97

I just gave Amanda her last dose of steroids for this month. It's always a sigh of relief knowing that it's the longest stretch of time before the next dose. Despite the screaming and itchy skin they induce I'm very glad she's on them. She was too sick to have a lumbar puncture at clinic this week. She's had a terrible cold for three weeks now. I think the steroids and antibiotics are finally helping her kick it. Much to her displeasure she's pretty isolated right now. She can't risk getting sick and being put on more medications. I filled her pill box for the week. It totaled 97 different pills to swallow, and that doesn't include IV chemo or pain medication. Her body's got enough to handle right now.
She will gladly report a very pleasant Christmas. We were very fortunate to avoid any trips to the hospital. She especially enjoyed a surprise visit from her first grade teacher on Christmas Eve. They enjoys some crafts and games together. Christmas morning was a real treasure to share as a family.
We really appreciated the donations made to Primary's during the holidays. Amanda was ecstatic to get a club penguin she has wanted. It really distracted her from the routine of the hospital. I have to point out the toy dog she is holding. She got it for Christmas as part of a pet hospital. The little dog is on IV's and is diagnosed with cancer. It's very cute. She has so much fund taking care of her sick pets. She keeps telling me she's going to be a doctor when she grows up. I believe her.

Based on the number of questions I get about Will's health I'll give a quick update. He's growing, but not enough. There are still foods that cause gut problems. When his gut is giving him grief it's difficult to get him to eat anything and gain enough. He will go in for a scope later this month. Hopefully some biopsy's will help answer why foods are bothering him. From there we'll try and narrow down which foods they are. In the mean time, I have to feed him everything bothersome to try and inflame his bowels in order to get a more accurate diagnosis. It's already making for more than one ornery child at our home.