Nothing New

All of a sudden I realized that I hadn't made a post in awhile so thought I should give an update. The good news is that I didn't post because there really hasn't been anything going on. Ben completed another course of steroids on Monday so we are happy we survived another month. He was moody and emotional, but I must say it didn't seem quite as bad as the past few months. The boys were able to attend science camp at the science museum all this week with two of their best friends. They had a fantastic time and the teacher commented to me today that Ben and David were so much fun to have in her class and that they are really terrific brothers. I couldn't agree more! Last night they were arguing with each other about which one loved the other more ("I love you more!" "No, I love you more!") - very cute.

Next week should be pretty quiet as we don't have any camp scheduled but we are signed up for hockey, tennis and swimming lessons so should be a relaxing and fun week!

Good Numbers

The boys were able to go to gymnastics camp today. Ben's back was a little sore so he couldn't do some of the stretches in the morning but he kept feeling better and better as the day wore on.

We went to the hospital for a blood draw and Vincristine this afternoon. Although his veins were being difficult again at least they were able to get the chemo in and draw enough blood to run his numbers. The great news is that his numbers are terrific!! His ANC (the one we look at to see if he is neutropenic) was over 3000. As usual, Ben was a good sport during the poking and kept joking with the doctor and nurse.

We don't have any hospital visits scheduled for a month!

Spinal

Well, we arrived at the hospital at 8:00 a.m. and went to the new PICC center which was very nice. After all of the initial vital checks and being hooked up to all of the monitors the staff attempted to insert Ben's IV. Unfortunately, because he has little veins and has been fasting since the previous evening they had a very difficult time getting an IV in. After a couple of attempts the doctor finally got the needle inserted. David and I went out to the waiting room but shortly thereafter one of the doctor's came out to let me know that there was a problem with the first IV and they needed to attempt to get a new one in before the spinal tap could proceed. He let me know that I shouldn't worry but the procedure would likely take a little longer than usual. Well it took much longer. Poor Ben had another IV put in but that one didn't hold either. The good news is that they were able to complete the spinal tap. The bad news is that we need to go back tomorrow for a blood draw and Vincristine as they were unable to take care of either one. Ben took an extremely long time to wake up today but is feeling pretty good now. He is sore and tired but otherwise in reasonably good spirits. I must also note that for being at the hospital for about 6 hours needing to be quiet and calm David was amazingly well behaved. You wouldn't have known he was there if you didn't see him. We have two fantastic boys!

Busy Busy Busy!

We had a fantastic week! Having four boys running around the house like maniacs was a blast. The boys had fun having water balloon fights, playing with Legos, going to the aquarium, constantly eating and just generally acting crazy!

We set off for an adventurous weekend of camping on Friday which turned out really great. We went with our good friends who live around the corner and everyone had so much fun. The boys and the dog had a great time - none of them seemed to mind being sweaty and dirty for three days :)

When we returned from camping our guests also returned for another day of fun and we were very sad last night when they had to get on an airplane to return home.

We were a little worried about a cough and runny nose that Ben started over the weekend. The doctors decided to put him on antibiotics yesterday in an effort to keep this week's spinal tap on schedule and so far it looks good. We did have a surprise today when we found out that the spinal needs to be changed from Thursday to tomorrow. Ben is not looking forward to it but he is being a good sport and I am sure he will be happy to have another one over with.

We will keep you advised on how everything goes.

School's Out!

Well, Ben and David graduated from 1st grade and Kindergarten, respectively, and summer is upon us. We took a quick trip to Scottsdale with some friends last weekend, staying at a resort with cool waterslides and stuff and taking time to see their Grandmom. This week, Ben and David's cousins from Michigan, Kyle and Reid, are here visiting us. Then next weekend we're going camping with some friends north of Santa Barbara.

Here are some pictures -- Ben with his teachers, Ms. Lomonaco and Ms. Ostrowski; David at his end-of-school celebration; Ben and David at the Patton museum (in the desert between LA and Phoenix -- we drove); and Ben and David with their cousins. Our camera is now broken, so there may not be many new pictures for a while . . .

Good Week

Last week was a nice but busy week. The boys did not have school Thursday or Friday due to Parent/Teacher conferences. We were thrilled with both of their reports. Ben and David have very different personalities but they are both very smart, fun and loved by their teachers!

It is hard to believe but it is the last week of school. Ben is finishing up first grade and David with Kindergarten. This should be a fun-filled week for them at school and of course we have lots of play dates and other things planned for after school. We are eagerly awaiting a visit from their cousins from Michigan next week - this is going to be a very fun and noisy house filled with 4 boys!

Ben is feeling good. He had a cough on Saturday that we were a little worried about but no fever and he otherwise feels great so so far so good.