It has been so long since we have done an update, but that is not a bad thing!  Jack finally started feeling better and was eating normal again by Friday.  He got up in the morning and said, “Mom!  My stomach doesn’t hurt!  I am all done throwing up!  It’s it amazing that I can go to a restaurant now and get a hamburger with ranch and french fries and I won’t throw up!”  That kid is so funny!  He is just the sweetest kid too.  He constantly tells us that he loves us and he will randomly say, “I have something to tell you…I love you MORE!”

Yesterday was the last day for accutane for a couple of weeks…what a relief!  Not only is it a pain to administer, it makes his skin a tad dry so he is itchy all the time.  For a child who really does not like lotion, this is not fun.  He will have a couple of weeks off and then he will have his last 2 weeks of accutane and then be done!  So crazy!!  He is so excited and every time we talk to him about his treatment almost being all done he gets the cutest smile on his face.  He will still have to take a couple of antibiotics for about 6 months but he really doesn’t mind them.  He actually started taking the medicine that I put in syringes and he wants to take them himself, so he sticks them in his mouth and gives himself his medicine.

2 1/2 weeks until Jack is turning 4!!  So exciting for him and all of us really.  We will hold off on a bigger party for him until after his tubes are out since he will be getting scans the week after his birthday and we know that he would love to have some sort of water involvement at his Super Mario Bros party.  We will of course celebrate as a family, but do something bigger in June or so.

As far as the rest of us…everything is good.  Braden is feeling great and running around like a crazy kid right now.  We somehow have to figure out how to get him to sleep in past 5:30 AM, but other than that…he’s great! He is getting so tall and can reach all the door handles now so that can be a problem since he is stronger than most 5 year olds!  I think he will probably enter a strong man competition when he is older…

Day 3 of antibody is done!!  1 more day to go!!!  Jack did well last night but he did end up with a low fever which we had to wake him to give him Tylenol but other than that he slept like a rock.  He got up early this AM because we had to give him his shot at 8:00 so we could start treatment at 9.  He did good and didn’t really complain at all about it.  We had my friend Melissa pay us a visit which was great.  She brought him Mario Bros socks and he was so very happy about that!  He put them on right away and then proceeded to put them on all of his Mario guys.

He started feeling a little cruddy around hour 5 and got a fever but after some Tylenol and Motrin he perked right up and he was back in play mode.  He played tons with our nurse Katie today.  We got a new roommate but due to some issues (non medical) they had, they are now gone and we have our own room again.  Jack and I went to the playroom this afternoon and he had a great time in there even though he was pretty much the only child in there!  After making our way back to the room, Zac came to bring dinner and visit for a bit.  Katie’s shift was over so we had to say our “good-byes” because she won’t be here tomorrow when we leave.  I got a little teary eyed saying bye to her…it’s hard when she has taken such good care of Jack so many times and now we won’t see her.

Jack is now fully unhooked again and sleeping.  Dr Wood told us that we are going home tomorrow night as long as all goes as well as today did so keep your fingers crossed that we will be home this time tomorrow night!  We are doing Jack’s shot a little earlier tomorrow so we should be done with the antibody by 6:30 PM and on our way home a hour later.

I ran into one our favorite Dr’s today and she was telling me how proud she was of Jack and just how well he has done.  I, of course, started crying and she was telling me how she heard another Dr talk about coming to the end of treatment and what a good way to approach it was.  She said that when you first are diagnosed you are constantly nervous about every little thing that is going on in that moment.  When you are done with treatment, you are constantly worried about what lies ahead.  Soon you will be nervous and worried about how much time you are away from the hospital and then it starts changing to only being nervous right before a scan.  After that your thoughts start changing and when your child complains about a hurt leg your first thought is, “What did you hit it on, what were you playing, what happened?” instead of having the worry of cancer.  She said it is very gradual and totally normal to be freaking out like I am.  I so look forward to that time when Jack complains of something and we don’t jump at the phone to call Dr Eshun.

Here are a few pics from the last few days:

Jack with Uncle Scott

Jack and Aunt Nikki and his huge Luigi:

Jack and me:

Jack and his Mario Guys and his little puffy face:

Jack and Katie playing:

Half way done!  Jack finished his 10th day of radiation this morning and we are halfway done…10 more to go.  Jack’s Halloween costume came yesterday in the mail (Luigi from the Super Mario Bros.) and he really hasn’t taken it off since then.  He really wanted to wear it to radiation this morning, so of course I let him!  We posted a few pics to show you our little Luigi. 

The machine was down this morning for radiation so we were a little behind schedule, but we all did fine while we waited.  After radiation we came home and Jack wanted to show the neighbors his costume so we did that and then came in for some blueberry pancakes.  We were able to take a walk this afternoon up to the grocery store.  Jack just loves being outside!  Thank goodness it is getting cooler so we can get out and get some fresh air more often. 

I heard from the nurse who is putting together all of Jack’s dates for his next part of treatment today.  We have scheduled his next set of scans for the 16th and 17th of November.  As long as there is no evidence of disease coming back (please pray and pray hard that all his scans are clear) we will move on to the next part of treatment, immunotherpy.  I will go in to details of that at another time.  If all goes as planned, we will most likely be checking in on Dec 3rd for his 1st round of immunotherapy.  This part of his treatment lasts for 6 months with the last month being at home so no more hospital nights after April!!  We have scheduled it so we will be home for Thanksgiving, the golf tournament, Christmas, Bradens’ 1st birthday, and we will be coming home from our last hospital admitance on Zac’s birthday…so happy!  Now…hopefully all will go as planned!

Anyway, Jack finished the night eating a wonderful dinner and then had Nikki and I doing yoga poses with him and making “snow angels” on the carpet.  Braden is all over the place and starting to pull himself up to a standing position on the couch…how fast he has grown up.  Please say prayers that the rest of Jack’s radiation goes well and that his scans come up clear on the 16th and 17th.

Side note:  GREAT NEWS!!  Erin, our dear friend who took on cancer and won, got her scans back today and they are all clear!  She is cancer free and loving life.  Jack and Nikki did a wonderful happy dance for her.  McKenna had her scans today and will have more tomorrow so let’s pray that all goes well for her and she can start her immunotherapy in a couple of weeks!