Back to School - Again

Today was Alex's first day back at school without me "hovering" over him. He told me on the way there "Mommy, I love school" - it was great!

When we got to the class, he didn't even look back - just dove right in, and had a good time. He's back to his old self - which is bittersweet, since I know that once he starts his next round of Chemo, his energy will diminish, and my bundle of energy will be subdued for a while again.

I do know that it's just temporary - that the child I am seeing this week is his true self, and I am cherishing each of these moments as they come on this long journey.

A Good Weekend

Alex really enjoyed playing with his friends this weekend, and singing Happy Birthday. Birthday Parties really have a way of reminding you of the simple joys of childhood. Playing with friends, watching them open presents, eating cake and ice cream...so fun!

We only had to take the Septra medicine this weekend - he has a free week while we wait for his ANC (Absolute Neutrophil Count - the White Blood Cells that fight bacterial infection) to rise. Hopefully Friday we will be able to start the next round.

We have started giving Alex Zofran more frequently - as his GI tract is in chaos from the chemo - nausea and loose bowels are common right now - which is really frustrating for Alex since he has been completely potty trained for months now, and he really hates having accidents. We have to remind him to tell us if he had an accident. It's OK if he has one, we just need to know so we can clean him up as quickly as possible.

The other day, Eric was praising Tessa-Lynn for the horrible smell assaulting our noses. Daddy was so proud that his daughter could make such a horrendous stench (go figure...) I went to change her diaper, and it was clean - I then went into sleuth mode, and found the offending odor on the floor in the upstairs bathroom. Alex had tried to go himself, and while standing, should have been sitting (enough said...)

Tessa-Lynn, not wanting to be outdone by her older brother then decided to spit up all over me. All Eric and I could do was gag, and then laugh - it was one of those weekends!

Make A Wish

Wow - Alex, Eric, Tessa-Lynn and I are all going to Disney World! We don't have dates yet, since we have to schedule his trip with his doctors - we are thinking it will be sometime in November - not sure yet - but it will be fun!

It is a 6 day trip - and we will most likely be staying at Give Kids the World right next door to Disney World. As a Make a Wish child, Alex (and family) will move to the front of every line, so we'll get to do so much! He's excited about the trip, and so are we. As I get more details, I'll let you know.

If you have ever debated on which charity to send your money - Make A Wish foundation is FANTASTIC - although, I hope NONE of our family and friends ever have the opportunity to qualify for it...

Nausea

The Chemo he received last week is starting to affect his GI tract. Without going into much detail, he threw up a few times yesterday, and couldn't make it to the bathroom in time a few times too... it's a normal part of the process, and we have anti-nausea medicine we are giving him at times. No fever, and he's got energy today...so, we'll run some errands today to pass the time until the Make A Wish people arrive at 3:30 today to interview Alex for his wish...amazing!

Our neighbor, Rose dropped off some food for us last night - we have just been surrounded by generosity and concern over our son and our family - I can't begin to thank all of you enough!

Arg!

Murphy's Law hits again. I was all prepared for a long day at the clinic so Alex could start his next Chemo - guess what? His ANC is down to 300 - so, no new Chemo until his count gets to at least 750.

So, we left the clinic much earlier than expected, and headed for home. We decided to swing by his school, since there was still an hour left in class, and he wanted to see his friends. He was really shy and wanted to be held the whole time, but he went - and that is what matters.

We will try his next Chemo on 1/30 - so hopefully he can go to school both on Tuesday and Thursday next week.

So, we are back at home now, getting ready for nap time...