Family Fun

So much has happened lately, I really don't know where to begin.  Basically, We have been enjoying life while keeping a watchful eye on swollen glands.  I guess I should start with that so no one is left worrying.

Sammy's glands are 'normally swollen'...just like an other kid....according to Dr. C who is the head honcho of Sammy's doctors.  All is good with Sam.  He remains in remission and his blood work is clear. His running is improving and people constantly comment on how great he looks.  We are very fortunate and inwardly celebrate this almost every minute!


Sammy celebrated turning 8 recently.  I cannot believe he is growing up so quickly.  Where is the time going?  He has wanted his own pet for some time so I thought a fish might be fun.  Here is the final version of that seed idea:

The cat likes them very much indeed!

And Sammy is learning how to take responsibility for his 9 fish:

Sammy had a wonderful party with his friends at his usual place...

And dinner at his favorite Japanese restaurant!

We also celebrated Jack and Sammy's cousin's first birthday. It was wonderful to see the kids playing together and know that Sam could keep up and just join in the fun without having to worry about anything.

Jack has been very busy also.  Baseball is in full swing (pun intended) and we all had fun at the opening day celebration... see here for news on that.  

I was given a delightful Mother's Day.  Having the luxury of a long lie in, we all headed off to the beach as a family, dog included, and walked along the rocks to the tide pools.  I was in my absolute element, being a total beach-lover.  I actually love the walks and views more than just sitting getting a tan....and Mother's Day was glorious!  We spotted birds, found sea-creatures and enjoyed the beautiful views.  The kids played on the rocks and I daydreamed about the beach houses dotted along the coastline.  Heaven!

We have really had some great times recently.  Pushing worry to the back of our minds was very doable and we are glad that we were able to.  Of course, all this activity (and there is more I shall share in later posts) means my house is a total wreck!  I like having no time to take care of it though....nowadays it is not because we are spending weeks in hospital, instead it is because we are doing things, volunteering for things close to our hearts, and having the life we had to put on hold for a few years.

Birthday Boy

Today was Sammy's birthday party. He officially turns seven on Tuesday, but we used today to do the whole present, party, family night thing together.  To be honest, I'm too tired to write about it....I will tomorrow...so here are a few highlights of the day.  Sammy felt like it was the best day ever!  What a difference a year makes....what a difference the week of the cycle makes!!!

I Feel Like The Clinic is Home!

The sentence, "I feel like the clinic is home," came out of my son's mouth in the car yesterday as we chatted about this morning's visit for chemo.  I was stunned, but in context, it actually made sense.  We had been planning the Clinic birthday celebration (Sammy turns seven on Tuesday), and he was very excited.  He really wanted to be at the clinic with his wonderful doctors, nurses, and his friend (psychologist), Leslie.  Leslie was bringing donuts for Sam to celebrate, Nana was bringing something sweet for the staff...Sammy just wanted to be there.  He sees the clinic so differently lately.

Accessing  Sam's port is often done while Sam is busy with his DS or watching a movie...or tricking Nana by making her leave the room then telling her no blood would come out....followed by a smiling Sammy holding up the vial of blood that had come out first time!  This is the kid who took four hours to drink down a teaspoon of medicine, was still taking off a band aid as the clinic was closing because it was so traumatic, and screamed the place down if a nurse even came near him, never mind with a large needle that needed to get pushed into his chest!

Sam is the big man in town...confident, aware of what is going on...able to verbalize his thoughts and opinions.  Sammy told the doctors that the past steroid pulse was the worst one ever, as was Easter...he had a rotten time and hated the weekend.  He also said how much he is looking forward to this weekend, we are holding his birthday party on Saturday and Sam will be surrounded by family and friends, and he was particularly looking forward to the extra love and attention!!!

So, Sam is very comfortable at the clinic, he is positively jubilant about his upcoming birthday, and he loves his 'clinic family' very much indeed.