Busy, busy, headed back to chemo - July 30, 2014

Crazy Asa today!  Still going like the energizer bunny tonight.  He's been feeling so much better that he's not crashing at his normal time and is instead totally wired.  Mom and Dad would like him to crash.  Zzzzzz!  Still verging on walking, standing a lot and occasionally taking a half step alone.  Still growing hair.  Eating everything in sight and guzzling several bottles a day.  Weighed in at 22 lbs this morn.  My old shoulders are feeling it.

Tomorrow is chemo day.  We go inpatient for probably two nights, though last time it was one.  Please be in prayer that there is a room available, that we get in quickly, and that there are no bumps in the road.  Pray for no germs, good nurses, good floor docs, sleep.  We are all looking forward to seeing an end to this game.  Pray for good health here.  Today and next week are dental work messes for our crew.  Still have one recovering from wisdom teeth.  A lot going on at home.  Continued prayer for Caroline as she's still struggling.  We will likely see them inpatient and I will give her your greetings.

Thanks today for fruit, friend who came to the rescue of my sanity. Grateful that Asa is feeling good and really eating.  Please pray his appetite doesn't drop the next few weeks. Thanks to my kids who fill in for one another in shifting circumstances, illness, and job schedule shifts.  Pray for us as we add school to the top of it all.

Here and there with Asa - July 29, 2014

Wild day around the house and here and there and all over with Asa.  Asa has been venturing more and more to take a few steps by himself.  It's scary.  He has crawled and cruised for so long and then was set back by cancer, so he's just now starting to be strong enough or brave enough to stand independently and take a few brave steps.  We will take those milestones.  

Please pray as we approach chemo this week.  Asa has been a bit sniffly, not too concerning as he's always that way when he plays with the cat or is outside too long, but we want him to be germ and virus free.  We are assuming his counts are at least minimally improved as he's been very active and not bruising.  Please pray we can get in and out of the hospital this week quickly.  We are already so done with that place.  We love the people, but are ready for this segment of Asa's life to be over and return to some normalcy.  Pray for good nurses, good floor docs, good interactions. Pray that sanity stay intact at home and that we are out in time for child dedication Sunday.  Please pray for our friend, Caroline, who's feeling pretty ill with a virus and pneumonia as well.  I know her family would appreciate your prayers.  

Thanks today for happy giggling baby on spite of being drug everywhere.  Happy to see those brave steps and normal development.  Happy to toss Asa on my hip looking out and not have to worry about a tumor.  Glad for peach pie - we're Southern - we eat too much pie - at the end of the day.  It's stress relieving.  Thankful for  a fun visitor that my kids appreciated in all this lockdown.

Filling up on Froot Loops - July 28, 2014

Obviously while I was dealing with a recovering wisdom teeth patient, someone was having a great time with Asa and froot loops.  Nothing short of a zoo here sometimes.  We all tried to entertain Asa today while juggling other tasks with folks out of house or out of commission.  Abi tried to make a make-shift play yard, but Asa overrode that idea and became a gifted escape artist and the dogs decided his yard was a barrel of monkeys.  Never a dull moment.

Seeing as it is chemo week, Asa's appetite is improving.  He's been eating and guzzling bottles the past few days. Hate to give him chemo again and watch his taste buds take a nosedive yet once more, but it's the last one.  We will be very glad when this process is over.  Please pray for no germs, good counts, and smooth sailing later this week.  It's a full week all around with appointments and just normal activities.  Pray for endurance to the end of the week and that we might get preparatory work done before school starts.

Thanks today for snitching toddler who actually wants food.  Grateful, so grateful he is eating and that he loves the bathtub.  Thankful for my helpers today who picked up extra so I could deal with down kiddo.  Thankful for Popsicles, pie, and yogurt.

Sunday with Asa - July 27, 2014

Breakfast with Asa and Daddy today, then fun afternoon of games, play, watching Frozen, nap, followed by time in the kiddie pool.  Asa can't be in the sun as a chemo patient, so it's a real treat now with a port to get in even a kiddie pool.  He liked it and the hose.  Wrapped it up with spaghetti, pie made just for him by Avi, a quick bath and off to bed.  Exciting toddler life.

Please be in prayer that we stay germ free.  We have a lot on our plate this week with a kid working camp, wisdom teeth out for another, and chemo.  A lot of coming and going.  Pray that we coordinate with the least amount of stress possible.  It seems just from observation that Asa's counts and platelets are recovering.  He's not bruising easily.  He's been a little grumpy, but overall seems well.  Pray that he sleeps.  He's been a bit restless at night.  Pray that inpatient goes smoothly this week, that God would put us as usual at the right place at the right time.  We would like to be out of the funny farm by Saturday as child dedication is Sunday morning at church.  

Thanks today for hash browns and peach pie, time with baby in lap.  Grateful for playing games with kids.  I tied. :). Thankful for cool evening with no mosquitoes and baby ready for bed.

Happy Asa - July 26, 2014

Asa's such a funny, laid back kid, for which we are grateful.  He's loud and opinionated, with enough fight to keep him going like the Energizer bunny, but mostly is just content in his crazy world of siblings, barking dogs, emptying bins and cabinets, and singing loudly or yelling no-no-no while laughing, refusing to say much else.  Except for the bald fuzz head and has a port, you sure wouldn't know he was a cancer kid.

Next week marks final inpatient chemo week.  Please pray as we get ready for that, that Asa's counts would be back up and that the hospital would have room, and that all will be easy, peaceful, and boring at home, that we get out quickly and reasonably.  While you pray, we would love great floor docs and nurses, too.  Please pray for our friend. Caroline, especially.  She's been so sick all week with virus.  Pray for her parents, too.  They've been on such a long journey compared to ours.  

Thanks today for a run on bean freeze with a car full of crazy kids just for the fun of it.  Grateful for smiles, soup, too much bread, fun movie.  There's always too much to do, but sometimes you just gotta let it go and enjoy silly giggling and Nutella for second breakfast.

SuperAsa's after chemo non-events - July 25, 2014

Asa did well today in spite of low counts and it being a day after chemo day where he's typically grumpy.  I think the blood yesterday helped.  He was very busy and pretty content in his little world of so many bigger people who love him.  He said the word "balloon" today and barks at the dogs and tries to join their horseplay.  Wish we could take him out in the sun to play in the kiddie pool.  No sun with chemo and with low counts and low platelets, that's sadly a poor idea.

Please do pray we stay germ free. We've been out a bit, but only for necessary stuff.  I know it's so dull for the kids to not get to go to activities, but praying that all comes to an end here in 3-4 weeks.  Some normalcy other than household maintenance would be gloriously wonderful!  Pray that Asa's hearing stays intact so he keeps learning words.  

Thanks today for SuperAsa!  The cape is great!  Hysterical!  Along the lines of the ninja cancer fighting hat!  Great fun!  Thanks for completed paperwork, taking care of dull but necessary stuff for house and school.  Thankful for God's provision for things we need when we are too tired to worry much about them.  Grateful for quiet weekends.

To clinic. Forever. And ever. And ever. - July 24, 2014

Falling in bed and done, so done today.  It was entertaining today, not quite so much as the day the sunroof got stuck open, but entertaining.  Should have known it when it broke into a total drenching, bucket-emptying downpour as we were walking out the front door. We started wet in spite of umbrellas and raincoats. Then we got to clinic and saw our docs and the day moved to the speed of molasses thereafter.  If this was paid healthcare, government-directed is unfathomable.  We waited four hours I think for them to drag someone off the street and squeeze them drop by drop to get blood.  I shouldn't be so sacrilegious about blood graciously donated, I'm sure, but sometimes it's very baffling why we wait so long.  Then it took about 3 hours for the transfusion itself. We were in clinic for 8 full hours today, most of which was spent tortured in front of a tv tuned to the nick channel.  So overjoyed to come home and fall in bed, but Asa is totally wired and full of lots of blood and won't go to sleep.

We also got chemo today, but that was a minor affair comparatively.  Asa's platelets are a bit low and we would like prayer for that.  They didn't give him any, but we are trying to keep a toddler from constantly falling and it's a challenge and he bruises easily.  His other blood counts are very low right now, too, so we are on tight lockdown, which is no fun.  We were hoping they were headed up, but not so yet.  Hopefully they will be up enough for inpatient chemo next week, our final inpatient chemo. Please pray for Asa's hearing, too.  We have one more round of the culprit chemo next week before hearing tests again.  They have arranged for a more thorough testing of what's really going on.  Asa is talking a bit, so we know he's hearing for now, grasping a few new words, but upper ranges go first.

Thanks today for finally escaping the nut house, for kind people who entertain kids at TCH, so their parents retain sanity. Thankful for good docs and nurses who know our kid.  I don't know how they do what they do day in day out.  Happy that Asa is content with goldfish and cups of ice.