Eve's friends

Eve is hanging in there.  We're managing her pain and digestive system issues as best we can.  They're moving targets.  But she's had a pretty good week.  And she's had some visits from school friends that she loves very much.  Two of her dearest friends came by on Wednesday and lifted her spirits.  It was amazing.  She had just had her long day at summer camp, so didn't have her usual nap. I expected her to be a little distant.  But that was not the case.  She focused on them and at one point laughed so hard in a way I haven't seen in months.  We are so lucky to have such amazing kids in her life.

Seamus gems

This morning we had an interesting conversation.

Seamus: "Bumble bees taste like bee pee."
Me:"When did you eat a bumble bee?"
Seamus: "None-day."
I can't make this up, people.

Oh, and here's a shot of him chillin' out on his daily commute.  As one friend said, not a care in the world until he gets the "call."

Happy birthday, Seamus!

Seamus is 4 years old!  Where has the time gone??
Jim's brother, Scott, came for the weekend.  The kids just adored having him here. 

Happy Birthday, Eve!

I can't believe our baby was born 10 years ago.  Truly incredible. 

Seamus loves Eve

Seamus was asking me about why boys are flat chested and women have breasts.  He asked if Eve had breasts and I told him she was too young and that older girls developed them.  He said that when Eve gets older she won't need her wheelchair and will walk.  I told him that wasn't going to happen.  I told him that Eve will never walk and that she will probably not get much older before she dies. He burst into tears and said he didn't want her to die.  He was super emotional and just sobbed.  He walked over to her and hugged her.  I started crying, too.  We talked about her disease and I told him that it will end her pain and that she won't suffer anymore.  It took him some time to calm down, but then like a typical three year old, he shifted focus to some music and started dancing. 

I met with both the hospice nurse and a reverend from hospice yesterday.  The reverend gave me a book for kids about losing a loved one.  We've never talked about Eve's terminal illness with Seamus, but have never hid it from him. He's always accepted Eve for how she is.  Looks like it's clearly time to read the book with him.  Who knows how long we have left with Eve.  Maybe a year.  Maybe less.  The nurse mentioned there's been a lot of progression in the last year.  I've noticed her wanting to lay down more and having more irregular breathing (2 deep breaths and 8 second pauses).  As sad as this experience with Seamus was, it was so wonderful to see how much he loves Eve.