Zeeke almost rode the carousel (then decided against it at the last minute). After she dropped the boys off, Karen hit a clothing swap for some new kid clothes. After his nap, Zeeke was oddly excited to go to the supermarket. While there, Zeeke insisted on carrying around a single shiitake mushroom. Steve wasn't sure if it was meant to be food or a pet, but there was no question of leaving it behind so he bought it.
Sunday, we headed up to Chestnut Hill where Jen & Kim made us brunch. Zeeke had a great time playing with his buddies Jack & William. Unfortunately we timed things wrong and messed up his nap time. Faced with a cranky, under-napped toddler and a ridiculously noisy block party outside our house, we escaped to Jersey to visit Katie, Dave & Greta's new home. Zeeke had a blast exploring their house and playing in the backyard. We saw baby rabbits and shucked corn. They made us a wonderful dinner. And even with the screaming karaoke portion of the block party well underway, Zeeke was exhausted enough to fall asleep when we got home.
Conversations with Zeeke:
Zeeke & Steve were looking for a lost toy.
"I found it!"
"Oh, my gosh! Where did you find it? I just looked there!"
"I just found it!"
"Did you ever consider working as a private investigator?"
"Yes."