Clinic News, Christmas Festivities and Lots of Hoops

Oh dear the last few days have been a true whirlwind.  If you were around me at all last week, you know that I did not handle the scan last week very well at all.  David had been complaining for about two weeks about severe belly pain and it was really making us nervous.  Belly pain is how he was diagnosed three years ago and anytime he mentions his belly our ears perk up. 

More clinic information below, but the best news is that the ultrasound and CT scan showed that his organs are happy and healthy and that he is now 2.5 years cancer-free!  Glory to God!

 

Hope is obsessed with writing, drawing, coloring etc... and I was cleaning up piles of her creations and found this.  I guess sweet girl has really been listening to the Nativity story about Jesus' birth! 

 

The last few weeks have been full of basketball!  Kyle has played on an AAU team for many years and now most of his teammates are playing on different middle school teams.  It is cool to know that these awesome group of guys can play on different teams during the week and play together on the weekends.  I really dig these guys.

 

Here is sweet David getting his IV for his ultrasound and CT Friday.  It was intense getting the IV but  he did GREAT!!  We were so proud.  The clinic staff is amazing. 

 

Amazingly we ran into Nurse Kendall!  She was one of our favorites on the floor when David was going through chemo.  She shared with us that she is expecting her third little baby in a few months. 

 

Our boy is really growing up.  He handled the ultrasound like  a champ!  The girl doing his ultrasound started rolling up his shirt and she then lowered the lights to begin the test.  David looked at me with these enormous eyes and said "well this is awkward!"  He cracks us up! I drove myself crazy with my untrained, unprofessional eye trying to read the ultrasound.  I asked her a million questions which she is not allowed to answer for us. 

After the ultrasound we moved on to the CT scan.  The hardest part of the day besides the IV was going until 12:30 with no food or drink.  David calls the CT machine "riding the doughnut" which I think is pretty accurate.  He did so well!  It always freaks me out that Mike and I have to suit up in protective gear to even be in the room with that much radiation when our baby has had a bazillion of these?! 

We got to see several friends in clinic.  We saw sweet Wes, who is currently in treatment for neuroblastoma.  Here is the beautiful Anna who has been off of treatment for leukemia for almost a year!  Isn't she beautiful?!

Anna had labs drawn and David had an IV and labs so they each got to visit the toy box.  Thank you to all the sweet souls who gave toys for the kids birthdays last summer.  A trip to the toy box makes ouchies all better!  It is nice to end clinic with a stop at the toy box to reward them for their bravery. 

David and the amazing Dr. Belyea!  He and I emailed back and forth a lot last week prepping me and David for the appointment.  He is so compassionate, smart, and kind.  Our visits feel more like old friends chatting about life, parenting, and David's overall health.  He is simply amazing and we are so thankful for him.  We are now halfway through the magic five year period where David will receive routine imaging to make sure his cancer has not returned.  In 2.5 years if he is still cancer free, he will be turned over to Dr. Peterson for survivor's clinic. 

 

On the way home, Dr. Belyea called me with the amazing news that David's labs and tests were all normal!!  Praise be to God!  I stopped off in Radford at the nursing home to tell my grandma for her birthday. 

 

To celebrate a clean scan we spent a good portion of the weekend cheering on the Hornets!  We love this group of boys and David is the self appointed third coach! 

 

After church this afternoon we went back to church for youth group.  Kyle's youth group is sponsoring 11 families for Santa's Elves.  Last weekend they shopped and this weekend was wrapping weekend.  I can honestly say that my son now knows how to wrap a present!  Our group has a family with four children so we had a lot of wrapping to do!  It was not as pretty as I would have liked for it to have been wrapped, but they worked hard:)

 

We ended this crazy and wonderful last few days back at church tonight for family Advent night.  We gathered at church for a potluck meal, then the children made Christmas cards while the adults worked together to make fruit baskets.  We then loaded up on the bus and went to the nursing home to sing, visit and hand out the fruit baskets.  It was a precious way to end a whirlwind of the last few days.  To watch my shy baby girl hand out cards and fruit baskets to the elderly touched my heart. 

 

I am overwhelmed by the love we received last week from out friends.  For lots of different reasons last week was hard.  I am so thankful for the awesome friends who helped us through a rough week and helped us with Hope and David.  We are blessed and so thankful to God for the wonderful news Friday.  He carries us when our burdens get to heavy to carry and I felt His presence last week.  He truly is Emmanuel-God is with us!