Shopping Adventure, Rebekah Eating Bites

Another day is drawing to an end. There isn't all that much to report.

The big adventure for the day was that Mommy and the girls went to do some shopping this morning. Sarah needed some pants to go with the shirts she has and Fred Meyer had all their baby stuff on sale - some of it 50% off. I figured that was a good time to go shopping and some of our friends had given us Fred Meyer gift cards or cash (we are so thankful for those friends), so that was even better. I was also able to get Rebekah a couple more bras (yes our 4 year old is wearing a bra - we can tuck her central line tubes into the bra to keep them from being tugged on, which is a good thing) and some socks (she has been asking to wear yellow socks and the only yellow socks that we have are hospital one size fits no one). I picked up some groceries, mostly in preparation for next week as well as tonight's dinner. It is nice to get out to the store myself, but it doesn't happen all that often these days.

The girls were getting pretty crabby by the end of the first store, so we headed for home. Both girls fell asleep on the way home, so they were both put down for naps once we got home.

Rebekah ate a few bites again today - some goldfish, some ravioli pieces and some green beans. I expect next week's chemo will put a temporary end to eating, but hope that as she recovers from that chemo, she will start to eat and we can continue to encourage that and begin to make progress.

Although we are getting ready for the last chemo, it is a mixed bag of emotions. While we are excited that this phase will be over, we know that there is so much more in the future. We are anxious for the results of the post chemo scans that are scheduled for the week of February 6th and uncertain about what the future holds. Please pray that the scans will be clear and without any concern. As I understand it, Rebekah will have scans every three months for four years, so there will be many anxious weeks ahead. In addition, we will begin the process of dealing with the side effects of the chemo and radiation.

We will need to deal with Rebekah's plugged tear duct and check for any other eye damage. I expect that there will be many visits to the eye doctor in the future for Rebekah. The effects of the Radiation can take a long time to show themselves. We will have to deal with what we get.

We need to get Rebekah away from her reliance on the G-Tube. It will be a long process, but I have hope for it to be possible. I will tell you, I was in tears today just watching her eat some bites of dinner. She didn't eat much - a bite or two of ravioli and 3 or 4 bites of green beans, but it brought joy to my heart that she wanted to eat and was swallowing more than she was spitting out. It gives me hope for the future.

As she grows, we expect that the left side of her face will not grow like the right side, so she will need surgeries to correct it. It is hard to comprehend what all this could entail. I just have to take it as it comes. One day at a time...

At the same time, we are so incredibly thankful that Rebekah is alive and enjoying so many "normal" things. She is a delight. She is a blessing to us. We consider each day a blessing.