Round Two

Ava and Gwen wanted to play "Mommy" today. I got to be the baby. I love when they make me the baby. I essentially get to lay around for upwards of 10 minutes pretending to cry and fuss while they run around in circles trying to make me happy. The game was a little trickier today because they each had another baby doll under their care as well.

Me: WAHHHH!
Ava: What's wrong, baby? Don't cry. Mommy's here. I'll be right back though, because I have to go help the other baby. (Begins to slip away)
Me: WAHHHHHHHHH!
Ava: Shhh, shhh, shhh. Baby, don't cry. Mommy's here. I'll be right back...I'm just going to...
Me: WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Ava: It's okay, it's okay. (Then she stops, sits up, and her eyes get really wide) Wait a second, Mom. Time out. Is this what it feels like to take care of me and Gwen? It must be hard to take care of us at the same time especially when we are crying and fussing around.
Me: (silently patting myself on the back for being a genius and, yet, such a jerk at the same time)

It feels good to play and to enjoy light hearted moments with them. Things are slowly getting back to normal and even though we'll be pulled back into the world of sterile rooms and chemo drugs, today we had a good day.

Ava went to school for the first time in a month and even felt brave enough to take off her hat in front of her classmates. Her teacher, who has been monumental in lifting Ava's spirits throughout this time, did not stop flashing her beautiful smile at Ava-for sure recharging the strength she needs to continue the battle against cancer. Ava's principal, a great friend and someone Ava admires so much, solidified her confidence that people are rooting for her to kick cancer's butt like it "ain't no thang." In fact, the whole school has been pulsating with compassion and support for our family from day one. And we are humbled, sincerely bowled over by the love all of you have shown to our family. We are surrounded by exceptional people. We count it as one of God's mercies toward us as we trek through the shadows.

Today we had a good day. This equips us for the bad days and the hard days we will have in the future. We will certainly see some in the next weeks and months. But I have a good memory stored away for each difficult day we'll encounter and that will help in more ways than we can articulate.  You were a part of building our collection of praises. With all my heart, thank you for your friendship; thank you for your encouragement; thank you for your compassion, your generosity, your words, your prayers. We cherish you and you have made a difference in our lives.

Tomorrow, we will head to Ronald McDonald House for the night so that we can make it on time to our 8:00 a.m. appointment on Thursday. Ava will be getting a CT scan to see if they can detect a fungal infection. She has been on anti-fungals ever since the suspected infection two weeks ago. She will have to drink contrast before her scan. We are praying that she does not have an allergic reaction to the contrast and that she would be able to keep it down. (That stuff is nasty.) After seeing her doctor, Ava will go into the operating room to get her bone marrow biopsy and her spinal tap in one fell swoop. We pray that the doctors would be able to do both without difficulty or complications. Finally, if Ava's blood counts come back with good numbers, she will be admitted for another round of chemo. Thank you for keeping Ava in your prayers.

Round Two. FIGHT!