Clinic Update

Mollie had a clinic visit today. Liam had his 2 month appointment today too.

Can I just tell you how sick & tired I am of clinic waiting rooms?

Mollie got her 2nd H1N1 shot and they measured her blood cell counts. Her chemo dose was increased last visit because her height had increased, so we had this mid-cycle visit to check counts to see how she is tolerating the higher dose. Her ANC is 1600- perfect. All her other cells are in the normal range, so her next appointment for IV chemo is in 2 weeks. And... this brave kiddo took the shot like a champ!

Weekend Round-Up

We went to the horse races (the Aiken Trials) on Saturday in Aiken, SC. We had never done it before and it was fun! The weather was just a bit cold, but we only caught a few minutes of rain. The girls made their picks as the horses were paraded around the paddock before each race and they enjoyed watching the jockeys in their colorful silk jerseys mount up just before they went off to the gates. We brought snacks and drinks and tailgated during the down time.

Today was Mollie's birthday party revisited. Since Bella was sick last weekend, we had her over for another tea party today. She and Mollie played all day long and Mollie went out to dinner with Bella's family tonight. It struck me how much both Mollie and Bella have matured since they first became friends. Today they were both perfect little ladies, no whining or bickering from either one!

My big triumph was managing to get a few pictures of all 3 of my children at the same time. Next challenge: the whole family.

Off to the doctor again...

but not with Mollie! Liam has a persistent cough that I couldn't ignore any longer, especially since he hasn't had any immunizations yet. So we went for a visit to Dr. B. The result? Antibiotics for Liam and another appointment next week. Oh, and many comments on how big he is: 15 lbs at 2 months!

The kids' pediatrician is the best! Dr. B is about 4 ft tall (perfect pediatrician height!) and very relaxed. She puts us at ease even when discussing serious issues. I give her so much credit for sending us to the ER that day Mollie was sick back in June 2008. That began the chain of events that ultimately ended with Mollie's leukemia diagnosis. Boy, we are going to miss her when we move!

Spring has sprung

Not much to update since Saturday...

The weather was fabulous on Mollie's birthday and it's even better today. We are all excited to get to spend some time outside before things heat up too much!

Mollie is feeling well and has regained her energy now that the steroids are over. We went to the art museum yesterday and she was running all over the place! She enjoyed having uncle Sam and auntie Liv here for the weekend.

Tomorrow is the big day for Frank- he's shaving his head in honor of Mollie. He has raised nearly $7000! Wow!

While I was writing this post, Mollie came home from school to find a package in the mail from France. Inside? A beautiful quilt from Quilts 4 Leukemia! She loves it:

It's hard to believe....

Mollie turned 6 today!

Here are a few words that describe her:

Magical
Original
Loving
Loyal
Imaginative
Elegant

She had a lovely fairy party with her friend Hannah; we really missed Bella who is sick. They did fairy crafts, hunted for fairy treasure, and then had a tea party. We followed it up with a beautiful & delicious flower fairy cake (thanks Momo!). Soon, we're headed out to celebrate some more with Liv & Sam!

Mollie, we love you so, so much!

Almost There...

Mollie is doing pretty well with the steroids (and I am too!). Food is the big issue this week-- she's not eating anything except bagels and cream cheese! She is also very tired, but I guess she got most of her aggression out after her spinal because she has been in a great mood. She has been creating gifts for all of her friends and her mouth is going a mile a minute making up poems and telling me all about fairies.

We also got this update from Frank, who is shaving his head for St. Baldricks (click here for his page):

"This could be our BEST year ever ... At the end of the day people step up and prove just how beautiful they are."

He has already raised $5,515, surpassing his goal by over $500! Go Frank!

Best part of the week so far.... Mollie gave me a prize for winning the cookie contest(?) and making the best cookies in the world (they were cherry chocolate chip)! Should I advertise them as my "award-winning" cookies?

Altitude is Everything

Back in college I had a swim team T-shirt that said, "Attitude is everything" on the back. It was written in a funky script that made it look like "altitude" and Matt used to tease me about it every time I wore that shirt. Attitude is really so important and thank you everybody for reminding me of that and providing some encouragement.

Today, day 2 of steroids, was not too shabby. Mollie went to school for the entire day; she seemed pleasant and happy when she got home - she spent most of the evening writing letters to everyone in our family. But she had large dark circles under her eyes and went to bed 45 minutes earlier than usual. Guess I'll just wait until morning to determine whether she goes to school tomorrow. If she does, I will pick her up early because I don't want her to get too worn out.