UPDATE!!! (finally)

Sorry to leave you hangin' for 2 weeks! We're alive and doing fairly well. Here's the scoop:

Dave's first week of treatment was pretty exhausting. We had been told (by the doctors who coordinated his surgery) that each chemo treatment would probably last about an hour. Well, we got there on Monday the 11th and found out it actually takes 5-7 hours for each treatment! Needless to say, that first day was hard on all of us, because Dave had to sit and have an IV in for that long, I sat in the waiting room with Katie (who isn't allowed in the treatment room because of the toxic chemicals) all that time, and Gracie definitely didn't expect us to be gone that long. (She had a great time with Dave's mom, but she's not used to us being away from her that long during the day.) So, the next day I stayed home with her, and Dave's grandpa took him for his treatment. Then Wednesday Katie and I went with him (Grace stayed with Dave's mom again), Thursday all of us (me, Gracie, Katie, and Dave's mom) went with him, and Friday his grandpa took him again. Whew! I'm so grateful for wonderful family and friends who helped us with meals, babysitting, and care packages that week--they really made such a big difference!

The second week (this last week), he had just one chemo treatment (on Tuesday), but he had to go get shots (to boost his white blood cell count) on the other four weekdays. The shots only take a minute, so it's been a much easier week because it doesn't take as much time. This coming week (25-29), he has Monday off (woohoo!), but then will have chemo Tuesday and probably shots on Wednesday through Friday.

Now, as far as the treatments and side effects--David is such a trooper! He has such a great attitude and hasn't complained once about everything that's happening to him. So far his body has been strong and he has had very few side effects. He has only felt nauseous a couple times (but no vomiting), and he's been pretty tired, but other than that he is doing pretty well. He also had some pretty bad joint/bone pain in his legs from the white blood cell shot the other day, but the pain is gone now. :) He also hasn't really started losing his hair yet, which his doctor is very surprised about. She expected it to start falling out this past week (earlier than with other types of chemo because of how intense this type is), but so far it hasn't. It's pretty much guaranteed to fall out, though, so we're trying to prepare ourselves for that. :( One awesome thing is that, this past Tuesday he had a blood test done, and his white blood cell count was normal, which also amazed the doctor. He had only had 2 shots at that point, so hopefully all the rest will continue to boost his numbers. :)

How are his three girls doing? We're doing alright. Katie is doing awesome, but she also hasn't really had any changes--she's still with Mommy all the time. Gracie has been struggling a little. She had a hard time the first week because of being away from us so much, plus I didn't really have the energy to play with her when we got her back after the treatments. Because of that, she was acting out a little. Last week was better because we were together more and I tried to focus on her (rather than housework or whatever) when I was with her. This weekend has been great because we just got to all be together without any doctor's appointments to interrupt our playtime. :) I'm doing pretty well too. I'd be lying if I said I feel awesome and wonderful and energetic. I'm trying to take things one day at a time, because if I think too much about what lies ahead of us, I get overwhelmed. I feel guilty when I get impatient with Gracie at the end of the day, so I'm trying to be better and remember to be silly with her (which is her favorite thing to do). The hardest thing of all is trying to figure out the balancing act between my three favorite people: do I feed Katie first, or help Gracie with what she's doing, or check on Dave to see if he needs anything? They all need me, and while it is nice to be needed, it is also a huge responsibility, and I pray that I don't cause permanent damage to any/all of them while they wait for me to get to them. :S

Well, now that you're all updated, I'll close this post. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We truly can feel your love and know that we are doing as well as we are because of your prayers and the strength that Heavenly Father gives us each day. Please continue to pray for us, and know that each prayer makes a difference. We love you all!

Oh, and speaking of my three favorite people, here they are now!