Day +117 (Special Saturdays ...)

First let me apologize for not updating the blog in over a week. We have simply spent much of our time adjusting to home life and getting reacquainted with Harper. Hunter seems better with each passing day. However, it is difficult for him to spend a majority of his time inside, needing to avoid crowds and sun exposure. Hunter's steroid taper continues. If everything goes well his last dose will be January 27th. Once Hunter is off steroids he should be able to discontinue his blood pressure medicine as well. The Tacrolimus taper (Hunter's other GVHD prevention medication) will begin the following day, lasting approximately four months.

The last two Saturdays have been quite special and I wanted to take a moment to share. On the 9th we decided to enjoy Christmas together as a family. We put Hunter and Harper down for a nap in their Christmas pajamas and Santa (Grandma) began feverishly stuffing stockings and arranging gifts. When the children woke up Grandma read The Night Before Christmas while Grandpa busily took pictures and videos to document the occasion. Afterwards, the children happily clamoured downstairs to the living room and began rifling through their stockings with a bit of parental supervision. We are quickly learning with brother and sister together there is a definite need to reinforce the concept of sharing. Hunter really thinks everything that is Hunter's is Hunter's and everything that is Harper's is Hunter's too. Harper is not beyond stalking Hunter for what she wants, unrelenting until she gets what she's after. If these two sharing remains our biggest hurdle I'll take it!

This past Saturday, the 16th, we surprised Hunter and took him on an overnight trip to Anaheim. Imagine his face when Ashley, her mom, dad and brother walked into our room! Hunter had absolutely NO idea, I mean NOT a clue, what to do or how to act when his best friends from Seattle returned to the hotel from their day at California Adventure theme park. Ashley and her family flew to Southern California with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to visit Disneyland, California Adventure and Universal Studios. Thankfully, we were able to reserve a room at their hotel, just a few doors down, and spend some quality time with them Saturday night and again Sunday morning. We've only known them for five months or so, but we've become quite close. We consider them family.

Please pray for and send positive vibes to Ashley. After three rounds of chemotherapy she is still fighting with everything she has against a very aggressive form of cancer.
www.caringbridge.org/visit/ashleykealohaaven