Horses, Birthdays, Bob Dylan and Emery

Here are a few more photos from the day we saw the horses, since I have no new pictures to post.

I walked to work and back one sunny day last week, but forgot to take my camera. It was beautiful on the way to the office and pretty chilly on the way home but I was happy to be out in the fresh air bopping along to my ipod. I figured it might also help me get past this weight loss plateau I have hit. I enjoyed it so much that I planned to do it again the next day with camera in hand but, alas, it was rainy and cold and I was wimpy. I have adapted pretty well to Alaska (compare photos of me in a big ole heavy jacket the first year to photos of me in a hoodie nowadays--same temp!) but I am still not crazy about walking very far in the cold and rain. Definitely not the Alaska gal that some of my friends are. I admire them but don't really want to change my ways.

I had a happy birthday today, though it is hard for me to believe that I am actually 57 years old. Where did the time go?! I know some don't put much stock in birthdays but I always like making a big deal out of them. It doesn't have to be fancy but I guess I like a little bit of attention on my day. haha Rich started out the morning with a sweet card, I loved having phone calls from my girls, Aidan, my mom and Rich's sister, emails from friends, and lots of Facebook posts sending wishes. My friend Donna took me to lunch and I cheated on my diet without too much remorse. *But please note, no cake or ice cream. I am waiting till vacation and then I will indulge a little.* I ordered a new bathing suit and I haven't tried it on yet--if it doesn't fit, I am gonna be annoyed. As mentioned previously, we have tickets to see U2 in Philly and we are considering that and our vacation our birthday presents (Rich is next, on the 21st).

Working at a radio/TV station has its perks, too. I was given my own little radio bday shout-out and Daniel played many of my favorite tunes. Nothing like small island life to make you feel really special! Our evening fun was a trip to the grocery store to do our Senior Discount Monday shopping. :)

I spent part of the weekend downloading a bunch of Bob Dylan tunes. And when I say part of the weekend, I am not kidding. Our internet is so slow that it literally takes many hours to download several songs. We were reading Rolling Stone's latest edition (or the most recent one available out here, which is probably not really the latest), listing Dylan's top 70 songs on the occasion of his 70th birthday (speaking of birthdays!) For some reason, we did not have many in our itunes library and I had completely forgotten how much I loved some of them. We've had a Bobfest at the house ever since. I rediscovered my once favorite album, Desire, and songs like One More Cup of Coffee, Isis, Sara, and Mozambique. How could I have forgotten those? It seems like a lifetime ago that I was driving around Waco, Texas with the 8-track blaring!

And here's a link to an article about the Relay for Life in Amarillo. Emery is featured. :) Have a good week, everyone.

Relay for Life

Many of you know that our granddaughter Emery was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a form of childhood cancer, when she was just 6 weeks old. She is now a healthy, happy, busy 17 month old (see her mom's blog here to catch up), for which we are grateful beyond words! But during the time of Emery's treatment and recovery, two more babies in their home town of Amarillo have also been diagnosed with neuroblastoma. It sounds like both of them are doing well, but my heart goes out to those families as I remember all that Emery (and her parents) had to go through.

In June, Bonnie, David and Emery are participating in Amarillo's Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society as team members for a little guy named Jude and his grandpa. We're asking for donations to help combat all cancers--I think each and every one of us has either battled this nasty disease personally or experienced it with a loved one. I am shocked to count up the number of my family members and dear friends who have come face to face with cancer, some of whom are doing beautifully and some of whom we lost way too young and through way too much suffering. I don't know if we will see a cancer-free world in my lifetime but I would be thrilled if it came to pass. Hoping and wishing is not enough, though--we need lots of research and lots of dedicated people working on a cure.

If you'd like to make a donation, click here for Emery's page, here for Bonnie's or here for David's. Thank you!

We Breathe a Sigh of Relief and Life Returns to Normal

The best news is that Emery is home, happy and active, and we don't have any medical news to report. Hopefully Bonnie will be able to post periodic updates on her blog so you can keep up with their "back to normal" lives. I am glad this phase of all of our lives has come to a close and we offer our heartfelt thanks one more time for all of your thoughts, prayers, love and good wishes. Although Emery will have ongoing checkups and periodic medical appointments, we are thrilled that the most complicated part of treatment is done.

Our grandson Aidan is playing baseball in Texas and I am wishing we could go to some of his games! It would be great to sit in the stands and cheer him on. Good luck, Aidan--play hard! And, of course, we miss the little girls, Ally and Elle, too. Some day we will live closer and will be able to pop in and out more often.

There's been lots going on here but I haven't had the energy to blog about it! I never wrote about the Healthy Native Communities Fellowship after the first night of our arrival. It was a very busy and intense week, with a great deal of learning about working for the betterment of our communities and literally no time for me to write on my blog.

The faculty were superb and renewed my faith that there really are people who walk the walk instead of just being talking heads that tell us what to do. I was so impressed with not only their knowledge, but their spirit and their caring attitude toward all of us, the people we serve, and the community at large. It was interesting and inspiring to meet individuals from all over the country who are working in extremely difficult situations and never giving up--hearing their stories was an amazing experience. In some ways, it was difficult being the new person since I had missed the first retreat in January and everyone had already bonded and formed relationships. On the other hand, it was a good opportunity to listen, observe, and learn from others and I hope that the next trip will bring deeper relationships and more involvement for me.

Here we are with two other Alaska teams, one from Anchorage and one from Cordova.

Although we worked hard all day and had homework each night, we did manage to get out and have a little bit of fun, too. We made it to the San Diego Zoo and did a little bit of sightseeing around town. It was not as hot as I would have liked, after all, but still warmer than Unalaska, of course!

Old Town
A peacock wandering around the zoo

The polar bear was literally "chillin' out."

Cute panda!
Flamingos

Back at home, there's always lots going on. Last weekend was the Convention and Visitors Bureau annual wine tasting event. Rich was working since he and his crew had to prepare appetizers to go with each of nine wines. My friend Donna and I went together and had a great time visiting with everyone and sampling the wines. Donna even won the grand prize of a cruise! I was teasing her because I picked up our tickets and handed her one of them--if I'd handed her the other one, I would have been the winner! Funny, huh? I guess I said it once too often because she asked me if she should give the prize to me. :) Ooops! I really didn't mean it that way and was thrilled for her!

Beautiful sisters Danielle and Darcel

Alyssa is back in town and working for the CVB. We are happy she is here!

Susan and Debbie were serving wine and having lots of fun.

Donna

Rich finally got to come see us at the end of the evening.

The next night was book club at Steve's, where we discussed the last two books, The Book Thief and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Steve's wife, known on the blogs as Goldfish, made us some lovely snacks, including a delicious potato peel pie! See Steve's blog here for a photo. Thanks, you two! I have highly recommended The Book Thief before and will again. The Guernsey book was a fairly quick feel-good read--a sweet story that I enjoyed but I liked The Book Thief a whole lot more.

The Aleutian Arts Council's annual community art show has been going on for the last couple of weeks, including four sets of photos from Rich this year. For a town this size, we have a lot of very talented people and it's always interesting to see the various pieces of art on display. The show ended with the Arts Council's annual meeting and fundraising auction last night. Rich and his staff prepared the food again but he was able to join me at the event, which we enjoyed with friends. We came home with a couple of door prizes and two cool little baskets that I won on the silent auction.

The snow is melting and spring MIGHT be in the air but it's still a little hard to tell. :)

Going Home....Finally!

Emery was discharged from the hospital today and Bonnie reports that she is her happy, active self, not seeming to be in any discomfort. They are spending the night with Lauren and Dan in Katy and then will fly home tomorrow. It is hard to believe that the past several months away from home are now finally coming to an end. I know home has never felt so good as it will tomorrow. I am so thankful that Emery has tolerated all of her treatment and surgery so well and hope that this is the end of anything major for that sweet baby girl (and her parents). She'll need checkups for awhile but hopefully there will not be any worries from now on. It will be nice to have typical baby news instead of medical reports!

Discharge? Hopefully!

Emery had a good day and is off all monitoring equipment so was able to get in lots of play time. She even laughed a few times--Bonnie told me earlier this week that David is able to get Emery to laugh more than anyone. I remember when I was there that we kept waiting for her to laugh out loud but she never did it before I left! Sounds like everything is going very well and it's possible Emery may be discharged on Thursday. Wouldn't that be GREAT?!

Chest tube is out!

Emery's chest tube was removed today. She is doing well and we hope this means she will be discharged in a day or two!

Emery update

I just talked with Bonnie and she said everything is going pretty well. Emery had a little bit of a rough night so she was given some morphine to help her feel better. After that, she was able to get some rest. She's been feeling okay so far today and has just had tylenol for pain. Bonnie said the chest tube makes her uncomfortable so it's a little hard to pick her up and move her around but otherwise she's been happy. David's dad Bo came in so I am glad they have some family with them! Dr. Thompson has been out of town but will return tomorrow and come to visit. Nothing major to report, which is good!

I stole this photo from Bonnie's Facebook but I guess it was taken with a phone--pretty small, huh?!

Emery's out of surgery!

Our sweet baby girl did really well and the surgeons are extremely happy. Most of the tumor was removed, leaving only a little bit of scar tissue. Emery had very little bleeding and tolerated the procedure well. Her central line was removed. She has a chest tube, but they are hoping it will only have to be in for a few days. Bonnie and David were waiting to see her when we talked and she will be moved to a hospital room sometime today.

Emery

Hi everyone,

I talked with Bonnie briefly; Emery is in surgery right now and everything is going well. It will still be another one to two hours before she is out. They are also removing her central line, which I am thrilled about. It will be great not having to deal with it any more, and Emery can finally have a "real" bath one day soon. Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers! I will update when I know anything new.

Surgery for Emery Monday

Bonnie, David and Emery are back in Houston and will be at Texas Children's bright and early on Monday morning for Emery's surgery to remove the remainder of the tumor. The surgeon is reported to be one of the best in the country for operating on neuroblastomas, and Dr. Curry, Emery's neurosurgeon, will be standing by just in case he is needed for any reason. We have every confidence in the physicians and all of the staff at Texas Children's. I wish I could be there to sit and wait with Bonnie and David but know that they are all in good hands. Please keep our sweet girl in your thoughts and prayers on Monday, and the medical team as well. I will post something as soon as I have any info.

Back at Home and Still no Time to Post!

We arrived home on Wednesday afternoon after a very nice flight with no stops in King Salmon or Cold Bay and no real delays. A little bumpy on the approach, but no big deal. It was snowing when we stepped off the plane--quite a difference from San Diego! But I am glad to be home. I went right back to work on Thursday and have not had a chance to load up any more photos or write about the retreat. Maybe this weekend!

Rich and I both weighed in for Unalaska's Biggest Winner, a year long health and fitness program that includes prizes for those who lose the biggest percentage of body weight. We are ashamed to admit that we both weigh more than we have ever weighed in our lives. SO we are getting back on the healthy path. Yesterday morning, I dusted off my tai-chi dvd to start out the day. We ate healthy food for all our meals. We planned to go to the gym but (there's that 'but') several things interfered with that (or we let them interfere!) Today's a new day, though, right?

It's a busy weekend--the Community Art Show opens tonight and Rich has several photos in it. Tomorrow night is the annual CVB wine tasting event, where he will be working and I am attending with a friend. Sunday night is book club and I haven't started the book.

Emery's surgery was changed from next Wednesday to next Monday so Bonnie, David and Emery will be back in Houston this weekend. They were given a short reprieve and got to go home to Amarillo for a week or so while awaiting surgery. I know they were happy to be at home and are anxious for Emery's treatment to draw to a close. Here in Unalaska, our firefighters, EMS, and others in town are holding a St. Baldrick's event on May 1, where they will shave their heads for donations to childhood cancer research. Fellow blogger and friend Unalaska Steve asked if he could shave his head in honor of Emery. We were very touched by this kind gesture--how great is that?! See his page here for more info. He's even having a drawing for one of his donors to win a box of Alaska crab. :) Thanks, Steve--you are awesome!

Anchorage

Had a good flight to Anchorage till we were coming in for a landing and a passenger decided to get up and start down the aisle. The flight attendant was telling him, "No, no, you have to be seated, sit back down, sit back down," as she got up out of her seat and began walking toward him. Suddenly he passed out and fell to the floor. He was unconscious briefly and then the flight attendant was helped by another passenger to lift him up and get him into his seat belt. The flight attendant called the pilot and asked to have paramedics meet us in Anchorage. The passenger was taken off first and was being examined in the terminal when we arrived. Not sure what was going on but it was a little scary.

It's snowy and cold in Anchorage so we are happy to be going to California tomorrow! We have an early flight, 7:30 AM. Oh no! You know what that means. I am so not looking forward to the wake up call.

Bonnie met with Emery's surgeons today and surgery is scheduled for the 21st. They believe this is the best course of action and will remove what remains of the tumor. We are thankful that Emery's treatment is finally coming to an end and happy that everything is very positive. It's been a long few months and I know the kids will be so thrilled to get back to their regular lives.

More Travel

I hope everyone had a nice Easter. Rich had to work all day so his was busy and mine was quiet. :)

Bonnie will meet with the surgeons tomorrow to find out what's next for Emery. I am anxious to hear! I know they are ready to be finished and headed home.

And I am flying out again tomorrow, attending a weeklong retreat with the Healthy Native Communities Fellowship. I am excited about this trip, especially since I missed the first one in January when I was in Houston. We will be in sunny San Diego, which is an added bonus! I am really hoping for some nice, warm weather since we are still having snow here. I'm traveling with my teammates Donna and Char and looking forward to meeting all of the other teams from around the country. It's a pretty intense week with lots of listening, learning, discussing, and participating in activities together so I am not sure how much time I will have to email or blog but I will be taking photos and saving up info so I can tell you all about the experience.

Hopefully we will not have any trouble getting out tomorrow. The weather was not the best this evening but that doesn't mean anything! We are spending tomorrow night in Anchorage and will arrive in San Diego on Wednesday.

Emery's Preliminary Test Results

I stole this photo from Bonnie's blog. What a cute girl! I have been assuming that everyone realizes that you can click on Bonnie's blog on the sidebar to the right of my posts, but in case you didn't know that, you can see her latest post and photos here.

Emery tolerated her scans yesterday, though it was not a lot of fun to have to drink nasty fluid (after not being able to eat for hours), and to have to lie still while the scans were being done. Thank goodness that's over with (for now, anyway). Bonnie and David saw Dr. Thompson, who said that the tumor is now 40% smaller than it was after the second round of chemo, so that is fabulous news! It is also further removed from the spine. We are extremely happy with these results! On the other hand, it sounds like surgery is still an option. They are meeting with the surgeons on Tuesday to discuss surgery vs. no surgery. Although we would prefer no surgery and would love to see them all get to go home soon, either way it does seem like Emery's major treatment is coming to a close. She will still need monitoring for some time to come but at least the most difficult stages are about to be behind her. We can only be grateful for that. Bonnie said Emery was fussy all through her OT appointment after the long day at the hospital. Bonnie looked down at her during therapy and the poor baby was so exhausted that she had dropped off to sleep.

They'll be in Katy for the Easter weekend--hopefully, they'll have some good family time and get some rest after this busy week!

Quick Emery Update

Hi everyone,

Sorry there has not been a lot to post about Emery lately, but that's a GOOD thing! She went in for her MRI yesterday morning and has finished with her CT and MIBG scans this morning. From what I understand, the MIGB scan highlights any cancerous cells. David arrived last night and they are all presently waiting in the Clinic for lab work to be done and to meet with Dr. Thompson. Hopefully he will have had a chance to look at the scans before they meet. Decisions will be made about the rest of Emery's treatment so it's a little nerve-wracking to wait and wait. We are hopeful that there will be some news before the Easter weekend, otherwise, more waiting....

Emery has been happy and doing well with her developmental skills. The therapist is pleased with her progress with holding her head up, rolling over, and trying to sit up. They are concentrating more on increasing the strength in her left arm and hand. Bonnie has had to start doing dressing changes on her own (instead of the home health nurse coming out to do it) but luckily she has had David, Dan and/or Lauren to assist. When I was there, it was a three person job--one to hold Emery's legs still, one to actually do the dressing change, and one to amuse her with toys so she didn't get upset! Hopefully the central line is coming out soon and that job will be ended.

Since I am not in Texas any more, it's hard to know the tiny day to day details. I miss those mornings with Emery when she was full of smiles and ready to play! All of our busy days seem like a blur now that I am back at home. It's hard being away but it sounds like everything is great overall and we are all just waiting to hear the going-home date!

Our busy life

First off, I will give you an Emery update in case that's the main reason you are checking the blog! She's been in the hospital since last Friday but has been doing fine and they are only keeping her to make sure her infection is cleared up. They are doing lab work and cultures every day and all the cultures have been negative. Bonnie said they are both bored, but all's well. They've had some visitors, which cheered them up, and gave them something more fun to do with their time. Emery has been turning over on her own and Bonnie captured her on video, which is really cute! She put the videos on Facebook so check her page if you can. Hopefully she can put them up on her blog soon, too. My internet is so slow that I cannot seem to get any videos loaded from here. They were told they get to leave today and David arrives tonight so they will all be back out in Katy with Lauren and Dan. I know they will be happy to have David back for the weekend! I am assuming the plan is for more clinic visits and lab work till the end of the month (as needed) and Emery will continue her OT appointments as well. She also had a follow-up hearing evaluation and her hearing was still perfectly normal, thankfully. And we are just waiting for the MRI and CT scan to be done at the end of the month so we will know whether surgery is indicated or not.

It always makes me laugh when people complain that there is nothing to do here. I find myself constantly running from one activity to another and trying to decide what to skip because I can't fit it all in. That has been the case since returning home a week ago. Sunday was a little bit of a day off after getting right back to work on Friday and Saturday. I hadn't been to Sunday brunch at the hotel in a very long time (even before I left for Texas) so it was nice to see everyone and to enjoy the delicious food after missing out for months. We watched some of the health care debate, though we don't get C-SPAN which I would have preferred so we could just get it "unfiltered" without all the commentary from the talking heads. As a social worker and a dedicated community organizer and activist, I was thrilled to see health care reform pass, though I wish it were a stronger bill and I am sure that there will be parts of it that I am not crazy about. At the same time, I can't believe it took so long for us to do SOMETHING. Throughout my career, I have seen many children and families suffering for lack of needed medical care or insurance coverage. I do not agree that we are going to hell in a handbasket because we are at last trying to rectify the situation. Yes, I have heard all of the cries of "socialism" and the downright ugly and disrespectful remarks made about and toward our President. All I can say is that the same people who are demonizing him were the ones telling me I was unpatriotic and unAmerican for voicing ANY disagreement with George W. Bush. Funny how one's perspective changes, isn't it? Personally, I am proud of those who stood up to the fear mongering and did the right thing for the most vulnerable in society. If that makes me a socialist, so be it. After sitting at Texas Children's Cancer Center for 9 weeks, I can't imagine how anyone would not be in favor of health care for all.

Back to work on Monday and I'm just trying to catch up on many items that were unfinished or left waiting while I was gone. Rich and I went to the grocery store on Monday evening because that is our "Senior Discount" day. We ended up spending $300, which I believe is a world record for us. I can tell that he did not do a lot of shopping while I was gone! We returned to the house to find a voicemail from the Unalaska Court "reminding" me that I was to report for jury duty at 8:30 AM on Tuesday. Ooops. I knew that I was in the Jan-Feb-March batch of jurors but had been out of town most of that time and had totally forgotten that I was supposed to call in on certain dates to see if I was needed. Since I've been working part time, I am not an early riser any more so you can guess that I was not all that happy about the check in time!

Up early Monday and off to court. In a small town, even jury duty is a chance to mix and mingle with friends and neighbors. Fellow blogger Steve was there, along with a variety of other folks we know. It was chatting time for awhile and then we were all taken into court to begin the jury selection process. I've served on two juries in Texas but have never even had to report in Alaska till now. I am interested in the process and definitely think it's our civic duty to take part so I am not one of those who is trying to think of reasons to get out of it. In fact, I would like to be picked! This time my number was pretty high so I never even got questioned before they found 12 acceptable people. I was there all morning and then dismissed but have to call in every night to see if I am needed the next day. So far I have not had to go back but I'm calling in again tonight. We'll see!

Already this week, I've missed a movie about Maggie Kuhn, founder of the Grey Panthers, and the opening of a new exhibit at the Museum. In the meantime, my friend Tammy and I were trying to get our precinct organized to participate in the Democratic caucus by teleconference with the rest of our district in Dillingham. Between phone calls, emails and Facebook communication, we got everything set up for Wednesday night. There's a big interdisciplinary science conference going on at the hotel this week so many locals are involved with that. Oh, and I had a dental appointment for teeth cleaning and a checkup on Tuesday after work. Our dentist is an itinerant who is only out here periodically so we have to make sure we get in when he and his hygienist are in town.

Wednesday morning I got up early again and met my friends (and former coworkers) Judi, Darcel, Donna and Char for a birthday breakfast for Judi. It was great to see them all again and to catch up on everyone's news! From there, Donna, Char and I met with the newspaper reporter for the Dutch Harbor Fisherman who was in town (she's based in Anchorage...we have a weekly newspaper!) to talk about our involvement in the Health Native Communities Fellowship. Donna and Char attended the first retreat back in January but that's when I first arrived in Houston and I was not able to go. Our next retreat is in San Diego in early April and I am very excited to get to take part!

After the interview, the electricity went out. I headed for my office, only to find we had no electricity either, and, in fact, it was down all over town. It's funny how many things we take for granted and it's very hard for me to do my job without a telephone or the internet. I used my laptop to do non-internet tasks till the battery died, met with my coworkers about some planning and was about to go home when the electricity came back on about 4 1/2 hours later.

Then off to the caucus last night. We had a small showing with everything else going on in town (didn't I tell you there's way too much happening here?!) but we elected precinct and district officers, discussed resolutions to bring to the State convention in May, and people put their names into consideration to attend the State convention. I had already decided that I would not try to go this year since I have been gone so much and still have several other trips coming up. But now I am thinking about it....Sitka in May could be really nice...

Rich has been busy with the science conference, Wed. seafood buffet, developing new specials, and hiring new staff, among many other things. I've been to the Harbor View with friends twice to try out the fish tacos and they are fabulous. I am so glad he finally put them on the menu after I've LOVED having them at home for years.

I'm still sitting at home but need to get ready for our monthly interagency meeting at noon and then on to work! I'm sure there's something I am supposed to do tonight. The gym has been on the short list but we have not made it yet! I know, I know, you'd think that would be more of a priority. Did I say that my order of SIX boxes of Girl Scout cookies came in while I was gone?!

Passing Time in the Hospital

We do a lot of waiting around. This was Thursday--Emery lounging on her mama's lap, shielding her face with her hand. :) The first two nights of chemo (Thursday and Friday) have gone really well, with Emery sleeping right through without any problems. We were hoping the 2nd and 3rd doses would be moved up earlier each night so we might head for Dallas after discharge tonight, but that is not going to happen. There was a miscommunication last night so they couldn't start early. Tonight, chemo will begin around 8 or 8:30 but we will still get out too late to go.

I've been cruising around the hospital taking pictures of some of our typical haunts. The laundry room is on the 16th floor and has been a lifesaver on a number of occasions.

Emery's been a little sleepyhead today. She has drifted off to dreamland several times while lying on Bonnie's couch/bed. We'll be playing with her and the next thing we know, she's conked out again. David was here for the weekend and he had lots of good baby time with his girl. He left this morning for Dallas to take care of some things and we will meet him there.

Might as well do more laundry.

All finished!

There's a nice little library and video library on the 16th floor. Kinda funny that all they have are VHS tapes, though! We have watched several old movies over the past couple of months.

Emery's hand splint looks huge in this photo! It's a little bulky but is helping to stretch out her fingers. She's supposed to wear it when sleeping. It doesn't seem to bother her at all, though it's hard for Bonnie to swaddle her in a blanket with it on.

This is what the 9th floor--Oncology and Hematology--looks like. Each floor is a different bright color so it's a little easier to remember where you're going. There's a nurse's station between each two rooms. Emery is in Room 4, which was coincidentally her first room when she came from Amarillo. (Hopefully she has come full circle and will not have to be admitted any more!)

Radio Lollipop is a cool in-house radio station. Older kids can do a dj stint, and anyone can request songs. I think it's only operational once a week but what a great idea!

Farewell to my friends Becky and Sean, who have picked me up and dropped me off too many times to count, given me a bedroom, fed me, taken me to run errands, washed my clothes, driven David to the airport, taken Bonnie and Emery in for several nights when they had early appointments, and were always willing to drop everything to do something for us. It has been lots of fun to reconnect after many years--none of us are happy about the reason we're in Houston but there have been a lot of positive things that have happened as well. Thanks to these good friends for being there for us day or night. They are off on a road trip today, so we are spending one more night at their house by ourselves before leaving for Dallas in the morning. I won't see them again (this time anyway) since I am going back to Alaska on Wednesday, but they've continued to offer their home and their "services" to Bonnie if she should need anything during the week when David's not here. Thanks, y'all!

I also want to thank Lauren and Dan for allowing me to stay at their home in Katy for all these weeks. I failed to get a photo of them before we left to come to the hospital but they have been extremely kind, not to mention very funny and lots of fun. I am sure it is not easy to have extra people camped out in your home for months on end, but you would never know that it was any trouble at all. They are great friends to Bonnie and David and were nice enough to allow the grandma to tag along. Thanks, y'all!

Fourth Round of Chemo Begins

Rich sent me this picture of what I am "missing" at home. Yes, the snow is quite piled up by our house! Luckily, he can get in and out okay! What are the odds that this will be cleared up by the time I get home next week?!

Back here in Houston, we left the house at 10 this morning for an 11 AM appointment at the clinic. Well, the appointment was really for 11:45 but Dr. Thompson told Bonnie to come at 11 so we could get started earlier. We love our team and just about everything about Texas Children's but there are so many patients and so much going on that nothing happens very quickly. Waiting has become something we are very good at. I used to think I needed to practice patience and these last couple of months have given me ample opportunity.

We arrived 15 minutes early and both parking garages were full. After circling back around, we tried to valet park and were told that was full as well. The valet said we should go ahead into the parking garage (even though the "full" sign was illuminated) and drive around because there were some spots available. Apparently, they'd told lots of other people the same thing. It was a cat and mouse game, trying to figure out who was leaving and where they had parked, only to get there and find another car had made it before us. Once we even sat and waited for a car that looked like it was going to pull out any minute but someone behind us was not practicing patience and began to honk, forcing us to continue through the rows. Finally Bonnie spotted a family walking out of the building and drove the wrong way down the aisle to reach their spot. Then came the task of parking her 4Runner from the wrong direction in a tiny parking place next to a large cement column. I hopped out of the car to help direct her and waved a waiting vehicle past us so she would have more room to maneuver. Good job, Bonnie--she did it! Whew! By the time we got everything out of the car, walked to the elevators and made it to the 14th floor, it was 11:20. So much for being early.

We saw Dr. Thompson in the lobby and he asked the nurses to please get Emery's weight right away so he could start writing orders. Guess what! Baby girl is up to 10 lbs. 1 oz! We were very happy and so was the doc, especially since Emery's weight has remained the same for a couple of weeks.

The clinic was packed today--as always, lots going on. Labs were done and all of Emery's counts were good so she was ready for chemo. Dr. Thompson did an exam and thought she was doing great. We are still waiting for OT to get her on a regular schedule so he put in orders for someone to come see her while in the hospital.

Then the wait began for a room. David arrived around 3:30 or a little later and was very happy to see his girls. And they were very happy to see him! Emery was sitting up on his lap like a big girl. She just does not want to lie down any more than she has to and likes looking around at everything going on. She's also making a lot of cooing noises now and sounds like she just can't wait to talk! Bonnie was making little sounds and Emery would do her best to repeat them. So cute!

I think we finally went up to a room on the Oncology floor about 5:30 or so. They're all settled in and I left at 8:45 to go back to Becky and Sean's house. Chemo still had not begun. That's a bad sign for hitting the road at a reasonable hour on Saturday. Luckily, they have a bit of leeway on the chemo and can start it a little early each night as long as it is within a certain time frame. So we have not yet given up hope of getting out early on Saturday. We'll just have to see how it goes. Practicing patience.

Just Hangin' Out and Happy Late Bday to Ally

There hasn't been a whole lot to report, which in Emery's case, is a good thing! David stayed home this weekend to work on the house so it's just been the three of us plus Lauren and Dan, who continue to take good care of us.

Emery is getting busier and busier. Here she's reaching for her feet (that's her central line covered up on her leg). It was warm enough today to wear a more spring-y outfit. Bonnie and I are typically cold and keep running the heater upstairs while Dan and Lauren are sweating downstairs. (It's a wonder they haven't kicked us out yet). But today we actually turned on the air conditioner. It was sunny and humid outside and we considered taking a walk but everything else sorta got in the way and we never made it.

We can't decide if Emery is gaining weight or not but it's looking like she has a little bit of a double chin in these photos! What do you think? She's been kinda serious today but we managed to get a half smile out of her. She was happy through her sponge bath and enjoyed swinging in her swing for awhile. We are not quite sure where the hours go each day but we manage to fill them up without feeling like we have accomplished a whole lot. On the other hand, nothing is more important than taking care of this sweet baby girl.

The nurse has been by every day to change her dressing but the rash has completely cleared up and the nurse says it's all better. We get a day off tomorrow and don't have to mess with it till Emery goes back into the hospital on Thursday.

Yesterday was our precious granddaughter Ally's 3rd birthday. She was so cute when I talked with her on the phone and her mama said she'd been singing "Happy Birthday" to herself all day. We're sorry we couldn't see her and hope she had a lot of fun. We love you, sweetie!

Tomorrow we are going to try to drive back over to the outlet mall. I am so annoyed that my new jeans were washed one time (and never worn), coming out of the dryer with two holes in the leg. I suppose that's what I get for looking for bargains at the outlet. However, it looks like the store allows returns so maybe I can get some more.

Thursday Emery goes to Clinic and then will be admitted to the hospital for chemo. Dr. Thompson said she can go to Dallas after treatment if all goes well so we will be heading there when she's discharged next weekend. We'll spend part of Spring Break in Dallas with Sarah, Miles and Elle and the kids will also see David's sister Hannah and her husband Josh. They have a cute little boy named Grady and just welcomed baby sister Willow a few days ago. I know they are anxious to see Emery's new little cousin (and the rest of the family, too!)

I Heart a Good Bargain

Miss Emery had a very happy morning. She always wakes up in a good mood and is full of smiles. We love that time of day! Bonnie's dad and his wife were coming to visit this afternoon and I decided to go to the outlet mall to shop so they could have some time together. After a little confusion with my directions and trying to negotiate Bonnie's car with its huge side mirrors that block my view (I decided I am too short to drive a big vehicle), I made it to my destination. First off, a little lunch of fruit and cheese at Starbucks (who knew they had a fruit and cheese plate?) Now, it's not really that I am trying to be oh-so-healthy, but the choices at the food court were somewhat limited and it seemed the most appealing. The warm and sunny day was an added bonus since the stores are all outside. I think I enjoyed walking in the sunshine more than anything else. Finding lots of bargains was next on my plus list. I was surprised that the traffic was not bad and the outlets were not overrun with people. It was a very pleasant afternoon.

Of course, while I was gone, Emery decided to turn over by herself! We have been working with her and knew she was about to do it on her own. The little stinker couldn't wait for me??!! See Bonnie's blog here for a cute video of our girl showing what she's made of. Next, we think she is about ready to laugh out loud. She seems to be right on the verge. I told her she needs to do this at least once before Gigi leaves. In fact, I told her she needed to laugh for ME first and Bonnie took a little offense at that. :)

I don't think there's anything on the agenda tomorrow except another dressing change with a different nurse as our usual nurse is off. We'll see how that goes! Hope everyone is having a good weekend.