Upward Soccer

Thank you all for your prayers this week. Grant had an absolutely GREAT week! We had our moments, but I didn't seem to lose him in frustration and crying. We were able to talk about what was upsetting him and work through it. He is such an amazing kid!

We also appreciate those of you who were praying for his soccer game this morning. They won! Grant scored 2 goals! I was so worried that the steroids were going to effect his balance and stamina to the point that it would frustrate him. He also complained of leg pain yesterday and this morning, which is usually caused by the chemo he gets in his port on clinic day. But, he went out there and played so hard. Of course, Rudy and I could tell a difference, but thankfully, he did not. He just played his little heart out. And it was SO hot. I'm just so proud of him. Can you tell???

Then we rushed off to music class. We are so priveleged to get to do this each semester. And we are so grateful for all of our friends that make this happen.

Grant's took the last of this round of steroids last night, so we should be on our way back up. Thank you again for all of your thoughts and please continue to remember Grant in your prayers. His ANC is still pretty low, so he is at a higher risk for illness. But, we know he is in God's hands. Isn't that a wonderful thought?!

"When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I prais, in God I trust, I will not be afraid." Psalm 56:3-4

Little Sprouts

I had every intention of blogging about the first day of school, but now they've been 3 times. The boys started preschool this year at Little Sprouts Preschool at our church. Grant goes M, T, Th and Trent goes T, Th. It has been a wonderful experience. Grant and Trent have come home every day talking about the fun things they are doing. It's always strange to have to explain Grant's situation in a new environment, especially when he doesn't look sick. But, his teacher said that he did great his first day on steroids at school. We were praying for that. We are looking forward to a great school year!

Back on the Roller Coaster

Grant had his regularly scheduled clinic visit today, which included a spinal tap this time. He did amazing! He's getting so good at this, I'm not going to have anything to report pretty soon. He got cream on with no problems. He waltzed into the clinic talking to everybody. He even laughed while he got his port accessed. I know! Crazy! But, then he realized he was going to have to get a back poke (spinal) when the nurse asked to put cream on his back. He did it, but did not want to. When he went in to have his exam with Dr. Heym, he would not talk to him. It was weird b/c he usually does and he had been chatting it up with everybody. Then, when he got loopy, we went in for his procedure. We were waiting for Dr. Heym to come in the room with us and all the nurses. So, somebody said, "Where is Dr. Heym?" And Grant chimed in with, "I don't want Dr. Heym in here!" That's why he hadn't wanted to even talk to him, b/c he knew he was going to be giving him a back poke. He's no dummy! He cried during the actual poke and it breaks my heart to see those big, sad tears dripping off his face as he leans forward onto a pillow. But, he recovers pretty quickly. He still has to lay flat on his back for 30 minutes after the procedure to help prevent headaches. That's always a funny time b/c he is loopy and very talkative. All in all, it was a successful day at the clinic....successful, not easy.
Grant was nauseous off and on for the rest of the day. After the loopy medicine wore off, he began crying....about everything. He cries at the drop of a hat. Then, he's frustrated b/c he can't control why he is crying, which makes him cry more. Then, I cry. My heart breaks for him.
Please keep us in your prayers this week as we all walk a tough road.

Light the Night 2010

We have a team again this year for the Light the Night walk to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Grant is excited and is recounting all the things he can remember about last year. It was such a highlight for him during a pretty rough time. We would love to have all of you join our team and join us for a great time in Fort Worth on Oct. 10th. The festivities begin at 5:00. If you would like to join the team or make a donation to LLS, go to http://pages.lightthenight.org/ntx/FtWorth10/GrantsBigAdventure. We are looking forward to another great time this year!

No Crying?!

Wow! You would not have even believed that it was Grant at the clinic today. I was hoping that today would be a good day after we had a very successful cream application at home. I just told him it was time to go and we need to get his cream on. He walked over with no fussing and we took his shirt off. We were laughing and being silly and he just calmly walked away. I asked him where he was going and he said he was "running away" b/c he doesn't like cream. Then he started laughing and came back. We put the cream on and then he said the sticky was going to hurt. I told him if he would stand still I could fix it where it wouldn't bother him so much. That's exactly what he did and he was off to get in the car. Usually, after the cream is on, it renders him paralyzed. He, all of a sudden, cannot do ANYTHING b/c he "has cream on". Not today. He did everything like he normally does with no cream.
He always has mixed feelings about going to the clinic. He enjoys seeing all the people, but he does not want a poke. When we got ready to access his port, not only was he not crying, he was talking and laughing. Right when she went to poke him he gasped and that was it. It was amazing! He was so excited he jumped down to run out of the room when the nurse was finished and ran smack into an exam tray. He busted his head really hard and was very embarrassed, so now begins the screaming crying. It was terrible that he had done so well and then ended up crying anyway. He has a knot on his head. Dr. Heym was glad he didn't have to do stitches.
So anyway, his check-up went well. His counts were okay, but his ANC had dropped a lot. It was 580, which is the lowest it has been since he started maintenance. It has to be over 500 to continue full chemo, so we are still on schedule. Dr. Heym said he may have been battling an infection but, hopefully, the steroids this week should give him a boost. He also got chemo in his port. He wasn't feeling very well when we got home this afternoon and was happy to take some anti-nausea medicine. But, it is so amazing that he never lets it get him down.
Thanks for all of your continued prayers!!

NRH2O

We got to go have wonderful day at the water park today. Grant was so excited this morning, he couldn't get there fast enough. It was 104 today, so a great day to be in the water all day. The boys loved it! We all had a really great time. It's always nice to see Grant participating in things just like all the other kids.

Grant's Thoughts

We recently returned from our trip to Hot Springs, AR that we take every year with my family. It was a shortened version b/c Granny is back in the hospital and Rudy was unable to go. That said, I spent quite a bit of time in the car with the boys. Apparently, Grant had a lot of time to think. These are a couple of the things we talked about.
I was telling him that he had been to Hot Springs before, but he was only 2 and Trent was a tiny baby, so he probably didn't remember. We didn't get to go last year. He thought for a while and then asked, "Is Trent going to have to get sick with leukemia and go to the hospital when he's 3?" Of course I replied with "I hope not!" He said, "then why did I have to get sick when I was 3?" Wow, that's a great question! I don't know, but I'm sure glad God is taking care of you and getting rid of that leukemia.
At one point during our drive Grant asked me where heaven was. I said it was with God. I said that the great thing about heaven is that nobody is sad or hurt or sick, etc. Doesn't that sound great?! Very sadly he said, "so I can't go to heaven b/c I'm sick." I was so broken-hearted I didn't even know how to respond. I told him that of course he can go to heaven and when he gets there he won't be sick ever again.
Conversations like this give me a small glimpse of his perspective. It's so hard to know he is dealing with all of this at a such a young age. I am just so proud of him and pray that God uses him to do amazing things.