Busy Spring Break

We have been staying busy this week and having fun. Monday we went shopping and running errands, including getting extra superhero outfits for Logan's Build a Bear that he was given Friday (another thing he did not want/like at first, but 5 minutes later he loved it). Tuesday we went to the movies, and Wednesday we went swimming. Lots of fun!

Today we went by the clinic just to keep it familiar to Logan. I want him to have less anxiety regarding going and getting the pokes so we are trying this and hoping it will work. We took treats and were able to just chat without anything negative. He goes for a finger poke Monday and then chemo on Tuesday and we start steroids that day too. Busy, Busy.

We were supposed to go by Cherokee Trail HS tomorrow and take some personal thank you cards, but we are rescheduling that. The leadership teacher suggested waiting because Harley and Kaela will not be there, and she thought Logan would want to see his buddies. I agree, so we will figure out a time to get him there. So, we are not sure what we will do tomorrow, but will try and make it fun for the kids. Maybe the pool again? They had such a great time and are already asking about going back.

Here is a picture of Logan with his Super Bear that they gave him on Friday. Super Bear can also change into Iron Bear and Darth Vader Bear. So many choices, it was pretty hard to narrow it down to those.

So much to tell...

...that I have been putting it off. But, we have had people asking how Friday went, so I will do my best to put all the awesomeness into one blog post: We arrived at the Cherokee Trail High School assembly on Friday afternoon in our "Team Logan" shirts, and were whisked away to an office so we would not get mobbed. And that is not much of an exaggeration. Logan is pretty much a huge celebrity at this school, and everyone was excited to get a glimpse of him and of course wanted to get a picture with him (more on that later). It was "Dress like a Superhero" day at the school and many kids really went all out. The leadership teacher, Tammy, introduced Logan to a new friend named Harley, though his nickname is Superman since he wears Superman stuff all the time. At first, Logan was a little scared of Harley because he looked a little crazy with a bunch of Superman things on, a cape, and a blue mohawk. But, after a couple of minutes, they were fast friends. We were briefed on how the assembly would run, and we met the Make a Wish representative, Lauren and a film crew who would be capturing it all to use in a national Kids for Wish Kids campaign. Then we had some down time to wait for the assembly to begin, and they gave Alexis a nice gift and the kids just played around with Nick, Kaela and Harley.

Once the  normal business of a high school assembly was over, they introduced Harley, Kaela and Nick (telling the story of how Nick had leukemia when he was Logan's age) and then it was our turn to be introduced. The gym was going crazy, and Logan was just looking around but then he started waving and eating up all the attention. They did a little more talking, and then it was Logan's turn to talk. First, Harley asked him who his favorite superhero was, to which Logan replied "Iron Man and Thor." Next, Kaela asked what his favorite color was, to which Logan replied "blue." Then, Nick asked him what he was most excited about seeing at Disney, to which Logan replied "seeing Iron Man, Thor, Hulk,...(and he listed all the superheros he could think of at the time)" Then they asked if there was anything else he wanted to say, and he said "Thank you for making my wish come true." He did a great job, and he even kept trying to take back the microphone! Then, we were moved over to a couch at the end of the gym, and they talked a little more about Logan and the Wish Week events at the school, including doing another "Miracle minute" where they collected even more donations. Then they started a parade of donors and clubs who donated over $100. Next, Lauren from Make a Wish spoke, and the school presented her with a big check. All in all, the high school raised over $15,000! Very impressive.

After the assembly, we met many of the students as other filed out of the gym. We met a couple of other cancer survivors that go to the school, and they are doing well which is great to see. Lots of kids wanted their picture with Logan, and he was a pretty good sport about it (though I am not sure he is smiling in all of them). We went to their Celebration of Wishes which was just a little after party for students who had organized the wish week and others who had helped out with certain donations. Again, students just kept coming up to us and asking for pictures with Logan. He did well, but did reach his limit so we decided to leave to give him a break before the next event in the evening. We grabbed a bite to eat, and took some much needed down time. Time for the final event of the day: Swish for a Wish. This was a students and teachers basketball tournament between 4 schools in the district that had Wish Weeks. All proceeds from attendance, food sales, etc went to Make a Wish. I have to say, our school was the best at really making it "Team Logan" and they had a huge turnout! Logan even got to stand on the court and "coach" for the second half of our team's game. This was good, because Logan kept wanting to go hang out with Nick and Harley who were playing for our team.

We even got to meet another Wish Kid at the game, Nate. He and his family were really nice, though he was a little shy about all the attention. We got to meet firefighters and they gave us a Colorado Firefighter calendar. Logan even got to pose with one of their helmets on, which he loved. We met Ms Colorado, and even got to meet Miles, the Broncos mascot and take pictures. It was a crazy, wonderful, overwhelming, amazing day/evening, and we could  not be more fortunate.

The big day is here

Today is the assembly day for Logan and our family. We are going to the high school today for their assembly and some other activities. The kids are really excited, and I think Logan is ready to speak to the crowd. We will post pictures when we can and give a recap, but I have a feeling we will all be pretty tired after tonight. We are so thankful that Logan (and the whole family) is well, and up to the big day.

We also wanted to send out a thank you to Joy in the Cause for sending the kids a care package including some really cute dressed up "Mavis Pearl" dogs (pictured below with the kids). Logan's is "Bat dog" and Alexis' is dressed up like the actual Mavis Pearl with a tutu and all. Not sure how they obtained our name and address, but I have a couple of guesses. So, thanks to all involved in that care package!

Busy week ahead

Boy, that weekend went by fast! But, we did stay busy including lots of playing outside and having fun on Sunday. One thing we did notice while on a long walk was that Logan gets tired easily. I think he easily fools us in the house or just out in the front or back yards. He may seem to be bouncing around with unlimited energy, but I think he takes frequent breaks. It just doesn't look like a break. So, we will definitely try and stay active this Spring and Summer to help him reclaim that energy as much as possible.

Looking ahead, we have a busy week. Not only do we have the normal activities, but we have the Wish Week assembly on Friday. This is the big assembly that we have been talking up to Logan at the high school raising money in his name for Make a Wish. Logan is going to have an opportunity to talk into the microphone to all the students at the assembly. He plans on saying "Thank you for making my wish come true!" There are also other activities that our family has been invited to such as a reception with the leadership class that has organized their Wish Week, and a student/teacher basketball tournament with other schools who are doing Wish Weeks for other kids. It all sounds pretty fun and exhausting, but we are looking forward to it. Here is a picture of Logan and Alexis with the leadership class and teacher at Cherokee Trail High School:

Reclaiming the giggle monster

Logan is doing very well right now. We are so pleased that he has been feeling well and not been sick lately. For the first time in about 10 months I actually feel like I have my son back. About 3 or 4 weeks leading up to his diagnosis was when he started being cranky and not like himself. Before that, he was the happiest kid and super giggly all the time. He found humor in every little thing and loved to be tickled. As any parent would say, your child's laugh is the best sound in the world. For so long he felt bad or had constant clinic appointments, and did not feel like laughing. It brings very happy tears to my eyes when I hear that laugh, and when I realize that he feels great. He feels and acts like any normal kid. Well, any normal kid that takes chemo every day and asks about finger pokes, Bob pokes, and chemo. I just want to thank everyone for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. We still have a long road ahead, but couldn't do it without our families and friends.

Hungry man

This has been a pretty smooth week since chemo. Logan is taking his medicines like a champ as usual, though he keeps telling us that he really does not like "that one," referring to the steroid. It is pretty bitter, but thankfully it is a small amount. The steroids have definitely kicked in though. He is pretty hungry all the time, and he has to go to the bathroom more often. He loves to snack and will put away a pretty good amount. Except when it comes to dinner. We are still having trouble getting him to eat dinner, and it does not phase him when we tell him that he cannot eat any more after we are done with dinner even if he has not eaten much. That is, until he asks for a snack or something about 1/2 hour later. Then he is all sad, and it breaks my heart. We tell him that he cannot eat after dinner time so that his medicine works. He accepts this explanation and seems to understand, but that does not stop him from trying. Thankfully, he is not one to try and sneak food. Though we try not to leave any snacks out so that he doesn't just grab it without asking or thinking. But, as he gets older I could see a bigger problem. But, by then he will probably understand it all more and eat a better dinner. Anyway, due to the steroids, he is craving junk food. Cheetos anyone? We have those. Nachos? Check. At least he is also wanting better things like yogurt, raisins and oranges. He has also not been super open to getting his picture taken, so I have become sneaky. In this picture, I told him I had just taken it, and then he looked at me and I snapped it quick.

Better and worse

Logan's labs came back with great numbers. His ANC is actually 2900! That is pretty amazing, and is in the normal range. Actual normal range. Not normal range for a kid with leukemia, truly non-sick person normal. That is exciting, though they will not let him stay that high for long. Apparently they like to keep him in a range of 900-1500 during treatment to remain "therapeutic," and ensure he is getting the best benefit of the medications. So, if it remains high, then they will start adjusting his medications. Speaking of medications, he is a trooper. He had a spoon full of medicine mixed with applesauce, his normal nightly chemo, and he started steroids last night.

Chemo went well, though we feel like it could have gone better. Good points: he did not throw up in his mask when they accessed his port (first time in awhile), chemo went super quick (he was accessed around 5 minutes total). Bad points: he cried the whole time they cleaned, accessed, and gave him medicine. Not sure why. He was just resistant. I noticed that he seems more anxious the less that we go into the clinic. We will just have to coach him, as this seems the best way for him. Leading up to any appointment or event, we just talk about what will happen and what he can/can't do. Mostly, we just talk about the choices he has and the behavior we want to see. Keeping it positive seems to help, and knowing what is going to happen helps him too. But really, we cannot complain. He has done so well for a child his age and going through all he has gone through.

Hopefully the week will go smoothly, and he will keep on track with everything. His sister, Alexis, has been sick this week, and we are really hoping he does not catch anything. Nothing major for her, just a bug, but it would hit him much harder.

We also wanted to extend a thank you to Aunt Margie for sending us a check to put towards Logan's Make a Wish trip. It is much appreciated.

First month of Maintenance down and other great news

I guess technically the first month is not over until tomorrow night, but we take all the little victories that we can get. Logan's runny nose is back and it brought a little cough with it, but he is going along as if nothing is wrong. Can't keep the big man down. As a matter of fact, he has made some huge strides in potty training this week. This is a big deal for Logan. We were getting close right before his diagnosis, and were planning on really working hard over the summer. Obviously, that took a back burner to our "new normal" once we learned of Logan's leukemia. Not only did many other things take priority, but all the medicines and treatments really impacted his ability, willingness, etc. Through the past eight months, he would get closer and then go through a rougher patch of treatment. It has been a constant two steps forward, one step back. But not lately. He has done well this past month with treatment, and with using the bathroom this past couple of weeks with fewer and fewer accidents. One of our strategies is to just have him run around wearing is underwear and a shirt while we are at home. It seems to be working and he loves it. We even caught him playing a familiar scene from Risky Business:

So, we go in tomorrow for labs and then Tuesday for chemo. It should be a busy week. Thankfully I spent some time this weekend cooking and preparing several freezer meals that can just be thrown into the crockpot in the mornings.