Yesterday we hosted, for the third time, a pair of medical students who are participating in the Operation Housecall program as part of their pediatric rotation. The program is designed to give doctors exposure to families of children with disabilities outside the clinical setting with the goal of helping them become more empathetic and supportive practictioners. We are very happy to participate as a host family. It feels like the least we can do in return for the incredible - truly incredible - support of the extensive medical team who have cared for Davey and for us as a family.

Each visit has been a little different, but all positive. Yesterday I felt that I focused too much on the saga of Davey’s medical history and not enough on what life is like today. One of the med students asked a number times what we felt doctors could do to better communicate the diagnosis. So we talked a fair amount about Davey’s birth and those first several harrowing days.

The kids were all a little nuts and they scattered after grabbing fistfuls of the chocolate chip cookies I’d baked. Edward and the girls emerged after a bit and handed out hand-written invitations to their play. We were ushered outside for the performance, which turned out to be a slightly post-modern (and brief) piece about a young couple’s wedding. They had all dressed the part with Edward in a clip-on tie and the girls in their gorgeous pink Easter dresses.

The blissful couple (played by Edward and Jules) exchanged wordless vows, had a kiss and a dance, then set off on the teeter-totter for their honeymoon. Mae, playing the part of … ? was to join them but she refused. I tried to urge her on with her sister and brother.

“Mae, honey, hop on behind Edward.”

“I can’t,” she said, shrinking back against the side of the house.

“Why not?”

“I don’t have on any underwear.”

We all burst out laughing. I guess the med students got a pretty good picture of what our life is like after all.