Carter turned 5--on December 10th!

I swear I remember posting about Carter's birthday--but it must of been a dream, because I haven't. It wasn't his year for a friend party, but I am getting lax in my old age and he was able to invite some friends over for "lunch" on his birthday, but since I didn't do treat bags it wasn't a "party" right?! When Jackson and Tanner Christensen (our other son) were little guys and played, it was nothing but sports, they would fight over who was Jeremy Scroggins or Michael Jordan (how does that make Jeremy feel!!) they would usually play, basketball, football and baseball all in one play date. But when Carter and his buddies play it is one superhero dress up after another. Epic star wars battles are fought and Iron Man and Spiderman are searching for Darth Vader and Black Spiderman. But the greatest part is they are so busy trading costumes and describing the "scenes" ahead they usually never get to that part!! Carter has great buddies and I am so glad.

Jaren Hebdon, Tanner Callahan, Caden Allred, and Carter December 10th, 2009




Then for his birthday dinner we had the whole fam-dam-ily over for Carter's requested feast....Chicken on the bone and Crabby Patties (hamburgers) he also wanted Crab but I told him the store was out, I just couldn't face that seafood, poultry, beef mix all in one meal!
Carter at age 5 you can, make your bed, pick up your messes, write your first name and most of your last name it usually comes out Nofterel (why make it harder son?), you love preschool days and beg everyday to have a friend over. You love the color green but since you love Caden more, you have changed your favorite color to red! You want to be a superhero when you grow up, just not sure which one. Your favorite songs are "Iron Man" which you sing wrong; "I am iron man running over bad guys in my van!", and "Once there was a Snowman". You are so excited to be a big kid in Kindergarten next year and have school every day. You still get in bed with Mom and Dad every night(sigh). You scratch my arm to fall asleep and you don't allow us to kiss you, if we do you immediately wipe it off! Jackson and Sammi can always get you 'going' by telling you they snuck in your room and kissed you while you were asleep. You are so funny and so "boy" and we love you so much, thanks for making the worst pregnancy ever--worth every second of it!

Blood Counts for week 13 & Christmas Caroling

We were trying to remember how long this group of families has been Christmas Caroling at Nursing homes---any where from 5 to 7 years(I think), we have been singing along. The group swells and shrinks from year to year, and every year we go, during the busy month of December and it never seems convenient then when it's over we are so glad we did it! Some years we get together and practice, some years we have special musical numbers---this year we planned it and did it within a few days, had no piano and no special musical numbers. The elderly are the best, most uncritical, kindest audience ever! I love seeing our 20 plus children holding hands and talking to the residents afterwards, so sweet to see the wrinkled 90 year old hand holding the baby smooth, chubby 3 year old hand. After singing this year we went out to eat and I finally remembered to take a picture--I wish I had some of when we started this tradition but hey, better late than never! Thank you friends for keeping this tradition alive and one of my favorite parts of December.

And, drum roll, the weeks blood counts:
12/23/09: HCT 37.0 last week 36.4 normal 31-48
PLT 323 last week 460 normal 150-500
WBC 2.9 last week 3.2 normal 5.0-12.0
ANC 1,100 last week the infamous 630 the miraculous 944 normal over 1000

The normal ranges for Children's hospital are lower than the normal ranges for our lab. I went with Children's numbers because they make Jackson look better! According to the lab sheet I got today he is under the 'normal' 1800 for his ANC by quite a bit, but according to Children's he is above 1000 so---who knows!
I'm still looking into anything that can help boost his ANC but I found out this week that they don't like to give nupogen (sp?) shots to kids with Leukemia and Histiocytosis because it stimulates the White blood cells which have gone crazy and caused all the problems to begin with--makes sense but it also makes it nearly impossible to help those ANC counts stay up. I guess the Chemo is doing what is it supposed too. No one promised this would be any amount of fun, I see why!
Merry Christmas everyone and a happy, HEALTHY new year.

Better late than never

Sorry I never got around to posting about our Round 4 day 5 Chemo. Maybe because there shouldn't have been a day 5--darn low blood counts on day 1! Sunday at the hospital is even more quiet than Saturday--we finished our Ronald McDonald cleaning assignments by 9am (wish I cleaned my own house like that!) and our Chemo appointment wasn't till 11:00am. But I checked with the nurses and they said come on down. I guess they don't schedule as tight on the weekends because there is less staff, but the nurses said we can get you on the road much faster than 11. By 10 am we were done and gone! The roads that were horrific 5 days ago were just bare and wet on Sunday and we made great time. Jackson said Monday morning that he never appreciated his bed like he did last night! I feel the exact same. If you ever get the chance to buy a sleep number bed---DON'T do it. That's what they had in our room at the RMH and it is a fancy air mattress that slowly deflates on you all night long. It's great to be home, several times this week when I am getting Christmas treats made or delivered, wrapping presents, sending off cards for people who sent us some who never have before(!), I think, how would I have done Chemo this week?? So grateful I didn't have to. Thanks again for all the prayers and service.

Round 4 Days 3 & 4

this is Jackson, we couldn't get my Mom's laptop to get online yesterday, so today we are posting from the Ronald McDonald House Computer. Thanks for praying for me and I feel great, except for the beds here! Thanks-Jackson

Well there you go-the boys first post, painful for him. Yesterday went fine, we were at the hospital for almost 3 hours because they were so busy and backed up. Then after Jackson got his Chemo infusion going they had an emergency in the infusion area with one of the patients. When that happens all the nurses are required to go help and his Chemo had been done for 45 minutes before someone was able to flush and lock his line so we could leave. I'm not complaining--I certainly would want everyone to run if my child went emergent. When we got back to the RMH yesterday Jackson slept from 4pm to 10:00 pm. He was awake for an hour and a half before going back to sleep for the night. I couldn't get him to eat dinner yesterday but his appetite seems fine today. The hospital on the weekends is so quiet and the waiting time is zero, so we were in and out of there quick today. We plan on spending the day here and on going to "Candy Cane" lane tonight, apparently a neighborhood famous for their lights. You can't even buy a house in the neighborhood unless you agree to the homeover covenants of decorating for this every year! Maybe we will keep our wits about us and get some good pictures, that will have to wait to be posted!! Thank you for the dinners for Michael and the kids and the help with childcare. We are excited to finally be home tomorrow!!

Count Your Many Blessings

I am so grateful for all your prayers for Jackson last night and this morning. They certainly worked his ANC went up about 300 pts to over 900 today! He was able to receive his Chemo and we will finish up Round 4 on Sunday. I also found out that we get to return to our Wed. thru Sat. schedule after all--I am glad, I didn't want to miss a Sunday every four weeks. I need church to remind me to:
Count your many blessings, name them one by one.
Count your many blessings see what God has done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one.
Count your many blessings see what God has done.
How could someone living my life forget that? Yet I did forget that, I forgot to be grateful for the previous 12 Chemo treatments he had to this point. I am very grateful he had Doctors who were willing to let us try today instead of sending us home for a 5 day break; which is the protocol in this situation. I am grateful to my cousin Kyle and his friend who gave Jackson a priesthood blessing last night. And I am grateful that my dear family and friends continue to pray us into miracles.

Waiting game

Tonight we are playing the waiting game, at the Ronald McDonald house. We finally get into the RMH and then we may have to turn right around tomorrow and go home----I hope not. Jackson and I braved the horrid winter mountain pass to make it to his Chemo appointment today only to be thwarted by a low ANC count. His ANC today was 630, it has to be 750 in order for him to get his Chemo treatment. The Doctors wanted to send us home till Monday, so Jax and I turned on the tears and they are kindly letting us take labs again tomorrow with the hopes that his ANC will be high enough to start----PLEASE pray that they are high enough to start. We really don't want to brave the roads again tomorrow, and then turn around Monday to come back here, and then not get home till Christmas Eve, yuck. I want to be with my kiddos during their Christmas break, not with the Mariners Moose (he came to the RMH today). Oh and a prayer for my pessimistic, negative, woe is us attitude wouldn't hurt either.

Blood counts for week 12

Not so hot:
last week HCT-30.0 this week- 32.0 norm-31-48%
last week PLT-190 this week-667 norm-150-500
last week WBC-3.2 this week-2.1 norm-5-12
last week ANC-1600 this week-400 norm-over 1000

An ANC under 500 means no school normally but I have a call in to the oncologist. I am thinking that if this is like last Chemo that by today (saturday) he is already back over 500, so we will see. Chemo is next week, I can't believe it is time again. I've got a cough to kick before Wednesday so wish me luck!

For 39 years.....

this man has been on the earth. For over 17 of those years I have loved him. For 16 years 8 months I have been married to him. For 14 years 5 months he has been a loving father. He has had 6 job changes in our married life, moved 10 times, owned 14 cars and of those only one brand new one!! He works over 60 hours a week for most of the year, for his wife, his five children and believe me they are a high maintenance, expensive crew! He faces his personal fears every appointment he goes to with Jackson(blood draws are not on his top ten list of things to do!). We love you Michael, so much, thanks for all you do for us -- and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

The "MAN" with his boys--who know where the girls had disappeared to at this point.

Blood counts for week 11

The good news brought to us in blood count numbers was welcome today--after last Chemo's blood counts I was shaking in my boots to get the results today. They were low but not critically low--in fact compared to where his counts were at the start of the last Chemo they are improved. Wish we could put our finger on how this all works. Is anything we do making a difference or is it just a roller coaster ride? This is not a rhetorical question---any insight is welcome!
WBC today 3.2 normal range 4.5-11.0
RBC today 3.64 normal range 4.5-5.9
HCT today 30.0 normal range 41.0-53.0
PLT today 190K normal range 150-400
ANC today 1600 normal range 1800-7800
I've noticed that labs at Children's hospital have slightly different ranges than the lab in Moses Lake does--these labs today are from the ML lab.
In other news basketball for Jax is moving right along. He amazes me that he can keep up-school is so hard for him right now and he has added 2.5 hours of basketball practice 3 days a week, and games 2 days a week. I know that in my responsibilities I am falling behind, he is managing better than I am for sure! Maybe my prayers for him not have Chemo brain have somehow transferred the Chemo brain to me instead!

The kids and I travelled to Connell this week for one of Jackson's games, I'm glad we did, his team won in OVERTIME and this was the highest scoring game so far this year. Jr. High basketball is fast paced man, hold on to your seats!!

#32 is my favorite player, not too brag or anything, but isn't he cute!

I know this post is all about Jackson (that seems to happen a lot actually!) but it's been a busy week for the 8th graders of Royal Middle School. Two basketball games, Survivor Friday and the SCIENCE FAIR. Of course this is also the week that Michael is gone to Texas for Irrigation Assoc. meetings, remember the old days (last 4 years) when I went with him---sigh. Anyway, the Science Fair was great and Carter decided he needed to dress up as black spiderman in order to attend this event--makes perfect sense.

Jackson and his partner in crime, science crime that is--Adan. How many pounds of dry ice did they go through---19 pounds of it. Of course you can only purchase it in Moses Lake too. Love the science fair --- being over!