10-11-16

Drew is over halfway done with his radiation treatments, and is getting his 7th right now! I've been getting a lot of questions about how he's doing, so I guess I better keep you all informed. He is doing better than ever! He still has tons of energy, has not had any nausea or fatigue, and hasn't had any skin reactions as of yet either. Almost from the minute he's awake in the morning until they put him to sleep, and then when he wakes up until he goes to bed he is just a slingshot of boy running all over the place, enjoying life! Friday he had an appointment with Oncology to check on him during radiation, and they were all so happy with how well he looked. His lab work looked great too. He doesn't seem to mind coming over here to Rochester every morning, and looks forward to playing with Randy, the child life specialist, and going to the playroom after his treatments. He only napped once last week in the afternoon once we get home, we'll see how this week goes! But he's sleeping his 12 hour night, so I guess that's all we care about!

Each day we have been home shortly after noon, so it has been great to still have our afternoon routine of quiet time, then some play time, and a nice walk once dad gets home before supper and bed. This weekend we had a lot of fun going to Molly's school carnival in a park on Saturday, and going to a birthday party at the pumpkin patch on Sunday! It was a lovely weekend.

It's been a lovely fall, really. How much more we enjoy the time we have together. Things like going to the pumpkin patch--an annual event for most families, mean so much to us. Just like everyone else, tomorrow isn't guaranteed. Unlike most everyone else, that truth is very much on our minds as we go through each holiday, celebrate every birthday, begin each day. This perspective has come with a cost, a great cost, but I am so thankful we have it. We enjoy all the little gifts God gives us each day, and live with the hope and comfort that He is in control.

Things are going so well, thank God for answering our prayers so far! And also keep praying that all we have done and are doing through these radiation treatments deliver the final blow to this cancer. That we kill every last cancer cell and it never returns. Also keep praying for our friends that aren't in such a hopeful place. Little Ava is in the middle of more suffering, as are so many fighting cancer at too young an age.

Here's some pictures from our outings this weekend, and a sweet moment captured this week. Molly's been saying she wants a real baby to hold. We told her we have Drew, you can hold him! So she did. And they both loved it. :)

~Heidi