This weekend we had so much fun! Daniel Island had a Christmas Festival and we went to listen to Jacob play the taiko drums....the group was great, and we really enjoyed ourselves.

We went to clinic on Thursday because Eli had his first dentist appt on Fri and we wanted to be sure that his numbers were good...his numbers were great, (ANC 2940, Platelets 297 Hgb 12.1) so we went on Friday to the dentist. We got a script for Amoxicillin for just one dose to give to him before the appt. He was such a big boy!! The dentist said everything looks great, which is such a relief. Between the antibiotics he has been on and the chemo he is on, there can be some significant issues with dental stuff. Hopefully we will be able to avoid those side effects....

The oncology clinic moved to the 6th floor of Rutledge Tower....it is so roomy and nice. The rooms are smaller, but there is more a sense of privacy in the infusion room(s). I am glad that this has happened so our kids can be more comfortable when they are getting treatment.

John and I got to go to see Darius Rucker in concert on Friday night and it was great. He has such an amazing voice, I think I would like him singing anything.

Just wanted to share something with you. I got this off of someone else's caringbridge site and I thought it was amazing.....

The Strength of an Egg
Parents of children with cancer, or really any serious condition, are often referred to or viewed as having strength "like a rock." Albeit flattering, it isn't quite true. It is more like the strength of an egg. An egg, you ask? Yes, an egg. If you think about an egg, you will see the point I make.
An egg has a polished smooth outer appearance with no cracks or weak spots visible. It seems almost inconceivable that the inside might not be as smooth and solid as the outside. Most children, at some point in their lifetime, are shown the famous egg trick. An egg set at just the right angle can withstand enormous amounts of pressure and cannot be cracked or broken. Yet that same egg, tapped gently at an even slightly different angle will break. The contents, once so neatly concealed inside, will come spilling out, and the no longer perfect shell will be crushed. Then the shell looks so fragile that it seems inconceivable that it ever held any strength.
That is where parents of children with cancer are more like eggs than rocks. A rock is solid all the way through. If you tried to break a rock, it would be almost impossible. If successful, one would find that there was nothing inside but more rock. It takes a lot more than pure hardness to hold the hand of hope. These parents are not solid all the way through. They hurt, they fear, they cry, they hope. It takes a very careful balancing act to keep the shell from being shattered.
Balancing an egg while running a household, going for doctor visits and hospital stays, keeping the family together, and holding on to the constantly unraveling ties of your sanity can be very tricky indeed. Occasionally, the angle will be off and the shell will break, shattering hope and the neatly secured appearances of a truly fragile existence. Unlike Humpty Dumpty, though, parents of kids with cancer will pick themselves up and put themselves back together again.
by Juliet Freita

This is soooo true, and really answers the "you are so strong" comment. I don't feel so strong, just have to be....I feel any other mother would be doing and acting the same exact way as me if put into this situation. I rely heavily on my friends and family for daily support and prayers. And I recognize daily how lucky and blessed that we are having ALL....and I thank God for that with every breath.

Anyway, I guess I haven't gotten sappy for such a long time I felt it was time. The holidays really get me thinking, and I think this will be the case for the rest of my life. I remember 2 years ago as we noticed Eli wasn't himself, going to the doctor, Eli limping and being sooo irritable...John and I trying to figure out what was happening to him. Finally, New Years 2006 party when I really had the strong sense that something was VERY wrong with him..actually saying the word "leukemia" to my friends for the first time...but that couldn't be it, not my HEALTHY boy....then the diagnosis. Christmas and the New Year will forever bring a certain feeling of anxiousness in my that I can't quite shake.....hopefully over time it will lessen, but I am quite sure this will not go away.

That is my 10 cents for today. Please pray for us on Thursday. We go in for monthly chemo and are getting our pentamadine by inhaler as opposed to iv...hopefully this will work better. The iv has been fine, but it takes a long time and apparently isn't as effective as the inhaler. so we will try it....

Thanks for checking in...

Maria

I am thankful for a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas season....NO hospitalizations in 2008!!!!