And the countdown begins...

So, Logan made it through his first chemo since school started, and there are some different things coming up than before. I think before, Cathy downplayed how hungry he was on the steroid weeks, or maybe I never noticed how often he wandered into the kitchen for a snack. I have been packing 4-6 snacks in his backpack, and he has been eating them all. He also is getting tired. He is grumpy, and even took a nap at school today.

His blood work looked pretty good, though his ANC is still high at 2040. This could mean a couple of things: his dose is still not high enough, or he is fighting off something like a cold. I am leaning more toward him fighting off a cold because his sister had a brief bout of coughing and runny nose. Otherwise, things look pretty good. They continue to monitor all of his blood work including liver function because of the kind of chemo he takes. He did very well during the appointment, and hammed it up for everyone as usual. Then even presented him with a cake and sang happy birthday to him. He was so surprised and the look of joy on his face was priceless. He was also thrilled that they gave him a Batman Lego set.

The most exciting thing about chemo, was that they gave us an end date! Wait for it...August 9, 2016 he will be done with treatment. The end is in sight! And it is actually a little sooner than I was thinking. I wasn't sure if it would be in August or September of next year, so I was pleasantly surprised. Now, the party planning begins.

I want to extend a big thank you to the anonymous donors who have donated to my Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night fundraising. I have already exceeded my initial goal thanks to you. I actually got goosebumps and almost started crying when I got the email right before work, so thanks for that too. Our daughter Alexis is also raising money, so if anyone is planning to donate, please go to her page linked here. If she raises $100, then she gets to have a lantern in the walk as well.  Here is a quick video she made about why she wants to raise money for LLS and Logan's team:

Happy Birthday Logan

Logan had a great birthday on Friday and party on Saturday. He had lots of family including great grandparents, both sets of grandparents, many old friends and some new friends from school. He was so excited about it all. I included a picture of his cake, which  shows some of our little Avenger's personality.

I was talking to Logan today about the upcoming week, and told him I would be picking him up from school early on Tuesday for chemo. Immediately I get the "awww" from him. Then the part that kills me: "I don't like it," "I hate it," and "I wish I had never had it." The past few months he has had some variation of this either toward chemo visits at the clinic, the chemo meds he takes every night, or just the cancer itself. I think he is pretty much over it (like we all are), but I just have to encourage him that there is only a year left of treatment. It will be over soon, but to a 5 year old boy, a year is just forever.

On that note, we are once again walking in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night walk. We are raising money which goes to research. If you are interested, here are the links to my fundraising page and Logan's team page. Events like these help LLS raise money for research and improve the survival rates of adults and kids just like Logan. Any help would greatly be appreciated. This is a great event that Logan has really enjoyed the past couple of years.

Start of school: Kindergarten edition

Logan had a great end to his summer. We continued going to the pool and staying active, and then he and Alexis spent some time in Oklahoma with family. They had a great time, and are both still talking about it.

While the kids were in Oklahoma, the school year started back for me, and I am so excited to see all the returning and new preschool students at all of the schools that I visit. Some old faces, some new faces, and even some sibling faces from previous students are going to make for a great year to come.

Logan started school last week, and it was a roller coaster! He was so excited about starting school, and is in love with his teacher. He is in the full day Kindergarten class, and even though we stayed busy over the summer, he was exhausted. Of course he got a headache the first day, but thankfully it was not a migraine. I think between the chaos of first day and his fatigue, it just hit him. He ended up sleeping for almost two hours in the Principal's office and then going back to class as happy as can be. I am so thankful for the teachers and staff at his school being understanding of his cancer diagnosis and just taking care of him.

There is a lot more stress sending Logan to school than there was sending his older sister. I worry about every potential germ, the fatigue, headaches, getting hit in his port, whether or not he can keep up, and really every little thing. Cancer does that to us. It takes away normality and replaces it with anxiety and constant worry. I know he is in good hands, and he is having the best time so far. So, I just take it one day at a time.

Thankfully I have Logan's birthday to look forward to/get ready for this week. His birthday is on Friday, and the party is on Saturday. I have already started preparations for his cake, so stay tuned for pictures.