Chemo Cocktail

What a close call.

   Kean's counts were pretty low today.

Dr. Chang had to do some number crunching-- her verdict?

He could go ahead and get Chemo

but we stayed at the same amount he got ten days ago

instead of bumping up to a higher amount.

Here's a few highlights from our day.

Pam Brown was today's date.

 She swiped this uber cool tractor from the playroom to take with us

for the day.

Here it is with Keanut during vitals.

 Kean's posse used it to keep him occupied while Kelly took his blood samples.

 And he had a grand time motoring around in the examination room...

 while we waited for Dr. Chang.

 However, during his anti nausea meds and two doses of Chemo...

his ol' standby, the movie, Cars won out - big time.

Thanks to Pam and Stacey Hofman for tag teaming it

and watching Kean so I could go to a disability meeting all afternoon.

And to Liz Iverson who took Reese for a play date after school and then brought back

a bonus-- dinner tonight. 

After an exhausting day, that was so kind.

Lather

Fuzzball is living up to his nickname - big time.

 His hair is coming in at warp speed.

Guess we shouldn't be too surprised.

He lost it fast and now it's coming in fast.

I actually get some lather when I wash his head now!

He's also started this new little bath time routine where he flips and flops

around in the water... laughing hysterically.

 See for yourself that male pattern un-baldness.

 We'll be having to break out a comb one of these days.



Playing Hookey From Life

Today Kean and I broke out of our routine and after his speech therapy,

we headed over to my parents' house.

My Grandmother (Grandma the Great), and three of my all time favorite women in the world--

my Aunts, Ilona, RoEen and Daleen were there.

Instead of doing the million and a half things at home that I should have been doing... we played

games all afternoon.

 Of course, Kean got plenty of lovin' from his great aunts

and then took a good, hard nap (how convenient for us, eh?).

This evening, after dinner I took the three girls to get their hair trimmed.

Trimmed, uh, that is, except for Greer.

 Holland's been trying to talk her into going bald for the big St. Baldrick's fundraiser on Saturday.

Greer vetoed that but wanted it chopped.

We hardly recognize her. And she loves it.

P.S.  We really don't feel loved at all.

Look at what our dear neighbor Johanna made for us...

home made cream puffs.

Mmmmmmm.

Big Little Man

We made the big "mistake" of letting Kean sit up to the big table

and out of the high chair the other day.

And now he all but refuses his ol' chair.

Today he got to hang with the big boys... Byron, his brother Craig and Tim who works with them

all came home for lunch.

Kean, I'm sure, thought he was pretty cool.

Just a reminder, the countdown is on.

In five short days...this Saturday is the big St. Baldrick's event.

Kean will stay with Grammy, while the rest of us head over to the

Knitting Factory in Boise to watch a couple of his doctors and one of his all-star,

all time favorite nurses, Steve shave their heads.

While Kean will tell you bald is beautiful... the others

are shaving their locks to raise money for children's Cancer research.

It is an amazing cause.

Our girls are donating 1/2 of the money they raised from growing,

picking and selling blackberries to the St. Baldrick's event.

It should be quite the party.

If you want to come cheer the shavees on or support Kean's nurse Steve... here's

his link:

http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/596008/2013



Sugar Overload

As I write this, Kean has been in bed for well over an hour and while everyone

else in the house is out cold... he's up there gabbing away.

Perhaps he's had a bit too much sugar.

We've had quite the night.

First Grandpa came over for the evening (Grammy has been out of town).



 When I was a kid, my dad always had tic tacs or jelly bellies in his pocket.

As you can see, times haven't changed a bit.

We had Holland's friend Megan over for the day and one of our favorite friends,

Shannon Angus over for dinner and dessert.

We celebrated both their birthdays tonight.

 And as if a pear tart and ice cream were not enough,

we all headed down to party with Grandpa Bodily

and have Cheesecake Factory treats and ice cream there.

Today is his birthday but you will have to ask him which one.

 Excuse me while I go drag my bloated body upstairs and try

and get Keanut to quiet down.

He's a wild man, I tell ya.

p.s.  I think we've settled on a name for the fundraiser concert:

Baldapalooza.

Whaddya think?

A Boy and His Hog

Byron took Kean for a much coveted motorcycle ride... again.

In fact, when I went to take pictures, Byron said you are not going

to blog about this again.



 Hey, it's either this or the fact that I got to run errands today

and stopped at Walmart.

I could blog about how much I detest going to Walmart

and to add insult to injury, I went on a Saturday.

Oh, the pain and misery.

But I won't.

Instead, I'll blog about Fuzzball finally getting out of the house.

And boy, was he all business!

Music, Sweet Music

Keanut had a harem surrounding him this morning.

 Greer had her good friend Eliza over for a rousing round of dress ups.

I worry, Kean is logging a little too much time in that tutu.

But as long as he's happy.

 Those crazy girls... they keep us laughing or laughing at them.

Kean had a great day until this afternoon.

He has amazed us with how happy and healthy he has been.

Let's hope tonight is just a little blip.

We had a meeting this morning to work on the charity concert to raise money

for the Pediatric Oncology floor at St. Luke's.

We are wrestling with a name for the event--

Dustin came up with Keanut's Gang and Kid's Rock Festival.

Byron suggested Nathan's Night or Nathan's Night Out.

I've been trying to come up with something using Bald-- like Bald Fest.

Please give us your suggestions. 

As for the music, we've got feelers out to some great names

that we think will have you wanting to hop a plane and come visit if you live out of town.

No matter who we end up with... my children (and Kean if he could talk) would

tell you they want an artist by the name of Mindy Gledhill.

Trust me, we are approaching her people.

If you dont' know her music, do yourself a favor and Google her.

(You can thank me later).

I play her music during Chemo, every trip to the E.R. and during hospital stays.

I swear every time I play her tunes, I have at least one nurse, doctor or tech

ask me how to spell her name because they have become "true converts".

Her voice is magical.

Case in point.

Take a look at these pictures.

Kean was crying the other afternoon, I played her music on my phone

and before you could say allah peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the boy

stopped crying...

 and started kissing the phone.

 I tell ya, if she was here, I'd probably give her kisses too.

She has calmed my little guy down more times than I can count.

Her words have carried us through some pretty ugly hours, days and nights.

p.s. Fuzzball's favorite song is Hourglass from the album Anchor.