Nate and I BOTH have mixed feelings about this phase of Sarah's treatment. On one hand we are excited that this is her LAST of the intense treatments, (going to the hospital multiple times a week and sometimes everyday) and on the other hand we are being pushed to our limits; physically and emotionally. This past week has been super taxing as Gus is breaking in two year old molars and caught croup. He has been SUPER CRANKY :( Which means I don't get things like unpacking done.
Just as I was beginning to see a silver lining, it was time for Sarah's appointment on Thursday. She got the ok to proceed into this phase, and got her back poke with chemo. as well as chemo. given through her port. This also means she is on steroids this week (meaning major mood swings/meltdowns) until next Wednesday. It is going to be a draining week for sure, as today was the first full-day she has been on them and we had lots of whining and crying. Come to our house if you would like to hear a harmony of crying and whining starring Sarah and Gus.
With this second delayed intensification, comes her cranial radiation treatments too. We meet with the radiation specialist on the 9th of July and she is set to start treatments on the 30th of July if her counts are high enough to proceed. This has been causing me some major anxiety, I will feel better after meeting with the radiation specialist and he can explain things more to us. The cranial radiation has the capacity to delay brain development in someone so young, so earlier this week we had an appointment to get a baseline on her neurophysch. functions. Her results will take a couple weeks to get back.
We are EVER grateful to those who bring us yummy meals and babysit the other kids so we can take Sarah here and there. We are very humbled by the help we continue to receive, THANK YOU!!
Jessica
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Busy week for a Princess Party
This week was busy. I am sitting down to write this just after Jess and I got back from Home Depot with a couple of new rugs for the main living areas of the home. The family room has white carpet and the front room has wood, so we figured we need something to protect both of them. The rugs look nice and will be a nice accent to the home. Jess loves the rug that is going in the family room.
The girls have both been acting up more. We figure it is them getting used to a new place. We hope they get settled quickly.
Jess called me a few minutes after I got to work on Thursday. She told me she was in ditch and she needed a tow truck. She said everything was fine but she was worried that the car was going to tip. I called the tow truck and asked if she needed me to come. She said she was going to be all right. The tow truck came and pulled her out. Luckily there wasn't much damage to the car. The ditch wasn't all that big but looked like it high-centered the car from the marks on the ground. We are grateful nothing major happened.
Sarah's appointment went well. Her numbers were high enough and she got her last dose of methotrexate. She has a checkup on Monday to see her levels but has the week off from any medications. She hopefully will start the last intensive round the following week.
Tuesday was the fun day for the kids. As you may know, Sarah's wish got sponsored by Wells Fargo Advisors of Bellevue. They wanted to throw a party for Sarah and it was scheduled for Tuesday. About a week and a half ago, we got scrolls in the mail, inviting them to a tea party. The girls were excited.
We arrived at their office and led Lilly and Sarah off to the cottage where they got dressed up as Princesses. A carriage (it was a customer built wagon, awesome) and horse (someone dressed up as a horse) awaited them after they were dressed and ready.
They set off on their adventure. They had a few stations where they play games like making their own crowns, a matching game, and pop the balloons. The girls had a lot of fun.
They were then sent on a treasure hunt with clues to get to the castle. A prince came and they had to help him slay a dragon (the boss of the office was dressed up as the dragon). The tea party had a bunch of snacks and juice. They were given a treasure chest with prizes. They had lots of fun. The people who put it on for them did an awesome job. We are so grateful for them.
Thanks for all the love and support we receive. We are very grateful for it.
The girls have both been acting up more. We figure it is them getting used to a new place. We hope they get settled quickly.
Jess called me a few minutes after I got to work on Thursday. She told me she was in ditch and she needed a tow truck. She said everything was fine but she was worried that the car was going to tip. I called the tow truck and asked if she needed me to come. She said she was going to be all right. The tow truck came and pulled her out. Luckily there wasn't much damage to the car. The ditch wasn't all that big but looked like it high-centered the car from the marks on the ground. We are grateful nothing major happened.
Sarah's appointment went well. Her numbers were high enough and she got her last dose of methotrexate. She has a checkup on Monday to see her levels but has the week off from any medications. She hopefully will start the last intensive round the following week.
Tuesday was the fun day for the kids. As you may know, Sarah's wish got sponsored by Wells Fargo Advisors of Bellevue. They wanted to throw a party for Sarah and it was scheduled for Tuesday. About a week and a half ago, we got scrolls in the mail, inviting them to a tea party. The girls were excited.
We arrived at their office and led Lilly and Sarah off to the cottage where they got dressed up as Princesses. A carriage (it was a customer built wagon, awesome) and horse (someone dressed up as a horse) awaited them after they were dressed and ready.
 |
| The Carriage |
 |
| The girls ready for adventure |
They set off on their adventure. They had a few stations where they play games like making their own crowns, a matching game, and pop the balloons. The girls had a lot of fun.
 |
| Sarah with her wand |
 |
| Lilly in the Carriage |
 |
| Making her crown |
 |
| Making her crown with the Blackham tongue |
They were then sent on a treasure hunt with clues to get to the castle. A prince came and they had to help him slay a dragon (the boss of the office was dressed up as the dragon). The tea party had a bunch of snacks and juice. They were given a treasure chest with prizes. They had lots of fun. The people who put it on for them did an awesome job. We are so grateful for them.
Thanks for all the love and support we receive. We are very grateful for it.
Monday, June 11, 2012
In a New House
What a crazy weekend. We moved into our new house on Friday and Saturday. It is a rental but has a backyard that the kids love. Gus and the girls spent 20 minutes or so in the yard today. It was fun to see them out playing. We have some balls on order to have some more things to play with back there. We also used the grill for dinner tonight. It is nice to have the outdoor space.
The move went well. We are so grateful for my mother and sister who worked hard all last week. They had about 3/4's of the house packed up by Friday morning. The movers showed up right on time and worked hard. They packed up the rest of the house and even made one load on Friday. They made a second load on Saturday after getting all the final things out of the house. I am glad I didn't have to move the boxes myself. My uncle Russ and aunt Judy also came to help on Friday and Saturday. Thanks to them and my mother, the house was functional on Saturday evening. The kitchen was mostly unpacked and beds were made. We are grateful for them.
We had stake conference today. We made it just over halfway before Sarah had a breakdown. We think she is fighting something but it might be the stress of the move. The girls like their new room, but the new house will take getting used to. It is change and everyone handles it differently.
Sarah has an appointment on Monday. It is her final dose of methotrexate before we start the last 2 month round. We can see a faint light at the end of the tunnel, but have become accustom to the weekly trips to the clinic. It will be interesting to see how life pans out in the Fall. For now we just take it a day or a week at a time.
We are grateful for all the prayers and love. It is amazing to feel all the love and prayers for you. Thank you so much.
The move went well. We are so grateful for my mother and sister who worked hard all last week. They had about 3/4's of the house packed up by Friday morning. The movers showed up right on time and worked hard. They packed up the rest of the house and even made one load on Friday. They made a second load on Saturday after getting all the final things out of the house. I am glad I didn't have to move the boxes myself. My uncle Russ and aunt Judy also came to help on Friday and Saturday. Thanks to them and my mother, the house was functional on Saturday evening. The kitchen was mostly unpacked and beds were made. We are grateful for them.
We had stake conference today. We made it just over halfway before Sarah had a breakdown. We think she is fighting something but it might be the stress of the move. The girls like their new room, but the new house will take getting used to. It is change and everyone handles it differently.
Sarah has an appointment on Monday. It is her final dose of methotrexate before we start the last 2 month round. We can see a faint light at the end of the tunnel, but have become accustom to the weekly trips to the clinic. It will be interesting to see how life pans out in the Fall. For now we just take it a day or a week at a time.
We are grateful for all the prayers and love. It is amazing to feel all the love and prayers for you. Thank you so much.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Wed. June 6, 2012
We have been busy and haven't been good about putting up posts. A couple of important things have been going on though.
Sarah's appointment was surprising on Friday. Her ANC was 726. We thought that meant that we would have to come back in the next couple of days to get the methotrexate. To our surprise, we didn't have to. They just skipped the dose. They said that now they know the dose that will keep Sarah from going too low. It has meant that Sarah has had a good week too. She needs to gain weight though. She has lost about 10 pounds from when we started. The doctor was starting to get concerned. If she loses too much, they have to put in a NG tube to feed her. It is something we hope to avoid.
The other important thing is that we have had Grandma Pheobe and Tonya at our house since Saturday. Grandma has been a champ at packing up the house. She is almost half way. It is going to make the packers job easy on Friday. Tonya has been helping by getting the shredding done that is piled up. We are grateful for their help in getting things done.
We are also grateful for the continued support from our ward. They have been a great support. Thanks so much.
Sarah's appointment was surprising on Friday. Her ANC was 726. We thought that meant that we would have to come back in the next couple of days to get the methotrexate. To our surprise, we didn't have to. They just skipped the dose. They said that now they know the dose that will keep Sarah from going too low. It has meant that Sarah has had a good week too. She needs to gain weight though. She has lost about 10 pounds from when we started. The doctor was starting to get concerned. If she loses too much, they have to put in a NG tube to feed her. It is something we hope to avoid.
The other important thing is that we have had Grandma Pheobe and Tonya at our house since Saturday. Grandma has been a champ at packing up the house. She is almost half way. It is going to make the packers job easy on Friday. Tonya has been helping by getting the shredding done that is piled up. We are grateful for their help in getting things done.
We are also grateful for the continued support from our ward. They have been a great support. Thanks so much.
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