Interim Maintenance Day 1:

It is a bittersweet day. This morning Scarlett went for her twice weekly blood work. It is so difficult to hope that we can end this thing but hate to see her go. Her platelets were up to 80 (goal 70) and her ANC was up to 980 (goal 750). So less than four hours later she had to be at the hospital to begin this next cycle.

We were hoping to start on Monday but her counts didn’t quite cooperate. It was actually better that way. We all had a hard time leaving each other that morning. I cried the whole way to work and Tate cried when we told him that Scarlett was going to the hospital. He held on to Brock and wouldn’t let him go. It was nice to have a “do over”.

Today Tate still cried and told me at dinner that he wished that Scarlett could be there with us. He has become such a caring little boy. Scarlett on the other hand told Brock that she was ready to go. She was OK with it until she got there and realized that she wasn’t coming right back home. We skyped at 7:30 and she was still crying that she wanted to come home. I want you home too baby girl.

For the next eight weeks, Scarlett will spend 4-5 days in the hospital every other week. She gets a lumbar puncture and chemo tomorrow. She started receiving IV fluids tonight to protect her kidneys from the chemo. Her kidneys must be monitored closely as this chemo can cause kidney damage. She will remain on the IV fluids throughout her hospitalization and her discharge is dependent upon her kidney function.

Before Scarlett’s labs this morning, Brock and I had conferences with Tate’s teachers. They showed us some of Tate’s work which made me so proud! They were impressed with his cutting skills and we were impressed with his writing and drawing. He is doing very well with his classmates and even has two “best” friends. We worry about his temper but have been reassured that he does not have one at school (he must just save it for Evie). They told us that he is very inquisitive and absorbs everything he hears. He even asks questions that stump his teachers (“where did he learn about salt mines?” one teacher asked). They told us that we need to be sure that he remains challenged as he goes through school (which is the same thing my teachers said). We walked out of his classroom very proud of our little Tater! He has grown into such a caring, smart, friendly little boy. We are so proud!