Day 264 - Gooood....Gooood....

     Another week is in the books since the last blog update and I'm thrilled to report not much has changed.  Evan loved his first week of school and he appears to be on equal footing with his classmates scholastically.  Having been out of a classroom environment for several months I wasn't sure what to expect.  As his teacher gets more time with him we can speak with her to find out what areas we should focus on (math, reading, etc.).

Eating is still a challenge, but we try to make it fun.

     Last Monday Evan received another dose of Methotrexate and since he's started back up on this drug we've noticed skin discoloration and sores on his mouth.  Not that unexpected.  Methotrexate works by slowing cell growth.  Great for cancer as you can imagine, but your mouth and skin also regenerate cells as a repair function and this is significantly impacted.  In the meantime Cristy and I will need to be vigilant with SPF lotion and knock-off ChapStick.  We can't use the real thing because the oils in ChapStick can trap bacteria leading to a whole other set of problems.

     Evan has an appointment with the ID team scheduled for Wednesday and chemotherapy on Friday.  He'll need a blood draw at some point, however Cristy is going to see about consolidating this effort into his appointment on Wednesday.  At this point it looks like the port will be installed at the end of Interim Maintenance.  

Playing a little Marble Run one morning.

     Cristy has been working with Make-A-Wish on dates for Evan's trip to Orlando.  They tossed out several options, but I think we're leaning towards early summer.  This will allow Evan to complete Interim Maintenance, finish school and heal up from his port surgery.  He's looking forward to being able to play in the water outside again.

     Evan continues to make strides in his mobility.  He almost never complains of fatigue or pain so really it's just a matter of being patient and allowing the muscles to grow stronger.  Yesterday our friend Adrienne, who was a neighbor of ours in Atlanta, came up to visit.  Evan was trying hard to play with her and this motivated him greatly.  It was great catching up and we're thankful she made the trip up to visit.  I'm certain school provides the same sort of stimulation.

Sharing a toy...which is a rare sight.

     I'll likely post another blog entry this week to share his blood counts prior to the next round of chemo.  It's likely his numbers will have dipped again, but to what degree I couldn't say.  I leave you with a picture of Cristy imitating Emperor Palpatine to brighten your day.

Cristy and the boys had an Emperor-off.  I have all their videos!