St. Jude's Benefit Car Show

 

9.15.13:  8:40 PM

 

I never thought I would see the day when our lives were "normal", but here we are. 

 

 

Davis started middle school, and it's a good fit. He is loving it. His teachers are super supportive and he lucked out and ended up with quite a few of his friends on his team. (Middle school is broken up into teams of 100 kids or so.)  He was looking pretty good on the first day of school.

 

Annakate wasn't looking so hot for the first day of school.  She actually missed the first week (two days really).  After two weeks and three doctors appointments, a chest x-ray revealed pneumonia.  To top it off, she also tested positive for having mono over the past six weeks.  She had to get a couple of shots in her legs, and she was given lots of medicine.  Poor thing.  Just as she was on the mend, this past week, she had to go back to the doctor for a sinus infection.  More medicine. We can't seem to get her well for long. 

 

 

Despite the pneumonia, she was able to run the Ashmore Day kids run.  She did a fantastic job.  She ended up placing first for the girls and third overall.



 

Ashmore Day, our village festival, brought family to town.  I was so blessed to get to spend some time with my youngest nephew. I couldn't help but get nostalgic when I realized that I held my niece, Cora, through the Ashmore Day parade and now I was holding my nephew. . . fourteen years later! Where does time go?

 



 

Davis's buddies joined him for Friends Sunday at our church.  It was a scorcher of a day, so after the boys had sweat through their clothes, we headed home so they could swim.

 



 

One of the highlights to Friends Day was the monster truck.  The boys can now say that they have ridden in a monster truck. 

 

If you look hard enough smack dab in the middle of the choir on the front row, you will see the newest youth choir member.  Yep, Davis is officially old enough to be in the youth choir.  He has joined a fine group of young men and women, who seem to look after him.  They are truly a family of sorts. 

 

Last weekend, we were able to sneak in some family time before Kyle gets into the fields. We took the kids fishing over at Lake Shelbyville.  The fishing itself was uneventful, but the time spent together was amazing.  Davis caught this tiny striped bass.  Kyle caught one too.  Annakate found a dead alligator gar.  Me?  Nothing.

 

 

 

Yesterday, Davis was fortunate to judge his first car show. He knows nothing about cars. The Lakewood Village sponsored a car show to benefit St. Jude's Children Hospital.  Davis was asked to be the guest judge. 

 

I was very proud of Davis because he gave an account of his experience/diagnosis on the fly. I could have never had the courage to speak to a group of people off the cuff - or at all - when I was his age. 

 

Anyway, his top pick was an Oldsmobile. It had swivel seats.  

 

We had a blast and made a lot of new friends.  Several people offered up encouragements and prayers for Davis, which we are always grateful for.

 

Davis has been feeling amazing. He had another chemo treatment at the end of August.  His counts were good; his immune system is healthy.  The only part of chemo that throws him off is his round (10 doses over five days) of oral prednisone.  He is moody and his stomach is always upset.  We all remind him and ourselves that it was pass. 

 

We will keep on keeping on.  We appreciate all of the prayers and support that keeps rolling in.  Thank you a thousand times over. God is truly great, and I don't take for granted one day knowing that each one of them is a gift. 

 

September is childhood cancer awareness month; if I may, I would like to ask you to lift up prayers and thoughts on behalf of all of the children afflicted with such a horrible sickness. In a perfect world, no child would suffer from cancer.  

 

We will keep you posted. 



Back to School Blues

8/14/2013: 11:46 PM

I don't know where to begin.  We have done so much and been a little bit of everywhere over the last few weeks. 

Shortly after I my last post, Kyle and I headed down to Florida for a few days.  It was our first real couple vacation since Davis's diagnosis. We met up with some friends and had such a great time. Kyle and I went parasailing for the first time. I don't know what I was thinking with my fear of heights and Kyle's motion sickness.  All in all, I did awesome. Mind over matter.  Kyle?  Not so much. He had to take a couple Dramamine just to be able to get on the boat. He started getting motion sickness when the parasail turned corners. . . .He kept it together, but the rest of the day was shot. He slept on the beach, while I played in the water by myself.

 

 

At the beginning of the month, we headed back down to St. Louis for chemo. This month was the spinal month. At one point, we were trying to count up all of the spinal taps that Davis has received. Our best guess is around thirteen.  It's kinda sad that something like a spinal tap is routine now.

We discovered that Davis's ANC (immune system) was over 5200!  That was quite a surprise. (Healthy children are at 1500 and above). We knew what that meant. Davis's chemo regime was increased. He is now at 80% of full dose.  If you remember, last year Davis had to take a long break (a few months) off from chemo because his counts remained neutropenic. In order to prevent that from happening again, his team has slowly increased his chemo as his body adjusts to it.

We also discussed Davis's growth. I questioned his doctor as to whether or not the chemotherapy could stunt his growth. Dr. Schapiro told us that the chemo might delay puberty and growth spurts, but as soon as the chemo is out of his system (fall 2015), his body should autocorrect. Davis isn't going to be a giant by any means (Kyle and I are both average height), but there was some comfort in finding out that there isn't any permanent stunting caused by the chemo.

Another good report from Children's.  I guess we will keep on keeping on.

Last weekend, we went up to Wisconsin to spend some time with Kyle's brother and his family. Another great weekend. One of our nephews turned three and our newest addition (nephew) was dedicated at church. We sure love spending time with them.

 

And now school is about to start.  I am looking forward to the routine.  Actually, I'm not.  I love summer. I love the low/no stress environment. But routine is better for my kids.

Poor Annakate.  She has been sick with multiple symptoms (back pain, fever on and off, dizziness, etc) for a week now. We have had her to the doctor twice now, and it looks like another trip tomorrow. So she is going to miss her first day of school.  I reassured her that the first day is the best day to miss because as a fourth grader, she already knows all of the rules and she won't have any homework to make up, but I can tell she's sad.  Actually, this evening in the car, she was so sick, she had lost her spunk. She couldn't muster the energy to respond.  My poor baby needs your prayers. We are thinking (and praying) this sickness is just a stubborn virus and nothing more.

I am praying for the safety and well-being of my children and my students this school year. Please continue to pray for Davis and all those little kids who are burdened by cancer. I know you know but sometimes I absent-mindedly forget how absolutely horrific cancer is. And please remember Annakate in your prayers. I know her health concerns seem rather minute in comparison to Davis's, but I just hate to see my baby sick.

We will keep you posted.

Junior National Youth Leadership Conference

 

7.22.13:  2:50 PM

It seems that over the last year I have been pretty bent on new experiences.  I have adopted this new philosophy that I am a human-doer and not a human-being. So we broke away from our Independence Day traditions and tried some new things.

We opened the boat (Yes, the first time all season) and went out to Mill Creek for the boat parade and fireworks on the 3rd. The temperatures were unseasonably cool, which was perfect for Davis.  Davis can't get in the water due to the possibility of line infections. The bacteria is the water can get into his blood stream and cause a port infection. The heat also affects Davis because of his chemo. He just wilts. So you can imagine the torture of sitting on a boat with the sun beating down on you while your family swims and tubes.  In addition to that, it wasn't until after we purchased the boat that we realized that Kyle suffers from horrible motion sickness.  He will suffer along after a couple of Dramamine, but he is so groggy, he can't enjoy much. Needless to say, we don't boat much anymore.  But this night was perfect.  There was little wake because of the parade, which was good for Kyle; and it was freezing, which was good for Davis. We tied on to family, and the kids played with their cousins.  It was a night that I won't soon forget. 

 

The next day, instead of going to the park, we stayed home and did nothing.  Sometimes I underestimate how awesome doing nothing is. That evening, instead of going to fight the crowd at the public works, we shot off some beauties at Kyle's folks home. We loved it! We "oooo"ed and "awww" ed from the back porch. 

On July 5th, Davis and I headed down to St. Louis for his chemo and check-up. Davis has been hoarse for a few months now, and his oncologist planned to revisit the possible reasons why. After his check-up, it was decided that Davis needed to be seen by an ENT at Children's. It was Dr. Schapiro's and Dr. Huang's belief that Davis might be suffering from vocal paralysis caused by the chemo Vincristine. Somewhat normal side effect. After an ENT completed a check-up on 9th floor in the hem/onc clinic, we were escorted down to the fifth floor to the ENT clinic where Davis received an endoscopy.  It was pretty fascinating. The fed a camera tube through his nose and positioned it right over his vocal cords, and then the doctor started asking him questions.  We were able to watch his chords and his throat move.  The whole procedure took less than three minutes.  The two ENTs performing the test determined that Davis did not have vocal paralysis; he was suffering from inflammation and irritation caused by acid reflux.  Davis was placed on Zantac and given some diet restrictions.  It's only been a couple of weeks, but he is doing much better already.

After the long day at Children's, we headed to The Hill to eat at one of our favorite restaurant.  We love the place, and it's a real treat to go. 

On Saturday the 6th, Davis and I headed up to Chicago because we were going to fly out to Boston early the next morning.  Davis attended the Junior National Youth Leadership Alumni Conference. You might remember that he attended the initial one in Washington DC last summer.

During the conference, Davis spent time in Plymouth, Salem, and Boston. He did some fantastic sight-seeing. He visited Plymouth Plantation, Plymouth Rock, Salem Witch Museum. He walked the Freedom Trail and spent time on the USS Salem.  For his birthday, the whole crew surprised him with a giant ice cream sundae at Hard Rock Cafe. 

 

Davis seemed to enjoy DC more than Boston.  The alumni conference was comprised of seventh through ninth graders and was much more labor intensive. They had three and four hour exploration meetings, which are very similar to school.  Davis wasn't cracked up about working on his vacation, but he managed.

Davis was chosen to give the thank you closing speech for the closing keynote speaker of the conference, Brandon Greene. The faculty advisers said he did a wonderful job.

I wasn't around much. Actually, parents aren't allowed to be around. Independence cultivates leadership, I guess.  I had a mini vacation of my own.  I think I was more excited than Davis was for this trip. I love history, especially American history, so I made good use of my time hitting all of the historical stops I could. I totally looked like a tourist. My camera about my neck, backpack, umbrella, tennis shoes, and one giant map in my hand. I managed to make it to Plymouth Rock. I toured Cape Cod Bay. I visited Old Ironsides on my way to Breed's Hill.  I saw the House of the Seven Gables, and where Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. I went to the Salem Witch Museum, and visited Simon Bradstreet's, Paul Revere's, Samuel Adam's graves. And the list goes on and on. One thing I didn't do? Eat a lobster. Can you believe I never got around to it? By day four, I was tired of fighting the Boston traffic and was ready to come home. Davis and I both missed our family.

 

 

 

Kyle and Annakate took the train up to Chicago to meet us.  They headed up early, and Kyle took Annakate shopping. She loved this. They met us at the airport on Friday, and we drove up to Wisconsin to see Kyle's brother and his family. We had a blast.

 

 

This past weekend, I completed my first 5K via the Indianapolis Color Run. Actually, there was some walking (too many people) so I am not going to officially count it as my first 5K. I went with a few friends for some girl time. It was so stinking awesome. No pressure, just pure fun.

Davis celebrated his birthday with family yesterday. It is always so wonderful to get together and birthdays are great reasons to do so. He had a great time. We all did. 

 

It's hard to believe that summer is nearly over. I think the kids and I have done a wonderful job embracing the "work hard, play hard" idea as we have played pretty hard this summer. And in all fairness, Kyle has worked pretty hard and sleeps pretty well this summer. Poor guy. He sure doesn't get to play much. Although we don't show it enough, we are so appreciative of all he does for us.

Davis goes back to St. Louis the first Friday in August. He will have to get a LP (Spinal tap) then. We will also meet with the prosthetic specialist to adjust his port cover, so he will be ready to go for PE when school starts.

I just thank God for good health. Davis is doing so amazingly well. We are just so blessed. Thanks for the continued prayers. 

We will keep you posted.

Taking Donating to the Next Step

7.22.13:  10: 45 AM

I have toyed with the idea to become a bone marrow donor for some time. I know several who are.  I have read and re-read the website, but I have always managed to dismiss the notion since finding a donation service area was a bit of effort.  However, I have always kept the idea in the back of my head and close to my heart. 

While in Nashville a few weeks ago, I ran across a donation booth at a flee market of all places.  So I did it. I registered. It took all of five minutes. A painless mouth swab and a bit of paperwork. I am now in a database of donors to be used. 

I know that if Davis were to relapse -- not that he will because we trust in God that he is healed -- he would need a bone marrow transplant, and if Annakate wasn't a match, he would be at the mercy of the donor bank.  And that alone is reason enough for me.

If you are interested in learning more about bone marrow donation, I have attached the link to the website.  If we are all proactive, I know we can do a small part in minimizing or eradicating blood cancer. 

DKMS Bone Marrow Donation

Summer Vacation - Emphasis on Vacation

7.3.13:  4:51 PM

DISCLAIMER:  Due to family time that starts in nine minutes, I am unable to proofread.  Please kindly disregard all typos and grammatical errors.  You're the best!

We have seriously been irking out every minute of vacation from this summer vacation.

Davis attended Camp Rainbow. It is a free camp for children with cancer and blood diseases. The camp is held outside of St. Louis at a state park. Nurses, various health officials, and volunteers donate their time to making this camp a success. Each camper has his/her own camp counselor, and there are activities planned every day.  Due to privacy policies, I can't show you many of the pictures that Davis took, but he was able to capture quite a bit of his camp week. 

Davis LOVED camp.  He is already planning to return next year. He did experience some homesickness at night, but a lovely nurse, Jill, looked after him. She would call me during the day to give me an update. Did I mention that there was no cell phone reception, no wi-fi, no means of communication?  The lack of communication in part is to make the camper independent and to give parents a worry-free break.

Davis swam every day. He participated in archery. He did crafts with a little girl that he befriended in the hospital last year in March. (They were in the St. Louis TV news story together.) He wrote a song with a group of people. He learned a bunch of silly songs and chants. His favorite part was the food. The camp had catered meals brought in. He said he ate Olive Garden salad nearly every day, and his favorite meal was when the culinary school of St. Louis catered.

 

Davis was blessed enough to meet a few professional athletes.  He was able to meet Andy Van Slyke. In the above picture, Davis is holding one of his Golden Glove trophies (I think he won five.). Davis also met Brian Elliott, the goaltender for the St. Louis Blues. Mr. Elliott autographed a card for Davis; Davis guards that card.

 



 

Before we took him home on Friday, we were able to watch the camp talent show and see Davis interact with all of his new friends. Davis and his bunk mates and counselors had a rap war.  Davis performed his now famous cheese rap, and of course, the crowd went wild. He also performed a song  that he wrote with another group.

Annakate made the point to turn to me during the talent show and say, "Mom, you're crying." I couldn't help it.  The counselors, many of them twenty-something volunteers, have hearts of gold. They sacrificed their time, energy, pride (Yes, it's hard to look pretty or handsome after five days of camp.), and talent for the betterment of the little girls and boys who have met adversity of some sort.

 

I was so moved by the love and optimism I felt in the ninety degree mess hall. Every child - no matter the treatment or stage, or the disability caused by cancer, hair or no hair - fit in; everyone belonged there.  Davis belonged there. Lots of little children performed.  One little girl, maybe six or seven, sang a little song she wrote, "You can do it. You can do it. You can get through it."  And that is when the tears began to fall.  One girl sang, "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera. I couldn't see her because she was sitting in a wheelchair and the others in front of me were blocking the view. The lyrics could not have been more appropriate for such beautiful children. I was most moved when a girl about Davis's age jumped up to dance the Cupid Shuffle.  She didn't have a CD of the song, so one counselor announced, "Hey counselors, can we help her out with this one?"  And before you know it, the counselors were banging out a beat and singing it for her. The campers joined in. She did an amazing job.  Singing, laughter, smiles, joy filled the overly crowded room. I shifted my weight because I had been sitting on my foot to get some height, when I caught a glimpse of the dancer.  She had one leg. The other was prosthetic.

Look under the "c" in "camp".

I can't thank this camp enough for creating such a positive atmosphere and experience for my son and so many other amazing children. This camp is amazing. There are so many moving, heart-shaping, life-altering experiences that I can only credit to cancer. I share only a fraction of the touching moments, heroic acts and deeds, and feeling we encounter. 

Caught this rainbow on our way home from Charleston one day.
It was breathtaking.

 A few days after Davis returned from camp, we headed down to Tennessee to spend time with my family.  We had a great time. I drove down with the kids midweek, and Kyle joined up with us on the weekend.  We went waterparking (I am officially making that a word!) and shopping. We ate at the kids favorite restaurants. My niece and nephew were there, so the kids had some great cousin time as well.

Tennesse Fair Grounds flee market

We managed to squeeze in two slumber parties this past week.  Kyle pulled our camper into the backyard. We stuck a TV out there, and the kids and their friends have been content swimming, watching movies and sleeping in the camper. 

cops and robbers

 

Today, Kyle found a couple of snakes. Kyle found the first one underneath Annakate's window. At first glance, we thought it was a Midwestern Rattler because of the markings and how it would shake its tail.  After I researched a bit online, I am now identifying it as a bullsnake.  The rubbermaid was no match for the snakes; they all managed to escape. No worries here though. We are not snake killers. We would have let them go if they hadn't managed to escape. 

Davis's voice is still hit and miss - mostly miss. His team will investigate further on Friday when we are down there for chemo. Since there is no fever, they have ruled out infections.  They will determine (possibly with the help of a specialist) if Davis's hoarse voice is being caused by allergies or chemo. Other than that, Davis is doing amazingly well. He still continues to lift weights, and the benefits are noticeable. He looks healthy and strong. He eats everything.  Let me write that again. He eats everything. A far cry from where we were a year and a half ago.  He has managed to stay healthy. I can't remember the last time he has had a fever, and it seems like it has been forever since we have had to take a trip to the ER. Well, God is good. We prove it over and over again. 

On Friday, we will head down to St. Louis again. Davis will have a check-up and receive his port chemo. It will be two years to the day of our first trip to Children's when Davis was admitted.  Quite a mix of emotions swirling around inside of me. I couldn't imagine that that day which I remember so vividly would have lead us to here.  Two years down, two years to go until end of treatment. What peace and serenity to know that we haven't made one step of this journey alone. Thank you.

God bless you this Independence Day and always.  Please keep praying for Davis's health and full recovery. 

We will keep you posted.

Why Has It Been So Long Since I Have Last Posted?

6/13/2013:  11:56 PM

What has taken me forever?  We have been busy.  Finishing up school. Tae Kwon Do. Summer projects. Weight lifting. Planting season. Home repair. Life.

Let me back up to May. Usually my school work and Kyle's planting consume the month of May. It was my year to sponsor the junior class who held the prom, and of course, I attended the graduation ceremony and witnessed the ushering of another group of kids into the world of possibilities and responsibilities. Planting was hit and miss for much of May, which allowed us to enjoy some great family time.

Kyle's brother and his family moved to Wisconsin nearly 18 months ago. We finally cleared a weekend to head up and visit.  Davis and Annakate love spending time with their little cousins, and we sure miss seeing Kurt and Kristin. The weekend was too short for sure. We are looking forward to squeezing in another few days this summer to visit them as they have a new addition (a baby boy) to the family.

 

 

Davis played his last Jefferson band concert. It wasn't too long ago that Kyle and I played our last Jefferson band concerts. (Who am I kidding?  It was quite a long time ago actually.) The music was fantastic.  Davis loved the songs he played. He actually gave me the list and asked me to download the music to his ipod.  Band music on the ipod. Love it. 

 

It was his band teacher's, Mrs. Standfield, last Jefferson band concert as well.  There was a packed house, and several former students from years gone by came to play with the kids. It was beyond impressive, and I am pleased that Davis was able to share in that experience.

 

 

 

Davis took a field trip to Chicago to the Field Museum.  Honestly, he didn't tell me that much about it. Sometimes, as I am sure a lot of nearly teenage boys are, he is a young man of few words.  I said, "How was the trip?" He responded, "Good." That summed it up.

 



 

Nearly every Saturday morning in April and part of May was devoted to Annakate's soccer games. She loved it. She had some amazing coaches and a great team who really played well together. I don't think it hurt that they won nearly all of the games they played.  We parents braved the freezing cold temperatures in April and the blazing sun in May for three hours every Saturday morning. The kids were completely immune. She is pretty sad that the season is over.

 



 

May's chemo brought a spinal, port chemo, and a breathing treatment. It was all very routine.  Davis does such a great job with it all now. The doctors increased his oral chemo just a bit because he had gained a few pounds and his counts were still strong.

 



 

When Davis does the above breathing treatment, Pentamadine, to protect his lungs against fungal pneumonia, I have to wear a special mask as well.  The treatment, while beneficial to him, is harmful to me.  We have to use this one room because of the reverse air flow. 

 

Mother's Day. It was a fantastic day. The kids made me some wonderful gifts, including breakfast in bed. And I even took an afternoon nap. No complaints from me.

 

Davis earned a spot in the prestigious Jefferson talent show. He played "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King and "We're All in This Together" from High School Musical on the piano.  If you haven't been to a Jefferson talent show, you are missing out. It is a production. Mrs. Cornebise and her crew pours so much time and effort into the event.  Kudos to them for such an impressive array of talent crammed into two hours.  Annakate played in her Ashmore talent show. There were some great acts as well.  I am so proud of my kids for being able to get up in front of a gob of people and showcase their hard work and talent.

 



 

It seems that the end of school and a rain coincided. We were able to sneak away to Indianapolis for a night. We ate at a Pizza King. At Pizza King, the drinks are delivered on a moving train, and there is a TV in each booth. Two things the kids enjoyed. 

 

 



We stayed at the indoor water park.  Davis and Annakate took full advantage of the small crowd and the water slides. They must of climbed those steps to the slides at least a dozen times.

 

We have been working quite a bit around the house. It seems that all house work freezes for nine months while I am teaching. I am too preoccupied to focus on any real projects at home. I save them all for the summer.  Davis and Annakate have been a tremendous help to me the last couple of weeks. They pitch in and help out when I ask. With the help of my nieces, we were able to organize the basement.

 

Last week, we headed down to chemo at St. Louis Children's hospital. Davis' counts were amazing. His ANC (immune system) was over 3100 (healthy is over 1500), and all of his other counts (white blood cells, platelets, hemoglobin, etc) were all in the normal range. This hasn't happened since before diagnosis.  Even his liver function was in the realm of normal. This means that his bone marrow is strong and producing non-cancerous blood cells. So . . . . . All of Davis' chemo was increased. The doctors would like to keep his ANC around 1000. They want the chemo to keep retraining his bone marrow.  There is a constant fluctuation.  It sort of reminds me of those old scales that you are weighed on at the doctor's office. The nurse moves it one way, then back, then forward, until it is perfectly centered on your weight.  Well, that's how it is with Davis' chemo. Sometimes he gets too much, other times not enough. Still looking for the perfect balance.

 

 

Chemo was on June 7.  That is National Cancer Survivor Day, and it also happens to be National Donut Day. Davis celebrated National Cancer Survivor Day by enduring another round of chemo at the hospital, and he celebrated National Donut Day with a few donuts as well. I couldn't imagine a better combination. 



 

We managed to relax with a little fishing on Saturday. My mom and stepdad joined us. A little picnic lunch and some chicken livers for bait made for a pleasant afternoon. That is, until the mosquitoes didn't mind the scent of our bug spray. Well, after an hour, I had baited their hooks a dozen times, scratched a dozen new bug bites, and everyone had eaten their suppers. Earlier, I had forbid the kids from catching catfish because I am kind of a sissy when it comes from removing catfish from the lines. But it wasn't a problem; not a single fish was caught. No worries. We plan on fishing again soon.

 



 

On Sunday, Kyle and I dropped Davis off at Camp Rainbow. It is a camp for kids with cancer or/and blood-related diseases. The camp is funded through sponsors and donations and people who volunteer their time. It is being held is a state park near St. Louis. This is Davis's first time away from us. The camp seems amazing. There are nurses from Children's who volunteer their time. Many of the counselors (one counselor for every one to two kids) are former Camp Rainbow participants themselves. Davis's counselor is a 16-year-old from Colorado. The kids at camp do all sorts of things: swimming, singing, archery, camp fires, field trips, etc.

It took us until Monday night to realize that Davis didn't receive cell phone service at camp.  I was going crazy with worry since I had heard nothing from him in over 24 hours. I received a phone call on Tuesday night from a counselor on a land line at camp. She explained that Davis was homesick and just wanted to talk to me for a few minutes. I can't tell you how awesome it was to hear his voice -- despite it being quiet and sad. We visited for a few minutes, and I haven't talked to him since.

 I know this experience, being independent and being away from us, is needed on so many levels, but his absence this week has brought about mixed emotions. On one hand, the break from administering medications all of the time has been marvelous. Don't get me wrong; we don't mind giving Davis his medications, which require timers and timing and measuring, but not worrying about medications is a feeling I have forgotten. I keep reminding myself that in a couple of years, Davis will be off of medications, and this worry will cease to exist. The time has also been wonderful because Davis is doing what other kids his age do, and I can spend some one-on-one with Annakate. But on the other hand, I don't want to be apart from Davis. Knowing how close we were to losing him, I want to keep him close. I don't like the feeling of an empty house or the quietness from the lack of his voice or laugh. I don't even enjoy not seeing his shoes and toys scattered all over the house.  I love his presence here, because this is where he belongs.

Tomorrow, we will head back to St. Louis to pick him up. I am sure he will be full of stories to share. I can't wait. I am proud of him for conquering his week away from us, and I am sure he has built some friendships that will last long after camp has ended. 

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers. We still continue to need them; I'm not sure we will ever stop needing them. We are so blessed; I don't know any other way to state it. May God bless you and keep His hand on you just as He has held us.

We will keep you posted.