"Jesus birthday is coming up, mommy"

or "Jesus' birthday today, mommy" are two very common phrases spoken by our 3 year old right now. Kateli is SO excited for the birth of Jesus. Her face lights up as she speaks these words, and even sings happy birthday Jesus at the top of her lungs. What a blessing. How it makes my heart smile to see and to hear her. She is amazing. She shines just like the North Star guiding the magi to the manger where Jesus was born. She is fixated on Jesus' birthday, and has had no curiousity whatsoever to open any of the gifts under the tree. Instead, she says that we are giving Jesus a bike for his birthday!! Okay, let me back up a few days...a week or so ago, we all piled in the van to go to Academy to look at the 10" bikes on the floor. While we were there, Kateli got so excited and said "I want this one mommy" when she saw a cute pink princess bike. Well, in order to get her mind off of it and to redirect her just a bit, I said "not today, but for Jesus' birthday, maybe"...now, to you and I this is a simple statement meaning, "maybe for Christmas"...BUT not to Kateli, after that she said that "Jesus was getting a bike for his birthday" and it has stuck that way. So, this year Jesus is getting a 10" bike with training wheels from us!! :)

Our talks lately have been about Christmas and centered around around baby Jesus, and baby Jesus mommy and daddy. Which by the way, if you ask Kateli who baby Jesus' mommy and daddy are, she tells you "Mary and Jofes" She walks around the house with her pink blankie draped over her head saying, "look mommy, like Mary" I love Christmas, and this year I love it just a bit more, because I see how much Kateli is enjoying the season.

Joshua on the other hand, is yet too small to understand any of it. But he too, has not been real curious about any of the gifts under the tree--except for once or twice when I've had to pick him up off a gift, because he thought it would be fun to walk on top of the box. He's left the Christmas ornaments on the tree, for the most part. Every once in a while, I'll find him next to the tree with the intent of pulling off one of the ornaments. He's been successful in removing them from the tree a couple of times, but I get them out of his hands immediately. Only once has he succeeded in taking an ornament without me noticing until I hear it shatter in the next room--at which time, I panic, drop what I'm doing and run over to get him out of the way before he cuts himself with a chard. I'm sure that as he gets a little older, we'll see him enjoy Christmas as much as his sister.

Strike at First Try

She got a strike on her VERY first bowl tonight!! What a winner!! Back up, back up...

So, we had planned a bowling outing for Kateli's birthday celebration, but because we had just gotten out of the hospital 2 days before, we opted to postpone it. So, tonight we resumed as planned and headed out to dinner with friends, before hitting the bowling alley. Kateli was excited and kept saying to me that she wanted to go play "boliche" after she was done with dinner. I'm not sure that she knew what we were talking about, but she was excited because it involved playing, and well...because it's just a fun spanish word to say!!

After dinner we packed in the car and headed over to the alley...She didn't seem too overly excited at all through the evening, but we think she did have fun! Would you believe that she rolled a STRIKE on her first try!!! It was amazing!! We all got super excited with it, but the funniest part of it all was her expression when she turned and looked at us jumping up and down and screaming out "go Katherine"...she must have thought we were out of our minds. We called it a night after one game--the kids were tired, and well we had to quit while we were ahead. We had a lot of fun out tonight, and Kateli did enjoy celebrating her birthday again!! Joshua was fun to watch at the bowling alley, he kept saying "ball" and walking over to the bowling balls on our lane, and at least once I had to chase him down as he was wandering off towards the back looking for his "ball"...

I got a couple of pics, which I'll owe you but I wanted to share.

Celebrating birthday #3 at home!!

Yeah!!! We came home from the hospital on Friday afternoon and have enjoyed every moment of being out of the hospital. We were able to enjoy our company; Kateli was sad this morning to see everyone leave! :(

So, today we celebrated our princess' 3rd birthday, and AT HOME!! On Thursday morning I was still a bit apprehensive that we would be in the hospital for her birthday, but the Lord blessed us with being at home. WOW!!! Three years old, and let me tell you without missing a bit--she's got the brains, the agility, the compassion and yes, the attitude of a 3 year old--which I've quickly realized is not any easier than a 2 year old...so, but we love her to pieces, and wouldn't have it any other way. I'm going to make this one short for tonight, as we're a bit exhausted, but I will write more later. I'll leave you with some pics from her special day!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a really good Thanksgiving Day, yesterday. Katherine's smile returned as she got to spend the day with her cousins here in the hospital. She was so excited that her cousins were coming to see her. She got to spend a couple of hours off of her IV- so she rode around in the wagon with her brother and cousins.

Some volunteers put together a catered Thanksgiving lunch for all of the families that were here in the hospital on turkey day. It was a great blessing to cared for by families who chose to be here serving on their day of Thanksgiving...

By the end of the day Katherine was a little bit worn out from all of the fun and excitement- so she called it an early evening.

We're not sure when we'll be heading home- waiting for fevers to subside and for her counts to come back up to normal levels. I think it should be pretty soon, since her brother has been fever free for a day now- and they both seemed to have caught this bug around the same time.

Thanks for the prayers and support. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Thanksgiving in the hospital, you say??

well, maybe. Not for sure yet, if we will be there all of tomorrow but for today we are in the hospital with Kateli. She was admitted this morning, after finding out that her numbers had dropped to near 500 and her liver enzymes came back too high. So, the doctor made a call, and while it is by no means the way that we wanted to spend thanksgiving this year, we'll take it as it comes. After all, what's important here is that she gets better and back on her little feet. Not that she's been down, oh no, she's been up and around like a champ. But almost 3 days ago both kids started running fevers--out of the blue Joshua turned up with a 100.6 and then about an hour later I came to find out Kateli was at 102.4!! YIKES!! She was NOT at all acting sickly so I didn't realize she was hot until I picked her up and felt her tummy under her shirt. So, promptly I called daddy to come home because it was most likely going to mean a visit to CHUC (Children's Hospital Urgent Care) at the least, and I was going to need help with the two kiddos. Then I called the clinic and talked to the doctor on call, who instructed us to to to CHUC, where Kateli would have labs drawn to see if she was neutropenic or not, as well as be administered the infamous Rosefan (I don't know if I'm spelling that right, but that's how it sounds to me :) ) Anyway, it's the "catch all" antibiotic used in general to tackle any bacterial infection if that is what she were fighting. And of course they did blood cultures. About 1 hr 30 mins later, we were told we could go home, Kateli's counts were actually in the 1900's, so we were relieved. But through the night and the next day and night she ran more fevers, getting as high as 104.3 at least twice. We were instructed to just administer Motrin and Children's Tylenol every 4 hours and come in on Wednesday at our scheduled appt time. So we did just that...we were in clinic this morning at 8 am. Kateli was still running fevers into this morning, and I actually had to give both her and Joshua a dose of Tylenol before boarding the van. So, the procedure that was scheduled for today has been postponed, and she was just given another round of the same Rosefan. More blood was drawn for labs, and her numbers came back...well, I already told you that part.

So, anyway we are in the hospital and need your prayers. I know you are in constant prayer for our family and I truly appreciate that, so if you could add the following specifics it would be great

• Please pray that Kateli would settle down and be okay with being at the hospital. SHe's having a real hard time and has been upset all afternoon saying that she wants the needle out and that she wants to come home. Breaks my heart to see/hear that...So, pray that she would be content.
• Pray that the fevers would finally break and that she can come home soon.
• Pray for Joshua, that his fevers would also break and that he would have some relief soon.
• Pray for Dan and I that we would be strong physically and emotionally through this, as it's a bit taxing for the both of us.
• Pray for safe travels for Dan's brother's family as they drive to Tulsa today to celebrate thanksgiving with us.
• Pray that we would have a blessed time together with family, be it here at home or in the hospital.
• Pray that we can be a witness to those around us, and that our light would shine even in the darkest of times.

officially a 'MARATHONER'

is that even a word?? well, it will work for now. Yes, we are officially marathon runners!! We managed to get ourselves across that finish line on Sunday afternoon; just a little over 5 hours after the gun went off in the morning. It's still surreal to me that we ran 26.2 miles last weekend!! I never would have imagined that I could complete such a distance, but that goes to show you that "anything" is possible, if we just put our minds to it--as well as ask our friends and family to pray for us before, during and post the event. It was quite the experience. It was fun, exhilirating, intimidating, challenging and a bit disappointing all at the same time.

FUN: We had tons of fun. We had fun seeing my family on Friday, and it was very freeing to be able to leave the kids with my parents overnight while we went on to San Antonio. The kids had fun staying with my parents, so much so, that when I called to say "night night" to Katherine that night, she barely said a few words before she told me "kateli not here no more" We had fun meeting up with our friends in San Antonio, and hanging out with them as we picked up our race packets, walked around downtown, and ate dinner at the TNT pasta party. The TNT pasta was very inspiring, although the personal story that was shared was a bit too sad for me; a definite tear jerker! But there were over 700 people gathered together, celebrating their successes in raising funds for the LLS. It was overwhelming to see so many people together in one place, all with the same drive behind their efforts in training and raising money.

EXHILIRATING: I think I finally started getting nervous about the run on Sat afternoon as we drove into San Antonio. Something about being there made the whole thing more real to me than it had been before. I was actually able to get some sleep on Sat night, I don't remember tossing and turning at all. I don't remember being so anxious about the next morning, that I couldn't fall asleep. In fact, I think I actually slept more comfortably that night than I did the night before our 20 mile training run just a few weeks before. So that was GREAT!! Sunday morning was amazing. The weather was perfect, it started out in the high 30's I believe, and was supposed to warm up through the morning rather quickly. It was comforting to me to think back to our 20 mile run. We had done that training run in similar conditions; it was 39 degrees out and remained quite cool still by the time that we were done. So, I was not intimidated by the cold temperature. In fact, I looked forward to it, as I remember feeling great during our 20 mile run. We arrived at the ATT center rather early; we wanted to make sure that we were at the start on time. It was a good thing we did that too, as the girls and I had to wait in line at the Jack in the box for about 30 mins waiting to go to the potty before the run!! Not something that I share with everyone, but port-a-potties have always been my nightmare. I was determined to circumvent a visit to these things as best I could. So, I got my "pre-race" pee break out of my system, and after that it was just a blur to get the race started. We barely made it into corral 8 before being released with the mass of runners.

INTIMIDATING...to say the least. There were so many people waiting to cross the starting line--it was crazy. 30,000 people were signed up to run in the marathon, but I found out later that only 25,000 runners ran the race. Surprisingly enough, starting in waves helped tremendously. I don't know how I would have done had we ALL gone out at the same time, I can't imagine running shoulder to shoulder for miles and miles before finally getting some distance between us and the people in front, behind and beside us. So, roughly 12 mins after the gun went off, Dan and I crossed the start line and our chip time began ticking.

CHALLENGING: Our first few miles were our--well, I should say my, because Dan was pacing off of me the entire way, and I'm sure that alone, he could have run a much faster race--strongest. We may have started out just a FEW seconds too fast, which I thought may not have been a huge deal, as I figured I would settle into a rhythm and push through, as we had done for our 20mile training run!! However, somewhere between mile 11 and 13 my stomach started to turn and I felt like I was running with a huge weight on my shoulders. Some of you may want to skip to the next section now, if you don't want to hear about potty problems!! Anyway, I think the Cytomax sports drink got to me. We didn't train with Cytomax. We trained with powerade, gatorade and maybe G2 water. I couldn't push through it anymore and I had to give in to a potty break, in the...you got it...in the port-a-potty. My nightmare came true, on my first marathon run!! But you know what?? It was fine. It was not as bad as I had envisioned it. I'm not saying that it's okay now, I'll still avoid them as best I can, but I'm not afraid anymore. I felt so much better after our little break, and actually picked up the pace for the next mile and a half. And then it wore off, and I started slacking, and hurting but pushed through it. Along the race, I also began feeling a pain on the left side of my neck and into my collarbone so I had to take it easy. But I was determined NOT to walk any miles--and we didn't. We didn't walk any complete miles at a time, but we did have to resort to running/walking for the last few miles. My husband was awesome! He was supportive, encouraging and he took it easy with me, even though it meant a slower time for him. He held my hand when we'd walk and he'd tell me "you're doing great, you're pushing through this..." through it all.

a tad DISSAPOINTING: I know...I know...you are probably wondering "why?" I should be happy and proud to have finished our first marathon. In all honesty, I am...but I was also just a tad bit disappointed with our finishing time. We were shooting to finish in 4hrs 30mins and we missed that goal, because of me. I don't know what happened!!! I was so frustrated that I got sick to my stomach, had to stop for the potty, had to walk/run in the end, and slowed down our pace so much!! We ended up with a pace of almost 11 min/miles!!! Why is that disappointing?? Because we had run our 20 mile training run at a 9.5 min/mile!! So, I knew that I could run much faster, and I felt like I had let myself down. Maybe I hadn't pushed enough, maybe I gave in to the pain that I had learned to push through during training...Anyway, I felt and thought all those things after the marathon and the next day, but no more. Now, I'm just happy to have finished!! I'm happy and thankful for a strong body to get me across that finish line.

So, that was my experience at the marathon. We are happy to be home, safe and recovered and enjoying each day with our kiddos. This post is well overdue--as tomorrow marks one week since the eventfrom the event--but I needed a few days to gather my thoughts and share best with you who have prayed for us through the training and on the day of the run. Thank you for your support. You helped me reach and surpass my fundraising goal--we raised over $4,600 for the LLS and I still have a couple of checks that I need to send in. You helped get us across the finish line with your prayers, and your thoughts. So thank you!! I'm very grateful to each one of you. I will try to get pictures posted as soon as I get some from my sister. For now, you can check out our friend's website to read about their experience and to see some pics of the group!!

So now, a week later, I can tell you that we were VERY happy to NOT have to get up at 5:30am for a 6:00 am run in 22 deg weather this morning. Instead we got to sleep in and be warm, and celebrate Dan's birthday on this beautiful morning--that's the next post on our marshy corner :) I'll try to post

Ready or not

We're going to Rock N Roll in San Antonio for 26.2 miles tomorrow. We've arrived, and are excited about the event ahead of us. On the drive, Dan asked if I was nervous, and quite honestly I was not. As soon as we got to San Antonio, though, I turned to him and said "okay, now I'm getting a bit nervous, we're actually here!" So...my nerves are getting a bit of an exercise, but hopefully I'll be able to get a good night's rest. We made it here about 3 in the afternoon, met our friends at the hotel, and made it to the expo to pick up our race packet and number. By the way, we also changed our corral number. We decided we'd be better off starting earlier than later, so we will be starting in Corral #7 rather than #16. We figured that if corrals were released every 1:30 to 2 mins, we wouldn't actually start until about 8 in corral #16...that's just too much time to just stand around and get cold. SO, while we probably won't be finishing in the 3hrs 59mins, we are starting in that group. Please pray that we will have the discipline to pace ourselves reasonably and not let the "herd" (after all we ARE in corrals :) ) dictate our initial pace. We certainly don't want to burn out early into the race (at all, for that matter). We also went to the TNT pasta dinner to carb load for tomorrow. We listened to several speakers, one of which was a personal account of battling blood cancer that had a sad ending. SO, we were reminded, once again, why we are running this race. We are running for all those battling blood cancers; that research will provide a cure and a hope for a happy future. We are running this for our daughter, Katherine. May the Lord continue to bless her and our family with the strength and endurance to continue this fight with Leukemia, day in and day out. Okay, it's late and we better hit the sack so we can be up and out of the hotel by 5:30 in the morning.

Again, you can track us online. Here is the info that you will need.

The website: http://www.rnrsa.com/
Our runner numbers: Dan #16066 Marleny #16149

Run with us!!

Well, okay not literally, but you can follow us online. They will be posting live results throughout the race, so you can check it out on the website (you'll have to search on their website :) ). So you can look us up and see where we are on the course. You will need the website, and our running numbers.

The website: www.rnrsa.com
Our runner numbers: Dan #16066 Marleny #16149

We are getting ready to walk out the door and get in the car for our last 3 hr drive to our final destination, San Antonio. We arrived at my sister's safe last night and enjoyed time with the family. We actually got to eat cake as we celebrated my brother's 28th birthday last night. Turns our we are going and both kids are staying with abuela y abuelo tonight. Tomorrow morning my sister and brother in law will come up to the race and bring Kateli with them. So, they will be at the finish line and hopefuly we'll see them somewhere along the course as well.

Please continue to pray for us. Especially for the kids; that they will be okay and sleep well while mommy and daddy are away. We're hoping to get a good night's rest tonight before the race!!

Thanks for your continued support and prayers.

a photogapher is born....

Before I sign off for tonight, I wanted to share a cute story. As you probably already know I am doing photography now, and I learned tonight how serious of an apprentice I have on my hands. Kateli does NOT enjoy being in front of the camera, but she sure shows a passion and enthusiasm for being behind the lens. She's gotten a hold of our old point and shoot camera, and it's obvious that she pays close attention when I'm on a shoot, or when I take pictures of them (Joshua and Kateli). A few times, I've heard her say "mommy, I take a picture" and she pretends to do so, but tonight was a bit more involved. Before our run this evening, as I was trying to get them dressed and ready, Kateli grabbed the camera and said "mommy, I take a picture of you?" So, I said "okay" and made a silly pose and said "cheese"...she quickly let me know that it was not up to her standards, so she said "not like that mommy, like this..." and she got down on the floor on her side, leaning her chin onto her left right hand--I just smiled and followed instruction. Promptly after that she obviously needed another piece of equipment (this is when I change my lens, or get the flash or something like that) and she said "wait a minute..." a second later she came back and said "thank you for waiting"--another smile for me. But I'm not done...keep reading, this is too funny and too cute. So, soon after (before she could "snap" another picture) Joshua happened to walk by, and she said "I take a picture of you and Joshua" and she called Joshua over and instructed him "you sit here" pointing exactly to where she wanted him in the frame. Wouldn't you know it? Joshua followed instruction to the tee and not just sat down for a second, he stayed there for a few minutes. Kateli's response to his compliance?? she backed up from her subjects and quickly said "purfect!" Another smile on my face. But this wasn't it...nope, then she called out "daddy, come" and instructed Dan on where to sit, and how close. Then she snapped the picture, looked at her camera and said "I LOVE it!" I could hardly contain myself anymore and laughed out loud...my goodness, what better photographer could you ask for?? She is friendly, courteous, gives easy to follow instructions, uses words of encouragement and is SUPER cute!! I didn't think she enjoyed photography quite that much--but she had me fooled!! :) She pays close attention, and remembers everything!! I hope you got a kick out of that!! If you didn't, then I guess it's like they say "had to be there!" Have a great night.

Celebrating...

and ecstatic that we've completed our last training run for Sunday's marathon!! Wow!! It felt awesome to finish strong, at merely 2 1/2 miles!! Yes, I say merely because it's been a LONG while since we've run that short of a distance. The kids were great, which made the run that much more pleasant. They have been such troopers during our training. I don't know exactly how many miles we've logged with them in the stroller, but I'm sure it's been well over 100 miles!! I don't have exact statistics in front of me right now, but I'll post that after we calcuate--after all it's all on the computer. I do know that we've run EVERY long Saturday run with them except our 20 miler, and Dan has run with them most every time that he's been out running. So, kudos to them!! I actually think that Katherine will miss the running once we taper down and don't do it as often. She really enjoys(ed) our Saturday runs and was up bright and early enthusiastically letting us know that "Kateli run mommy and daddy, and Joshua" So, we are done training, and we're as ready as we are ever going to be to Rock n Roll at the marathon on Sunday!! Wish us luck. Check back soon and I'll let you know how you can "run with us" on Sunday. More info to come.

We're ALMOST there!

Hard to believe that this morning was our last weekend training run before the big day. It's been quite the journey, training for this marathon, and incredible to believe that next Sunday is THE day. The thought of participating in a marathon was one that had merely crossed my mind, without much contemplation a few years ago--when my dear sister trained and completed hers (she did the Hawaii marathon with the Arthritis Foundation). Anyway, while I admired her dedication and determination to complete such a feat, I honestly thought she, and the rest of the runners were out of their mind. I was a runner in school, on the long distance team at that, but 26.2miles?? that was more distance than I could wrap my mind around. I was that person that just watches, and while admiring the runners' accomplishment, I would say "Oh, I would never do that..." Yes, that was me, still on Feb 13th this year. And then the life wrenching twist in our lives--finding out about Katherine's illness. It was like we were picked up and thrust into a whirlwind--still kinda feels that way somedays, but we've adjusted to this fight. Feb 14th still seems unreal--I think back and still can't figure out how we managed to get through it. The emotional turmoil we were thrust into is like nothing else I had ever experienced. With the news came the fears. Cancer? Cancer, in my mind, was terminal--I knew nothing else. Horrible thoughts filled my mind, unthinkable feelings filled my heart and as the days went by I seemed to numb up to what was going on in our family. And then, that first dose of chemo that I saw Katherine receive in the hospital brought me to my knees all over again. I cried, and I cried, and I hurt again. It was so real, this was really happening. The nurse came in wearing a special gown and special gloves to protect her hands from this drug that she so calmly injected into our baby girl. And I knew that was only the beginning. We had a long road ahead of us. Katherine would have to endure over 2 years of this treatment, and our attitude had to change. We had to come to grips with this and we had to be strong for each other, but most importantly for Katherine. We prayed for strength. We prayed for endurance. We prayed for wisdom. We prayed for understanding, and peace. We prayed and prayed and prayed. And we continue to pray ceaselessly, because we can't do this alone. To you, our regular blog readers, THANK YOU for YOUR prayers. Thank you for your continued support through this. For caring enough to come back time after time to read our blog, to stay up to date with Katherine's progress and to find out any specific prayer requests that we may have.

So, in the midst of our own education about Katherine's illness, I kept coming back to the LLS and the fundraising opportunities. I found myself pondering the thought of training for a marathon. Suddenly, 26.2 miles didn't seem impossible. In fact, it seemed insignificant compared to the journey ahead. Dan and I both committed to doing this. I signed up with the LLS to raise the funds for the foundation and we've been training for the last 16 weeks or so. We've certainly logged in the miles, each one of us has a couple hundred miles under our belts--or is that shoes? :) and while it's been fun training, we are both anxiously waiting to finally cross that finish line. Neither one of us could have done this and be where we are at without you. So, THANK YOU!! Thank you for your prayerful support and for your financial support towards my fundraiser.

So, next Sunday we will be two people in the middle of a mass of runners--specifically 30K runners. Yep, you read right. The race was closed at 30,000 people. It will begin at 7:25 with wheelchair participants taking off. Five minutes later, at 7:30 they will begin the wave start for the runners. There will be 30 "corral" groups, with 1000 participants each that will be released every 15 seconds or so. Our corral grouping was determined by the estimated elapse running time we put on our form. We estimated about 4:30 hours, which happens to be average time for this event, so we're in Corral 16, smack in the middle of the sea of people. There will be 14,000 people in front and 14,000 people behind our group. I don't think I've ever been in the middle of such a large group, so I'm a bit nervous about it.

• Please pray for us, as we are getting nervous and anxious.
• Please pray that we all stay healthy, through this next week especially.
• Please pray for our travels. We will be driving to my parents, and then on to San Antonio.
• Please pray for the kids. The plan is to leave Joshua with my parents overnight, and take Kateli with us. We couldn't NOT have kateli at the finish line so she will be hanging out with Tia Marta during the event and hopefully be at the finish to greet us.
• Please pray for our bodies to stay strong, and in one piece before, during and after the event.
• Please pray for quick recoveries from the run.

Back on track...

We got GREAT news at Kateli's appointment this morning. Her numbers have come back up...and with a vengeance!! :) She was at 2100 this morning, which is awesome!! Of course, she can't stay that high for a month, but it was great to hear that her bone marrow is functioning beautifully. So, what does this mean?? well, it means that after a week break from any chemo, our little girl is back on track with her treatment. She takes her nightly dose of chemo, her weekly dose, and she will be back on the steroid for another round of 5 days next week.

On another note, I learned that Joshua has a sinus infection and has now been prescribed an anitbiotic. He's been fighting a runny nose for the past 3 weeks, so I took him in this morning only to find out that he needed antibiotics. Please pray that he recovers from this quickly, and that Kateli continues healthy in the midst of our sickness (well, Joshua and mine--I'm getting over mine)

Thank you all for your continued prayers for our little girl...

and the counts are...

LOW!! Yes, Kateli is neutropenic right now. Her ANC is at a mere 300, which means--well, you all know what that means. The good news--if we can look at this in a positive way--is that she's more than likely low because her body is already at work fighting off whatever germ is going around in our household. Joshua and I have both been suffering something the last few days, and of course, as careful as we try to be with hand washing and keeping the kids separate from each other, it is inevitable that she's been exposed. So, both mine and the nurse's feeling today is that Kateli is already fighting off something, so chances are she may not get sick (or any worse than the runny nose type deal) Nevertheless, we need your prayers for her to stay healthy and out of the hospital. Our nurse reminded me this morning that if Kateli's counts continue low and she spikes a 101.5deg temp that we will have to be admitted. What a reality check, huh?? She's acting fine, and has enough energy for both she and Joshua, yet she's low on counts.

Thanks for keeping up with our page, and her progress.

No news is good news...

So, it seems this is true; thus the reason why it's been over 2 weeks and we have not updated the blog. Kateli is doing wonderfully. Our appointments have been moved to every two weeks now, rather than weekly. This is a good thing. It's a good break to go a whole two weeks without making a trip into the clinic. Her numbers have been right where they need to be, too, which is answered prayer. Oh, I don't know that I've mentioned this but we learned about 2 weeks ago that Kateli's counts are supposed to stay above 500 BUT below 1500!! I know, it's a tall order in terms of prayer, I mean we have to specifically ask for a range in which her ANC needs to remain. So, if she falls below 500, she's said to be neutropenic and very susceptible to infections. However, if she stays above 1500 for a whole month, then it tells the doctor that her body can tolerate higher doses of chemo, which they would not hesitate in filling. Apparently, if her body can tolerate more chemo, then it's a good thing so that more "meds" are fighting the leukemia. But, we don't necessarily want her to have to take more than she already is, so we just continue to pray that her numbers stay within the stated range. By the way, we have an appointment tomorrow morning to check her blood count. Please pray that 'her numbers are right where they need to be.
I'm going to leave you with a recent picture of my beautiful little girl. I shot this one of her as she and daddy and brother rushed out to go for a run. I got a little bit of down time tonight to try and just rest and recover from my cold. Enjoy!

Then, now & in-between

So, I've been cleaning up my picture files and came across some really cute shots of Kateli before she was diagnosed. It's been nearly 7 1/2 months since the diagnosis and we've come a long way. She's grown so much, both physically, emotionally and in strength and persevarance.

Here is our little girl about 7 1/2 months ago...

Here she is now...

and this was in between.... A lot has changed...but you know what remains constant?? Her beauty, inside and out, and her happy heart no matter what!!!

Maintenance

Katherine's counts were still a bit low on Wednesday, but high enough for us to proceed with treatment. So, we have made it to the MAINTENANCE phase of treatment! It has gone by very quickly up to this point-it is hard to believe it has already been 7 Months since diagnosis. Praise God for his abundant provision of strength, healing, and peace.

We will continue the same course of treatment from now until April 30th, 2010.
Treatment consists of:

• Oral Chemo # 1- Daily
• Oral Chemo #2 -Weekly
• Oral Steroid- 5 days per month
• IV Chemo- Every 4 weeks
• Spinal Tap Chemo- Every 12 weeks
  

Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement and support. We are blessed by you all.

This week the kids are a bit under the weather with colds and mild temperatures. Please continue to pray for our health during this time of changing seasons.
-Dan.

Update

Thank you for your prayers. Just a little update to tell you that I'm feeling much better. I went to see the doctor yesterday and was prescribed the 7 day pack of steroids, so I think these are working. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that it all goes away!

Kateli and I went to clinic this morning. She had an appointment to check counts today. We found out that her platelets and hemoglobin are back up in the normal ranges, and that her ANC is coming back up. She is still a little neutropenic but 350 sounds a heck of a lot better than 0, which is where she was at a week ago!

Again, thank you for your continued prayers.

Keep praying...

Please don't stop praying for my allergic reaction to subside. I thought I was doing much better yesterday, as I had no need to take any benadryl or any other type of medication after the steroids shot. I thought I was on the mend. Last night, after dinner and putting the kids down for bed, I jumped in an aveeno bath, I thought to relax me and get me right to bed. I think my skin has had enough baths, I'm super dry!! Anyway, went to bed no problem. About 45 mins ago (It's now 5:20am), after tossing and turning in bed for the hour before that, I finally got up and ran to the pharmacy again to get some more benadryl!! I felt like I was on fire!! My body felt like it was giving off more heat that I could stand and my torso and calves itched like crazy!! I think I need to call my PCP doctor today and see what I can do for this. In the meantime, please keep praying that this would subside, it's not comfortable and it's not pretty at all!!

thanks

We're home, and I need prayer

Well, we made it home from the hospital on Friday afternoon. Kateli was released, and we came home without the antibiotics we thought we'd come home with. The doctor said that everything indicated that her ANC was coming back up and there was no need to do medications at home. The next two weeks are rest time for Kateli from the chemo, and then on the 27th she starts Maintenance (given that her numbers are high enough) Since we've been home, Kateli seems to be doing well. She acts fine and has lots of energy so that's a plus. Thank you all for your prayers for her recovery and her coming home. On another note, I'm going to ask prayer for myself. I must have eaten something on friday night that my body didn't like and is making it CLEAR!! I woke up Saturday morning with hives all over my torso, my legs and my neck. It's horribly painful and itchy. I've been taking Benadryl every 4 to 6 hours and am getting some relief from the itch, but it won't go away!! I'm also bathing in aveeno oatmeal baths twice a day to see if that helps. The first and only other time that I've had this type of reaction was shortly after finding out we were pregnant with Kateli, and since I was pregnant I couldn't take ANYTHING for it. This time it's different, I know that I'm not pregnant so I'm taking medicine to make it stop, but it won't subside. Please pray for me, that this would go away FAST as I cannot stand to be touched right now...so I can't hold the kids too much and I spend a lot of time in bed due to the benadryl knocking me out. Dan has been great, he's taken on watching the kids and taking care of me without complaining....what a great hubby! I'd post a pic of my torso, but it's just not appealing at all, it's HORRID! This afternoon I gave in and took a trip to the Urgent Care clinic where I was given a steroids shot that will supposedly help with this condition. Please pray that it works!!!!

In the meantime, I leave you with a couple of pics of the kids this weekend.

Not sure when we'll be home

If you read a typo or two it is because I'm typing one-handed. Kateli is resting & won't let go of my other hand. She seems to be feeling really well, but is getting a bit restless here at resort St. Francis. We've exhausted the list of foods she will eat from the menu, and are getting a little bored with looking out the window at cars. It's much more exciting overlooking the helicopter pad, but that's on the other side.

Kateli's ANC count is at ZERO, so she is extremely susceptible to everything. The Dr.s are obviously reluctant to let us leave with her in this condition. The good news is that she hasn't had any fevers since the morning we arrived, and nothing has shown up in any of the cultures. The platelets and transfusion went well on Tuesday- she seems to have a lot of energy and strength overall.

If Kateli continues to feel well, they may send us home with IV antibiotics and let us care for her at the house. It may be a little bit more work for us, but it would let us all be in the same place and away from the sick folks at the hospital (overall much better).

Go U.S.A (we've had lots of time to watch the olympic games- no complaints there)

Thanks for your prayers and support.

D, M, K & J

Back at St. Francis

We were a bit distracted with all the fun celebrating Joshua's birthday this morning. However, although our little princess got up acting like she felt great, we realized she felt quite warm and to the touch. Checked her temperature and found out she was running nearly 102 temp!! Immediately we got on the phone, and well...to sum it up we spent the rest of the day in the hospital. Kateli had low counts, low hemoglobin and low platelets counts. She had to have a blood transfusion, platelets transfusion, an antibiotic administered, and be admitted to the hospital for at least a one night stay. So, a year ago today we were in the hospital celebrating the arrival of our little guy. Today we were in the hospital concerned that our daughter gets to feeling better soon. God has his way of saying, "you have to remember what is important in life"...it's not a birthday celebration necessarily, it's remembering that we are a family and we stick together no matter the circumstances! Thank you Lord for being so wonderful and loving. Despite the circumstance, we praise Him for being a God who loves us and blesses us in ways that are beyond our measure and understanding.

Please pray for Kateli as she recovers from whatever her body is fighting right now.
Please pray for wisdom for the doctors, that they may figure out what might be causing the fevers
Please pray that her marrow catches up and generates the needed hemoglobin and platelets needed in her little body
Please pray for strength for us all as we wait for her to come home
Please pray for wisdom for us as parents, that we would make wise decisions in her care

Thank you!!

Almost finished with Delayed Intensification

We are cruising right along with treatment, and only have 1 medicine remaining this week to complete the DI phase of treatment. As of Friday, Kateli's blood counts were a bit low- bordering on requiring a transfusion. We are watching her energy level and praying that we don't have to do a transfusion. We have another blood count check scheduled for Wednesday, which should also be the last day of meds for about 2 weeks. Then we hope to begin Maintenance!!!!

Kateli has done amazingly well with the 2 drugs that cause most of the side effects during this phase- so that is an answer to many prayers. She is laughing, playing, and taking care of her little brother like usual.

An update on the Marathon training- We all went for a little 11 mile jog this morning. The weather was quite a bit cooler than the past couple of weeks, so the kids didn't fuss at all. Either that, or I had my headphones turned up higher this week. ;) Marleny and I only fussed a little bit.

Thanks for your prayers and support!

D, M, K & J

TMI

Yesterday I took Kateli in to the clinic because mommy got stuck at the gym when the remote to the car fell apart- leaving her no way to get home before our appointment. It was probably a blessing in disguise, since our morning appointment was going to provide too much information on the treatment we are currently going through.

In the play room where we wait for the blood work results, we met a girl with ALL that we'd never met before. She was very outgoing and quickly started providing us with her detailed recollections of the worst part of her treatment. Something in me told me I didn't really want to hear what she was going to tell, so I tried to indicate where Kateli was with her treatment, so the little girl or her mother might withhold her less than positive experience. It didn't quite work. She withheld nothing, and her mother added in way TOO MUCH INFORMATION.

She began with, "Mom- what was the name of that drug? Something with a 'C'." Her mom confirmed it was Cytarabine. Yep- they proceeded to describe her adverse reactions to 2 of the 3 drugs we were supposed to start that day. Cyclophosphamide had made her face feel like it was on fire, and they had to stop giving it to her and start her on benadryl. The Cytarabine gave her a 106 degree fever over the next 2 weeks and she spent most of the time in the hospital. Not the most encouraging words for a parent who is hoping that his daughter's counts are high enough to get to do treatment that day.

Good News- Katherine's counts came back at 1880! up 1600 from last week. Well it is what we were hoping for, but at that point I was a little bit nervous about starting this part of treatment. They put Katherine on fluids because they have to flush out her system before they start the Cyclo... They couldn't give her the Cyclophosphamide until around Midnight, and Katherine was a little restless throughout the night. Other than that, not complications or side effects to this point. She is a little bit worn out but has not had any noticeable nausea. Katherine did awesome at the hospital and complained very little.

We ask for your continued prayers over the next 2 weeks as we finish up the "Delayed INTENSIFICATION" phase, since we've now heard first hand how awful it can be.

Please pray that Kateli does not have any severe nausea or fevers from the drugs, and that she is able to rest well at night and has strength for the days. Please pray for our strength as we care for her- we have many appointments at the hospital over the next few weeks.

Thanks for your support.
Dan

with my eyes closed...

So, I have to share this funny story before it gets lost in my mind! :) Each morning when we all wake up it is customary for me to say to the kids "buenos dias, como dormistes?" this means "good morning, how did you sleep?" Usually, I just answer the question for them and say "rico" or "good/yummy"...well, this morning I got a different, more accurate response from our little smartie pants Kateli. She came in our bed and was all smiles and giggles. I looked at her and said "buenos dias!! Como dormistes" She didn't hesitate one bit before answering. Picture this response...she looked at me, smiled really BIG, shut her eyes and said "eyes closed"....how much more accurate can you get?? I mean really, who sleeps with their eyes open?? I was tickled, hope you got a kick out of that too....

Celebrating 4 years!

Since Dan and I said our "I do's"!!! Wow!! Time flies when you are enjoying life...even with the downs that we've experienced and are experiencing in our time together. Amazing the beautiful ways in which God works. 10 years ago, I would have never guessed that I'd be in Tulsa, married to a wonderful man, and be a stay at home mom to our two most beautiful children! Had you asked me what my plan was, I would have said "be married by 24, have kids, and have a great career as an engineer" funny how God has other plans for us, huh?? I was more focused on the things that I wanted, mainly success...rather than the things that are most important. I did not have a real close relationship with the Lord, and was not really happy. I've come a long way since meeting Dan and have done a whole lot of growing up spiritually. I met Christ and have grown in my relationship with Him. I continue to do that daily, and know I will be doing just that for the rest of my life. God is good. It's so much fun and amazing to think back to how Dan and I met; as well as all the things that we have gone through which clearly show God's presence and constant involvement in our lives, even when we thought maybe He just was not listening or watching over us. I know most of you know our story, but here it is just to jog memories...

I moved to Tulsa, Labor Day Weekend 2000, and started working right away. I remember I flew in on Saturday, and started working on Tuesday (Monday was a holiday, Labor Day). I found myself, on my own, right out of college and in a town I had never in my life visited. It was a brave move, and for weekends on end I would sit in my apartment and wonder what in the world I was doing here all alone...I didn't know. Here is how things have unraveled, all in God's hands.

Dan and I sat in cubicles across from each other at work, but we didn't meet right away. Dan was on a business trip the week that I started, so we met when he came back. Right away I thought he was good looking and funny, but that was it. In February, Dan invited me to a Jenny Laboe (sp?) concert, at the ID (it's something else now) on Brookside, for Valentine's and I accepted. But I accepted only under the condition that we would go as nothing more than friends--funny to me know that I think about it. We started hanging out more and more, and the more time I spent with this man, the more I realized that I was falling for him. I remember I would go to the Varsity with him to watch the Blues, Cardinals and the Rams play JUST so that I could spend time with him. All of you who know me, know how much of a hockey, baseball and football fan I am right?? God was all over this, can you see?

From there it only took about 2 1/2 years for Dan to realize that I was the one and to finally get down on one knee! Without sharing too much detail, not everyone was happy with the idea of us being married, but you know what? God was there and still is, working in the hearts of those who differ in opinion one way or another--we see Him working to this day. So, almost 3 years after we started dating Dan and I were married in a beautiful ceremony at The Kirk. Such sweet memories!! The reception was so much fun, we danced and danced and danced the night away.

We were pregnant before our first anniversary, and spent 7 weeks in the hospital waiting for Kateli to be born. You guessed it, God was all over that situation as well. He gave me the time that I needed to get to know Him better and to realize his Sovereignty and His love for me, for Dan and for our growing family. God saw us through this, surrounding us with His love shown to us through the wonderful people he put in our lives. He gave us a healthy, beautiful baby girl.

We found out we were expecting again, on New Years 2007! What a great way to start a New Year!! Joshua was born in August, 3 weeks early and through a successful VBAC. You guessed it...God's was here and all over this too from the beginning. We were able to get in with a great doctor who would allow for the VBAC. Although Joshua was born early, it was a blessing in disguise. I didn't even think "VBAC (or anything associated with VBAC)" during labor, and I was able to deliver our baby without any fear of the risks. What an awesome God!

We continue to see God working. From Kateli's early diagnosis of Leukemia to how well she is doing with treatment. The only way we are making it through all of this and staying strong is because we have God on our side and we trust in Him, in His love and in His care.

Lots to go through in four years, right?? All good things... TO SEE PICS VISIT OUR MARSHY CORNER.

A week off...

We're home from our appointment this morning. Kateli's counts were a bit low to do the procedure and continue treatment today. So, it has been postponed for a week. She is scheduled to go in on Wed next week at 8:30am. Again, they will check her counts and if they are above 750 proceed with treatment. Aside from the low counts, Kateli is doing MUCH MUCH better this week. She's back to being herself, and smiling and being concerned for others before herself. In fact, this morning in clinic there was a little girl--actually, a bit older than Kateli--who was NOT at all happy and cried a lot and LOUD. Well, Kateli was so concerned about the poor little girl..she kept saying "ohhh...baby sad. what happened baby?" That's our girl for you!! Please just continue praying for complete healing from last week's bug. Kateli is doing a lot better, but she continues to have loose stools. Thanks so much for keeping up to date with out stuff.

Back in the comfort of our own home...

Kateli was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon. The doctor ordered to have her IV removed in the morning and just observe her food and water intake for the rest of the day before letting her go. Kateli did great, she managed to eat 1/2 small cheese pizza, a glass of water and about 15 grapes for lunch. The more awesome deal about her lunch was that it didn't just PASS through her. She didn't actually potty until about an hour or hour and a half after eating, so that was a step in the right direction. So, we got discharge orders and were on our way home about 3:30pm. My parents, who had planned to head back home yesterday afternoon, were so gracious to stay through another night and watch Joshua for us until we got home from the hospital. It was a blessing to have them visiting with us this week. Kateli was sent home on an antibiotic, as the doctor said she did have a UTI. Last week was just horrid...Kateli seemed so out of energy, all she wanted to do was sleep and lay in bed all day long. She had circles under her eyes, and it was EXTREMELY rare to see her usual smile and beaming little blue eyes. She had the stomach flu, had a UTI, diaper rash, and developed quite a case of thrush in her mouth...that was last week. I look at her today, and I see a totally different little girl before me. Yes, she does get tired much quicker--but that's expected after all of this stuff--but she's smiling, she laughing, she's playing with her brother, her face just reads differently these days. We are praying that this week is good and we can watch her be KATELI, the Kateli who does not cease to make us laugh and keep us entertained.

We are scheduled for a clinic appointment on Tuesday this week, July 22nd. Kateli will have bloodwork done to check her counts and depending on the results we may stay overnight. Kateli's counts have to be over 750 in order to proceed. Please pray that her counts are back up, yet at the same time pray that she is fully recovered and her body has the strength to tolerate the new chemo and the subsequent daily doses after that. If Kateli's counts are below 750 we will have to delay this a week--which would not be totally a bad thing (as long as her counts are MOVING in the right direction--her ANC was 100 yesterday). It would just mean that her body is given a week off of the meds. Is that being a tad selfish?? I just want to enjoy my little girl as her usual self, it makes me sad to watch her in pain, or even lethargic--it's just not like her.

Thanks for keeping up with our family. We truly appreciate your prayers and thoughts.

Back at Resort Saint Francis

Katherine has been battling a stomach bug for several days. Last night she started running a fever over 101, so we are back at Resort Saint Francis. OK, a hospital is nothing like a resort, but you wouldn't know it by Kateli's attitude. While we were checking in last night, she had the nurses and resident Doctors catering to her every "need". The head resident was kind enough to bring our little princess a mini-pizza for dinner. She asked if we needed anything else and Kateli responded, "Parmesan Cheese". She surely keeps us laughing despite the circumstances.

Katherine is so tough, she didn't cry at all during in-processing, not even when they accessed her port. As per protocol, she will remain in the hospital until she is free of fever for 24 hours. They have put her on antibiotics and are taking cultures and x-rays to ensure that she doesn't have any infection. Katherine's counts remain low- around 200- so she is very susceptible to illness.

We are fortunate to have Marleny's parents in town to watch Joshua while Marleny and I take turns at the hospital.

Please pray that Katherine doesn't have any bacterial infection and that the stomach troubles and fever pass quickly so that we can return home.

Next week Tuesday, we are scheduled to admit Kateli for an overnight stay to observe her while they administer one of the more intense Chemo drugs. The whole week is pretty intense, so we are trying to prepare mentally for that next hurdle as well.

Thanks for all of your support and prayers.
Dan, Marleny, Kateli, Joshua

Worn out

I returned from my business trip on Thursday, and it is evident that Kateli is not feeling well on the steroids. Since I've been home, she has been resting on one of our shoulders or actually taking a nap on the bed the entire time. Her body seems weak, and she doesn't really have any energy to do anything. Her eyes have dark circles underneath and she just plain looks sad. It is very difficult to see our little girl feeling so lousy, and to not be able to do anything to help. We've taken her to the park several times- but she doesn't seem well enough to enjoy it as much as usual.

On the bright side, Kateli got to spend some time with Grandma this week while I was out of town. She enjoys time with Grandma, and has been asking- "Where is Grandma?" ever since she left for STL.

Please continue to pray for Kateli's health and that she has renewed strength for each day.

Dan.

Chugging right along...

is what we have been doing the last few weeks. I apologize for the lack of update, but things are just a bit hectic around here, especially when our little girl is on steroids. We shared with you that Kateli is now on the 3rd of 4 phases of her treatment. She continues to do well with the medications. The steroids seem to have the biggest effect on her, in that she appears to be more tired than normal. She asks to take naps, and she is ready for bed much earlier than the norm. Aside from this, our little girl continues to just be herself. Bedtime is getting a bit easier. We have managed to transition her back into her own bed upstairs, and although she ends up in our bed in the mornings, she doesn't fight to go to sleep too badly these nights. I think it helps that her little brother is sleeping upstairs now too. She doesn't feel like she is up there alone!!

As expected, Kateli's appetite spiked as a result of the first 7 days of steroids. We've had a week break from the steroids and just started the next round today. So far, so good. She has been eating rather well, not too much not too little, but just enough for her little body, I think. She has had her requests, and it seems "sgettis" are a favorite, as I've been cooking it a LOT the last week or so....Joshua doesn't fall behind when it comes to eating, so I'm making enough for the both of them!! Kateli's counts are a bit low this week, but the nurse said that it is to be expected. However, as Dan shared in the previous post, low counts will not introduce a delay this time around so we are just "chugging" right along. Please pray that her counts do come back up though, Next week, our clinic appointment is for blood counts only. She will have another week of rest from the chemo. The week after that, though, will be busy. Our appointments will change to Tuesdays, starting on July 22nd. That day, Kateli is scheduled for a spinal tap, and an overnight hospital admission because of a chemo that will be administered. God willing she will be released on Wed and we will need to visit the clinic each day that week, through the next week for daily admins of the same chemo drug.

You can specifically pray for the following:

• Please pray that Kateli's numbers will come back up by next week.
• Please start praying now for the week of the 22nd of July. Pray for God's protection on Kateli as we go through that week.
• Please pray for continues protection over Kateli's body, her organs and her normal cells as she continues with this chemo regimen.
• Please pray for strength and endurance for all of us during this process.
• Please pray that Joshua will continue to be the happy and content baby that he is, as he turns one soon, and will begin to explore in new ways--specifically by WALKING!!

Thank you for keeping up with our family and updates on our little girl's treatment.

Slight Change to Protocol

Thank you all for your prayers this week as we enter the Delayed Intensification Phase of treatment. Katherine's counts were above 900 which is very good, and we are able to continue with treatment as scheduled. We got some additional schedules this week, and found out that they have changed the standard protocol within the last month, so I'll have to update the chemo schedule calendar with the new changes. This phase was supposed to begin with 21 days straight of steroids- but they have changed that to 7 days on/7 days off/7 days on. Apparently lots of kids were having significant problems with weak bones, so they've shortened the duration and upped the dosage to compensate. Please pray for bone strength for our little girl. I can't imagine Katherine with a bone fracture in the middle of all of this...
Also, I think that we will continue with treatment as scheduled regardless of Katherine's counts from here on out. The only thing that will be adjusted due to low counts are the oral chemo drugs that we administer at home.

Katherine is visibly exhausted today. She has dark rings under her eyes and is not her normal energetic self. I think this is a result of the steroids. Her appetite is not elevated like it has been during previous iterations of steroids, but this will probably change in the next couple of days. We're actually hoping that her appetite increases a bit, since she hasn't been eating all that well lately.

Joshua, on the other hand, eats EVERYTHING. We took him to the high school track on Wednesday evening to watch mommy do some laps around the track. Half way through, I had to remove some large pebbles from his mouth as he decided to eat the sand from the long jump pit....

We thank you for all of your prayers and support.
Dan.

Prayer as we enter tne new phase...

Kateli has been taking Chemo for a little over 4 months now. Tomorrow is the beginning of the third phase of the treatment. God willing, we will begin Delayed Intensification. Our appointment is scheduled for 8:30am. Kateli is scheduled to have a spinal tap, given that her numbers are high enough. She has been such a trooper thus far, and we pray that the treatment will continue to be tolerated so well. Kateli is a HAPPY girl. Her smiles are contagious, her kisses, and her hugs make my heart melt. She is beautiful inside and out. Each time that I look at my little girl, I realize how lucky we are to have her in our life. God gave us a precious baby, a baby girl that is growing so fast before our eyes, who amazes us each step of the way. She's definitely TWO though, no doubt about this fact. She is strong willed, opinionated, and a little stubborn--but somehow, I think that, if we, as parents, set the foundation right, these traits will take her very far in life. She is talking SO much, she speaks both english and "pañol" as she says...I'm not sure if she distinguishes between the two quite yet, but she says things in both languages. Just the other day, we were sitting at lunch with a friend, who asked me what "grape" was in spanish...just for kicks, I turned to Kateli...her response? "uva"...I was taken back. She translated correctly, and immediately!! What a smart cookie--takes after her daddy! :) And how she loves her little brother--she does not fail to ask him each morning "sleep good, mano?" with a look that says "I'm interested and I care" Joshua loves her right back. His eyes light up when he sees her...it's the best feeling to sense how much these two kiddos love each other.

Please pray for our family in the following ways:

• Our appointment tomorrow morning. Pray that the doctor has had his rest so that he can focus completely on our little girl during the procedure.
• Pray that Kateli reacts just as well as she has been to the treatment thus far.
• Pray that we can be better about managing her "hunger" this time around with the steroids. She will begin taking the steroid again tomorrow. She will be taking it for 21 days.
• Pray for rest, especially for yours truly. I seem to be suffering from some insomnia lately and it's taking a toll on me. I'm physically worn out and my patience runs short.

And please just pray for us in whatever other ways the spirit moves you. Just please don't stop praying for our little girl!

Counts Back up

Good news. Kateli's counts were 900, so we resumed Chemo treatment today. She is still battling a cold and has a deep cough from time to time, but other than that she seems to be doing well.

Tonight I got to watch the kids while Marleny had a girls night out. I took the kids out to the park where we had dinner and played on the swings. Katherine was talking up a storm the whole time. On the drive to the park she was interogating her brother, "where is mommy?". That is one of her favorite questions these days. Joshua didn't reply so she just kept asking. She usually asks me that the entire time that Marleny is away, so I was enjoying not being the one on the hot seat for a change.

Joshua is crawling all over the place and really enjoys standing up. Actually, he seems to really enjoy everything. That boy smiles all the time and laughs at everyone. He has the gift of making you feel good about yourself- he smiles when he sees you & laughs at your jokes. It is a blessing to have such an easy going son during this difficult time.

A hiccup in the chemo road, and a trip to the Urgent Care

Well, Wednesday morning Kateli's blood work showed that she is neutropenic again. Her ANC is down to 224, so we are delaying her chemo for the next week and hoping that her numbers rise so that we can continue with the treatment.

She's been a bit under the weather since about Sunday, but it had just been a mild cold--runny nose, and cough. This afternoon, after nap time I loaded up the kids (one in the stroller, the other on my back in the carrier) and the dog and we went for a walk, and a stop to the park in our neighborhood. Kateli seemed to be feeling fine, before we left...but that changed while we were out. About 20 mins into our stay at the park, she said "mami, home" so we packed up and walked home. Kateli wanted to ride the backpack, but the entire trip she acted so tired and sleepy. We got home, and both kids lost it. Joshua was in tears, Kateli was screaming and feeling a little warm. I took her temp, and she had a low grade temp. She also informed me that she hurt in her ear, and would not stop poking at it and screaming. SO, I made a call to the doctor's office to see how we should proceed. I knew for sure, she had to have an ear infection and I wanted to nip in the bud before it got out of hand, especially knowing that her counts were low. So, we made a trip to the Urgent Care clinic. The doctor checked her out and informed us that she doesn't just have infection in ONE ear...both of them are RED!!! My poor baby!! She had not complained one bit, until this afternoon but she must have been in some major pain. We are at home, and praying that she doesn't spike any fevers overnight, or the next few days.

Please pray for her recovery from the ear infections, from the cold and that her numbers rise so that she is not so susceptible to infections.

As always, thank you for keeping up with our progress.

Once again, good numbers and we continue on...

Kateli has been doing marvelous. God continues to amaze us through her strength, how well she is tolerating all that she is going through and her high and happy spirits day in and day out. We went to clinic on Wednesday as is customary, but this Wed was a full day. In clinic Kateli had a spinal tap to administer intrathecal chemo, she was given another chemo through her port; we came home and she took her normal meds at home and also started another 5 day cycle of the steroid. So, by the end of the day she had taken in 4 chemo drugs, 1 antibiotic, a steroid and a bit of pepcid, just to prevent her belly from getting too upset at us for all those medications!! We dreaded the arrival of our clinic appt, because we went in knowing all that she would have to take that day, and it was difficult to digest (literally)! But, once again SHE is amazing!! She is so strong. She is so resilient. She just bounces back and is Kateli through it all!! How wonderful it is to know that God is watching over her, providing her and her little body with the strength needed to withstand this harsh treatment! How amazing it is to witness God at work first hand with our beautiful little girl! She gives us strength. Her smiles and her perseverance give us so much encouragement in this trial that we are in.

I do want to ask for prayer for her, though. Over the last two days she has come down with something. We think it's a cold, and are hoping it's just mild. She has not been running any fevers, but she just has doesn't seem to be feeling well. Though you ask her if she feels okay, and she'll look you in the face and say "yeah" with a HUGE grin!! Please pray that this is a mild cold and that it clears up fast, without any complications.

Thanks for keeping up to date with our ongoings!!

Numbers are good for another week

Praise the Lord. Katherine's counts are where they should be, so we are continuing with treatment as normal. The schedule is becoming routine. I hope we don't take for granted how good it is to be on schedule. Katherine is doing awesome, she really has a lot of energy like the Katherine we're used to. Her hair is growing back, although our nurse preps us by saying, "it will fall out again".

Please begin praying now for our appointment next week. Kateli will get many medications on Wednesday (6 including a spinal tap). It seems like a whole lot for a person to handle, especially a little one like Katherine.

We had a fun week this week, celebrating Marleny's birthday. She is ## years young now. We had a fun surprise visit from her sister Marta, brother-in-law Misael, and niece Daniela. I'm sure Marleny will post some pictures when she has an opportunity. She took some great one's of the kids.

Another good report

New feature on the blog this week- check out the translator gadget on the right. Since Marleny is asleep, I don't really know how well this thing translates into Spanish. For all of our multi-lingual visitors- give it a whirl and let us know how it reads in other languages that you know.

As Marleny mentioned this week's appointment was just a CBC blood check. Kateli's counts were above 700, so we're continuing on schedule. We had a fun time at the hospital today. We got to meet the helicopter crew for life flight and Kateli got a stuffed animal from the pilot. We stayed to watch them take off, which Kateli really enjoyed.

We also played outside on the playground waiting for the lab results. We sent the stuffed animals down the slides and watched them tumble on the ground. Kateli said, "Silly, silly daddy". She cracks me up.

Thank you for your continuing prayers.

It's been a while...

since the last blog entry that we posted. I'm sorry. Life just seems so busy these days, I don't know that there are enough hours in a day to get things done that need to get done, much less those things that are on my "want to do" list. Anyhow, enough of excuses...let me just update you.

Well, like they say, no news is good news. And that is what we have on our end. Kateli has been doing GREAT!! It truly amazes me each day to see how well she is doing, how well her body is tolerating the meds, and how upbeat she is about life in general. She is zealous about EVERYTHING around her. She loves her mommy, daddy, and "baby josua" among MANY MANY other people in our life right now. There is not a bit of sadness, discouragement, or disillusionment in her with all that she is enduring at her 29months of age. Tomorrow marks the 3rd anniversary since her diagnosis and we are truly blessed by how God has been working in all of us, and continues to do so each day. Over and over He continues to show us His faithfulness and His love for us and for Kateli. Her heart is so full of joy, her face glows with never ending smiles, and her laugh sounds like music to our ears. She loves to giggle, she loves to be silly, and lately her deal is pretend play. I know it's a stage. She is at that age right now, but it is so sweet to watch her pretend to be a mommy...oh, and is it ever so humbling and eye opening. She definitely SEES and HEARS all around her, and she pays such close attention to all that I do. She is like a "mini-me mommy" to her baby!! Good thing, I try to be a good mommy!!

Last Wednesday our appointment at the clinic was to check her blood counts. It was a short appointment and we got home with good news. Her ANC was up at 900, so there was no need in delaying her treatment. This Wednesday we go back again for yet another blood test. She will not get any meds in clinic, but we are continuing the daily chemo at home, among other meds that she takes at home with us. Please pray that her counts continue to stay about 750--even higher is a plus!!

Thank you so much for visiting our blog and staying up to date with our little girl's progress through this journey. We truly appreciate your concern and your continued prayers for her and our family.

We're back on track...

Kateli's treatment is back on track. Her appointment on Wednesday went well. Her counts were back up, her numbers went from 200 to 858!! Thank you all for ALL of your prayers for our little girl. We have completed the Consolidation phase and have moved on to the next phase, which is Interim Maintenance. We are continuing the daily oral chemo medicine, she has to take the steroid again for 5 days at atime, and the doctor wrote a script for the new chemo med she'll be taking once a week. All the while, we continue to give her the antibiotic three times a week, and the pepcid to settle her belly after all these meds!

Please pray:

• That we can keep the med schedule straight, and that we are diligent about her medications.
• That she continue to tolerate all these meds as well as she has been. She is doing great. It is amazing to see her strength!
• For energy, strength and rest for all of us. We're going through a very difficult sleep phase with Kateli, that we're constantly worn out. She's having trouble, not only falling asleep, but staying asleep all through the night. She wakes up kicking, screaming and crying, with her eyes closed!! She's having night terrors, or nightmares. It's difficult to get her back to sleep. She is sleeping in our room now. We've pulled the crib mattress into our room and she will be sleeping on that, instead of our bed, but last night was rough. She wants no one but mommy to hold her foot all the time...I do, until she falls asleep, but I'm having trouble obliging in the middle of the night!! Please pray for me, that I would be understanding and know what to do.

Low Counts delay next phase

Katherine had low white blood count and low ANC (200) this week, so we have to delay the treatment until her counts increase. We will try again next Wednesday. The nurse informed Marleny that this is common when kids are going in between phases. Her ANC count has to be above 750 to resume the treatment, so for now we wait. Please pray for Katherine that she remains healthy during this time while she has low blood counts. Also pray that her counts would rise, so that we can continue with treatment next Wednesday.

No News has been really good news

We apologize for not updating the blog in over 2 weeks! The lack of news is because Katherine has been doing extraordinarily well. The last 2 weeks have been a blessing because Kateli has only had to take 1 Oral Chemo daily. Today marks the end of Consolidation, and tomorrow is the start of Interim Maintenance- the Calendar on the right side of the page shows the details of what is given when. If you double click on the medication name, I've put a little more information about what it is.

We had the pleasure of traveling to STL this weekend for Dan's cousin Jack's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding in a beautiful setting. Kateli had loads of fun with all of her cousins and 2nd Cousins. She was mobbed with affection- which was a nice break for mom and dad.

The only struggle we've been dealing with is sleepless nights, and possible night terrors on Katherine's part. Not really sure if that's what they are, but she's been screaming and kicking a lot in the middle of the night. Our little girl can hit pretty hard!

Pictures in the last few days

Thank you all for your continued prayers for our family and our little girl. This is going to be a short entry; I wanted to post some pictures taken recently so you could all see how your prayers are being answered. Kateli is AMAZING!! She does not cease to amaze us with her strength and her happy heart. In the midst of this trial, our little girl presses on smiling, giggling and being the silly girl that she's always been. Thank you Lord for the way that you made her...so strong, full of courage and with a smile that lights up a room. Enjoy!

Home at last

Katherine has been free from fever since Friday night, so we were released from the hospital this afternoon. She has been acting like she is feeling very well. She's been more like herself the last 2 days than she has since we started the treatment over a month ago.

It was kind of funny today when we were about to leave, I asked Katherine if she was ready to go home. Her answer was, "No, stay room". I guess it's a good thing that she enjoys her time in the hospital. The hospital had some Seasame Street Characters come in to entertain the kids on Friday. Katherine is a cautious girl- she was not very trusting of the very large cookie monster. She said, "Cookie Monster no eat Kateli". One of the local news channels had a camera there and was taking footage of the event, and had us sign a release to use the footage.

On Saturday I met the family in the room next to us. It was the mother of a 4 year old girl that also has ALL. The first thing she said, was that she saw us on the news Friday night. We have yet to see the news segment, so we are trying to get a copy from the TV station. It was interesting to talk with another family who is also going through treatment for ALL.

Well the kids are up from a 2 hour nap, so I must go play.....

6 out of 7

6 out of 7... 85.7% --not bad if your taking a school test-- but not so great when your counting days spent in the hospital over the last week. That's right, we're still here and will be here for at least another day, since Katherine had 102 fever again tonight. At times it feels as if we're stuck on Gilligan's Island. Everything looks good for getting out of here, only to be foiled at the 11th hour.

The good news- the hospital is less than a mile from our house. We're, once again, learning to ask for and eagerly accept help. We have medical insurance. We have Dr.'s and nurses who are caring and dedicated. I have a boss that is understanding and flexible. Most importantly, we have a God that knows us, cares for us, and has a purpose for us in/through all of this.

I (Dan) almost lost it on Tuesday evening. The stress of trying to lead our family through this trial, with all of the stressors and the unknowns that are un-researchable. The difficulty of trying to communicate with my wife while nurses are coming in and out of the room, and while our kids are needing constant attention for the 2 hours we're together each day. I felt like throwing a chair through the window for no specific reason that I could articulate.

Fortunately, we got a break mid-week that allowed me to go for a run around the park by our house and the hospital. A cool thing about the new Children's Hospital is that they have a spot light on the top of the building shooting straight up into the sky. We can see it from our front yard, and I can see it as I run around the park. For me it is somehow comforting, like the hospital is to be a light in a dark world.

As I was running, I was listening to a song by Aaron Spiro, "Begins and Ends with You". A couple of the lines spoke words I needed to hear.

in your peace we find our peace

in your strength we learn to stand

in your arms we find release

in your hands we are your hands

I believe that a purpose for this trial in our lives is that we learn to find our peace, strength, and release in Christ alone. That we can be the hands of Christ for others, after we fully understand what it means to be held in His hands.

Thanks for all of your prayers and support. For those who are interested, we've added a Calendar with Kateli's Chemo schedule (On the section to the right). The schedule is updated through this summer. After that we will begin the Maintenance portion of treatment that will go through 2010.

Under Observation for the night...

...at least.

We've only been home a little over 24hrs, but it's back to the hospital tonight. Kateli was doing and feeling great this morning. She woke up happy, played, we even went in the backyard to enjoy the warm weather, and play on the swing. She played with chalk on the back patio, and played with Renny. After waking up from nap, though I got a different little girl than I put down. She must not have been feeling all that great after she woke up from naptime. She was quiet and wanted me to hold her a lot. She didn't feel real warm, so I thought it was just her coming out of a nap. About 4 o'clock, she felt a little warm to the touch. She was at 100.3. I called the clinic to see how we should proceed. The doctor said to watch her for a little bit and see if the temp didn't come down on it's own. She asked me to call back if Kateli's temp went up above 101.5. So, we waited. The temp didn't come down, in fact it was 102 when I took it about 5:30 after daddy got home. Quickly called the doctor to get further instruction. The doctor debated whether or not to have us come into the hospital. After all, Kateli had just been released yesterday. Her numbers were great, so she's not neutropenic. All of the cultures that were done on her blood came back negative. However, because of the lumbar puncture that she had yesterday morning, the doctor had us come in just to observe her through the night. She thought it best to err on the side of caution, since the procedure had been real recent. So, off they went. Dan took Kateli to the hospital and will be with her overnight, while I stay home with Joshua.

• Please pray that they figure out what her little body is trying to fight off.
• Please pray that her number stay high, so that her body has what it needs to fight off whatever this is.
• Please pray that the fevers break soon.
• Please pray for rest for her tonight.
• Please pray that she will drink better, to stay hydrated and keep the temps at bay.

Thanks again for visiting our blog, and for your constant prayers.