Pictures during and after steroids.....wow....can you tell the difference?!?

Eli's Team Team in Training Page website is.......

www.active.com/donate/tntsc/elisteam

Please go and give lots and lots of money!!!!! I just put it together, so as I have more time I will try to "fancy it up" a bit. As I said before, many of you will also get letters from me. I have had about 10 people so far interested in walking....it should be lots of fun!!! Let me know if you want to walk it too..

Todays counts:

ANC 250 (Normal 2000-6000+)

Hemoglobin 9.9 (Normal 11.0-15.0)

Platelets 130 (Normal 140-440)

So our counts have gone WAY down and will continue to. We will probably be homebound now until delayed intensification is over....but then we get to go to Long Term Maint!!!!! The thing I am most bummed about is the platelet counts. When this number plummets I get very nervous about head injuries. With three boys I get lots of bumps and bruises, and without platelets those things become a real problem.

Our clinic visit today was a bit of a nightmare. Eli again couldn't eat or drink due to having an LP (Lumbar Puncture) and they had some confusion with the chemo, then the anestesiologist. So we didn't get started until close to 1pm. We were there at 8am and hungry and thirsty when we walked in the door, so you can imagine how we were at 1!!! I have to say, though, that I am always in awe of how well Eli handles all of this. He really didn't fuss, just played and watched TV. I think I was fussier than he was!!LOL

John is taking this week off, so he took Sam and Jacob with him and they did some fun stuff. I think they are planning to go to the beach tomorrow. I am glad as this will give the boys a last good week before school starts.

Jacob's eighth birthday was on Saturday. I never thought I would be old enough to have an eight year old son.....wow. We went to the Battery Soccer game for a party and he had lots of fun. Little bittersweet for me because Eli was home with a babysitter and it was the first time that our entire family wasn't together for an event like this. I get so mad when I see other kids and I know that he should be able to be having all of that fun, too. I know it will come soon enough, and luckily he doesn't realize what he is missing, but it is still frustrating for me, the mom.

Eli quote of the week: When we were in the hospital, Eli and I were walking the halls because the playroom had closed. I was walking with his IV pole. (Which had a short line) Eli turns around to me and says "Quit following me! You're making me nervous!"....I thought I was going to die laughing. One of the nurses heard him and told me that I really needed to write it down, so here it is.....Hope it made ya'll smile as well.

Thanks for the prayers and for checking in.

Maria

I am sooooo thankful that I have such wonderful and giving friends.