Blake called after he dropped Avery and Gage off at school this morning.
Blake, as the kids were jumping out of the car: “Make it a good day guys!”
Gage, without hesitation: “Everyday is a good day, Dad!”
As Blake said to me when he called to share the brief conversation, the lens Gage sees life through is so different. On the most basic yet profound level, he knows it’s a good day because he feels good and he’s getting to go to school. Simple enough.
RH
Thankfully, although last Monday’s spinal tap was a rough day for everyone, Gage was able to enjoy his week off from school. Avery, on the other hand, caught a stomach bug. No fun…and cause for even more hand washing and Purell. And, Gage and Ellie certainly missed their fearless leader with the great imagination. Once she rebounded, they were definitely glad to have her back! We also got to spend time with all four grandparents…always a treat.
Enjoy the pics…
Gage taking Wesley for one of many Jeep rides
Blake teaching Ellie how to shoot the BB gun
Success!
Gage shooting the BB gun with his grandfather, Daddy0
My dad on the trampoline with Gage & Ellie as Avery rides by…finally back in action!
Wesley, happy just to sit in the driver seat…and mad if anyone tried to move her!
Ellie, as Snow White, flying high
Quintessential Ellie…all about the dress and all about the adventure!
All in all, it was a great week. Thanks for checking in and for your prayers.
RH
Do you notice how tall Gage is in the picture above? That’s because he was “Teacher of the Day” on Thursday at his school. He’s taller than Ms. Hoek (formerly his teacher, now a student, I guess?)…and she called him “Mr. Holmes” all day long.
He worked with her to create the lesson plan for the day, telling her they needed to “get all the learning done before they start with the fun.” (What a surprise!) He also read a book to the class and chose a book from home for her to read as well. And, he got to enjoy a pizza lunch in the teacher’s lounge…a big treat!
The special day was made possible by a UP family that is generous towards many causes, including the kids’ school and Children’s Medical Center. They bought the “Teacher for a Day” experience at the school’s fund-raising auction and then had their son, who is in Gage’s class, give it to him as a gift. I was so touched by their generosity towards our family and their choice to involve their son in giving a gift that I know he would have enjoyed as well. What a great example of creative parenting and involving our kids in things that teach them both sacrifice and generosity.
So…enjoy the pictures from his day….
Gage at the start of the day…telling his friends about the morning activity he’d chosen
Eating a pizza lunch in the glamorous teacher’s lounge!
Gage with his official UP Badge…
After I took the lunch pictures, I told Blake that, if I could, I would have spent the entire day as a ‘fly on the wall’ watching Gage enjoy the fun of the day. We’ve had so many days that have been hard to make it through, and it was pure joy to watch him have such a sweet day.
Thanks for checking in!
RH
Well, the pictures say it all…he loved it, had a blast with his friends and SCORED!
For me, I had many thoughts as I looked at the 200 pictures I took at the game (yes, you read that right)…memories of being on the same field two years ago for one of Avery’s games…and how pale Gage looks in those pictures…he already had leukemia and were we seeing multiple signs of it, but didn’t know what was wrong yet. And, yesterday…a field full of Gage’s smiles, watching him jump into the mix unafraid, a surprising goal scored…and even the picture above where he’s running fast enough to get both legs off the ground. All things I don’t take for granted and find great joy in…
Thanks for celebrating with us!
RH
I’m happy to report the ‘good news’ that the strep throat was confined to only Avery and that she recovered very quickly as well. Yeah!
I had to laugh after the doctor told us she would be contagious at home for 24 hours. We Purell constantly as it is…our children do it completely on their own through out the day…especially Gage. When Avery was contagious, we somehow managed to make her wash up and Purell twice as much as ‘normal’…I didn’t even know that was possible!
And, as promised, here are some pics from the weekend. Gage even asked me Saturday morning, “Mom, will you take a picture of me in my Spiderman costume for the blog?” So funny! Enjoy…
Spiderman trapped by the soccer goal…
Sweet Ellie
Avery, a spy, in her trench coat and sunglasses…
Wesley…can you tell she’s 18 months now? What a fit!
Even funnier is that she was so mad because Ellie wouldn’t give her the stroller pictured below. Pretty sad when the best thing around is a beat-up, broken-down, hand-me-down stroller!
Gage…in his main clothing choice of the weekend…Spiderman!
On Sunday, Gage was named one of the Wipe Out Kids Cancer ambassadors for 2009, along with approx. 10 other kids being treated for cancer at Children’s. Since there are literally hundreds of kids being treated at any given time, it’s an honor to be included in this group, which (among many, many other things) plans monthly activities for kids fighting cancer…along with their siblings and parents. So, I’m sure we’ll be sharing more about that in the future.
And, basketball season is over. Surprisingly, at least to me, Gage decided he wanted to play soccer next. I’m not sure I would have chosen soccer for him because of all running on a large, outdoor field…not a great match with his decreased endurance and weakened legs muscles from the chemo. But, hopefully, it won’t be too noticeable to him or his friends and will be a time we can celebrate how well he’s feeling…even with the undeniable side effects.
Lastly, next week is Spring Break for the kids, and we’ll start it with Gage’s spinal tap on Monday (and start a week of steroids too). So, please pray that the week will go as smoothly as possible and that we would still be able to enjoy time together as a family…even if nothing big is planned!
Also, I know many of you reading our blog are looking for spiritual encouragement as you walk through the challenges in your own life. As I was blog-hopping tonight, I read an incredible post from a blog I’ve followed off-and-on for a while. Check out the March 3rd “The Sea and the Scarf” post at Bring the Rain. You won’t be disappointed.
Thanks for checking in on us.
RH
Bad news: Avery came home early today from school with strep throat.
Good news: Gage is already on high-dose antibiotics that will keep him from getting it.
Bad news: Avery is going to be contagious for 24 hours until her antibiotics kick in, so Ellie and Wesley could still get it.
And, hopefully, I’ll be able to report good news soon that Avery was the only one who got it.
Sorry for the lack of pictures this week. Driving kids around and multiple doctor/clinic visits aren’t all that exciting. Hopefully we’re on the mend and more photogenic next week!
RH
A crazy couple days, and I’m sorry I haven’t posted. Here’s why:
Monday
11 a.m. Ellie feels crummy and takes a nap. Four-year-olds don’t take morning naps.
1 p.m. Take Gage to clinic for blood work. Ellie is mad she can’t go as promised…but I can’t take her around the immune-suppressed kids, so she stays home with the babysitter. Gage’s counts look good; chemo continues.
Tuesday
1 a.m. Gage comes into our room in tears. Ear ache again. Temperature is ok so we take Tylenol. Still hurts a couple hours later, so we do ear drops.
7 a.m. Realize Gage’s ear still hurts, Ellie is still under the weather and I’ve got to get him to clinic…again.
8 a.m. Take Avery & Gage to school. Nurse checks his ear and confirms infection. Still, he’s okay to be at school until his clinic appointment. If we missed school for every little thing, he’d never go!
9 a.m. Take Wesley to Mothers Day Out (again, theoretically this is the day all the kids should be in school…and, of course, I’m not bitter!) Keep Ellie home with me, for now.
10 a.m. Make a ton of phone call to get clinic appointment, make arrangements for all the kids, notify the schools of changes, etc.
12:30 p.m. Pick Gage up from school, take Ellie to Blake’s mom’s house.
1:30 p.m. Arrive at clinic and begin waiting
2:00 p.m. My sister picks up Wesley from Mother’s Day Out
2:30 p.m. Gage is supposed to be out of school and at a friend’s house…and he’s MAD he’s at clinic instead
3:00 p.m. A friend picks Avery up from school
3:30 p.m. We finally finish at clinic…only after I ask the nurse if they can just call us with the prescription details because Gage really wants to go to his friend’s house. I couldn’t decide what was the best move there, but decided to err on the side of easing Gage’s frustration with the situation. I also make sure the nurse plans to talk to Walgreens pharmacist directly so they don’t reject the prescription dose for being too high and in capsules (normal thoughts with a six year old patient)…and saving me from several rounds of phone calls between the two of them.
3:35 p.m. I start my phone calls to salvage Gage’s playdate and find the other kids….careful to stay off my cell phone in school zones or I get a $100 ticket (again).
3:45 p.m. Drop Gage off at his friend’s house. They are both thrilled!
4:00 p.m. Pick Ellie up from Blake’s mom’s house.
4:15 p.m. Pick Wesley up from my sister’s house.
4:30 p.m. Pick Avery up from her friend’s house.
4:45 p.m. Pick Gage back up from his short-but-not-canceled playdate
5:00 p.m. Come home. Unpack backpacks, do homework, feed the kids dinner, do baths… the basic but crazy nightly drill.
So, at the end of it all, I didn’t exactly have the energy to post. Still, I’m incredibly thankful for family and friends who are so ready to help on days like today…and who allow me to completely impose my life on theirs when things get crazy. And, I’m thankful that all we were really dealing with was an ear infection…even if we’ve been fighting it on-and-off for a couple months now. It may not have been the day I envisioned, but it wasn’t all bad either.
Please pray for Ellie to feel better (and not spread her germs!) and for Gage’s ear to heal and his body to withstand the 10 days of high dose antibiotics ahead.
Thanks, as always, for checking in.
RH
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