Personal Chef

I have become a personal chef these days. Jordan has started eating again! He eats a few bites of something and then is on to the next. Yesterday he had cereal, pancakes, oranges, bananas, juice, coffee (mostly half and half), chocolate chips, sparkling water, and cheese and that was just for breakfast. We are so happy that he is eating, I'll make just about anything. We were thinking it was going to take a while to get the feeding tube out, but now maybe not. Before he would ask for things, look at it and then say..."don't want it, mama you eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it," and then shove it in my mouth. Chemo starts on Tuesday, so we are really hoping he keeps it up.

The other news, after all my nagging and planning, is that the final chemo day is June 3rd, with all his tests and scans on the 5th. That will be the end of his oncology treatment if everything looks good, which they expect it to. Please pray.

Some Comic Relief

Here is Jordan using Sitara's watermelon lipgloss for deodorant



Getting into the goggles and bandaids

This Week

This has been a tough week. The stress and sadness of all that is going on in the lives of those families around us has been weighing heavily on me. It is impossible to not become involved in the lives of the other families whose kids have cancer. Early on, I had guarded my heart against getting to know them, but sweet children draw you in and you can't help but suffer with them. As we anxiously head towards the end of treatment, I am exhausted with this evil disease. I am far past ready to be done with it, for Jordan and for everyone.

Happy Mother's Day

I occasionally think about Sitara's biological mother and know she must wonder how Sitara is doing. What is her family like? Is she loved? Is she being well cared for? One of the most difficult things about Jordan being sick is how I have had to turn over so much of my mother responsibilities to others. However, I have never once wondered whether they were being well cared for or loved, because I have had a star lineup of family and friends standing in for me. I couldn't have asked for a more amazing, nurturing, loving, fun, incredible group of women to do my job as mom for the last year and a half. They have done everything from driving them all over town to activities, countless overnighters, staying up with them when they are sick, feeding them, playing game after game with Sitara, tutoring, field trips, counseling, and loving them. I don't know what I would have done without them. It has been hard on our whole family, but Tate, Luke, and Sitara have thrived and I can only attribute that to our stand-in moms. So a huge "Happy Mother's Day" to my Mom, Cheryl, Julie, Liz, Amy, Maggie, Val, Jennie, Kate, and Kathleen. You are the best!

Nearing the Finish

Jordan starts his second to last chemo tomorrow. So far we are on schedule for finishing on June 3rd. At the end of last August when Jordan was originally supposed to be finished, we had all kinds of things planned to commemorate the end of treatment. The week we found out his tumor was growing was the most tramatic, painful, and devastating week of my life. Worse than his original diagnosis. Not only would Jordan have to endure six plus more months of hell, all of our celebrations,trips, school plans were immediately cancelled. So, it is with terrifying optimism that June 3rd approaches. We are hoping and praying for a big celebration party with all of you sometime in June.

Cousin Ben

We were extremely saddened to learn this week that cousin Ben's scans came back with cancer in his bone marrow. As we have spent the last 8 months with them, as Jordan and Ben receive treatment, there have been many hours in hospital rooms, clinics, surgery, heartache and tears and we are feeling their desperation as they must continue on this journey. They begin an experimental treatment next week. Please pray fervently for it to work. We love you Townes.

Their blog is caringbridge.org/visit/towne.