What's New

We are long over due for a new update.
Fortunately, though, there is not much new to update.
Mary continues to get her weekly chemo. We got so used to Monday appointments but the last few weeks they keep throwing in some Thursdays in there too. Once again, not getting comfortable.
She is handling the chemo so well, it's almost unreal. No vomiting, she still eats and drinks without too much encouragement and only has occasional bouts with diarrhea. The biggest thing we have been combating is her sore bottom. I know it could be so much worse, though. Her lack of any major complications from the chemotherapy is a true tender mercy.
Usually she'll have a few really good days, then have a chemo day, then be a bit grouchy for a couple of days. And then it starts over.
We are still working hard on building her strength and getting her walking. We're to the point that we can sometimes get her to walk just holding on to one hand. Although she often uses the other to steady herself on anything close by. Today she'll be getting orthotic braces to hopefully give her more support. She really is moving around more and even climbs up on the couch and comes down the stairs on her own. As usual we are on her timetable and trying hard to be patient.
Throughout this whole experience I've learned more and more about treasuring experiences. I think about Mary pre-leukemia, PL, and after. There is so much that she used to do that she just doesn't. Whenever I see a glimpse of her PL I hold on to it. One such experience happened the other night.
The girl PL would often wander throughout the house. She was quite content to play on her own, sometimes, and if she wanted something she would just go and find it herself. I always felt that these things were both good and bad. Bad because I would loose her. She has wandered out of the house before so there was always that fear. I started to teach her to respond when I would call out to her. I would say, "Mary, say hi mom!" She quickly caught on and I would hear a little, "hi, mom," coming from whatever corner she'd found. It wasn't uncommon for me to hear her saying hi from the pantry. She would go in, sometimes close the door, find a snack and settle down and dig in. Once she was found it didn't always end in her favor. At the same time it was often too adorable for me to get too upset.
The other day she was move around a lot more than she had been. I let her scoot free. She went in the living room and then into the kitchen then pretty soon I realized I hadn't seen her for a little while. I went looking and this is where I found her.

Once again I couldn't get over my excitement enough to take the chips from her. Considering how hard she had worked.