Lucas had his planned spinal fusion surgery on Tuesday, and he is recovering as well as possible. He is really annoyed with the hospital nurses for messing with him too often and complaining about pain. Poor kid.

I feel like I’m living in a vortex, or maybe a tiny cave, where suddenly all I can see is the five minutes in front of my nose. It’s hard to remember a month ago, when I could write about big thoughts and reflections. Art and feelings. That feels like a different me. But also, this sort of myopic existence feels old-familiar. It’s how we make it through having our kid in the hospital.

If you want the details of Lucas’s surgery, you can catch up on our old Lucas Camilo blog — we used it a lot when he was little, and Burke has posted a couple updates from the hospital. I feel a little sheepish (or maybe a little mid aughts?) having multiple family blogs, but I guess we’re a family with a lot of stories to tell. (Of course the best stories are at HandsomeBoyWrites.org.)

About cancer: short version is that side effects of chemo were awful for a couple days, and I am so grateful that they passed in time to be present with Lucas at the hospital. When I told them I’m going through chemo at the hospital they were very nice to me, including getting Lucas a private room (because of my weakened immune system). It helps me rest a little easier, though Burke is spending a lot more time at the hospital than me.