Almost there

Keith is sleeping through his last round of inpatient chemo right now and then has several hours of hydration to follow. He has one quick outpatient chemo next week and then we say goodbye to treatment phase and hello to rehab phase. We are grateful to be turning this corner. The hospital staff makes a pretty big deal out of his last treatment. Hence, the balloons and gift. They have been so great to us.

I know Keith looks less than thrilled with my kisses but I just can't help myself. He is one squeezy little person.

 Keith has had a pretty decent visit. He's played more in the playroom than any other visit and was braver than I've ever seen him when I broke the news that we were headed back to the hospital for a few days. After such a long break, we were unsure how he would take it. As usual, he has far exceeded our expectations.

 Credit could be given to the festive visitors he's had the last two days in the form of Cole and Ally. Thankfully, Grandma and Grandpa B. have been holding down the fort at home. Grandma Smart and Chelsea swung by on their way to the airport today too, so he's had lots of visitors and surprises to help pass the time.



I was cleaning out some photos today and thought I should include a bunch before I forget...

 We've enjoyed some great cousin time the last few months. Lots of time with Caden and Hunter and Evie and even a quick visit from Cohen, Jade and Fisher. Cole, Keith and Ally cannot get enough time with their cousins.

Several weeks ago, Keith was having a decent Saturday so we headed out to the fish hatchery. Cole and Ally might have well been in Disneyland as they fed the fish and checked out the huge sturgeon. Keith did pretty well. It wasn't super warm so we lasted as long as he could handle and then headed for home. It was a small outing but we weren't getting out much at the time so it was pretty fun.

Ally all but brought this dog home with us. She LOVES dogs.

This was about the time Keith had had enough. We called it quits soon after.

Keith loves his dad more than anyone in the whole world.

Fortunately, Dad will be here soon to spend the rest of the evening with Keith and bring him home. Brent has been known to bring Keith home at 2 AM. Whatever it takes to spend as little time at the hospital as possible! Tonight they should be out of here by midnight. We will be VERY excited to welcome them home!

Taking Advantage

We have taken full advantage of Keith's energy level and activity tolerance these past 2 weeks.

We also took full advantage of Aunt Chelsea's Spring break from her graduate program in London. We put her straight to work.
She helped us run errands and go to the park, the library, and the Zoo.

Chelsea teaching Ally how to crack an egg. She is a brave auntie.

It's possible Cole only went to the Zoo for the cotton candy.

But he did let Ally have her fair share. And Keith surprisingly ate some too. You have to start somewhere right?

We managed to see a few animals in addition to the bottom of an empty cotton candy bag.

Chels carried Ally a large chunk of the time.

We also had fun just hanging out at home with Chels.

Note to Cole: 4 out of 5 Dentists recommend wearing pants while brushing your teeth.

Chelsea's week with us culminated in her 30th birthday bash. More on that to come.
Right now, we're packing up for Keith's FINAL round of chemo.

Bring on Cycle 9...

Glimpses

When I asked Cole what he learned about in church recently, all I could get out of him was something about hunting and capturing a Leprechaun. He quickly changed into something green and put a hat on his head for protection and insisted that Keith and Ally follow suit.

Even though he wasn't feeling very well at first, Keith eventually got into the fighting spirit with his green fighting gloves and his green shirt.

 Ally was severely reprimanded for not wearing green, but her mad fighting skills eventually overrode the need for green and Cole allowed her into the fray.

Cole continued the hunt with Grandpa Burnett in Yakima this week. Grandpa helped him set a trap with some cookies but that Leprechaun was too clever! He stole the cookies before Cole and Grandpa could get there in time to catch him. Maybe next St. Patrick's Day... Cole and Grandpa are already planning their modifications to the current Leprechaun trapping system.

Keith had a rough clinic day last week, complete with an abnormal amount of car-vomiting, replacing his feeding tube without any lubricant in the car, and stripping down naked in a frozen parking garage so I could change his clothes. It was a disastrous morning for us both. And that was before a 7 hour day at the clinic. But his transfusion went smoothly and ever since, he has been a new kid. I give most of the credit to his grandparents. Ever since we learned he would have 3 weeks off from the inside of any medical facility which has only happened 1 other time in 13 months, and since we learned Brent would be traveling, we knew where we were headed. Keith is so happy visiting his grandmas and grandpas. He has been full of energy and happier than I've seen him in months. He truly hasn't been feeling this well since last fall. He's walking everywhere (with assistance) and his nausea is almost non-existent. To put it in perspective, he typically vomits 2-4 times a day at home. We've been in Yakima for a week and he's been sick 3 times total. On top of that, he's sleeping much better, needing less medication and tolerating his feeds at a faster rate. I'm almost nervous to take him home tomorrow! I know this round has been easier on him since he hasn't been dealing with urology and other external variables, but we can't deny the power of being in the homes of some rockstar Grandparents. 

Keith at the clinic before his transfusion. Fortunately, the red blood cells brought some color back to his sweet cheeks.

Keith and I during our first visit to the brand new Children's hospital last month.

Keith and Dad enjoying some sunshine last week.

Keith has sat at the table and tasted some food this week. I LOVED this view and couldn't resist snapping a pic.

Keith and Cole getting a "magic carpet ride" at G and G Burnett's house.

Brent came home early to relieve Debbie recently, (Keith and I were at the hospital) and I came home to homemade cupcakes and frosting faces. Cole and Ally were in heaven, eating cupcakes for dinner and hanging out with dad. Breaking the rules with Dad is way too much fun!

Ally and I had an outing to the salon this week. She was so excited to get her hair cut with mom. She was so good, mostly due to the Malty-poo running around the salon, but still. She was good. This is her before we chopped off a few inches. Although it looks much better (ie: less scraggly), I can't really say she looks that different. In order for that to happen, her mom would have to gain some hairstyle-skills and we all know that's never going to happen, so luckily she has a beautiful face that can compensate for untamed hair.



 Couldn't resist this pic, just like her Dad can't resist giving her anything she desires.



Basically, we all feel refreshed from being with grandparents and excited to enjoy another (almost) 2 weeks break from the clinic. Keith has only 1 more round of chemo left. Yes, you read that right.

One. More. Round.

It will be the same cycle he had in December, so we're bracing ourselves for a long April, but after that, it is a whole new ballgame. This last week has given us a small glimpse of what it will be like for him soon. It has been such a welcome view into the future for us. There have been times the last few months when I really doubted that things were ever going to be any different. This last week has completely changed my perspective and my attitude in a much needed way.

Just for laughs, I have a pic for all you moms out there who've ever had a day when you actually tried to look somewhat stylish and you're wearing more than the typical workout pants and a hoodie. I had one of those days recently and I ran several errands, feeling like I was a step above my usual game, until I got home, went into the bathroom to wash my hands, looked in the mirror and realized the Spiderman sticker on my atypically stylish shirt. I had put the kids in bed before I went out, so I knew it had been there at Costco, at the restaurant and at the grocery store.

This happens quite often but for some reason that night I couldn't help but laugh at myself and snap a picture. This is my life and most of the time, it's pretty awesome--made more awesome by Spiderman stickers in unlikely places.