Feb 22nd

Madelyn had an appointment on Tuesday Feb 22nd this week.  Starting 12:20pm which is much later than we are used to (usually around 8 or 9am).  So we decided to leave Anacortes that morning.  All fine, except our normal routine was off and we realized when we got to Hem/Onc that we forgot to put MJ's numbing cream on her port!!!  Ekkkk!!  I could NOT believe we did that.  Luckily, they have a faster acting 20 min cream that she used.  It had been almost 2 weeks since her last appointment so being accessed caused her a little more anxiety this time.  We are now back to appointments every week.


The Hem/Onc clinic had also become a mini-toy-store that day.  The hall was filled with toys that kids and their siblings could choose from.  That was good because I had also forgotten our usual "stuff."  It's always a long process being at clinic.  I pack a big bag of snacks, drinks, coloring, toys, books, etc.  Totally didn't remember that either!  So they played with a new Barbie and a strange noise making alien doll Phia picked out.  Classic Phia.


So Madelyn's ANC was pretty low this week.  606.  This meant she was not able to get her dose of Methotrexate that she was scheduled for.  We're not sure what to think about that.  The doctors says that they don't want to skip a dose, but if her ANC is below 750 then they do.  So she just had the Vincristine.  The Methotrexate and Vincristine are both chemotherapies.  So because her ANC is so low - we will be lying low.... not out and about as much until her number is back up.


Hem 35.0  Plat 348  WBC 3.0 and ANC 606


Madelyn's energy has been great this week and she is feeling good.  We had a little scare last evening as she started running a low-grade temp of around 99.5 from about 2pm until 8pm.  She awoke this morning feeling good and no fever, thank goodness.  She went to Physical Therapy today, Friday, with Amy and did wonderfully.  Although PT at Island Hospital is verrrry distracting.  She kept watching the other patients and asking Amy "what's this, what's that, what's this for?"  It was funny.


So Peter and I have been pretty busy with work the last week or so.  On Wednesday, we had a photoshoot for the Bunnies by the Bay's fall catalog in Seattle.  Madelyn and Sophia came along and helped us with the babies.  Madelyn especially loved this.  Here are some photos from our time in Seattle.

Lots of mama's, babies, diapers, car seats and bottles at the studio in Greenwood.

Madelyn playing with one of our models.

Busy, busy - Baby Mayhem!  I think it was eight babies at once.

Girls were so good during the shoot we took them out for spaghetti lunch.  Phia is saying NO MORE PHOTOS MAMA!!!!  

Madelyn is really starting to look like herself again.  She lost about 2 1/2 pounds since her last appointment!  That Dexamethazone-induced weight is starting to go away just in time to start it back up again in about four weeks.

Doctors are surprised by how much hair she has!

Peter shielding himself from the spaghetti splatter.

Pretty tuckered out after an early morning getting to the photo shoot, playing with babies for four hours and big lunch.  They both slept the whole way home to Anacortes.

We left Seattle with NO snow.  We arrived in mounds of it!  They were excited...