Joy and Thanksgiving

It hasn't been easy, but Amazing Grace continues to pour down. Last night was day 3 of the 5 days of chemo, and his fevers lifted the very night his chemo began. What a relief!  The chemo causes him to sweat profusely so he must change his poison drenched shirts again and again during and after treatment, making a nice pile of hazardous material laundry for yours truly, but the nausea is mild and he is eating regularly. Please pray protection for his liver, which is the main reason why they were avoiding this stronger chemo until it became the only option. His liver counts are going up, but they aren't too concerned at present as this is normal for the treatment.  It may take another two weeks for hair loss and other lovely side effects to pop up, but we are continuing to take it day by day and refusing to worry about tomorrow. As Ian keeps saying, "today is a pretty good day" and so we are thankful.

I have been so blessed to be by Ian's side throughout this treatment. When I was commuting back and forth, I'd get a pounding headache the moment I drove away from the hospital and it wouldn't lift until I was back en route to UCSF.  This did not make for a very happy mama with two emotionally fragile, intense, energetic, loud and talkative little people. The girls are still in Sacramento, and our dear friends have offered to keep them there as long as they are content. Asha has requested two months. They are in heaven, wrapped in love and picking fresh blueberries and blackberries and mulberries and gathering fresh eggs and playing with friends, dogs, horses and ladybugs. WAY better than being quarantined to our third floor apartment condo. We are sent a steady stream of texts, pictures and videos keeping us up to date on their cuteness and shenanigans. I can't express the huge relief and JOY that Ian and I feel for this amazing situation! I'll conclude with some of the pictures that make us smile with big thankful hearts:

Fiona picking blueberries for the first morning's waffles: