New Year, New Routine

New Year's Eve was bitter sweet for Joel and me. We were able to get away for a little while and spend time with some friends, but we definitely put a damper on things for everyone else at midnight. We couldn't help but reflect on the not-so-good 2009 we had. We were both in tears by the time the ball dropped! This was Riley's first time having his nanny, Tiffany, sit with him at night. I was so pleased when Tiffany sent me a text and said Riley was really happy and kept kissing her hand. He called her everyone's name BUT hers, but hopefully he will get there.

New Years Day was spent in the basement watching football on the big screen all day. The southern New Years meal of collards and black eyed peas definitely ended with my mother. I love cooking for Thanksgiving and Christmas but New Years just isn't my thing. Our friend Doug came over to watch football for awhile and Riley was so sweet. Whenever you lay him down in his bed, he immediately gets happy and very chatty. Doug went in to tell him good night and he just came alive. The sweetest thing he said was "Doug, I will always be with you." Precious.

Overall, it has been a good weekend. I am excited to see what tomorrow brings, for me and for Riley. He will be home with Tiffany all day for the first time without me. I am coming home at lunch because I just want to make sure he knows I am coming back. It will also be so strange being back at work after all these months, but I am very excited about it. Also a little nervous because I'm afraid if people ask me about Riley, I'll just breakdown. I always seem to at the oddest times.

I need to take a picture of Riley to post. Joel shaved his head today. He was beginning to lose his hair again. This is because he is no longer on cyclosporin, which causes hair to grow everywhere in the first place. It definitely made his hair come in quickly, but now that he is off of it, he will lose this very fine baby hair that came in and it will be more like his normal hair when it comes back. It is good and bad. Good because he lost all of the hair that was growing on his forehead, and his sideburns, mustache, etc. that Joel had shaved off have stopped growing back, but he is also losing his eyebrows and I'm not sure his new ones coming in is going to coincide with the old ones falling out.

Riley's newest thing this week is wanting Joel to "lift me up into the bed." He would stay in the bed 24/7 if we would let him. He still has his negotiating skills. A couple of days ago, every time Joel would pick him up he would say, "Look at those muscles Joel, your strong, look at those muscles." Now he tries to use this every time he wants Joel to put him to bed. He'll start saying, "Your strong dad, so just pick me up and lift me up in the bed." I've got to get that on video!

Last but not least, I want to thank EVERYONE at Hickory Valley Christian School. Every year, the kids do a fundraiser called Chunk your change. They bring in their own change to donate to a cause. This year, the cause was Riley and teamgreene! I had planned to go to a presentation at the school several weeks ago and wasn't able to, so we received a visit today from Ashley Nelson who is the mother of one of Riley's classmates, Evan Nelson. Ashley brought us a huge stand up card that the school made for Riley that has all of the students' thumb prints on it. Also, his classmates made him cards, and we were presented with a check for $885.00 - all from change that these kids chose to give to Riley! I hear that some of them cleaned out their whole piggy bank to give their change to Riley. This is amazing and we are very appreciative. Also, it couldn't have come at a better time. We found out today that the apartment we lived in while in Durham is not going to be available to us when we travel there for Riley's 9 month check up next week. We had been told if no other family was admitted with a leukodystrophy disease (this is what the three apartments Hunter's Hope has are used for), that we could stay there. Unfortunately, there is a family coming in this week and that will fill the last of the three apartments. I am very glad for those families that they will get the same comfort of having at least this aspect of their journey taken care of for them. We will be booking a hotel room for our stay, which will be fine. We are only going to be in NC from Saturday-Tuesday.

I hope everyone had a great New Years and I wish you all peace, love and health in the new year!