More Normal Than Not

3/21/2012: 5:35 PM

We enjoyed what was left of the kids' spring break by spending most of it with family. Kyle's aunt Tricia was visiting from Georgia, and Grandma Hawkins had a birthday. We spent some time on Friday and Saturday with our Hawkins family, and Sunday afternoon, we celebrated another birthday as my niece turned 3.

Kyle and Kennedy playing with the bubble wand.

Davis and Annakate are doing a pretty good job of finding a routine of school and chores. We had a pretty good routine until Davis wound up in the hospital. It is still a struggle for Davis to take his medication; there are nights when he doesn't go to be until 10:45 PM because he won't/can't take his medication. And of course, that makes for a rough morning, where he has to repeat the process. 

His medicine causes a bit of a conundrum. The predisone he is on causes him to be hungry all of the time. He eats from the minute he gets up until the moment before he has to brush his teeth before bed. One of his chemo meds, 6 MP, has to be taken on a completely empty stomach. Kyle and I have been putting Davis to bed, and then waking him up two hours later to take his 6 MP. It's unusual, but it's working. Davis is still groggy from being asleep, so he doesn't resist taking it as much. And being asleep, he isn't super hungry from the prednisone.

I know I blog it all of the time, but we are so moved by the love and generosity shown to us by friends and family. During spring break, Macy, a little gal who is in band with Davis, took her trumpet and her big heart and played songs for people. They, in turn, tipped her. She took the tip money that she raised and gave it to Davis. Wow. We were so touched by this child's thoughtfulness. I am not sure if she reads the blog, but if so, thank you, Macy!

Thank goodness the weather has been cooperating! She rides every day.

Davis has been feeling pretty good the last few days. He has some major allergies, but who doesn't? He has been playing outside quite a bit, and therefore, he is coated with sunscreen every morning. Chemo and sun exposure do not mix. We have had our fair share of emotional and behavioral issues with Davis as of late (50-80% of children with cancer suffer from depression or issues with compliance), but we are confident that with the help of his psychologist, our united front, and lots and lots of prayer, we will be beyond them soon.

I am sorry that I don't have any counts or medical news to report. It seems odd to me to not know more about Davis' health. This part of meeting the maintenance phase is going to be quite an adjustment for me. We are supposed to get a CBC and CMP next Thursday. However, no medical news is a blessing in and of itself. It means that we are inching our way closer to being done with cancer treatment.

We continue to pray for a complete healing for Davis. When I tuck him in every night, I personally pray over him right then and there. I pray for complete healing, a strong bone marrow, no relapse. I pray for his heart, liver, and kidneys that they stay strong. I pray for his mind and those battles that he fights that we can't see. I pray that he is a witness for God and a leader in the world. I pray that he may see the blessings brought forth by cancer. And I pray that God builds a hedge of protection around him and keeps him safe for all of the days of his long, long life.

We will keep you posted.