Waiting, Waiting, Waiting...

Katelyn's feeling great! She's energetic, happy and never misses a beat! Her lungs are clear and everything is functioning well. Her ANC is still too low to test her bone marrow, but Todd and I have faith that this round of chemo was successful. If her ANC starts to steadily come up we may test again next week. I'm not sure when the next round of chemo will start, but I think it will be in the next week and a half to two weeks. After that chemo we will have to wait, what seems like forever, for her ANC to come up, as well as for the cord blood results from our new little bundle of joy. So, we will be in the air with everything until the beginning of March.

Katelyn has this amazing energy that is contageous! She brings a smile to everyone's face, and literally stops most people in their tracks. Whether people are commenting on her energy, her vocabulary, or her adorable outfit, they are all in awe and lovestruck. Adults absolutely adore her and kids, on the other hand, are cautious of her. She will see a kid down the hall and run to them so she can hold their hand and walk with them. Most little kids cry or run. Kate gets really sad when the other kids get upset. Her favorite age are the kids around 10. I think it's because Auntie Brooke is 12, and she sees a resemblance between her favorite Aunt and kids her age. Most older kids adore her as well, and will play, and walk, and entertain Katelyn as long as they can. When she hears kids crying in their room, she gets sad and you can tell she just wants to comfort them. I truly think she will be an incredible big sister. She is already so nurturing.

Today was Spring Cleaning day in Room 124. Todd is really good about keeping our room clean and germ free. Once a week we do a heavy clean with the cleaning staff; they move all the furniture and clean every square inch of the floor. Well today, we cleaned every square inch of every single thing in the room. Beds, cabinets, tables, chairs, and every single toy Katelyn has. We clean the toys often as well, especially if another patient comes to the room for a little visit, but today it was extreme. Room 124 is, I would be willing to bet, the cleanest room at Childrens Hospital. Nurses and Doctors always comment on how clean it is, how it smells good, and how organized it is. I guess, after 12 weeks, we just came up with a system that would keep us tolerant of this small living space, and keep Katelyn as healthy as possible.

Speaking of living space. The hospital is really busy right now. That doesn't sound right, huh. Busy means there are a lot of sick kids here. It's sad when people refer to it as a busy day. It makes my heart go out to all of the families who have to be here. I wish the hospital was empty, and kids weren't sick or suffering. As I was saying, there are a lot of kids here right now, and the waiting list at the Ronald McDonald House is getting extra long. In order to accomidate other families in need, we have to give up our room at the Mac house this week. Although I completely understand, I am dissapointed. We've pretty much moved into that room and it is going to be hectic moving out. Hopefully near the end of February we will be able to get back in there for a month or two. It will be difficult with the new baby, and staying at the Mac house will make it much more barable.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with my good friend Courtney! We went out to this beautiful park by her house and took some maternity pictures! She did pictures for me two years ago when I was pregnant with Katelyn and, although I imagined the session would involve Todd and Katelyn, I was anxious to do them a second time with baby number two. We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the afternoon. Courtney is a fabulous photographer, and never ceases to amaze me. She posted a sneak peek on her blog at www.ftcphotography.com. You are all more than welcome to go take a peek at them. It was a lot of fun!

Unfortunately, my heart has been really heavy this last week. Sarah, a beautiful girl with an amazing family, was taken from us on Monday night. I posted a prayer request for her last week, so some of you have read a bit about her. She was very sick. The cancer had taken over her entire body, and she was suffering. She was unable to eat, drink, speak, move, etc. She couldn't do anything, and was miserable. I know, and I hope her family knows, that she is in a better place, and she is no longer suffering; she is happy now. Although I know that, and I am grateful to God for taking away her pain, I am still heartbroken. I don't know how to express what I'm feeling or what is going through my head, but I am sad. I think seeing someone, whom I've grown to love and care for, suffer and die right next to me, right next to my daughter who is also battling cancer, makes this even more real for me. Although their cancers are different it hits very close to my heart. It brings to life that not all kids get better, not all treatments work, and not all families can put this experience behind them. We are fortunate that Katelyn is doing well, that she is happy, pain-free, and progressing. We are lucky & I am grateful. I ask you all to pray that it stays that way. Pray that Katelyn not only continue to do well, but that she stay well. I know it is selfish to want MY daughter to be healthy and live, but I am okay with that. I'm not ready to let go of that sort of selfishness and leave it up to Him alone. I need Him to help her stay here with me. For as strong as I've tried to be during this time, I don't think I can handle a turn for the worst. I want my daughter here, with Todd and I, and I want her to be happy and healthy. For that, I am selfish, and I am okay with that. I don't want to go through what Sarah's parents are going through, I am not strong enough. I've dealt with a lot of things in my short 25 years of life, and I can handle fighting for my childs life, but I can't handle losing her life. That, I know, is what would break me. So, again, I ask you to pray for her, pray that it be His will that she continue to win this battle with leukemia, and that she stay here and live a wonderful life with us.

I do have good news too. Haddie's oldest brother is a bone marrow match! He does not have hepatitus and is a perfect match for her! They will be doing the transplant in the next two weeks, and after 6-8 weeks of monitoring, Haddie, and her family, will be ready to return to New Guinea, with a fully recovered, healthy child! She will have follow ups for years to come, but the doctors are confident that a successful bone marrow transplant will cure her Aplastic Anemia. I am so happy for them and grateful that God has kept them strong and patient and is now giving them a cure. What an incredible thing.

Thanks for reading! I'll update again when I know more about Kate's bone marrow.

Also, The Dinner & Auction is coming up in two short weeks! I hope to see as many of you there as possible. If you, or someone you know, would like to donate an item or service to the auction, please contact me. Go to www.welovekate.com for more information!

Love,
Krystal