California

We were so glad to get the chemo done on Saturday. I was nervous about her getting sick while traveling down, but she did great. We kept on the meds for about 12 hours and then she seemed to handle it like a rockstar.

I was having major anxiety about going to Cali just in case something happened to her. We were out of our "comfort zone" and didn't know how things would be handled. I prayed and prayed. Luckily, she did great.

The drive down.... LONG! We were in the car for about 9 hours. That lovely Sunday traffic to Cali... never again!

Grateful for Elmo and snacks.

It wasn't until we were 1 1/2 hours away that they fell asleep. Mission accomplished... 7 hours later. Why didn't they fall asleep earlier?

We arrived at about 9pm and headed to dinner. It was the only night that we had Trevy and Kate. We headed to the Old Spaghetti Factory. It was a challenge with the kids.. as always.

The second night of dinner was with Steve Cook. He showed us the healthy way to dine.. at True Foods. It was pretty good. It was a new experience for us all!!

The beach was a hit. The kids loved it. Taleah and Slade were in heaven. Lots of sand castles, swimming, chasing waves and laying out (not for Scott and I). The weather was about 62 degrees and windy. Goosebumps and jackets for me, but not the people who wanted a tan.

The park was a blast. We spent a lot of time there. Big kids and little kids. I was paranoid about the germs. I am pretty much always paranoid. New life right?

Yep, that is his tantrum. We were waiting for the bikes, which turned out to be some serious biking. So fun.

Cheesecake factory=an all time favorite

It wasn't so great for me. The kids were more than we could handle. Scott and I spent the majority of the time handling the kids. Taleah cried the entire time and Slade threw 1 million tantrums. A walking circus... yes, that's us.

Her BFF for the trip. Kenna was a great sport. Taleah spent 50% of her time with her.

I am so glad that we were able to go. I am so glad that she didn't get sick. The sleeping was always hard because Slade slept like crap. The last night we were there was a nightmare. I have got to train Slade again.

It was nice because it was almost like we were in a different world. It was almost like cancer didn't exist for a minute. Minus the fact that she is bald and we wiped everything down. She didn't wear a mask very much. I just loved that for 3 days we pretended as if the cancer wasn't a part of our lives. I loved it. Don't worry, I didn't forget all the way. There were always those little reminders. I am just glad that we were able to have a good time and be "normal".

Thanks mom and dad for the fun trip!

Bone Marrow Drive

There is a bone marrow drive in STG this upcoming Monday. I am SO sad that I will be out of town. I hope they get all the support they need.

Millie was the inspiration for this drive. She is such a special girl!!! It will be located at DRMC from 10-6. They will have jimmy johns sandwhiches, drinks and cookies. It is EASY to sign up for the registry... fill out a form, swab your cheek and go! Painless, easy and you could potentially save a child's life. If you were to be chosen, the actual donating is not that bad either. Taleah has done it... so you could do it!! :) Like I mentioned before, Millie has the same cancer that Taleah has and her treatment did not work. It breaks my heart and I can't even think about it for too long. I have been wanting to do something for them and spreading the word for this drive is one of the best things I/We could do. She needs this.... so many kids need this.Please go and support. Thank you!!!!

Primary Song

Taleah always takes "voice lessons" with Grandma Stevenson. She loves watching her give lessons to other kids. Scott and I came back to their house to pick up the kids amd watched this video. I LOVED it! I was so proud that she learned it, sang it and recorded it. Proud mommy shed a tear. I love how innocent she is and how special this song is. Watching the video reminds me of the important things in life and how special these sweet kiddos are.

IM- Day 19

Not knowing what her counts are is difficult. We want to be careful, but at the same time we want her to feel normal. We try and make wise choices and so far she has been pretty lucky.

Obviously, Taleah loves cheerleading/singing/dancing. We had a work meeting and she was able to tag along because we had just recieved news that her counts were ok. She was more than happy... and even better that her little buddy was able to come as well!

WBC 3.7

RBC 3.7

Hgb 11

Hct 32.6

Plts 214

ANC 1.6(1600)

Those numbers meant that we were good for chemo and good to go to the beach. Yay!

Not only did she get the chemo, but the dose was escalated again. The dose she recieved today was the same dose that she ended on in Interim Matinenace 1 (which was escalating as well). I think it was 300 mg/m2 (I think that is how you write it). I tried to read back and see how she felt at that time and all I could find was whiny/clingy/acting out. That explains the last week or so. I feel bad for not being as patient, but she has been a little more angry when acting out. No matter what... that is not ok. It is so hard to know where to draw the line, but I don't want her to learn bad behavioral habits. BUT if I were in her shoes I would probably be SO angry!!! Hoping I figure this out.

She had nurse Jason today and she loved him. It worked out great. We were in and out in 2.5 hours and she handled everything really great. Yes, she was antsy by the end. I was so proud of her though. Not one tear, a new nurse, new people and she was almost totally herself.

I am so glad that she is handling things so well. She really is a tough girl and I think she thinks this is normal life. She loves the attention she gets from people. Hoping it doesn't go to her head... JK! Thanks again for all of the sweet people we are surrounded by. Hoping she handles this treatment well and then 2 more (until maintenace..which is a whole new stress)!!! YAY!

IM 2- Day 17

Not sure what happened to my blogging... it's been slacking. I guess we have been busy.

I am so glad Taleah and Slade have each other. They play and fight and play and of course fight. It's great when she can't play with anyone else and her only option is her brother... I secretly like it until they fight/scream.

She did great with her second dose of chemo in this phase. We did the routine (saw Dr. Marsden, had labs drawn and went to the peds floor for chemo). She loves Dr. Marsden but was crushed when nurse Heather wasn't there. She LOVES nurse Heather and not having her for chemo was an adjustment for Taleah.. BUT I think she will do just fine with Melissa and Jason.

Stats (from my memory)

ANC 1200

Hct 31

Plts 125,000

She even got to go with Mommy to watch her cheerleaders perform. She was in heaven.

We even took a trip to the mall. I know these things are germy but they are her favorite. Mask and hand sanitizer... good enough I guess.

We even got some cuddling in while watching cartoons. LOVE this!

The weather has been a lifesaver!! They love being outside and so do I. Yay!

Yep, eating snacks under the bed together. At least they are together right?!

Oh and late night Bachelor parties... don't worry Taleah had the iPad in her room to watch. She felt left out until I let her stay up and watch Netflix while we watched Bachelor.

Making messes.... oh yes. That's what they do best. When we are home bound it's the best thing to pass the time!

Chemo is schduled again for this Saturday. We saw Dr. Marsden today and will get counts tomorrow. She was so excited to go and she even got to see nurse Heather. It was a good day!

Praying that she makes counts to continue chemo this weekend. Cross your fingers!!!