12/19/06
1:00 PM: Good news--Sophie is being released today. I've been packed up for nearly two hours, and we're just waiting for the release paperwork to be processed. I don't know exactly what her ANC was today, but apparently it's good enough to get her out of here. The blood draw this morning was pretty traumatic. She was upset about putting the numbing cream on (because she knew what that meant). The place on her hand where the numbing cream was turned out not to work, because the vein was still blown from the day before. So the person drawing the blood decided to prick her finger and squeeze droplets into the vial. That worked just fine, although she was still pretty upset about it. It's hard for me to see her suffer in any way, and when it was over, I told her I was sorry we had to do things like that and that I hate that we have to do things that hurt her. She said, "You're not supposed to say 'hate'" (in our house, we avoid that word, but that is exactly what I meant). I said, "I know, but that's how I feel," and then I got tears in my eyes. She asked me if I was crying, and I said I was, and then her eyes started to water. So, we just held each other cried quietly for a while. She's been unusually loving for the last few days, telling me often how much she loves me, and how I'm her favorite (but then she goes on to list her other favorites, so I can't feel too special!).
She slept for several hours after her morning trauma, and I had a nice quiet morning. We're pretty excited about going home, but the waiting is not so fun. She's watching videos, and I might read for a while after I pack up the computer.