"What is it, Levi?" I asked, moving in closer to check out the book he was flipping through.
"Uh-oh 'nake," he informed me, shaking his head and showing me the awful snake he'd found on page 43.
"Boo-boo 'nake," he continued, "No touch!"
Boo-boo snake indeed.
I'm not sure how much he remembers of what happened to him, or if he simply hears us talking about it. By now he's heard the story of his misadventure enough times that he's fairly confident of his superhero status.
While we were in the hospital, I kept him busy for a while looking through pictures of his siblings. We happened upon a picture of Abby, and she just happened to be sitting near the spot where the snake attacked. "I don't like it," he said of the picture, without prompting.
When we got home, I took him with me to get the mail one day, a trek that took us right past the site of the attack. He kept his eyes firmly on the spot where the snake had been coiled. It was fresh in his mind then, and I think he did remember.
But nearly three weeks out, I think the memory of the event is starting to fade, and is being replaced with stories of the event. I'm glad for that.
Caleb still tells the tale of what happened to his littlest brother everywhere we go, and is more often than not met with total disbelief. I have to tell the horrified audience that this is one wild story my 5-year-old did not make up.
Abby likes to make sure the story ends on an upbeat, and usually waits for a break in the conversation to interject with," ...and we're really glad our brother didn't die." She's very matter-of-fact about it, and it still catches me off guard every time. I understand her sentiment, but I wish she'd work on her phrasing.
As for how Levi is doing, the truth is we still don't really know. He's running around and acting like a normal 2-year-old. To look at him, you'd never know this kid spent four days in the ICU. But internally, we're still in wait-and-see mode.
We don't have any more answers from hematology about what exactly is wrong with his blood and what we can do about it. The test results should be in soon, and hopefully we'll have good news to report.
Wound care and physical therapy are being handled by a dear friend who is skilled in both areas. We are grateful that she is able to see Levi almost daily for follow-up care in our home. The wound site seems to be improving, overall, but a few areas of concern sent us to a hand surgeon this morning for a thorough exam and x-ray to monitor his healing. The x-ray showed no bone or tendon damage, and there doesn't appear to be any nerve damage. The wound does cross a joint in his finger, and he's still struggling with mobility in that finger because of it. Encouraging to grab things with his "snake hand" (as we call it) takes up most of our day.
The big siblings are definitely showing signs of weariness at all the attention being lavished on their little brother. It's as if Levi has suddenly become an only child--earning the privilege, in their eyes, of going places (doctors' appointments) alone with Mommy and Daddy, playing with special toys in the bathtub (physical therapy), and getting fan mail (get well cards) from friends and family.
It's been a tough adjustment for everyone. Bad behavior has been at an all time high, and the hubby and I are both still emotionally drained and short on patience. Homeschool has taken a back seat to physical therapy and doctors' appointments and trying to control chaos. The laundry is piled high and the house is a disaster. We've somehow managed to sit down to three meals a day, and that has been no small miracle.
Please continue to pray, friends. Pray for answers. Pray for healing. Pray for rest. Pray for normalcy.
And if you want to pray that I'll find some clean clothes for us to wear in that big mountain of clothes in the laundry room, that wouldn't be such a bad idea.
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