Monocytes

Sorry I haven't updated; I keep thinking, "He'll have neutrophils tomorrow, so I can post once we have some awesome news," and then it doesn't happen. The doctor was surprised that there aren't any neutrophils yet too. He has monocytes, which are building blocks or "grandparent" cells to neutrophils, but no big guys yet!
He actually had monocytes on day +10; they were obliterated on day +11 because of his final dose of methotrexate (chemo), and has had them again since day +13. He has had over 500 for over 3 days so far...and that's the biggest reason the doctor is surprised they haven't found any neutrophils.

neck fat is starting to come in

He keeps puking, but that seems to be getting a little better. His insulin needs have been bouncing around more than we thought they would, he's down to .145 units of insulin per kg per hour; his usual sweet spot was .18 and his all-time-high was .55, so we're pretty happy about this new found ability to not need so much insulin.
He's also gaining weight like a champ; but no thanks to me. He still hasn't decided he has an appetite, but his TPN seems to be doing the trick anyway. He weighs 6.7 kg (just under the 15 lb mark!) and is getting a double chin, but is still ripped and looks like a body builder.

He had some visitors the other day, they were dressed like pirates, and they came bearing gifts. He got a tubie friend; which is a stuffed animal with tubes, so that it doesn't seem so weird to be the only one with tubes and wires. Oakley got a monkey that is almost as big as he is, and his monkey has a port (which is what Oakley will probably end up with down the road...it's a line that can be removed when not in use, like a thimble-shaped funnel under the skin, with an iv hanging out of it, then you can remove the iv and put one back in pretty easily as well as give injections with much more ease). I wish Oakley could have a port sooner, because with a port, you can be submerged in water, and Oakley still hasn't had a full-immersion tub bath. We have so many firsts still ahead of us, it seems weird that he probably won't fit in the sink by the time we go home to try and give him a sink bath (they make some of the best pictures!), and he still hasn't ever met a dog or touched grass. I am excited for our future, even though I'm a little saddened that so many of the baby stuff will never happen.

He's such a "hoser"

We're still in a tiny room, but it looks like we'll be here for a while. There are several other kiddos on the wing here who got their transplant the same week that Oakley did. We're doing so well, we hope to be outpatient come mid-December. One of Oakley's doctors said that was a reasonable goal. We'll have to be here in Seattle for 100 days post transplant for outpatient care, which is a bummer. I was really hoping we could celebrate my birthday at our house in Boise as a family. February 7th is the earliest we would be able to head home. We'll still be in isolation from large groups and we'll still be limited on contact and be avoiding anyone with a cold, but it will be nice to be in a familiar place, with friends and family nearby.

I had to give Oakley a temporary tattoo to adorn his freshly shaven head; and found this Idaho 4H stick-on from the fair a few years ago, I thought it was pretty funny, the doctors had to make sure they noted it wasn't a fungus when it started to wear off!
We're bummed to be spending Thanksgiving away from everybody; and sorry we're going to miss your birthday Dad (Grandpapasan Davis); but we'll try to make up for it double next year! We have so much to be thankful for, and with kids all around us doing far worse than Oakley, we try to remind ourselves that we could be so much worse for wear. We hope to be posting about Oakley having neutrophils soon!
Love,
Trevor, Samanatha, and Oakley