Arter Christmas

We spent time with my Mom's family celebrating Christmas.

Great Aunt Kristi and Uncle Jr. live on a farm and each time we go to their house, she spots out the animals. We managed to see some cows, cats, and a dog. She even had enough courage to pet the dog.

Brendan got a piano for Christmas and it was quite a hit for the kids.

Making Pizza

I think the highlight of Maggie's day was making pizza with her cousin's Stella and Mira. They spent quite a bit of time putting the toppings on the pizza and serving it.

I think this picture sums up how happy Maggie was. You don't get a smile from her often, and you rarely hear her say "cheese."

Christmas Day

Christmas day with the Bixler family!

Last Christmas Maggie was not at all interested in opening the presents, but this year, she really enjoyed it.

Grandma Bixler tried to get a picture of all the grandchildren. Unfortunately, the grandchildren didn't all cooperate. Maybe next year...

Our family Christmas

Maggie got starbursts in her stocking so in her pictures she looks like she has a mass of something in her mouth. The funny thing is, not many of the presents were a surprise because she shopped with me and even managed to play with some before the big day, but she was a good sport and acted surprised regardless.

We opened up Christmas presents Christmas Eve because we were going to visit family for the rest of the weekend. I think Maggie's favorite present was a Backyardigan's dvd. We have watched it daily on repeat ever since. Nothing like promoting bad habits to a 2 year old.

My Helper

We have graduated from the floor to the counter when helping me cook.

And the wonderful thing about the dishwasher is that Maggie pulls herself up!

Maggie has become like many other two year olds, which I am so happy to see. Anytime Maggie exhibits "normal" curiosities, I smile and then try to get a photo. So, here are a few pictures of Maggie "helping" me in the kitchen.

Quick update.

Our posts are coming a little bit more infrequently, we know. We're not exactly sure why that is. One thing is that we have been pretty busy this past week with treatment; chemo in the clinic, and steroids throughout the week.

Maggie's last dose of the steroid for this round was Friday evening, and through Saturday, it was still affecting her a lot. Her sleep was definitely disrupted, which is always hard.

She is starting to feel better today, and her sleep is improved. Maggie actually laughed quite a bit today. She took her weekly bath before we re-accessed her port and we took quite a few cute pictures of her. We'll plan to add them to the blog soon.

Other than that, we are trying to move on and live on.

Off we go.

We are here

We are still here, it's just like the old saying... no news is good news. We have been enjoying the holiday season-- visiting family, celebrating Christmas with family, bringing in the New Year with family and friends, and going to church! I think we have made a record 4 times in a row. Something I don't think we have mastered since Maggie's diagnosis and even birth. It has been nice to have some normalcy in our lives.

Tomorrow, though, starts another week of steroids. It is never fun, but something we are counting down-- 6 more weeks of steroids spread out over 6 months. I am hoping that it doesn't reverse the progress that Maggie continues to make with her physical development. This week she has started to walk with just holding our one hand. While I don't know what this means in the progression of development, we are quite excited. She has stood momentarily by herself, but if she really had to, I think she could stand for quite some time. Her balance and strength continue to improve. Her physical therapist, Nancy, who Maggie now refers to as Santa (she gave Maggie a Santa sticker), said that if Maggie continues at this pace, she might be walking in about 3 months. I think we can beat 3 months and that will be our goal!

Though we didn't formally wish you a Merry Christmas, we do hope that each of you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We took our yearly Christmas picture yesterday before we took down our tree and decorations. As we took the tree down, I wondered what next year at Christmas will look like. Where will we be, what will our lives look like, will we still be a family of three, will Maggie still be with us? I promised her that next year she will help me decorate the tree. I hope that I can keep that promise.

We were talking to someone the other day about hoping the new year will be better than the last. 2009 wasn't a horrible year for us, much better than 2008. However, we hope that 2010 shows us an even better year. More specifically, we look forward to June 30, when we are finished with treatment!