My Boy is Amazing!!

Most of you have heard by now that JR's surgery last Thursday was very successful and that he is recovering at record pace. We are all counting our blessings and couldn't be more thankful to JR's skillful surgeon. Somehow, I think I just totally expected (for a second time now) a perfect outcome and knew it would be alright but I have to admit that fears do find a way of creeping in despite our most profound efforts to keep them out. Low and behold, here I am reporting to everyone that he did great and continues to amaze us all. He hasn't complained, he just goes with it. He had some very understandable anxiety over getting out of bed and walking while he was in the hospital but he has this amazing ability to take a deep breath and really work through his fears. I can physically watch him do it. The trick is to give him his space (without my usual nagging and hurrying) and let it happen. It really is an awesome quality to have. Once he got out of bed and walked once, he's motoring around like nothing ever happened, proud as punch. Talk about proud....Jim and I are bursting.
JR will have some down time and we hope to start having his tutor back shortly and try some academics. We are so lucky that he's a good student and is able to keep up with school. I have to say that while his curriculum is well thought-out, we go through some of the stuff and just by-pass. We just focus on the major important things and don't sweat the small stuff. Actually, we try to do that with everything. Perspective, perspective.
JR's next phase of this battle is kind of brutal and is the hardest for me to face. Again, he'll probably sail through and be fine but I just feel so sad for him. He'll be changing his chemo treatments (unfortunately it won't be oral this time) and going in to Sloan-Kettering either each week or hopefully every other week for the "infusion". While undergoing his surgery, he had a Mediport inserted in his chest so the IV line and the fear of poking around finding a vein will be a lot easier. I had no idea, however, what a serious procedure the port insertion was. So aside from a head full of stitches, he has stitches on his chest and a little bump that will give access for future IV's. He truly does just go with all this if you can believe it. I just hope and pray that this new chemo protocol doesn't make him too ill. It really is the hardest thing to face and I look around at the pediatric floor of the hospital and see a lot of other boys running around feeling fine and I am inspired. It's into the world of the unknown for us. By the way, one lesson I've learned is that each day is a day into the unknown and that anything can happen. Even your wildest dreams.
JR is asking me if we can go out to eat right now (as we did yesterday). Yesterday he ordered about 5 different things and had a couple bites of each. Impossible to say no to those big blue eyes so I must sign off right now and find a good mac n cheese fix. I'll update you shortly but thank you to all for such wonderful notes and deeds.