Is it Spring yet???

I really cant believe its been almost a month since I last posted! I wont say I'll miss February...cause I wont. We had a lot of sickness at our house...

It started with Carly. On the 13th she woke up with a fever. The fever lasted 6 days. Poor Carly missed an entire week of school. She was miserable, and I hate that every time someone in our family gets sick I worry about you too. I never know how your body will react to sickness of any kind. Its always a worry that you could have to stay in the hospital and get really sick.

Next it was Tucker. He had already been fussy the whole week Carly was sick, but I didn't take him in to the doctor until Saturday morning when he woke up with both his eyes crusted shut, and I knew he had pink eye. Turns out he also had a major ear infection in one ear too. Poor kid...no wonder he was fussy. I just thought it was cause he was teething.

The next day it was my turn. I woke up Sunday feeling pretty crappy. I had a fever and body aches. That lasted through Tuesday. Wednesday I felt better.

Wednesday you got sick. I could tell by the look in your eyes you were miserable. Luckily your temp hovered right around 99.8 to 100 even so we didn't have to take you in that day. Thursday you woke up with a fever of 101.1 though so we headed down to clinic for fluids, antibiotics, and blood cultures. The fever routine. I sometimes wonder if I'm abnormal because I really wasn't worried about your counts. The nurse (Mindy-one of my favorites...love her) looked at me like I was crazy when I asked if we could go home now that your fluids and antibiotics were done. She said, "Uhhh...we haven't gotten her counts back yet." Oops...oh yeah. You had been there the week before and your counts were good so I just assumed they would still be good. I was right too...your counts were awesome! The doc and nurse both seemed shocked. I guess there have been a lot of kids getting admitted with RSV and Influenza A and B. Luckily all your cultures, and the virus scan came back negative. In fact your fever lasted the rest of that day and then didn't come back. I was stunned! I thought after Carly and I had both had a fever for several days that you would too. Nope...once again your amazing little body fought off whatever was making it sick super fast. How do you do that?? You'd think the immuno-suppressed cancer kid would get sick first and have it the longest...not my WeeMee! Your amazing.

About the same time you got "it", so did dad. He had it for a few days too. So far everyone in our family except Alyssa has had it. Hope were done with it...

Ive been a little worried about you the last several days though. You have had yucky horrible diarrhea since before you got sick last week, and lately you complain a lot of weak legs. You don't wanna walk anywhere up or down stairs. Even from your room to the couch is asking a lot. You also fell asleep today at 10:30 in the morning and I woke you at noon so we could take lunch to dad. You have dark circles under your eyes and have lost a little weight. All this has me nervous. I'm glad you haven't had a fever, but at the same time, if you did, I would take you in and you'd have to get all checked out. Its times like these I miss our weekly visits to the clinic. As nice as it is to go every four weeks...it can be nerve racking that we go so long in between check ups. You temps have stayed in the 99's so far so we'll just wait and see what happens. I hate waiting and seeing...

In other news...Carly is getting baptized on Saturday! We are all excited. Its such a special experience to see your little ones all dressed in white and looking beautiful and glowing as you get baptized and then receive the Holy Ghost. Thank heaven for the gift of the Comforter! I could never have made it through this last year without it. We are so blessed to know our Heavenly Fathers plan for us, and be able to take an active role in our own salvation. We get to choose for ourselves who we want to be, and I am so pleased with the choices all my kids are making. I have been so blessed with wonderful kids!

In related news...Daddy was just called to be the Bishop of our ward! What a huge change for our family to have him away so much, but what a huge blessing to have the opportunity to give back to the ward who has loved and supported us so much this past year. We have been so blessed to live among so many wonderful people. I feel like I will be forever in their debt, and this might be an opportunity to give back...just a little. It'll be interesting to see how our life unfolds over the next 5 years or so while daddy serves. I hope you always cherish the opportunity to have the priesthood in your home...I'm so grateful for your daddy, and I know you are too!

Clinic in February was on the 17th (during the week Carly was sick). You had a back poke scheduled this round so you had to go hungry so you could have an empty stomach for anesthesia. I had to stay home with sick kids so daddy took you. He said you did awesome! You got a back poke...which is when they take spinal fluid out of your spine and replace it with the exact same amount of chemo. The reason they do this is because the chemo you take orally, and through IV will not penetrate the blood-brain barrier so they give you chemo in your spinal fluid every 3 months to make sure your brain stays free of cancer. He said you woke up from anesthesia really well, and that they had already given you your Vincristine so you were able to go right home. You had the usual side effects... Leg pain (severe enough you ask for "the pink stuff"(oxycodone)...you NEVER ask for medicine), fatigue, belly aches, pale skin and dark circles under your eyes. The leg pain is the worst. You cry out in pain and whimper when you walk. You are so brave and tough and you always try to keep going no matter how crappy you feel. How'd you get so tough?

Clinic has tried really hard to make flu season safe for all. They don't allow any siblings in, and they have really done a great job of getting us in and out. They are so amazing!

I'm so glad we are dealing with this cancer now, and not 30 years ago! 30 years ago a child with your same diagnosis would not have made it. I'm so grateful to all those kids who came before us, and paved the way, through research and study to get us to where we are today! What an amazing leap to go from almost no chance of survival to 95% !

On a side note...TO THE READERS OF McKALLS BLOG: Coming up on July 9th there is a very special cancer walk to benefit CureSearch. CureSearch funds the Children's Oncology Group(COG), and 95% of all the money raised goes directly to fund Children's Cancer Research. McKall is participating in the COG research study at Primary Children's Hospital right now, and the study is already benefiting cancer kids across the country! We really want to give back so I will be organizing a team and trying to raise funds for the group. Once I get my website up I will share more details. I am SO excited about this!! Its groups like this that have raised childhood cancer survival rates to what they are now...and wouldn't it be great to help support an actual CURE!

In other news...your hair! Holy cow...I know I say this every month, but its growing like crazy! Ill let the pictures do the talking.

Not a big fan of the flash...Hair pictures for March!

Side shot...

And from the rear...its a little crazy from laying on the couch.
Cant believe its long enough to get messy!

A little note about a little hat: I ordered an owl hat like this one (see below) back in November and it never came. Long story short the person I ordered it from took my money and kept the hat. Our sweet friend Angie took it upon herself to find one like it and order it for us. She gave it to you a few weeks ago and you don't leave home without it! I love it so much and so do you. It  has been a neat conversation piece. We cant go anywhere without someone stopping us to ask about it. In fact you wore it to clinic last time and all the nurses were making a big fuss. Then when I had to take you back for your fever one of the nurses (Tiffany) came back and showed us an owl hat she was making like it! It has been fun to listen to you tell people about it and see the smile it puts on yours and others faces. I know its "just a hat", but its a special hat...

LOVE this hat...Thanks Angie!!