Yesterday at three O'clock, Alyssa finally returned home after a ten day stay in the hospital for a MRSA infection in her lymph nodes. All of your prayer, concern, and encouragement was instrumental in getting us through what can euphemistically be described as ten days of hell. I've already shared in detail the chronology of Alyssa's treatment, but that was just a snapshot of all that was going on, posted in the intermediate moments between hospital visits and sleep.
As a way of saying "thanks" for all the support, here's some anecdotes from the last ten days that will give you a sense of the bigger picture and some insight as to how I was able to stay sane (and married) during this experience.
If I had a dollar for every time my mom tried to take a still photo and took a video instead, I could pay the hospital bill in cash...and afford a real tie.
Mail Call
Since Jen and I took separate cars to the hospital the day Alyssa was admitted, we now had one vehicle permanently parked there. To alleviate this, I had my mom follow me home in Jen's car and let Kaitlyn ride with her. During the entire ride, Kaitlyn kept bugging Grandma Daisy asking "Where'd Daddy go? I can't see him." "He's in the car in front of us" Grandma Daisy would tell her.
Once we turned onto our street, Kaitlyn wanted to get the mail--a favorite part of her daily routine. I continued in my car to the house. When Grandma Daisy noticed there was no number on the mail key, she was impressed that Kaitlyn could tell her "it's number ten". It is indeed number ten, and I was confident that Kaitlyn would share this with Grandma Daisy. After all, it's part of the routine. I watched from the driveway as they appeared to struggle and it occurred to me that there are two sets of mailboxes and thus, two number tens.
Now the daily mail routine includes Kaitlyn stating matter-of-factly, "two number tens! On the left?"
Yes, it's the one on the left.
Locked Out
About two years ago one of our exterior door knobs needed replacement. While I was at the hardware store I found a knob that is always unlocked from the inside. For some reason, this sounded like a great solution to me, though now I cannot for the life of me think of one reason why. The device has been nothing but trouble as everyone, including myself, walks outside without giving a second thought about whether or not the door is locked.
The other night, Grandma Daisy was home alone with Miss K. The Cinderella DVD she ordered finally arrived, so Kaitlyn was sitting on the couch watching the movie and eating Rice Chex (usually we don't allow eating on the couch). Grandma Daisy stepped out back to make a phone call. When she tried to come back in, the door was locked. She tried shouting to Kaitlyn, but all she could see was a little head on the couch, engrossed in the movie and moving a spoon from the bowl to her mouth.
I installed one of those wireless keypad garage door openers shortly after installing the doorknob from hell for just this sort of situation. Unfortunately Grandma Daisy couldn't remember how to work it. She tried once again to get Kaitlyn's attention. This time K heard the pounding on the door. She set her bowl down, slid off the couch, opened the door, then ran back to the couch. My mom, embarrassed at having to be let back into the house by her two year-old granddaughter, was astounded at how nonchalant Kaitlyn was about the procedure.
I probably didn't help when I told her "she let's the dog in all the time."
It's a BRAND NEW CAR!
It's been quite some time since Kaitlyn used a high chair, certainly not since Alyssa started eating baby food. While my mom's been here, she made the observation that Kaitlyn is a little short to sit at our dinner table. She improvised a booster seat with a pillow and K got a pretty big kick out of it. Wanting a more permanent solution, I took Grandma Daisy to Babies R Us yesterday and she bought a perfect little 
It's a booster seat...and a BRAND NEW CAR!pink booster seat. When we got home, my mom made a big deal about having a surprise for Kaitlyn. As we unveiled the major award, Grandma Daisy said, somewhat dramatically, "it's a booster seat!". In my best Rich Fields voice, I jumped right in with "and your very own BRAND NEW CAR!"
Now every time Kaitlyn sits down at the table, she says "look, Daddy, it's a brand new car!"
It's A Clean Car...And A Healthy Aquifer
I knew a storm was brewing, but I didn't care. I've been driving Jen's car for nearly two weeks now and I just couldn't take it anymore. The car needed a good cleaning inside and out. With near 100 degree temps, high humidity, and a Foursquare Mayorship at the hospital, I just didn't have it in me. So I sprang for the $16 for the full service car wash.
As I pulled into Costco to refuel my clean ride (for the third time in a week), a strong wind kicked up and blew leaves, dirt, and the smell of rain through the air. By the time we left Babies R Us, it was pouring. If Alyssa coming home didn't put me at ease, knowing that the city of San Antonio can still count on me to raise the aquifer level by washing my car tells me that all is right with the Universe.
Here's a photo chronology, with captions, of the last ten days. Enjoy, I'm going to celebrate with another Guinness.