Crunching Numbers

In light of the financial crisis Michael talked about here, I thought I'd put Andi to work today.

Chili's for Dinner

Today, Chili's is donating 100% of its proceeds to St. Jude's Research Hospital. While this is not the hospital that treated Joshua, it is the place where his treatment plan was developed. And by the looks of Joshua these days, it is a fine plan indeed! So, I will be nudging Michael to go out to eat tonight and I hope to see you all there. If you go, make a Chili's in Joshua's honor. Or go here and make one from home. Happy eating!

(HT: Renee)

Ee Aww

Andi has learned only a few words so far. She uses sign language regularly, but the actually words are not quite as quick. So, the other day when Joshua came out of his room riding a stick horse, you can imagine my surprise to hear Andi stand up and yell, "EE AWW!" She ran to get the cowboy hat in the playroom and continued yelling, "EE AWW! EE AWW!" I wasn't quite sure what she was saying until Joshua starting yelling, "YEE HAW" right along with her. Now, every time Andi sees a horse or hears Old McDonald she begins say, "Eee Aww," all over again. It is really cute.

Here are a few more pictures that will make you want to give her a good squeeze the next time you see her.

Did They Forget Something?

As you already know, the weekend following treatment is trying for everyone in our family. Wednesday night I (Michael was out of town) braced myself for several middle of the night wake-ups. Instead, Thursday morning I woke up refreshed with 2 happy kids.

A little weird.

But sometimes it takes until Friday for things to go south on a treatment week. But Thursday night came and went, and so did Friday. And Saturday. And Sunday.

In fact, the week went so well and was so comparatively easy that I convinced myself that the hospital had forgotten to give Joshua his chemo treatment at all. After all, I didn't pay that close of attention when he was getting it, so I fabricated in my mind how they had simply neglected to push through his chemo.

I actually called the hospital today to check, and they assured me that they had indeed given Joshua his medicine. Nothing to do at this point except praise the Lord for another 4 weeks down, this one without many side effects. 

The Battle

Tomorrow is another Wednesday at the clinic. Joshua will once again receive chemotherapy and an immune booster, followed by 5 days of steroids. It will be a difficult week, but today I was reminded of all the patients that have walked this tough road. Renee put together this slide show for Childhood Cancer Awareness Day. It shows all of the people we have come to love on the 6th floor and the poor families that have lost this ugly battle.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Make a Wish

If you're not familiar with the Make a Wish Foundation, it may be one of the coolest, more generous organizations we've ever run across. The idea behind it is to allow kids with life threatening illnesses make a wish, and see that wish granted.

They let kids meet random Nascar drivers, take them on shopping sprees, buy them computers, attend sporting events and play catch with famous baseball players, buy huge playground equipment for the backyard, and countless other things.

The time has come for Joshua to make his wish.

So we had a meeting last night with Jacilyn, his make a wish consultant. Now here's the thing - there have been families in the past who have tried to work the system a little bit, making their kids wish for a new hummer or to have their mortgage paid off. So we knew that wouldn't work. But to prevent that, each consultant has an interview time with the kid where they draw pictures together and answer questions. My assumption is that they take all this information to craft the experience.

Joshua's interview was pretty revelatory. Here are a few choice tidbits, complete with what we were thinking:

Jacilyn: What's your favorite food?
Joshua: Strawberries
(Wow - pretty healthy start Joshua. Maybe you should have said prime rib.)

Jacilyn: How about junk food? Do you like chips, or candy?
Joshua: Yes. I like Sunchips.
(Hmmm... we've had Sunchips once. At lunch yesterday. Daddy likes Skittles, Joshua.)

Jacilyn: What if you could have anything in the world? What would you want?
Joshua: A Wall-E movie.
(What? Really? How about a life sized robot to cook and clean instead? Or maybe a hummer?)

Jacilyn: If you could meet anybody in the world? Like a football player or a baseball player?
Joshua: Eli. I would meet Eli.
(That's great. Your cousin Eli. That you see 3 times a week.)

In all seriousness, though, it was awesome. Joshua did a great job, and he did just what he was supposed to do - be honest. We will not at this time be revealing what the end result of his wish is; you'll have to wait a while to find out, but we're pretty excited.

30, Finally!

As my birthday has been approaching, several people have asked me how I feel about turning 30. My answer, "Bring it on." My life, up until now, has been full. It has included world travel, a beautiful wedding to a wonderful man, a successful (I'll be it short) career as a teacher, two amazing children, and great friends to accompany me all along the way. Along with these joyous pieces of my 30 years, I've experienced difficulty that I didn't think possible in my 20's: walking with my parents through failing health and disappointment and sitting with son through months and months of chemotherapy. After all of this, good and bad, I feel like I should have been 30 five years ago. 

In effort to stay looking and feeling young, I will continue to obsessively exercise, shop at Forever 21, and watch movies that were made for 15 year olds. If you see me wearing mom jeans, running for PTA president, or buying the best of Barbara Streisand, please remind me that 30 is the new 20 these days.

Regardless of how I look or what is to come in the next decade of life, I do know that my God has proven himself faithful. I look forward to all ways that God will continue to draw me closer to Himself.

A Better School Day

Some of you may remember the blubbering post from last year. If you look back, we confessed the tears that flowed after we dropped Joshua off at Mother's Day Out. This year was much different. Joshua didn't cry. I didn't cry. Andi, on the other hand, cried pretty hard. But then she stopped.

The kids had a great first day of school. Joshua had a blast and Andi quit crying almost immediately. Joshua's teachers were very concerned to know all about his health, his needs, and what we expected from them. Incidentally, this is the same group of teachers who almost 2 years ago pointed out a rash on Joshua's stomach that would eventually lead us to the leukemia diagnosis. It's pretty amazing to think that many of them have prayed for him for these long months and now he's back in their lives again.

We're looking forward to a great year.

Lake Life

Our good friend, Allison, invited us to join her at her parents' lake house on Lake Keowee for Labor Day weekend. Even though we were apprehensive about the six hour drive to get there, it was very clearly worth it. 

Joshua was like a little fish in the water. He ran and jumped off the dock about 500 times and loved inner tubing with us. Michael and I loved getting to water ski again after a long hiatus. Joshua was so enamoured by the water skiing that he referred to his inner tube as his water skis. 

Andi was a bit of different story. While she did look very precious in her swimsuit and life jacket, she did not take to the confinement of any life preserver. Needless to say this made us all very nervous, but Andi did come away from the weekend even more golden brown than before.

All in all, it was a relaxing and fun weekend. Our soreness from the water sports is going away and we look forward to doing it all over again soon. Look out Platts, we may be joining you soon!

Allison: A Tribute

This summer marks the end of an era. Our dear friend, Allison, took a new job. We are excited for her in lots of ways, but the past two clinic visits have held a sadness that wasn't there before. You see, Allison, left her job as a Child Life Specialist at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. 

Few people know this, but on October 11, 2006, I went to visit Allison at work. I had the day off from teaching, so Melissa and I decided to meet Allison at the Pancake Pantry for a late brunch. On a whim, I asked Allison, if I could get a tour of the hospital and see what it is she does. 

So, we toured. She took me by her office, the food court, the play rooms, the performance stage, the trains, and then by the Myelosuppression Unit on the 6th floor. All the while, explaining the purpose behind each. As I walked down to bid her farewell, I turned around and said, "I never want a reason to come back here, but I'm so glad this place exists."

How on earth could I have known that the next day I would be coming to that same place to hear the dreaded news about Joshua's defective blood. All the while, knowing that when I got there, my sweet friend would be there to show me the way.

Allison sat with us as we cried the night Joshua was diagnosed. She stood with me and explained every procedure the first time they happened. She sat on the cold hospital floor and played with Joshua for hours so that we could catch our breath. She brought me countless Dr. Peppers. She stole toys from all over the hospital to make sure Joshua was well stocked. She laughed with us when we were finally able to laugh again. She met us in the Emergency Room every single time, even when we told her she didn't need to. She met us in the clinic every Wednesday for a solid year. 

I miss her. The last two clinic appointments have gone well, but there is still a hole, a feeling of loneliness that I didn't expect. Allison has played a major role in the healing that is taking place in all our lives. I know that she will continue to do so, just in a different way. 

So here's to you, our dear friend, and thanks for being willing to be a tangible example of the Lord's care and grace.

We're Knights, That's Right

We survived the dreaded steroids week with no hiccups. One of the ways to help Joshua through these weeks is to provide distractions from the discomfort he is having. So, we go to the park regularly, visit the zoo, plan a trip to the pool, or whatever will balance his entertainment with his exhaustion. 

This week, we discovered that the Backyardigans were performing live on stage at TPAC. It was about knights and dragons, two of Joshua's favorite subjects these days. If you are not familiar with the Backyardigans, they are the coolest toddler television cartoon around. They sing, dance, and imagine with the best of them. I strongly encourage you to check them out. 

Joshua was disappointed that the "real" Backyardigans didn't come. They were just people dressed up like the Backyardigans. This did, however, provide a great distraction for Joshua and he came home singing at the top of his lungs, "We're knights. That's right." 

Training

So it begins. Michael is already hot on the trail training for the St. Jude Marathon.  I, on the other hand, have been putting off officially training for the St. Jude Half Marathon for a while now. I haven't stopped running, but my mileage is way behind what would qualify for half marathon status. Luckily, I have found a few friends that are willing to trot along with me. Our training officially begins after Labor Day. That will give us just over 12 weeks to whip our bodies back into running condition. St. Jude is a great hospital that has provided care for many sick kids and has done the research for Joshua's treatment plan. Training will be tough, but the cause is a good one. 

Read this article. It'll make you want to join us. Well, at least come cheer us on.

Praying for the Peabodys

I am grieving alongside this sweet family. I don’t know exactly what to say, except their little boy Joseph was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. After many long months of treatment, they received recently the news that no parent ever wants to hear. You can read Allen and Gillian’s latest blog post here, and then join me in praying for them.

News from the Clinic...

Everything went well yesterday, though it took a little longer than usual. Joshua's blood counts looked good and everything went as normal. He got his vincristine through his port and his spinal tap, promptly waking up to an Icee in his hands. He was perfectly normal coming home and played all afternoon and evening. Probably by noon today we will be able to see some of the effects of the treatment, but so far so good.

On another note, we want to recognize that this journey is a long one for all of us, including you. We know it's not easy every 4 weeks to get a blog or email asking you to pray for us, and yet you continue to do so. You pray, you comment, and you call, and we appreciate it. 3 years is a long time to have that cycle going for all of us, but your perseverance is loved, respected, and appreciated.

To the Clinic

Big day tomorrow. Joshua goes back to the clinic for his 4 week dose of chemo as well as a spinal tap. This is week 12 of the 12 week cycle, the dreaded day that combines the intravenous medicine as well as the spinal tap.

So if you're in a praying mood (or even if you aren't I suppose) we would really appreciate you remembering us tomorrow and in the following days. Usually the 5 days following a treatment like tomorrow's are the worst of the 12 weeks, marked by discomfort, frustration, and strong emotion from the little boy. So onward we press; thanks for going there with us.

Pig Tails and Big Wheels

After many attempts, I finally got Andi's hair up in her first set of pig tails. She couldn't be any cuter! It makes her look like such a big girl. Thankfully she still likes to cuddle up her mommy and remember that she's still my baby. I know that won't last long.

Meet Flash. This is Joshua's new pride and joy. We got this bike for Joshua's birthday. It took a few days for him to get used to it, but it is now a daily routine. He races around the cars and pretends that a dinosaur, lion, or train is chasing him. No worries though, Flash is fast enough to take on any of these competitors. 

Promotion Sunday For Us All

On Sunday, Joshua will move up to the 4 year old class at Grace Community Church. He is very aware that he will move across the hall and couldn't be more excited. Andi will also be moving on. Obviously, she is unaware of the move today, but by Sunday when she doesn't have her favorite teacher rocking her to sleep, she may realize that something is a bit different.

As for Michael and me, we are making a promotion of our own. During the first year after Joshua's diagnosis we chose to leave the church we were attending. There were lots of reasons for that, but a big one for me was the need for anonymity. I had a very hard time being in casual relationships. I wanted the people around me to either know every detail of every doctors appointment and hospital stay, or not even know that Joshua was sick. So, we visited churches and even after joining GCC, we acted like we were visiting there. We didn't make an initiative to know anyone. For 8 months, we walked in late, left early and stayed in our bubble. 

Now, as God continues to bring redemption, we promote. We have slowly busted out of our bubble to make some new friends and even stay late to chat in the parking lot once and a while. Even more, Michael will be teaching a Sunday school class. Talk about promotion. I am really excited to be under his teaching again and know that so many people will be blessed by his gift of communication. 

Happy Promotion Day everyone!

I Don't Think She Knows...

...that she's only 15 months old.

Joshua had just finished a baseball game and Andi decided it was her turn.

This shot is of Andi using all her strength to get Joshua off of her car. I probably should have intercepted rather than snapping pictures, but the intensity on Andi's face needed to be documented.

I AM WHO I AM

Scott spoke today from Exodus 3:10-15, when Moses is standing on the holy ground in front of the burning bush. God speaks to him about His plans to rescue the Israelites from slavery. Once again, it was thought provoking and encouraging.

I came away from it knowing these things:

1. My inadequacies are not answered by my training and qualifications, but by His name. I AM. I WILL BE with you.

2. God is eternal, self-existent, self-sufficient and unchanging. Yet, He chooses to enter relationship with me.

3. God truly is He who exists and will always be with me in every situation of my life.

I'm Back.

I had the privilege of spending five days with my husband in New Mexico at Glorieta Conference Center. Since I grew up in New Mexico it was especially fun for the week to packed with childhood memories. It was also close enough for my sisters and their families to join us for a day. It was a wonderful week filled with lots of relaxation, Mexican food, and quality time with Michael. Since we've had children, I very rarely get to travel with Michael when he is preaching out of town. Thankfully Michael's parents offered to keep the kids and I was able to join him at this event.

I have always enjoyed the way that Michael preaches, but this week it was better than I remembered. Michael not only speaks truth with wisdom but also always emotionally attaches himself to the passage. You can listen for yourself here.

Upon returning home, I realized what a blessing it was to have Gram and Papaw stay with our children. Joshua stayed healthy the entire time, but Andi came down with the Hand/Foot/Mouth Virus. If you're unfamiliar with this dreaded affliction, it causes sores inside the mouth and throat as well as on the hands and feet. Needless to say, Gary and Judy had many sleepless nights and whiney days. Andi was nevertheless well-loved.

Apparently Michael and forget to take pictures when our kids aren't around. These are the only two we took all week.