Happy Holidays...incoming.

Josiah's counts are recovering nicely. Much faster than expected, actually. This is the longest we've made it (11 days) without a transfusion between chemo and recovery. We're looking forward to seeing all the cousins and aunts and uncles this week.

Josiah did really well in OT today using his left hand. He actually clapped his hands together this morning for the first time! It's so encouraging to see him learning new things even if they are small steps. Unfortunately, our RO (radiation oncology) consult has again been rescheduled for next Monday. Last week we had a conflict and this week Dr. Merchant had a conflict. Such is hospital life.

Pray for Josiah-- His throat is a little hoarse from drainage and he's been soo clingy the past few days. Hopefully it doesn't get any worse, and he'll be able to enjoy hanging out with family this week.

I think I mentioned this awesome photographer's website a couple months back. A few of Josiah's one year portraits are up on her site if you'd like to check it out. Lisa, thank you again!
kiralisa.com

Good News, Bad News

Good news:

Our friend Aiden's scans are CLEAR!! We are so happy but so mad you won't be in Memphis much longer. :(

Stephen's home! :D

Josiah's doing fine. Counts steadily dropping. We'll get them checked on Sunday again. No transfusion today, suprisingly. He did soo good in OT and PT the other day! He didn't cry when they made him practice sitting sideways and he played up on his knees for a good while before getting angry about it. Our PT is going to have him fitted for a little brace to see if that will help him stand better and encourage him to start taking steps. Slow and steady gets the brace, I mean, wins the race.

Other news:

It's a difficult week for a few St. Jude families. One family we met through Bible study is going home because there's no more treatment available. Pray for Susan, her husband, 2 siblings and Zachariah as they spend their sweet time together.

We meet with Dr. Merchant Monday afternoon to discuss what kind/when Josiah's radiation treatment might be. If could be this summer after the 16 rounds are complete, or it could be in two years when his brain is more developed. He's the #1 guy in RO (radiation oncology) at St. Jude and we've heard only wonderful things about him.

Good night!

Work-Out

Tomorrow Josiah is hitting the baby gym: He's got OT and PT back to back before his morning nap. Yikes.

Some people have asked about cheering on the day of the marathon. I'm going to do some research and ask a few veterans about good places to stand and how to meet up with friends when there are 15,500 people running the streets of Memphis.

Pray for Josiah's friend, Aiden who's having some scans tomorrow. If they're clear again they'll be heading home next week! Makes me sad, but it's good for them. :)

Good night.

Sunday

Josiah's was sick yesterday and has been very clingy today. Thankfully, he's still eating pretty well...slowing down, but still eating.

We had a pretty full weekend. Josiah had a birthday party to go to. Stephen and I got to hear some friends play at Young Avenue Deli. Sheriffs of Nottingham, you were AWESOME! I got to go to a friend's wedding shower and visit some dear friends from the CZ!



It was a weekend full of friends. We are so thankful we are able to get the best pediatric cancer treatment here in the city we live in. Some weeks we forget Josiah is even sick.

Unfortunately, this is not one of those weeks. It is so discouraging to see Josiah so lethargic and sickly when his body starts to feel the effects of chemo. The next four or five days will most likely hold blood transfusions, diarrhea, vomiting, and just plain pukiness for him.

I don't remember if I updated on Josiah drinking from a cup: We tried the thickener in his water and he is still choking on it half of the time so we're going to wait and try again later. It's not worth the risk of pneumonia again.

Please pray for me and Stephen while he is away. His flight just landed in Dallas this evening.
Pray against fever and infection while he's away and Josiah's immune system is compromised.
Pray for Josiah's doctors: Dr. Broniscer, Dr. Abraham, Dr. Boop.
Pray for friends having scans this week.

We're so thankful Josiah's shunt(s) and other hardware have been working smoothly!

Our little friend, Rayna, finally got out of LeBonheur from her craniotomy. We're so happy for you, Gipsons! Can't wait to see you at St. Jude again! Aiden, Ian, Dylan, Zachariah: We think about you constantly and laugh and cry with you guys.

GoJGo update: We've already sold close to 80 shirts! That means nearly $1500 going straight to St Jude! GojGo runners have raised $5,562 to date. Thank you to all who've donated to this amazing hospital that is saving children every day.

We love you.

Chemo 8

Josiah's doing well. He had a fun day with Mrs. Mary while I got to go running and spend time with some friends studying the Bible. As a result, my legs feel like spaghetti, and my heart feels full. Somehow, my son is still eating. He's eating less but he is eating which is better than usual. I guess growth spurts don't stop for chemo. It'll probably kick in next week when he really feels bad. I'll take what I can get though!

I'm afraid to jinx it by writing 'we're going home tomorrow,' but barring all unseen disasters.... we'll be going home tomorrow.

2 Things: Pray for Josiah's friends. We met a new family from California a couple days ago. Some days/weeks at St. Jude seem more sad than others. Several children have gone to be with the Lord lately and others have been given weeks to live. Loss is always multiplied around the holidays. Please pray for the brokenhearted.

2nd thing: Order a T Shirt (long or short sleeved) @ forkbombr.net/gojgoshirts. And while you're typing forkbombr.net check out Stephen's clever technological observations. :)

nite nite.

Go J Go Shirts Now For Sale

You can go here for more info! All the proceeds go straight to St. Jude.

Chilling Out

Here's a photo of Dr. Broniscer and "Mini- Dr. B" as some nurses in clinic now refer to Josiah. Sorry it took me a couple of weeks.

We are at home waiting for an available room at St. Jude so we can get going with chemo 8 (halfway done with this treatment!). Having the full four weeks possible between rounds has been so strangely wonderful. It's nice to spend time with him in his true form. He's as crazy/mischievous as an immobile kid can be.

Thank you to those who have served and are serving now in the military. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Millers, I feel like I'm taking your phrase but I don't know what else to call it but a "cute toddler moment": Yesterday we had a psychological evaluation because of Josiah's anger management issues and suspension from preschool. Just kidding. It's just to see how he's doing compared to other kids his age. To see if he would follow directions the psychologist put a doll and a spoon in front of him and asked him to pick up the doll. He looked at both objects then picked up the spoon. I thought that would be the end of it, but then he begins very carefully spoon feeding the baby! He had us both rolling. It was so sweet how gently he held the spoon to her lips. I think he'd be a great big brother.

Josiah's getting a runny nose so please pray that it stops there. I will just cry if he gets what I'm getting over. Pray also we'll get chemo tonight and not have to wait til tomorrow. We have a few birthday parties and wedding showers we really don't want to miss this weekend! Pray for Stephen's upcoming week at work-- it's going to be pretty busy there in TX.


Thanks and Giving Campaign for St. Jude: Alejandro and Maria in 'meet the patients' are in the same clinic with us. Also, check out the cutie in the wig at the bottom of the link's page.

http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f2bfab46cb118010VgnVCM1000000e2015acRCRD

Today Josiah and I got to help make cancer ribbons out of film reels for Malco to sell in the tri-state area. Ask for one when you go see a movie and support St. Jude. Look for stores with the little green magnifying glass in the window-- that means you're helping St. Jude when you shop there for certain items. Give blood/platelets at St. Jude if you're feeling healthy because a lot of regular donors are sick and not able to give...like me. Get over that 'fear of needles' excuse and do it. They only stick you twice.

As Stephen said, today marks the six month anniversary of Josiah's first brain surgery. It may as well be four score and twenty years ago to me. I am so joyful I can honestly write you that we have been given the opportunity to "taste and see that the Lord is good" in the last six months and we believe it. I didn't say I could write it without crying, but I can write it. Josiah still has cancer and it's about the same as when we started chemo in May, but that is beside the point. It's not just about Josiah or our family. It is so good to know Life doesn't depend on us but on the One who gives it.

We love you. Thank you for reading this and praying, feeding, and clothing us.

Chemo #8

Hey guys!

Merri is feeling much better. She's still a little hoarse, but she's breathing much better.

The rest of the week is going to be busy. Josiah's going in for his 8th round of chemo Wed and Thurs night. We'll all be home this weekend, and then I'm headed to Dallas Sunday night for a week of working and saving the lives of countless MacBooks.

We just passed the 6 month anniversary of Josiah's tumor being discovered. Needless to say, it's been an insane 6 months, and it's a little overwhelming to think there's no end in sight. That said, I think Merri and I are both becoming far more comfortable with dealing with it all each day.

Thank you all for the continued support and prayer.

Looooong Weekend

Josiah's had a great weekend. He's still eating us out of house and home, and really coming into his boyhood. I saw a picture of him from July today and he looked so much like a baby just a few months ago!

Thursday night my throat started hurting and since then it's progressed into the worst sinus infection I've had in about a year. Stephen took me to the minor med this morning so now I've got a few drugs to try to get rid of all this crud before Josiah has chemo and loses his immune system.

I'm sooo glad we didn't have chemo last Wednesday like originally planned. Tomorrow we don't have anything on the schedule except for OT. I don't think that one appointment is worth me exposing the other patients to this. Please pray Josiah doesn't get it. So far, so good. I think he thinks it's funny that Mama's the one wearing a mask instead of him.

We'll let you know when we actually get in for chemo.

Too Much Fun...

Thank you so much for the facebook birthday wishes, the emails, the donations to St. Jude. We so enjoyed seeing many of you Sunday at the park. It was a true manifestation ofthe variety of friends and family holding us right now.

We're doing really well right now. Josiah is eating anything I put in front of him as fast as I can get it in front of him. He got to be at a growth spurt because I don't know how else to explain it. He ate a whole piece of toast with jelly and oatmeal then a piece of fried chicken for lunch! He's one year old! Dinner was a bowl of chili, and I know he ate nearly 1/2 of my piece of apple pie. Ridiculous.

The docs are going to let Josiah try drinking thickened liquids by mouth since he did so well on the swallow study a week ago. I'm really excited to let him try drinking from a cup. We'll let you know how that goes.


Though he still has a lot of milestones to catch up on he's really a boy and not a baby. I kind of forget that sometimes because he can't walk or crawl yet. Inside, he's definitely a one year old with his own ideas. He's been experimenting on the best way to get our attention...most of the time it comes in screams of frustration and the most pitiful, pouty frown you've ever seen.

I'll give a better update later tomorrow (hopefully). There are no rooms available right now so we'll get chemo next week. One more healthy weekend is fine with us!

Goodnight! Tia Rute, Josiah said thanks for the package. :)