Play Time

Grant and Trent had a fun play day today with our friend Meg from the clinic. It was so sweet to see her and Grant play together. They were both on steroids this week so we were somewhat fearful of an explosion, but it was exactly the opposite. They played really great together, almost like they understood each other and what the other one was going through. Thanks to the beautiful weather today, they played and played outside. It was a little comical and sad all at the same time to see them both struggle to run correctly and comfortably with their bloated tummies.

Grant may have played a little too hard today. By this evening, he was completely wiped out. He was complaining that his tummy hurt, so I gave him some anti-nausea medicine. He never threw up, so maybe we caught it soon enough. We also forced him to take the bandage off his back from his spinal tap on Monday. It shouldn't have still been on, but he hates taking it off. He fussed, but handled it okay. He went to bed exhausted.

Starting Over

Grant went back to the clinic today to start his 12 week cycle over. That means he got a spinal tap and chemo in his port. He also started his steroids again. All of his blood counts were okay. He is still very anxious about putting on his numbing cream and getting his port accessed. Of course, his spinal went well b/c he got to take a loopy pill. Today he was singing in the playroom and that is not something he would normally do with other people around. It's always interesting to see how it's going to make him act. We are hoping for an overall improvement from last month.

We just returned from a visit to Houston. Grant was very excited to see his Uncle Keith. We went to the Children's Museum, which made me want to follow him around with hand sanitizer. It was stressful! We also enjoyed a beautiful day watching children's opera at an outdoor theater in downtown Houston called Discovery Green and made a trip to the park. On Saturday, the snow storm that hit DFW came to Houston as rain...a lot of rain, so we went bowling. We had a really great time! Thanks Keith!

What is Normal??

This has been an interesting month. We thought we had this maintenance phase figured out and we were cruising. But, that's when things don't go the way you planned. Compared to the first 2 months, this one has been much different. Grant has not bounced back from the steroids like he was. He is still sporting a bloated tummy which makes him uncomfortable and move awkwardly. He has also been sick a couple of times and that is very draining. I can just see a difference when I look at him. And I think all of the physical things frustrate him, so he also struggles mentally and emotionally. Also, Trent has been sick a couple of times. They had to miss a day of school, music class and a birthday party. I keep telling myself that, for months, we didn't do one single thing. So, this is not that bad. But, it's very hard to tell Grant that we are going to do something and then not get to, especially not going to school. He LOVES school. He asks to do his school work at home too. All that said, I am continuing to learn to be flexible.

Everybody has had an okay day today. Grant and I went to music class and then we all went to ride the Forest Park Miniature Train in Ft. Worth. We rode for about 25 min. from one depot to another. We got off and played on a huge playground at Trinity Park. Then we boarded the train again and rode back to the first depot. It was really beautiful today and the boys absolutely loved it. Trent loves cars, trucks, and trains. Grant couldn't look at the camera in the picture where they are on the train b/c the conductor was saying "All Aboard" and I was not on the train. He yelled "No!" and then told me to hurry and get on.

Also, please pray for Grant's friend Lexi. She has been in the hospital all week and we are not sure when she will get to go home.

Doing Better

Trent was the only one who slept much last night. Grant really struggled through most of the night. He was finally able to go to sleep early this morning and slept for several hours. When he woke up, we could tell immediately that he was feeling better. His temperature was almost gone. He was moving much better and talking, which he did not do at all yesterday. Throughout the day, he has gotten better and better. Thanks for your prayers. It was so difficult for Rudy & I to decide whether we thought his body was strong enough to fight this on it's own. Grant and Trent both still have a lot of congestion, but I think we going in the right direction.

Pray for Wisdom

We've had a sick house for the last few days. Grant and Trent both went to the doctor on Thursday. We are a little more edgy when they get sick these days. So, we took them to the doctor b/c we wanted to hear them say their lungs were clear. They both got the ok. But, Grant's doctor prescibed an anitbiotic as a precautionary measure. Everybody seemed to be doing a little better on Friday.
Rudy and I went to a Mavs game with some friends on Friday night, so the boys were very excited to get to spend the night with Nana and Grandpa. Thanks to them, we had a wonderful time b/c we did not know that they were having a rough night. Grant got sick and ran a fever all night. It has gotten worse throughout the day today and we are now trying to decide whether or not to call the doctor. Please pray for wisdom as we weigh Grant's sickness against the trauma of the emergency room. He has been in and out of sleep all afternoon and really looks miserable.

Not feeling so good

Monday night Grant started feeling yucky. He told me his tummy didn't feel good and ended up throwing up and skipping dinner. He was freezing and shivering. He was wearing his coat and hat and sitting under a blanket. By the time he went to bed, he was running a low fever. Every time we asked him how he was feeling, he said, "Not Good." He had some trouble sleeping all night until his fever broke around 5 a.m. He was feeling a little better this morning, but he still didn't have very good color and didn't eat much all day. He's still having a hard time falling asleep tonight.
I just think we get a reminder every once in a while that there is a lot going on in Grant's body. And he handles everything so well. He just calmly got up and said, "Mom, I need to get up from the couch b/c I need to throw up" and walked into the bathroom. I know that's a lot of information, but I'm just amazed by him. I just pray that God can use all of this to shape him into an amazing, Godly man.
Thanks for your prayers!

Thanks to Elmo

This round of steroids stuck to the norm. Grant starts eating like crazy about halfway through. And even though it is only 5 days of steroids, day 5 & 6 are the hardest b/c it just builds up in his system. Grant starts to feel uncomfortable and gets pretty lethargic. His hair has come back enough now that he doesn't look "sick". It just looks like a really short haircut. We've even been teasing him that it's messed up when he gets up from his nap.

BUT, ELMO makes everything better. We were given a gift and were able to take the boys to see Sesame Street Live this weekend. Saying Grant was excited is a gross understatement. He talked about it nonstop and jumped up and down in line for tickets saying, "I'm so excited! I'm so excited!" He watched intently the whole time. Every time a song would end, he would say, "It's not over, is it?" Of course, he was also telling us the entire show that he was hungry. ;) Trent had a great time too. He was most interested in Elmo. It's always fun to see your kids with a smile on their faces.

We could thank so many of you for your amazing generosity. But, we are most thankful for all of the prayers. We know that the prayers lifted for Grant and our entire family are making a difference.