During the first week of the round Lauren had all of her 4 month scans (vma/hva, ct scan, bone marrow biopsies & aspirates and PET scan) to make sure all is well. All results are in and everything is clear! She has now been "No evidence of disease" for 18 months. We are so happy! Now that the scans are over our anxiety level is down and we can breathe a little easier at least until the next ones are due in July.
The Ronald McDonald House was pretty quiet this time around. We did meet up with a couple of old friends but most of the faces this round were new. Unfortunately we also found out that two more of our friends have relapsed and yet another one has become an angel. It was great to make some new friends and share our story with new families but also sad thinking about those that we won't run into again.
As always everyone we met was amazed at Lauren's energy level and social skills. She was the hit of every event and seemed to effortlessly get her way with everyone. One night they had T-shirt painting in the playroom with some volunteers that we knew from previous visits. Lauren jumped right up on their laps and told me to go away. So I went to the other end of the table and chatted with some moms. A little while later Lauren came running up to me with a paint stamper and tried to paint my arm. When I told her not to she said "Aww mom, you're no fun. They let me." I turned around and saw 4 volunteers sitting there smiling with a multitude of colors and designs stamped all over their arms and cheeks. They said they just couldn't say no to her!
Another night we were in the big community diningroom eatnig dinner. Lauren taking bites in between running around with her friends. I notice a few tables over a teenager and her family (mostly spanish speaking) were having a little birthday party. Next thing I know Lauren is in the middle of the party singing Happy Birthday, helping blow out the candles and having a blast. She was entertaining them with the spanish vocabulary she learned watching Dora the Explorer! About that time a jazz trio had started playing and Lauren caught their eye. They asked her to come over and sing with them. She was a little shy at first but with a little prodding from her buddy Bruce she took the microphone and belted out Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Mary had a Little Lamb. She's such a little ham!
As much fun as she was having at the RMH this round, Lauren was glad when it was finally time to go home. She misses daddy & Timmy so much while we're away. She was a little tired over the weekend but was very excited to go back to school on Monday. She couldn't wait to see her teachers and friends. So now we're back into our routine of school and PT for at least the next six weeks. Other than a trip to the Valerie Center next Thursday, for a checkup and to draw blood to send for the HAMA test, (and not counting the next round) there are no other doctor visits scheduled until the end of May.
And yes - I finally changed the picture on the home page..... I know, I know....It's about time! :-)
As always, thanks for checking in on us and for all your thoughts and prayers. We really appreciate them!
