The first bump in the road

So, Jake has had two chemo treatments and both went pretty well with minimal side effects, at least none that were unmanageable. We had been told that his blood counts would dip 7 to 10 days after chemo and they really did this time. He woke up this morning with a fever of 101.1 which is essentially a round trip ticket to the hospital, no questions asked. I packed a quick bag to head to Egelston and we were our way. I know I've said this before, but Jake really doesn't want to go to the hospital anymore, and every time he protests I think "we've only got about 8 more months of this," and that is not a comforting thing to tell a three year old. I mean, that's got to be an eternity to a little kid! We got to the clinic waiting room and he just starts screaming that he doesn't want to go to the doctor and then they call his name and he really lets loose. With the spotlight on us we swiftly escape through the doors to get to our room. The nurse has to access his port and begin antibiotics. After she's done, she comments that I would be a good wrestler with the moves I was using to hold Jake still. I just hope as this goes along he doesn't fight as much because he is already pretty strong and will most likely surpass my strength before long at all. LOL.

His bloodwork confirms that he has no defenses against infection and that we would be here for a few days until his white blood count comes up. He would also be receiving a transfusion before the end of the day to help the process along and make him feel better quicker. This is the first time I have witnessed a transfusion and in my dramatic mind, I imagined that it would be an ordeal. I have no idea what I thought it would be like, but I certainly didn't think it would be no different than when he is just receiving fluids. So, there he sleeps peacefully receiving another person's blood with no trouble at all. I used to donate blood every three months but stopped at some point in between pregnancies. Now I must remember to get back on the schedule to return the favor for someone else who donated blood for Jake. **hint hint...go donate blood!**.

I meant to write about this yesterday but got sidetracked- Jake's teacher asked us to come back up to school yesterday because the football team for the high school wanted to meet him. You know how the teams take a knee and make a semi-circle around the coach? Well, imagine that except with them all surrounding Jake instead. The coach told Jake that they are his team and that they are his family and that they pray for him all the time. Then the players all yelled "we love you, Jake" and went back to their practice. It is so comforting to know how many good people there are in this world. How could our little boy touch so many hearts? I truly hope that Jake is the closest that any of those players will ever come to knowing cancer.

A lot of people ask how Ethan and Aubrey have been doing with all of this, and for the most part we think they are doing well. We went and had lunch with Ethan at school yesterday and Randy talked to his teacher while we were there. She said he is behaving pretty much the same, which is a very good thing! She had the idea to have all of the kids make get well cards for Jake and before they made them she asked Ethan if he wanted to explain what's going on. She said he used big words and explained very clearly and she was impressed by how well he understands what is going on (for a 5 year old). This news was a big relief for us. We are trying really hard not to make Ethan feel left out or less important...hopefully we're doing a good job. Aubrey is such a good baby and is happy 99% of the time. We don't think she is being affected at all. *fingers crossed*

I've stayed up long enough to make sure Jake isn't having a reaction to the transfusion. Now I'm tired. Goodnight!

-Kait