We're Back

We returned home from Chicago on Friday night, but have not stopped going until this evening. We had family visiting our house from Friday to Sunday due to my big 3-0 birthday today. Andy surprised me with my whole family on Saturday and we spent the day eating and visiting. It was nice to see everyone and again give Maggie an opportunity to play with her cousins.

We enjoyed Chicago and were a bit sad to leave, but Maggie was definitely happy to be home as she immediately began crawling around the house. We will be sharing pictures of our trip and stories of where we visited as time goes on. Hopefully it won't be too boring for you, but I see this as our scrapbook of Maggie's life.

Tomorrow is a big day for us. It has been 2 weeks since Maggie has had her counts checked and tomorrow is the day. Maggie will be going in for a spinal, chemo in her spine, chemo through her veins, an anti-pneumonia infusion, and the beginning of steroids. Like always, I worry about Maggie's blood counts and the worry of relapse. This will always be a worry, but like I've said before, when you aren't having counts checked a couple of times a week, it is even harder. I am also worried about what her potassium and bi-carb (hydration) levels will look like, as well as her weight. I feel like tomorrow will be a monumental day-- one that we can either move forward knowing that Maggie is maintaining on her own, or one that will take us back to our previous nightmare. So, please pray that everything goes well tomorrow-- Maggie's counts, levels, and weight will be right on target for where she needs to be.

Finally, I posted a picture of Maggie on our trip to Chicago at the beginning of the post. We tend to have a hard time getting Maggie to smile at the camera, but this one was a rare shot. We stopped in the Disney store on Magnificent Mile and Maggie found stuffed Mickey and Minnie Mouse. This gave us smiles and she even managed to cruise (walk) while holding onto the edge.

As I reflected on this day and looked back a year ago and the memories I had then, I realize we have experienced a lot this year. Last year, we were in the hospital while Maggie was infused with a very strong chemotherapy that gave her mouth sores. This year, we were able to have a summer, take Maggie on her first vacation (and definitely not her last), and be out of the hospital to celebrate birthdays.

Whenever you have a birthday, people always ask you as you blow out the candles, what you wished for. And of course, you are not supposed to tell anyone your wish or it won't come true. Though I didn't have any candles to blow out this year, I still have a wish, and I won't be sharing it with anyone.... But, I bet each and everyone one of you can guess what it is. And I pray that it comes true.