Buckle Your Seatbelts--It's Gonna Be a Bumpy Ride

After our very late night on Wednesday, Bonnie, Emery and I slept late on Thursday and had a very hard time getting going all day long. Understandably! Emery was not quite herself and we attributed that to the transfusions and the extended hours in the hospital. Bless her heart--she just did not seem to be comfortable. On the up-side, Daddy was coming back to Houston Thursday night!

Those of you who know me know that I am notorious for overpacking and carrying a 51 lb. suitcase on any trip. You never know exactly what kind of clothes or shoes you might need in any given location, right? And that's even funnier to those who know that I am not a fashion queen at all. I am not sure why I think I have to have several pair of identical corduroy pants in different colors, for example. And how many black/grey/brown sweatshirts/hoodies sporting Unalaska business logos does a person need? When I got to Houston, Bonnie's friend Lauren picked me up from the airport and later asked Bonnie just how long I was staying, after having to lift my bag into her vehicle. Then I moved to Sean and Becky's house and poor Sean had to carry that sucker up a big flight of stairs. So I decided I would just take a small carry-on bag to Dallas with me. By small, I mean a tote bag which held ONE change of clothes, pjs and toiletries. I figured I could do laundry at Sarah's and I do actually have a little bit of a plan to try to buy some jeans while in Dallas. This is a big step for me, people. It almost scares me to think I am locked into wardrobe prison this weekend.

David and I coordinated our flights in and out of Hobby so Bonnie would only have to make one trip. Little Miss Emery was happy on the car trip, batting at her carseat toy and then drifting off to sleep. My decision to just take a carry-on was rewarded with no wait at the no baggage kiosk while the line at the check-in counter wound around the room. Sweet! I made it through security in record time, picked up some Chinese food and got to give David a quick hello and a hug as we passed each other. Good timing! As I boarded my flight, the attendant announced that we were in for a bumpy ride so the beverage service was canceled and everyone, including flight attendants, would be required to stay seat belted in for the entire trip. My initial thought was, "Let me out!" but no one seemed overly concerned so I settled in and tried to convince myself that it couldn't be too bad.

We did have quite a bit of turbulence for the hour long flight but nowhere near what I expected. I am not sure if Southwest was using reverse psychology so we would then say, "oh, that wasn't so bad," or more likely, that my flights in and out of Unalaska, Atka and Nikolski have toughened me up. Honestly, what was worse than the turbulence were the obnoxious businessmen across the aisle who talked in very loud voices, dropping the F-bomb every other word for the entire hour. I was happy to land in Dallas and hop into the car with Sarah without having to wait for a bag. I may have turned over a new leaf!

I didn't get in till 9 PM so Elle was already asleep and Sarah, Miles and I were not far behind her after visiting a bit. We got up early this morning and went to breakfast, where Elle charmed everyone at the restaurant, as always. She has the cutest personality and is just full of life. Oh, to have that enthusiasm about every little thing again! We then went on a marathon shopping trip, driving all over town searching for a new point & shoot camera for me. I have been jonesing badly with all of the photo opportunities in my line of sight (grandbabies, after all!) and Rich has been doing some research about the best new models to try. We looked in Amarillo and Abilene in December, with no luck. Today I believe I purchased the last Canon Powershot S90 in Dallas after being turned away at numerous stores. Hurray! My battery is charged, my memory card is formatted and I am awaiting Elle's birthday party tomorrow to put the camera to use.

Elle and I hung out this afternoon while her parents went to a meeting; we read books, "cooked" in her kitchen, sang songs, tried out lots of toys and puzzles and had a big ole time. She is so much fun! We went out for Mexican food and she was snuggling up to her Daddy while giving her Mommy a look like she was saying "am I making you jealous?" It was hilarious. She talked and talked and colored her kids' menu and finally ate a good dinner after being sick for a few days.

Sarah's been decorating the house for Elle's party tomorrow and we are expecting a big crowd of family and friends for the festivities. Susan, Aidan and Ally will be here so I am anxious to see them, too! I hate the reason that I am in Texas right now but there is the bonus of seeing all of my kids and grandkids more often than usual.

We talked with Bonnie briefly this evening. She said Emery had a good night last night and made up for not eating so much the day before. Emery went back to the Clinic today and had to have another transfusion of platelets. It doesn't sound like it is any cause for alarm, just a typical part of the process after chemotherapy. She'll have another appointment on Monday to check labs again. But most of all, they are happy to have David with them for the weekend. I know it is hard on all of them to be separated but they are troopers just like their baby girl.

Things We Learned Today

Emery's clinic appointment was at 2:30 PM. She'd gained a little bit of weight (yay!) and overall, Dr. Thompson was very pleased with how she was doing. Her red blood cells and platelets were both low so she had to be admitted to the "short stay" floor to have transfusions of both, along with her nightly injection. It just took forever to get everything done. We arrived back home at 2 AM!! Yes, 2 AM. I did not take my laptop with me, thinking we'd only be gone a few hours. Bonnie was teasing me that I was probably wishing I'd brought it so I could be blogging. True, especially since I knew people were waiting to hear how our girl was doing.

Dr. Thompson had invited his friend Craig Waibel to come and meet David since they are both new dads and seem to have lots in common and the same sort of personality. Imagine their disappointment when they found out that David was in Amarillo! They had to settle for Bonnie and me. haha Craig hung out with us for awhile and we had fun chatting with him. He is a member of the Houston Dynamo professional soccer team and the nicest guy. Dr. Thompson said that Craig donates a great deal of time visiting kids at Texas Children's and has helped them raise a lot of money as well. It just does my heart good to meet someone like that! I also had to brag about my niece Nicole playing soccer for the University of Wyoming and her sisters Ellie and Brooke planning to go to college at Santa Clara to play soccer as well. He said he's originally from Idaho so was glad to hear about such good Wyoming players. :)

After that, we were taken to the short stay floor where we had many hours of holding Emery, sitting around, flipping channels on TV, eating candy, chatting, and watching the clock slowly tick. We had no idea we would end up at the hospital for 12 hours and were completely unprepared. Next time we will know better!

Emery is sleeping peacefully and seems to have no ill effects of the day. She had some fussy time while getting the transfusions--the doctor on the floor said that sometimes they just don't feel good while it's happening.

To sum up:
We thought we scored when getting an afternoon appointment, so we wouldn't have to rush around early, but now we realize that morning appointments are probably much better in case you have to spend the rest of the day getting transfusions.
Take the laptop, even if you think you will just be gone a few hours. Take snacks, take books, take knitting.
There are wonderful people in the world who volunteer their time just to help others.
There's not much traffic in Houston between 1 and 2 AM.
Whataburger is open 24 hours and a breakfast taquito tastes pretty great after a 12 hour clinic visit.
David is more popular than Bonnie and me.

Clinic tomorrow

It's been a pleasant and laid back day here. Since we are waking up every few hours during the night with Emery, we've been sleeping in a bit. Well, obviously, Bonnie is the one up with Emery but I've moved into their room with them so I stir a little when they get up. Today we got out of bed after 9 and actually had our showers and gave Emery a bath before noon. Yesterday was a different story so we were quite pleased with ourselves this morning. The weather has been cool and rainy, not too conducive to venturing out. I am not sure where the day went but we managed to fill it up with baby holding, playing, and chores. I am getting some work done as well.

At Target last night, I bought Emery a crib toy with music, lights and funny looking animals moving around. She'd had one in the hospital that she seemed to like so we thought she might enjoy having something similar here. She was mesmerized by her new toy today and intently focused on the moving animals while being soothed by the music--lullabies and classical tunes played out in Fisher Price style. Bonnie and I didn't even recognize some of them at first. She also did really well with tummy time and is holding her head up better and better. Yay, Emery!

Happy birthday to my son in law, Corey! We hope you had a happy day and will have a fabulous year ahead. Yes, I do have a card and present for you but they will be late. :)

Miss Emery is now lounging in a swing borrowed from Lauren's mom and seems quite happy and content. We are anxious to take her to the Oncology Clinic tomorrow and see what Dr. Thompson has to say. We are hopeful that her blood levels are good so Bonnie can quit giving her injections at home--that has been no fun for Mama, and Baby has not been thrilled with it either. We are also hoping Emery's weight is okay. We have been trying not to stress over it because the doctors all stated that it would be natural for Emery not to have much of an appetite after chemo. We'll update you once we are finished in Clinic.

Here's our sweet girl

Emery in the hospital practicing holding her head up. Aunt Sarah sent her this fun tummy time toy.

Out of the hospital at Lauren and Dan's

I stole these photos from Bonnie. Go to her blog to see a few more cute pix and to catch her update.

While you are at it, go to Sarah's blog to view some darling photos of another cutie, Elle, who's about to turn two years old.

Happy Girl

Yesterday Bonnie, David and Emery came to get me, we went to pick up the rental car, and drove out to Katy to Lauren and Dan's. Emery has been happy and interactive all weekend. She is smiling a lot, making little sounds, and staying awake for longer periods of time. It's so much fun to see her cute little smile and to watch her respond to us as we talk to her. We've had her on her tummy and she is working on holding her head up, though she is not too crazy about the position right now. Last night I had Emery on my lap when it was time for her injection. Bonnie asked me to pinch the skin on that sweet baby's leg where she needed to give her the shot. I really thought I was just going to HOLD her, not be an accomplice to the deed. I did not even want to see it, but Bonnie did a good job and it was over in no time. :)

Last night several members of Dan's and Lauren's families came over, bringing enchiladas for dinner, and we all had a lot of fun visiting. Today we had to take David to the airport so he could go back home for the week. I know he was sad to leave and Bonnie was sad to see him go. It won't be for too long since he will return on Thursday to spend the weekend with Bonnie and Emery but I know it will be hard for them to be separated. Right now, the plan is still to return to the Oncology Clinic on Wednesday and Friday.

Since David will be here this weekend, I am taking the opportunity to go back to Dallas for Elle's 2nd birthday party. I can't believe that baby girl is turning 2! Although I am not happy about the reason for my extended stay in Texas, I am glad I am having the chance to see all the kids and grandkids more than usual. Hopefully Susan, Corey and kids will also be able to come to Elle's party so I can see all of them, too.

Bonnie and I played with Emery and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon--we have been pretty lazy, other than baby care, which can take up a lot of time in itself. Bonnie says we need to get into a routine, starting tomorrow! We are hoping for warmer weather so we can go out walking every day, get some exercise, fresh air, and (hopefully) sunshine.

Quiet Friday

It's a little overcast and chilly in Houston but not nearly as cold as we're hearing about in other places! We left the hospital yesterday evening; Bonnie, David and Emery went back to Katy with their friends and I am still in Houston with mine. I didn't want them to have to drive over here and haul all of my stuff when they had a drive in front of them and a baby who might not be too thrilled about sitting in her car seat too long. And I figured they might want to have some time with Dan and Lauren before David leaves. They are getting a rental car tomorrow, thanks to the generosity of more friends (my goodness, our list of kindhearted people just keeps growing and growing!) so we will meet up then and I will go out to Katy with Bonnie and Emery for the duration. Unless something changes, David is going home to Amarillo Sunday and back to teaching on Monday. He's planning to return here for the weekends till his girls get to go home.

I talked with Bonnie this morning and all was well; they had a good night and were waiting for the nursing agency to come by Lauren's house with the supplies they will need for giving Emery's injections. I'm happy they are out of the hospital and that Emery seems to be feeling no worse for wear after the last chemotherapy.

It was nice to sleep in this morning and I did a little bit of work for my job, which has suffered while I've been gone, but I am most thankful for the best boss and coworkers EVER who have not tried to make me feel bad and have covered everything that needed to be covered. And I also want to thank my friends back home who have volunteered to help with making calls for donations of goods for the auction, along with sending up lots of love and emotional support. I miss y'all and you are really amazingly wonderful. :)

Becky and I ran some errands today and went to Central Market, which is like a candy store to those of us who don't live in the land of the giant gourmet supermarket (oh, if only Rich had been here--we might still be browsing the aisles!) Also went to Michael's, where I bought some yarn and needles so I can try to get back into the knitting thing. Becky helped me with some tips last night and I am anxious to actually accomplish something instead of constantly tearing out and starting over. Watch out, Unalaska Tuesday Night Knitters' Club!

Emery--2nd Chemo Completed!

Emery had three different chemo drugs last night. She seemed to tolerate them fine at the time but then had a very fussy period soon after. She cried and cried, almost inconsolably, for awhile. It was heartbreaking to see and we couldn't really figure out what was wrong, except that she just didn't feel right or was in some kind of pain. But she finally calmed down in Mommy's arms and was resting when I left. I was worried about her all night and hoping that all three of them would be able to get a good rest. When I got back this morning, Bonnie said everything had gone well and Emery didn't have any more trouble last night--hallelujah. She's had a busy day today. The audiologist came in to do a hearing test, which took quite a long time and still did not get finished so she will have to have the rest of it on an outpatient basis later. The dietitian came by to say how proud she was of Emery's weight gain. She told us that Dr. Thompson had "jumped up and down and clapped his hands" when he heard Emery's weight yesterday. So funny and sweet. The Nurse Practictioner examined Emery and felt that she was doing amazingly well. Then Dr. Thompson came in to second that opinion. Bonnie teased him about jumping up and down and clapping his hands, adding "like a little girl!" It's so great that they are all comfortable enough to laugh and kid around with each other.

Now the dressing on Emery's central line is being changed and Dr. Alok, one of the residents, just came by to say hello. Emery has won the hearts of everyone who has seen her even one time and they all like to pop in and see how she's doing.

Bonnie and David "get" to learn how to give Emery a shot today. She has to have one injection a day for several days to help build up her blood counts. Since she will not be staying in the hospital, her parents have to know how to do it. They are certainly getting a new kind of education throughout this journey with Emery. They will probably be discharged this evening and then will come back to the Oncology Clinic next Wednesday for a check up and labs.

We hear there's lots of snow in Amarillo and school was cancelled today!