Mattie woke up early today and he knew that he had a fun day in store for him. He wanted homemade waffles for breakfast, and I gladly made them. It was delightful to see him demolish an entire waffle. Mattie is busily working on his new lego set. I will keep the theme of the lego set a surprise, and once he finishes it, I will take a picture of his creation, and debut the special gift he picked out himself at FAO Schwarz. Mattie had two playdates scheduled for today, and somehow playing with friends and other children is the best medicine. Kids for the most part just act like kids, and get over physical differences quickly.
Mattie's morning playdate was with his good SSSAS buddy, Charlotte. Mattie went to Charlotte's house and had a great time with Charlotte, Charlotte's sister Shannon, and their dog, Nelson. Mattie also had lunch with Charlotte. Ellen, Charlotte's mom, accomodated Mattie with his new favorite food, a hotdog. He ate that ALL up and was energized to be out and about and in someone else's house. Thank you Ellen for a nice lunch for Peter and I too! We enjoyed the conversation as well. Below you can see Mattie and Charlotte in a tunnel tube, looking like one large caterpillar together. Ellen also officially handed me several checks that Tyler, her son, collected from the Mattie fundraiser at St. Andrew's School in Delaware. St. Andrew's generated over $7400 for Mattie. An amazing accomplishment and Tyler's thoughtfulness, ingenuity, and compassion for Mattie will never be forgotten. From our perspective, St. Andrew's is a very special place.
Mattie and Charlotte!
After lunch, Mattie was invited to attend part of Charlotte's soccer team game. Mattie used to play on an Alexandria City soccer team too, and he seemed happy to be able to attend Charlotte's game. When he arrived, he watched for a bit. He saw some of his SSSAS buddies there such as Abigail H., Niki B., Missy B., and Sylvie W. Peter and I had the chance to see some friendly faces too who we knew. Bob Weiman was at the game, and came over to chat with Mattie about a new magic trick in the works. However, after about a half an hour, I noticed Mattie started pacing the field and seemed to be distracted. I knew that was our cue to leave. He seemed visibly upset on the way home. He did not want to talk about it, but part of me wonders if he got frustrated that he couldn't play, or simply that he felt different from his friends. I am not sure, but as a parent you know when you have a hunch about how your child is feeling. Fortunately he bounced out of this mood quickly. I on the other hand came home and felt somewhat saddened. Saddened because this should be Mattie's life right now. He should be able to play outside, play soccer, and lead a normal life. But of course he can't. There are times, especially after our current week, when it is hard to accept all of this, just when I think Mattie's illness has sunk in, I feel the ramifications of his cancer on a different or more profound level.
Later on this afternoon, we headed over to Campbell's house. Campbell is another good SSSAS buddy of Mattie's. Campbell's family invited us over for a playdate and BBQ. Mattie had a wonderful time playing with Campbell and his sister, Livi. I find it interesting that even though Campbell and Mattie do not see each other everyday at school, they can easily pick up their friendship from where it has been left off. I noticed while at Campbell's house, Mattie popped his hat off of his head and was just having a good old time running around. Of course it may not mean anything other than his head was hot. But I can't help but wonder whether this was a sign that he was comfortable and did not think people would comment about his head. I know that in public Mattie always wants to wear a hat, and the hat will not come off his head even if his head is itching. So I just was fascinated by what I observed this evening. Below you will see Mattie and Campbell plotting a strategy to build a fort. Thank you Christine and James for hosting all of us and my parents. We thoroughly had a great time. Thank you for a delicious dinner and great conversation. We value your friendship. Christine also presented me with a SSSAS homecoming t-shirt that was given to Mattie by the SSSAS Association of Parents and Teachers. What a great theme this year, "Super Saints." I can't think of a better t-shirt for Mattie, since he is my amazing superhero!
Campbell and Mattie!
When we arrived home we found a package of twizzlers on our doorstep. I have a feeling JJ, our resident Jack Russell Terrier, brought these over for Mattie. Thank JJ, Mattie actually ate one! Peter and I are trying to prepare for another week in the hospital starting on monday. In order to prepare Mattie we changed his central line dressing, and also placed him on IV fluids tonight in preparation for tomorrow.
On the electronic front, we want to thank Kim, Susan, Joy, Lorraine, and Karen for the wonderful e-cards and Barbsie for the great e-mail. Thank you all for your support this week, and we appreciate all your good thoughts for this coming week.
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