December and January

Wow. Things have been busy. Taleah has been involved in so much.. which has resulted in a few fevers. Not my favorite and trying to decide if it is worth it.

 

We had a trp to PCMC in December. Let's just say that it was a failure in a lot of ways. The angel flights were canceled... had to buy 2 one-way tickets (long story). It was our first time with the two of us at clinic. I am a wimp and sedation was extra rough. They were unable to get the LP after 7 attempts/pokes. She was sedated and they had to keep giving her more to keep her from remembering. I was in tears, they were frustrated and we didn't even get it. Therefor, she didn't get her intrathecal chemo this trip. They assured me that it wasn't a big deal but as a mom I worry (and still do). She had so much sedation that she threw up for almost 12 hours. These hours included driving a rental car, dropping it off, going through the airport and attempting lunch, going through security, having a delayed flight. It was heartbreaking. I hated EVERY second of it.

 She seriously couldn't walk for 2 days. Sitting on the toilet was so painful and she would cry out. And she hates sedation anyways so this confirmed her feelings and how she never wanted to go again. I tried to explain to her that this is supposed to save her life, but she is 3. It took a long week of steroids and pain but we made it through. She was anxious to get back into the swing of things. She hates missing out.

Fevers. Freakin fevers. I hate them. Somehow we have ended up with a few. The nose swab has been a winner for finding a cause but Taleah HATES it. I don't blame her. She has ended up with RSV, Adenovirus, and one other. She has fought them fairly well but fevers mean hospital visits. Extra blood draws, vitals and long stays at the hospital. Luckily, her counts have been high enough that we haven't been admitted but it's still not fun. Often times it ruins the plans we have or are doing.

Weekly starburst wrapping. It gets old but anything to get this medicine in her. She has just recently found out about the actual pills inside. This entire time I have been doing it in secret. Her new found knowledge has been helpful.



November in a Nutshell

November has been busy. It has been filled with lots of family time which we love.

 

Taleah has also been busy practicing for her first cheer performance. It has been a great thing for her to get exercise and physical therapy. She LOVED performing and everyone cheering. She thinks that everyone clapping is for her. I love watching her and the smile on her face when she does it. 

Her counts were checked this week and everything looks like it is in the right parameters. One visit down and 11 more to go. We are getting closer and she is handling like a rockstar. Proud to be her mama.

The rest of October

Halloween was a blast. The kids loved every minute of it. I did too. We were able to have her counts checked a few days before and they were right where they needed to be which made Halloween that much more enjoyable.

 

 

 

The football games continued to be good entertainment. Felt like football consumed our lives for a while. Keeping things exciting.

Many more activities kept us busy. The weather was amazing and made for lots of play time.

 

I am so glad that things have stayed fairly low key for awhile. She is handling treatment well and moving forward. Meaning we are that much closer to finishing treatment. Halloween meant 1 more year until she is finished. Let the countdown begin!!!

Much Needed Family Vacation- Disneyland

 

We have been looking forward to this getaway for quite some time. The Stevenson family had everything planned out and our attendance was dependent on Taleah's health. Her numbers were lower than normal at clinic so they told us to go off of oral chemo for the week to ensure her numbers wouldn't drop even lower. However, nothing in the cancer world is for sure. We prayed and prayed that she would be healthy as well as everyone else going (4 other children).

Luckily, everyone was healthy so we were able to go! Taleah was beyond excited. Slade was happy to be there with people he loved.

 The princesses were a hit. She was nevous at first, but instantly became drawn to them all.

Slade was a bit of a challenge but he did pretty well.

 

Taleah loved the rides and was pretty brave. She was 2" shy of 40" (which is the heighth for most rides). I heard that they won't make you take off your shoes so we attempted a princess dress with princess shoes (with heels). It was a success for 3 rides... one of the workers laughed/rolled her eyes at us. We didn't care!!!

 

Everyone was such a great help and my kids were in heaven with their cousins. They all got along really well! The rain wasn't a setback at all. We wore the ponchos and kept on.

 Disneyland is so much more fun with little kids. They thought everything was so great! I loved it.

 

The beach was also a success. The weather was perfect. She loved getting in the water. Slade did not, but he loved the sand. I couldn't help but think of the many blessings we had been blessed with.

The germs made me really nervous. We did our best to use continual hand sanitizer and wipe things down. Again, we prayed for the best. And it was the best.

Thanks Rob adn Sandee for a great vacation. We loved every minute of it.