Happy New Year!

A new year and a new promise of good things to come! Jenelle had a wonderful winter break, but as usual started to get a little whiny after Christmas as her schedule was disrupted. Just when it started to wear on us, everyone went back to school! ;)

While on break, and with more opportunity to see Jenelle during the day, I decided to try to teach her to swallow pills. Guess what ... it worked! Jenelle is now taking all of her medications by mouth! Her seizure medication is liquid now, and she has adjusted well to the new texture and dose. She sucks it right out of the syringe without missing a drop. Her behavior medication comes in a very small oval pill. I put them on a spoon, then follow them with her sippy bear cup. She swallows them down and shows no sign of having a problem with it. If this continues, we could be closer to our goal of getting rid of the g-tube this summer!

Jenelle got a lot of musical toys from Santa and seemed a bit overwhelmed in the few days that followed Christmas. She has a couple new favorites now, but also prefers some old ones. It is just so remarkable to see how well she is doing. I smile every day just knowing she is in my life.

As for me, I started back on my chemo meds shortly after Christmas, and after my neutrophils returned to normal. I just finished a 15 day antibiotic, and I think that helped get me through the holiday without serious illness. I am due for another follow up, but am still waiting to hear from UCLA on the date.

Brett and Jack are just great. Jack turned 9 on New Year's Day and we had a small flag football party for him. I'm not sure who had more fun, the kids or the Dads. Brett is gearing up for another year of Little League and is currently at a Coaches' meeting. He seems to be happier these days and we both can sense the feeling of a fresh start in the new year. We also feel this year will bring many wonderful things for all of us.

On a final note, as some of you know, I will be hitting the "Big 40" this weekend. Instead of an age most people dread, I look forward to celebrating this year and many more birthdays to come. In honor of my birthday and my one year in remission, I am asking friends and family to consider a blood donation during the month of January in my honor. Please let me know if you do this so I can be sure to thank you!

Thank you for the thoughts and prayers. I'll post Christmas photos as soon as I get to it.

As always, I'll keep you posted!