Day 24: “Nuggles” and “Nacks”

Thank goodness for the long weekend! Scarlett made it through her last appointment just fine. It was the first time she had to have a dressing change without sedation and I think that was the hardest part. We brought Evie along this time so that she could see where Scarlett goes. She did an amazing job! She was well behaved and adorable. She was very excited to play with all the new toys and eventually, she drew Scarlett into playing too.

Brock and I woke up Saturday morning and heard all three of the kids in the living room playing. We stayed in bed for an extra 10 minutes just listening to them talk and play. It was so sweet to hear all three of them talking with each other.

This weekend, Scarlett seemed extra tired. Our typical routine is to wake up every morning and snuggle for a little while before they all get something to eat. It seemed like we repeated this a hundred times. Scarlett would grab her blankie and ask to “nuggle”. She would lay on my lap for about 20 minutes and then want a “nack”. We have gone through more cheese in the past two weeks than I ever imagined. She wants cheese sticks, string cheese, shredded cheese, Mac n cheese. Then she wants a turkey sandwich or a buttered sandwich. Then she wants goldfish. Then she wants noodles. When she has eaten a couple bites of everything, she is worn out and needs a “nuggle” and the cycle begins again.

She has been having problems standing up this weekend. This is probably related to one of the side effects of her chemo. It causes tingling and weakness. I think that she is expressing this through her inability to go from sitting to standing. If she is playing on the floor she cries and says that she can’t stand up. This tingling is similar to when your foot falls asleep and will not go away until she is done with chemo – probably another six months.

We had to secretly buy her an extra blankie. She seems extra attached to it lately. It never leaves her side. She used to want to be covered up with it at night. It had to be pink striped side up with the stripes going lengthwise. Now she just has to have it bunched up in her arms, next to her face. She has also never been one to say “I love you”. Evie throws it out like candy – “I love you SO much!” But this past week Scarlett has made sure that she says “I love you mama” before I leave the room at night. It makes my heart melt to hear both of my girls yelling “I love you!” even after I close the door. And tonight Evie even repeated the phrase that my dad used to say to me every night “I love you sweet dreams tell me when you’re sleeping!” Ahh! My heart melts!

My favorite part of the day has been our afternoon snuggle on the rocking chair on the front porch. We watch Daddy, Tate and Evie play while we rock away. Sometimes she is so tired that she wiggles into my lap and snuggles like she did when she was a baby. And I soak in every moment. My heart skips a beat when I see her grab her blankie and come towards me. I know that I’m going to get a good hug and lots of Scarlett time. I will take an extra day of that any time!