Merry Christmas!

We wish a very happy Christmas to all our friends and family, near and far! This year has been wonderful and challenging and we are so thankful for the prayers and support (physical & emotional) we have. We don't always get the chance to respond to the e mails, phone calls, letters, etc., but please know how much we appreciate them!

Here's to a joyous holiday for everyone and healthy, happy new year!

All Is Well

We're still a family of 4, but expecting this baby any day now. Matt got a fortune cookie the other night that said:

A short stranger will soon enter your life with blessings to share.

We are still waiting.

Mollie is now officially on winter break. Saturday, she and I went to see the Nutcracker at USC Aiken. She had a great time and was pleased to get a lot of comments about how cute her outfit was (she picked it out). The camera is already packed in the car ready for the hospital trip.... I guess I'll have to pull it out and post a picture! We were going to grab a bite to eat and then head home, but decided to go see the Christmas lights in Hopelands Gardens. We had attempted to do this last weekend, but they were closed due to inclement weather so we decided to take advantage of the clear (but cold) night. Matt and Lucy met us for dinner and light-viewing. We also ran in to some friends we hadn't seen in a while... so it was a good visit.

Mollie and Lucy are both feeling good, full of Christmas spirit, and enjoying having grandpa here visiting. We baked cookies last night and plan to decorate them today.

A Better (& Busy) Day

Today was a much better day! Grandpa Charlie is here helping out, Matt's back felt pretty good, I felt good, and the kids were happy and excited for Christmas events at school. Lucy had a little Christmas party at her preschool and Mollie had a holiday program and party in her class. It was great fun! Mollie had memorized her lines for the "ABCs of Christmas" performance and she did a great job!

This afternoon, Mollie's Daisy scout troop had their Christmas party. Mollie had an absolute blast and did not want to leave. It was great to see her feeling so good, jumping on the trampoline, playing with the other kids, and fully enjoying herself.

What's Up?

The last few days have been difficult for several reasons. The good news is that Mollie and Lucy are fine. Mollie stayed home from school yesterday because she woke up looking somewhat ill and saying she didn't feel well. I didn't feel well either (lots of GI difficulties) and Matt's back was bothering him. So, I left the girls at home with him while I went to my doctor's appointment.

I couldn't stop throwing up at my appointment so my doc sent me over to the hospital (L&D) for some IV hydration and anti-nausea medication. We figured I would be there a few hours and then get discharged. But, when I finally started to feel better, the baby's heart rate decided to climb and they admitted me overnight for monitoring. I was having a lot of contractions and indications that I might be in labor, so Matt dropped the girls off at a neighbor's (thanks Michelle!!) and came down to MCG. His back was bothering him so much, and I didn't seem to be in active labor, so he ended up coming home. I got released this morning (the heartrate thing was probably due to the nausea medication) and feel much better (although, I suspect this baby will be born sooner rather than later). However, Matt's back is feeling much, much worse, he is also throwing up, and can barely stand to be out of bed. Mollie threw up this morning too, but we chalked it up to her big dose of chemo (she gets methotrexate and 6MP on Tuesday nights) because she seemed to feel fine. So, I ended up taking her in to school after I got home. I am concerned that she will get this nasty GI illness. And then tonight we noticed some redness/rash on her bottom. We'll have to keep on top of that and make sure it doesn't get worse. I may end up taking her in to clinic if it doesn't look better by tomorrow.

So, in a nutshell, we are overwhelmed. It's stressful. Obviously. We are looking forward to Grandpa Charlie's arrival. It will be a big relief to not have to worry about the kids if we have to take off for the hospital in a moment's notice.

And, oh yeah, Christmas is next week. Sometimes it feels like we just can't catch a break!

In the Christmas Mood

We had a quiet, productive weekend. We all had a nice time at the radiothon- we saw lots of friends from MCG, the girls got to play on the new indoor playground, and there were unlimited snacks. Mollie and Lucy were in their element!

Yesterday, we picked out our Christmas tree. It was not the highlight of Mollie's day- it was cold and she was on day 5 of steroids. But, coming home and decorating the tree while Lucy took a nap was a fun activity for Mollie. She did a beautiful job and I know she enjoyed it. We spent the evening in, watching holiday movies and drinking hot chocolate!

This morning, Mollie spent around 3 hours working on a book. Her friend Wes gave her a "make your own book kit" and Mollie made a book called "The Bear Who Loved Hot Chocolate." We still have to add the text, but she did all the pictures.

Steroid update and Radiothon

Mollie has been handling this round of steroids pretty well. I've picked her up early from school every day and that seems to be working. She's not quite as exhausted and grouchy as usual for steroid week. Maybe it's all the excitement about Christmas. Whatever it is, I'll take it.

It's that time of year again. Yes, the Cares for Kids Radiothon! The radiothon raises money to directly benefit MCG Children's Medical Center. We will be participating this afternoon, 4-7 pm. I believe that's when the wagons and toys from "Wagons of Wishes" will be ceremoniously presented to the hospital. It should be a good time.

If you're local, I encourage you to listen to 104.3 WBBQ. The stories of families who have had to use Children's Medical Center are amazing. No parent expects that their child will need the services of the CMC, but so many children do. The CMC needs a lot of specialized equipment and programs just for kids, because kids are not just small adults.

If you wish to make a donation, you can do so through MCG or by calling (866) 412-KIDS (5437).

We're looking forward to the last day of steroids this month (tomorrow). Mollie is very excited to put up the Christmas tree this weekend!

Clinic Update

We are home! Today was a long clinic day because Mollie had spinal methotrexate. It wasn't too bad- we got the paperwork to head over to pre-op at 11:30. Mollie had been fasting since last night so she was not too happy about any of it, but she did a great job and didn't complain very much. She ended up falling asleep in clinic. All of her counts are good (ANC 1800) so we aren't "scheduled" to go back until 4 weeks from today (coinciding almost exactly with the baby's due date).

We met Zackary and his mom for pizza afterwards and Mollie ate a lot! I just gave her the first dose of steroids; now, I'm going to try to lay down and rest for a minute. These long days at the hospital take a lot of energy!!