More...CHICKENPOX...aghhhhhh!

Well, today's hairstyling did not disappoint! A good hairdo can make you feel like you've lost weight and years all at the same time...so what's not to like. Plus I always enjoy seeing Cece - my good friend (and hair-stylist of 10 plus years). We laughed and cried...who needs therapy when you have friends like that?

I returned home in time to take Ellie to her clinic appointment for lab work. There were some red dots on the palms of her hands that I had the Dr. check out while we were there. Since they were just on the palms of her hands, I wasn't completely sure that they were still the chickenpox. He said to keep an eye on them. They scheduled Ellie to go to the hospital on Monday to have her bone marrow biopsies and more lab work. After that they will determine when the next chemo round is, and when we should go to Jacksonville to meet with the doctor up there. (So my answer about the rest of this week is that it's free from appointments.) After we returned home this evening, I checked Ellie out from head to toe and discovered little red dots all over her arms and legs! So I guess the chickenpox aren't done. I wanted to throw my head back and just scream. I didn't, of course, but I can't help wondering what everyone would have done if I had. (Sometimes my little flights of immagination are quite entertaining.) My hope is that this is just the chickenpox finishing it's course. The majority of Ellie's bumps were on her trunk and head, so I think that it stands to reason that it's ending on her extremeties. I hope that her white count is up enough to let her own body take care of it. We will find out tomorrow what her blood levels are at. If she ends up back in the hospital on the antiviral medication, all of her levels will probably drop again and then we will have to wait until they go back up again before the next chemo. It's also my opinion that the medication makes her feel badly and loose her appetite - especially on the higher dosages. But, if her body can't handle the chickenpox, or can't get rid of them and they keep cycling back through, then we have no choice. It's so frustrating.

Still, take heart...if you had been able to peek in our windows tonight you would have seen two little banshees running through the house laughing and yelling, trying to get away from the mommy monster (oh yes, I was roaring and clawing at doors and jumping out at them...you cannot even imagine the sight). Then came the task of corraling the two little whirling dirvishes and depositing them in bed. Finally, they were both down, all was calm and Ethan poked his head up and said "I'm hungry." Ellie immediately responded that she was too, and of course I can't deny HER food. After another silent mental scream, I stomped out to the living room with both kids and dumped them onto the couch with their father. I nearly threw their snacks at them and turned to the computer for refuge...so here I am. It's been a rollercoaster ride of a day and I'm beat. The really sad part is, that compared to my mother-in-law I've done nothing today. Somehow she managed to feed the kids, do laundry, clean up the kitchen and bathe Ethan all in one day. She also continued to feed Ellie (for an hour!) after I fled the living room tonight. I think that she must have superhuman strength because feeding and bathing the kids in the very same day is a feat that I have rarely been able to accomplish - never mind the laundry!

I am so very thankful for all of our family and friends who have stepped in and have taken care of the many details of life for us so that we can concentrate on taking care of Ellie - and even that we need help with. So many days I am exhaused without really doing any work at all, and I find myself thanking God from the bottom of my heart that we aren't in this alone...and I just hope that we don't use everyone up! So while you are praying for us, please remember those who are holding us up each and every day in thousands of little and big ways. Please pray that they would have strength and energy and that God would give them the breaks that they need. And thank you SO MUCH for the part that you play in our lives. Your love and prayers are every bit as important in our daily battle as those who are doing the practical day to day tasks. (Of course many of you reading this fall into both catagories.) I try to express it as often as I can, but I just don't know if we will ever be able to truly convey how deeply touched we are by each one of you. We pray that God will bless you beyond measure...in ways that you have yet to imagine.

Perhaps tomorrow, if I can find out how to do it on this computer, there will be less words...more PICTURES! I shall try.