Monday, January 19, 2009

Basement Bouncing (& oh yeah.... more chemo)




You'd never know by looking at the pictures that Abbey had two doses of chemo today.  
The methotrexate was increased from her last treatment and we were to expect nausea and her feeling pretty lousy for the rest of the day.  Loss of appetite and constipation are also to be expected in this phase (along with the possible sores that I told you about earlier).  She got through today like a champ. Her numbers again looked great (they were down some from her last treatment, but that was to be expected and normal) and she had a lot of energy this afternoon.  When we got home, she ate a good lunch and pooped right after!!!!..... (doesn't take much to excite us these days :) and was ready to play!  Her and Jacob had this great idea for the basement, which I'll tell you about in a minute.

This past weekend we had some special visitors.  Jim's sister Andrea and her husband Jeff came from Indiana to visit for a couple days.  It was a nice treat for all of us and the kids had a blast spending time with them (we enjoyed it very much too!).  Thanks so much for coming!  Hope we can do it more often :)  

So, back to today.... When we have visitors our basement becomes our 'guest room' since all our bedrooms are full of us.  We had the air mattress set up downstairs for them and still hadn't taken it down today.  Soon after lunch we went in the basement to play and the kids started jumping on it, then had this idea to prop one end on the couch to make it like a slide.  They laughed, jumped and slid for a long time (until dinner) and we more than enjoyed watching them have fun.  Chemo days can be so draining, so it filled our hearts with so much joy to see her like this... especially after sitting in a hospital all morning watching chemo drip through a line in her little chest.  Kids are amazingly resilient and God is amazingly awesome!  We are thanking Him for these blessings today.

I also wanted to say thank you to so many who made comments about homeschooling and have been an encouragement to us as we embark on this new adventure.  I have spent a lot of time this week familiarizing myself with the curriculum and am starting tomorrow.  I am very excited to see all that God has in store for us in this area.  So, thank you for your comments. 

Another thing that has been on my heart so much lately is all the others that we have "met" through our blog who are in similar situation with having a sick child.  Our eyes have been opened to a whole new world since Abbey was diagnosed and we have gone to many of your blogs who also have a child with cancer or other life threatening illnesses.  Our hearts break with yours as we read your stories and our hearts also connect with you.  I have cried over your pictures and stories of your children and have also prayed for each one of you.  If any of you would like your blog, facebook group, caring bridge page, etc.. put on our blog, please leave a comment and we will be sure to add it under 'please pray for our friends'.  I know I often feel helpless in Abbey's situation, but one thing I can do is to tell and show others how good our God is and how He is carrying us through this and also ask others to pray for our baby.  I know I have some amazing prayer warriors on here and some truly wonderful people who are following.  Also, it's a great way to connect to others in similar situations, so if you'd like your story to be added in that section, please let us know.  I truly believe that God is at work through many little ones around the country through their illnesses and these situations are ALL in His hands.  

13 comments:

Mel said...

I don't remember how I found your blog, but it was shortly after our son was diagnosed with ALL on December 11, 2008. He was just 18-months at the time. We have been amazed at the way God knits people into our lives, and I thank you for your writing. You give us insight as to what we can expect in the coming months. Our son is on Caring Bridge. https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/piercebimson

We will continue to pray for your entire family,
Melanie

Kristine said...

Although our daughters illness was short-lived in comparison to what Abbey is going through, the impact may last a lifetime.

My little girl, Katie, became VERY ill in January '08 with Bacterial Meningitis at 18 days old. We almost lost her and now we never take anything for granted.

I recently started a blog to tell her story.

leeleenews.blogspot.com

I will put a link to your site on ours as well!

Abbey looks great in the photos. She is just adorable!! I look forward to reading about Abbey beating ALL and pray for a full recovery!

Kristine

Anonymous said...

Claire in Ma.is praying for sweet Abbey. Children are so resilient and it is wonderful to see her having so much fun with her little brother. Praying for strength, peace and God's healing power for you and your family. God Bless and Keep you in the Palm of His Hand!

Anonymous said...

It is awesome to see the smile on her face! She is beautiful. You are always in our prayers. Love, The Svendsens

Gill said...

Oh what a wonderful and amazing child
you have. I am so pleased to read that she had a good day that wasn't expected. Kids are so wonderful aren't they :)
Hope she rests well tonight and has a good day tomorrow too.
Thinking of you all.
Blessings.

Sarah said...

Can any kid (& some adults) pass up the opportunity to jump on a bed? :) And turning it into a slide is all the better. Abbey's smile is amazing.

Terri said...

Those pictures just bring a smile to my face...so glad to know Abbey had such a good day even after having chemo earlier in the day...she is just an amazing little girl... God is good!

Keeping her in my prayers always

Hugs
Terri

Anonymous said...

Thank you for always sharing your pictures & story of your fight! I commented early on about how I have prayed for Abbey, and then after that about how my friend's daughter was diagnosed with AML leukemia in late Nov '08. She is fighting, tho! Please add Natalie to your prayers! My friends just let me start a blog for her, since they are too exhausted to do it themselves. She is doing well right now & we are very thankful!
http://nataliesangels.blogspot.com/

-M from Northern California

LT said...

Hi there--I graduated from Messiah in 2000 and remember you both! My friend, Liz E., pointed me to your site and I've spent a better part of the morning reading through your blog and looking through your photos. Your blog is so life-giving; thank you for sharing. Know that Abbey and your family will be in our prayers. I must say that I loved the "basement bouncing" post. My brother, sister, and I used to have a "jumping bed" in our basement growing up and we would spend hours jumping--it's one of our favorite memories. And one last thing, I loved the photo of your whole family wearing face masks to support Abbey...what a picture of Christ.

Latonya (Burkholder) Esau

Sara said...

I'm so glad that Abbey did well Monday! Praise God! I am also so glad to hear that An and Jeff could visit. Alicia told me they were moving to Ohio and that An is so excited to be close to you guys. How fitting to have named your blog "ALL IN HIS HANDS." Now, you see how you've been directed regarding homeschooling . . . Alicia will be a great mentor and has been wanting to know how she can help from so far away. Perhaps, this is one of God's answers:) "All things" are truly "working together for good" to "those who love Him." AMEN!

Bekky said...

It is such a great thing to see Jacob and Abbey jumping together on the bed and the energy she has right now! God is so amazing in the everything He gives! Keeping all of you in my prayers and specifically for Abbey to keep feeling energized through this long road.

Love,
Bekky Bittner

Neil, Amy and The Girls said...

Praise God! I am so thankful that Abbey is responding well to her treatment. You have a beautiful family and I will continue to pray for your sweet little girl, her doctors and your family.

Jesse, James and Lindsey's mom said...

Found your blog via the Riggs. My kids are not ill but I am the mom to an angel (my oldest died at age 8) so I have been through having a sick child (totally different illness) but just wanted to send my prayers from Alaska.
God Bless
Kathy
mom to 3 one lives with God