Happy 1st Birthday Emma!

Emma turned 1 years old today! Wow! This year just flew by! Our family has so much to celebrate today. God blessed us with such an amazing girl who has taught us many lessons throughout the year.

Emma has been doing great this month. She had an outpatient spinal tap, bone marrow, and chemotherapy treatment last tuesday. She was such a big girl and did beautifully. After her procedures, she had a kidney function test. The test came back good. We haven't received the bone marrow test results, but are confident they are good. She will receive more outpatient chemo tomorrow morning.

We started out the morning with pancakes for the birthday girl. She didn't eat any, but had fun tearing them up and making a big mess : ) Jonathan had a CT scan today on his abdomen for some discomfort he has been having. We are not sure if his kidney stones are causing the problem or something else. The doctor thinks it is partially stress. We hope to get the results tomorrow. After his test we got some chick-fil-a and then the family took Emma to the zoo. She had a great time and got to see lots of cool animals : ) We then came back and I made enchiladas and homeade guacamole. It was really yummy and we had a good time!

Please pray for:

Chemo tomorrow(no side effects)

No infections

Continued remission

Jonny's health

Home Early!

Well, our little girl has done an awesome job again! Her counts recovered so fast and she has been feeling so good, the dr. let her go home yesterday. Just 11 days after being admitted! We were so surprised and excited since we were expecting to be there for 3-4 weeks! God answered all of our prayers and so much more! Emma didn't seem to have any side effects(other than a little nauseau) and is developing perfectly. Here appetite has recovered too.

We got to come home yesterday evening and sleep in our own bed. She had a little bit of nausea last night, but seemed to be feeling great today. She had a busy day of visiting her grandparents and playing. We are not sure what her counts are, so we are keeping her away from the general public. Jonathan and I have discussed not going out much this winter so we can stay healthy and keep all the flu germs away from Emma.

Not much else going on here. I am trying to figure out a good time to have her birthday party and I really hope it works out. Thank you everyone for your prayers...please keep them coming!

Crawling!

Emma has a had a great week here at the hospital. She is able to get unhooked from fluids from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. everyday which makes a lot easier to play and have fun! She has now mastered crawling and is always wanting to move! If she's not sleeping, she is trying to go somewhere. Her being mobile is a bit challenging at the hospital because the floors are so stinking dirty : ( They have provided us with mats for the floor which makes it easier. She also pulled up to her feet and is able to walk around the crib holding on. She thinks she is pretty big stuff : )

Her first birthday is just around the corner and I have a lot of planning to do. Jonny and I decided that we want to throw a big bash when her counts have recovered. We are setting the tentative date of October 4th, but if her counts aren't up we will have to push it back. We have so much to celebrate! She even got a pink car which can be pushed like a stroller. We gave it to her early so she could use it here. We go on about 3-4 walks a day in her cool car.

This hospital stay has been extremely difficult for me. I am getting very bored and restless. Emma isn't sleeping well, which means mommy and daddy aren't sleeping well. When she first arrived here, they did meds and vitals at midnight which woke her up. Then she decided that since she was up she might as well play : ) Now, she wakes up at midnight, even though she's not getting meds, and wants to play. When we finally get her to sleep, it is 2 a.m. or after. Poor little girl is just so out of sorts from all of this. We will be ready to get home.

Her counts are very low right now, so we are being extra careful. She got a blood transfusion last night, and I think her platelets are low so she will probably get a platelet transfusion soon. Even though she is low on everything, she still has a lot of spunk. She is always up playing and talking! It is so refreshing to see her feeling good : ) God is just working through her little body daily! Thank you Lord!

Please pray for:

No side effects from chemo

Counts to recover quickly

No infections

Restful nights sleep

Protection of Emma's body from chemo and other meds

Continued remission

Relief

Thank you everyone for your prayers the other night! Emma's counts came back clear with no leukemia. It was just a bruise from being so active lately. The dr. said it is perfectly normal to react the way we did because that bruise reminded us of the first time she was diagnosed. She has started her chemo today, and so far so good. This chemo is known for causing nausea, vomiting, mucuous in her eyes all the way down to her bottom, and more. Yikes! Some of these are more common than others, but I sure pray she doesn't have ANY!

She will get this chemo twice a day for 2 days and then we wait for her to recover. She started her eye drops this morning, and hated them! We have to do these every 4 hours along with the mouthwash. This means no sleep for the next couple of weeks : ( I must have slept too much in college, and am now being punished ; )

I will update the blog once her chemo is finished and there is more to report. Have a great week everyone!