Negotiation...Chemo Day 8

Sam is a MASTER negotiator. Yes, that was in all caps. Yes, I am shouting just a little.
Seriously, Sam and I had some major negotiations today.

Remember how I showed you our checklists?
Sam has become a rockstar about the mouthwash and the eating/drinking.

It's the walking.
Ugh, he is so determined to spend all day in bed.
Part of this is his furious anger at the whole thing.
I totally get it.
I would like to spend all day in bed too.
Wait, I would not.
I need a little fresh air.
I think Sam has realized how badly I want to go outside and he is determined to keep me indoors!
But this is not about me, right?!

Anyway, we got a few walks in.
And a visit with the music therapist (who knew!?):

Also, isn't that a cool gizmo for guitar teaching? Sam wishes they had a full keyboard, they only have little ones. He did pluck out his piano recital piece though.

(He was so entranced with her that he actually stopped playing xbox with another child to spend time doing music!)

He also got some mail....

This was the second delivery of the day. The first one had 18 letters with superhero pictures...

Sam had quite a few visitors today, which helps to give him something to distract him from ME trying to cajole him into taking walks!

Do you recall how Sam had a big complaint with his IV pole? Things have lightened up a little now that we have time away from it (we're only hooked up for chemo and a few meds, a little bit of fluids now and then) but while we were frustrated with it, my dad remembered that Stephen Colbert wrote a whole book about a Pole. Yes, a Pole. (Not a person from Poland, mind you, but an actual Pole.)

Zeyde ordered the book and brought it in today to read to Sam. Sam's review of the book: "It was silly and didn't make sense." Yep, that about sums it up. But it's Stephen Colbert! So we giggled all the way through it. (In case you care, here is my one-line review: "A sweet coming-of-age story!")

Here's your smiling Sam for the day:

We are in Wisconsin, after all.

Two more days of chemo treatments, followed by a bunch of waiting.
I think I may have a plan for tomorrow that will eliminate some of the frustration - will report back tomorrow on that one.

In mama-land, I started watching Downton Abbey on Netflix. Aside from the glitchy wi-fi, I can actually see why people are so hooked on the show. I need a fun distraction...so bring on the costumes and the British accents!