Pancakes?

Apparently Eden felt as though she was jipped out of pancakes, at her own event!! So for breakfast this morning, pancakes got the call. Even though they were left over, they still tasted pretty good!

At home today, Eden had a blast playing with some of the props (cardboard tri-fold display of Eden and her cancer info) from the breakfast benefit. Mom and I crawled around it, while "wild-woman" chased us from behind. It's unexplainable how nice it is to see her bouncing around with a huge smile on her face, giggling and laughing! We're so extremely blessed that she continues to have such an uplifting spirit.

We're still in awe of what happened over the weekend, ~650 friends and family showing up to support our family! It's very humbling to be on the receiving end of such an event! I can't wait to be back on the giving end again soon, and Selena feels the same.

We're just so blessed to have Eden as a daughter, and we believe that the reason for her being choosen to deal with cancer will be revealed to us one day. Until then, we'll continue taking it one day at a time, and fighting for all we're worth to BEAT it!

As you pray, please pray that if Eden's blood counts are high enough to get admitted (scheduled over night hospital stay), that her body once again responds well to the chemo that she'll receive both at the hospital, and here at home.

Abundant Blessing

What a surreal day we had today! You can imagine how humbled we were by the 650 people, family and friends, from hours away and 3 states who took time out of their busy schedules to support us - THANK YOU. One can not comprehend how humbled we are by the generosity and love shown towards our family. You hope no one has to go through our circumstances but we hope you will have a time in your life that you will feel as loved as we do now. God has truly shown us how HE will supply all our needs (especially through all of you) . . . from the first care package brought to us at the hospital, meals brought to us at the perfect times and then today . . .

We must acknowledge the generosity of your donations today. Your financial donations to help cover our additional expenses over these years were more than we could have asked for. And, to be honest, there are not words to sufficiently acknowledge those who headed up organization of the event: Kurt's entire office and our friends. A special thanks to Teresa, Jeannie, Suzanne & Rick. By acknowledging a few, we KNOW we have left out so many of you. Please know how much we appreciate you all!!!

It was great to have had the chance to visit with many of the people at Eden's benefit, but we feel bad and apologize for not being able to visit with everyone that took the time to come support our family. Just seeing your faces leaves such a lasting impression. We joyfully went through the guestbook with Eden today to share with her all the people who came to support her. We know there are so many memories created today that we will reflect on especially during the peaks and valleys that the next couple of years will present.

Now, about the star of the show herself, Eden. God is good! Eden's Friday morning labs showed she did not need a blood transfusion. Eden is still wanting to go see her friends at the clinic; but, we are glad we did not have to go see them on Friday. The jumps in her counts indicate that we will be able to continue with her chemo this week. As of right now, we are on for a stay in the hospital Wednesday night after her clinic visit as part of her treatment plan.

Friends, God has blessed us so abundantly by giving us YOU! Your support, friendship, prayers, time, and financial gifts have drastically improved this journey and helped make it through the days we were unable to go through alone. We love you!

Another Clinic-Free Week

Eden continues to demonstrate a chipper disposition this week. Today was busy as we were trying to figure out if a trip to Iowa city was in the cards for Eden this week. She started today with a blood draw in town. With the final results in by late afternoon, a clinic trip was ruled out again this week. Unfortunately, her numbers were not high enough again this week for her treatment. So, we will are shooting for treatment next Wednesday. Her doctors have ordered more testing on Friday to check if a transfusion may be necessary for the weekend. Thanks for your prayers about this.

A highlight of today was Eden's second hair cut. It not only meant a trip out of the house; but also, a hip new 'do to boot. (Thanks Rochelle) Eden was quiet pleased with herself and did some modeling for Kurt. Interestingly enough, she was highly interested in nurse, Mary Lou, up at the clinic getting a chance to see her new style.

Weekend

Helping Daddy has been the highlight of Eden's day today. She got to help by using a drive-driver (screw driver), as daddy repaired the shower. All afternoon, she and daddy went into the bathroom to make sure the shower was still fixed! Each time, it was still fixed! Way to go Daddy and Eden! Oh how nice it is to have a Handy husband!!!

Thomas the Train comes to town . . . not sure if you all caught it but the train that comes through Washington is Thomas the Train - at least to Eden it is.

Missing (nurse) Mary Lou . . . Eden has missed seeing all her friends at the clinic this week as she has been requesting to see Mary Lou all weekend. I think she will be ready to see them all on Wednesday and we are ready to continue to "kick cancer". Please pray that her labs on Tuesday show improvement so that we can proceed with this round of treatment. Assuming her lab numbers are high enough, Eden will be admitted for chemo & IV fluid.

Cooking! Other than cooking eggs and baking cookies at her kitchen, Eden enjoyed helping us make homemade pancakes for breakfast and cookies (in our kitchen). She knows that she needs to ask for a dining room chair to be moved into the kitchen, to be placed by the counter, where she stands to assist in pouring ingredients and stirring. She scares the death out of her daddy, because she assumes the responsibility of holding the mixer, and Kurt warns me that one of these days she's going to turn it on and either scatter the kitchen with dough, or loose a finger. Needless to say, when she's helping us, there are always a set of adult eyes on her.

We're asking for prayers that this week's regimen goes well, and that Eden's little friends continue to do well in their own battles with cancer. You all don't know how much we appreciate not having to go through this alone! We really truely mean that too!

A "Bye" Week

Well, I am sure that you remember that today is clinic day; however, no clinic for Eden today. Eden had blood work done yesterday and her numbers were not high enough for her chemo this week. This is not unusual during this stage of her chemo. So, we will have labs drawn again next Tuesday to see if her counts look a little better.

Despite her numbers being low, Eden has been her usual joyful self and quite full of energy. Our day was consumed with an early nap, reading, cooking and strolling. Isn't it delightful to get out?

The picture is her getting ready to go for pokes at our clinic across the street she was ready to get out of the house, even for pokes. The sparkly band aid and fruit snacks were an added bonus.

Thanks for your prayers, we feel very blessed with how healthy Eden has stayed during this phase and how minimal the side effects have been. Please continue to lift our little sweetie up . . .

The weekend

Sorry we haven't blogged since Friday. We are very pleased to report that we've had a wonderful weekend. Eden still isn't eating very much, but she continues to drink plenty of "cow milk". The dreaded leg pain occasionally comes back, but seems to fade away as quick as it starts. Saturday morning we found ourselves awake, having discussions with a certain little someone that thought 4:15am was 10:30am. Her mom and I didn't think it was as much fun as she did!! For some reason, the little stink-pot was up and ready to go! She wanted to get out of bed and start reading some books. She did manage to con mom into getting up and getting a cup of cow milk, which she drank the entire thing. Back in bed, she was still ready to go go go. We told her we're not getting up until the sun is shining - around 5:30am, she fell asleep, we think. At 7am, she was up and raring to go. Not sure where the kid gets all the energy!!

We hope you all got the chance to get out and enjoy the warm spell we had on Saturday. The three of us took a long walk up to the square in Washington - one of our favorite courses. We saw some Easter eggs hanging in trees along the way, saw a few puppy dogs having their own walks, bumped into some friends on the square, picked up some lunch and then headed for home. It was an enjoyable trip! Sunday was pretty much the same thing, other than it was a tad cooler with the wind blowing, so we came home and Eden FINALLY got to swing in her own swing in the back yard. After swinging, she helped me pick up corn cobs that the squirrels left behind. Our 5-gallon bucket was half full by the time we were done. We ought to have some healthy squirrels (by the way, we have one black squirrel that visits the spinner frequently). Tonight as we were getting Eden ready for bed, it was nearly 8pm, and we asked her what time she thought it was - she cocked her head off to the one side and replied "time for Edie to go to bed". One book later, her eyes were closed and I'd guess she was watching cows jump over the moon (one of her favorite books). Night y'all.

Done???

Eden's nausea and vomiting stopped last night! YEAH!! - Thanks for the prayers!

Eden had a good day today. Although she didn't eat much today, she drank a lot of fluids, which is a necessity for some of the chemo she's taking.

We're sure looking forward to warmer weather so we can get out and take stroller rides and look for squirrels, rabbits, dogs, cats and birds. Eden LOVES locating and telling us ALL about the stuff she sees on our walks.

Sorry so short, but we just wanted to quickly update all our faithfuls! Thanks for your continued support in so many ways. Love to you all!

Surreal

You may remember that today was clinic day. We celebrated her last LP (lumbar puncture) for this round. It went great! Thanks for your prayers. The staff up there is amazing and we know that God surely has a hand in the good work they do. Eden's procedures went really well today and the morning was full of those moments that seemed to be out of a movie. I have mentioned before about how much we adore Eden's nurses, doctors and support staff; but, they never cease to amaze us by how much love they show Eden while we are there. Eden's favorite clinic nurse came in this morning to see Eden making some tea and cookies and Mary Lou joins in on the fun. I had to grab the picture so you can get a small glimpse of our reality.
















Only a few minutes later, we were joined by Eden's managing oncologist, Dr. Staber, in the hall while we were looking for books. She had already met with us and yet she swooped Eden in her arms as she was taking care of some business in the clinic. Eden loves her friends up in Iowa City and we are humbled by their love for her.

Eden, Dr. Staber, & Dr. Rolla Abu-Arja

Eden's numbers were low today. Actually, her white cell count is exceptionally low; so, we will be taking on a new level of diligence (hmmm, not really sure how we can turn it up a notch; but, we will.) This is part of this cycle of chemo. We are looking forward to days where we can get her out a bit more and don't need to be as cautious.

My posting tonight has been interrupted due to Eden getting sick . . . I so thought we were going to sail through treatment without this. Please pray that this goes away and that we are able to control the nausea and vomiting with meds. Also pray that her numbers make significant jumps this week so that she can continue with treatment next week.

A Monumental Day in Toddlerhood

Eden had a highly eventful day at home. It was her first time going on the potty (parents, you really appreciate how HUGE this is). We will NOT be pushing this milestone for many reasons including the massive amount of fluids she must receive at night when she is inpatient. Eden was not nearly excited as I was until she got her sticker, a PRINCESS one at that.

Eden continues to impress us with her delightful disposition. Eden got a special surprise delivered today. A signature, American Cancer Society Boyd's bear arrived. We were both delighted! I was overjoyed by the keepsake, ready to put it up as a sweet memento from this time. Eden happened to fall madly in love with the bear and cuddled it throughout the day. ( I guess this is ultimately better.) Thanks for whoever made her day!

Tomorrow is clinic day. We will be celebrating our FINAL lumbar puncture of this round. I have promised the floor staff that I will be having a giant celebration; however, it is 10 o'clock, my eyes are drooping and I have yet to actually plan anything. This doesn't mean that it isn't one of the most monumental events in her treatment. Lumbar punctures could very well be the hardest of procedures that she has to experience (with the exception of bone marrow.)

Until tomorrow . . . .

Today was another great day with Eden. We decided to make dad dinner tonight, not something i've been doing as much lately. Eden helped me make homemade buffalo chicken pizza and bannana bread. I let Eden stand on a chair, which put her right at the counter top so she could help. This was a big deal for both of us (she was very excited, and I was terribly worried she would fall). She did awsome. She loves to help dump the ingredients into whatever we're making, pays close attention to what is going on, and tonight, only spilled her cup of "cow milk" once (which dad cleaned up once he got home). As we were making the pizza, i kept telling her she is mommy's helper, and she would correct me by telling me "no mommy's baby". I suspect she WILL always be my baby. When I ask if she's daddy's baby, she corrects me and says "no, daddy's little girl". She's always consistent with her words.

Although it's hard to know for sure how her body feels, it appears as though her legs aren't bothering her like we suspected they were last week. We thank you all for your prayers, and we thank God for his gracious blessings in continuing to lay HIS healing hands on Eden.

We continue to pray for Eden's friends at the University, who are continuing their own battle against cancer! Thanks for your continued support. We can never thank you enough!!!

Not too much news

Sometimes no news is good news right? Well, we haven't had much out of the ordinary news to update you all on lately. The last several days, Eden has continued to have good days with lots of energy. We still haven't had her out of the house other than to take stroller rides and clinical visits. Stroller rides consist of Eden pointing out things we wouldn't normally pay attention to - birds, signs, kids, sounds of passing vehicles & airplanes, dog & cats, just to name a few. It's very interesting to see how kids' minds work.

We're very excited to have new neighbors across the street! Through our large picture window, Eden's led the charge of keeping a close eye on their moving in. The other day, their tall U-Haul type moving truck backed into their lane and accidentally tore off a couple limbs from their tree - Eden certainly didn't miss that, nor has she forgotten about it. Today, we finished moving them in, and Eden was excited to see several familiar faces from the comfort of her picture window. These are just two of so so many story's we have of how her young minds continues to amaze us. Things she sees and hears come up from time to time, and as a parent, it just makes us smile to know she's learning.

As for her treatment schedule, the weekly clinical visits continue. Eden still greatly looks forward to seeing Mary Lou and Miss Donna, Dr. Rolla and Dr. Staber (and several other great nurses and family life specialists). We've had a great week, as we haven't had to give her any pokes or oral meds from home, just frequent brushings and her famous nystatin treatments. Next week however, we go back on oral meds again.

As you pray, please pray for strength in her legs. Over the past couple of days, we've noticed that her leg weakness appears to be returning.

Enjoying the day

Eden arrived to the clinic in her normal style with a smile on her face and talking to anyone that will listen. Only a toddler that is in "confinement" would enjoy a trip to the clinic. We arrived at the clinic at 8:45 for our scheduled lumbar puncture, chemo via her port and shots in both legs. After her routine labs we learned that her Hemoglobin was 7.5 which would require a blood transfusion. Her white blood count was 1.1 which was the lowest it has been since her first round of chemo. To Kurt and I these numbers are not a representation of how she is acting. They tell me that the transfusion should perk her up and she will have more energy in a day or two. I am afraid if that holds true she will not be sleeping at all. The little girl that needed a "recharge" had enough energy to go without a nap today. Eden was great, we were at the clinic until after 5 in our little room and she left with the same smile we walked in with. To pass time during the day, Eden had me playing hide and seek - in the small hospital room. All the while she was hooked up to the IV pole, which made for easy searching for her!

Eden continues to do amazingly well with all of her treatment so I had to ask the Dr about all of it . . . "since she is doing so well now does that meant that we will be tolerant of all of her treatment?" In the kindest of words, she told me to enjoy the day as there are no guarantees for tomorrow. The 8 hours in a little room with my little girl was wonderful and I did enjoy the day!

Thanks for praying!

All Done

Eden has successfully completed her first round (last week & this week) of pokes at home and she handled them unbelievably well. Her mom and I really wish we could take 100% of the pain Eden has had to endure, obviously, we can't, and therefore, we are so thankful that she's been such a trooper when she has to have a poke. When I get a poke, I cry before, during and after the procedure, Eden on the other hand, only cries from the time the nurse cleans the skin to about 10 seconds after the poke is over.

This past weekend was a good one for our family. We were able to stay home, get a few chores done, spent some time with friends and half our family, and best of all, Eden was herself. We baked lots of cookies in front of her pink kitchen, she got to play with Molly (our friend's little white dog), she smiled and laughed a lot and so that was joy we can not easily describe. Saying it's so great to see her laugh and play seems silly, but when you're dealing with life day by day, a good day is the best thing you can ask for!!!!! We're so very thankful we haven't had too many bad days. Of course, that's not to say this has been a cake walk, but we believe that the steps we've taken (being clean freaks) have helped Eden from getting a fever or something else that'd earn us a trip to the hospital for 5-7 days. Finally, I'd like to send a shout out for all you who are reading our blog, thinking about and praying for us, sending food and/or gifts, and anything i forgot to mention. We're truly appreciative for it all!

Praise God that a few of Eden's new little friends from the hospital have been having some good news lately in their battles with cancer.