Rena is 12!

Hey everyone!  Thanks for helping Rena to have a great 12th birthday.  Although she had to spend the actual day at clinic the nurses made it a special day by a surprise singing happy birthday to her. We started celebrating at home Thursday night and continued until Sunday afternoon, when she had a tea party with two of her good school friends.

Transitions

Hello everyone! We are making some transitions this week:

Rena has started working with a tutor here at home to keep up with her school work.

We are enjoying the company of my father who is here for an extended visit to help with Rena. Rena is enjoying cooking for him and he and Nate are playing a lot of table tennis together.

Rena cut her hair to a layered cut above her shoulders. She is losing quite a bit of hair, but still has more than I do! :) I guess it helps that it was really thick to start with. The short haircut makes the hair loss more manageable. The new cut looks really cute on her.

This week Rena begins a new phase in her treatment, which means new medications (some of which Nate and I will administer at home), and some scary new procedures for Rena in the clinic. Rena is a resilient kid though and is generally in good spirits. Mostly we are glad to move on the next phase because it means things are going as planned.

We finished reading "I am number four" and Rena is spending a lot of time reading "Breaking Dawn" on her own and with me. No new knitting projects this week, but Rena has made it outside for some fresh air and some short walks. We have also tried a bit of yoga and some breathing and meditation.

Most importantly Rena turns 12 on Friday! We have lots of fun things planned for her. She is looking forward to a tea party with a few of her school friends on Sunday.

Thanks everyone for the support!
Ginger

Kindle carrying-case knitted by Rena

A good day at the clinic

Hey everyone!  I guess all your prayers and positive thoughts are working.  We had a pretty good day at the clinic today. We kept Rena busy with plenty of food to occupy her during the treatment and we were on the road home enjoying a little sunshine  by 2:00 pm this afternoon.  She is tired and feeling a little icky, but she watched "Man vs. Food" right away when we got home and that perked her up a little.  We are taking it easy for now watching some "Gilmore Girls" and I'm off to cook up some Aebelskivers per Rena's request in a few minutes.  We are looking forward to a relaxing weekend and seeing Papa on Sunday night.

busy week

We've had a busy week.  Rena has been knitting a scarf with some beautiful yarn that Marylin sent.  She is going to give it to Nate.  She continues to have a great appetite and is dreaming up new recipes all day long. I started back to work this week on a limited basis.  I am going to campus only when I have lectures and meetings.  Rita stayed over Monday to help out and Nate and I have been juggling our schedules so that someone is always with Rena.  My father arrives this weekend for an extended visit to help with Rena. Tomorrow we have another day in clinic.  It should be a shorter day and we are glad of that. Thank you for your continued support.

Also, Rena's fireman friend from Washington state was 35th out of 1500 fireman racing to the top of a very tall building in downtown Seattle (in full gear).  He raised a lot of money for Leukemia research on Rena's behalf and we are very grateful for his efforts.

Fun Weekend

This weekend we are enjoying a visit with Nate's aunt Rita.  She drove up Saturday and spent the evening decorating cupcakes with Rena.  She and Rena have been scheming together about what delicious foods they can cook.  Rena's appetite is still going strong.

Long day

Our second Friday at the clinic went much better today.  It was still a very long day, but we expected that.  Rena was much more comfortable and everything really went a lot smoother.  Thanks for all the positive thoughts and prayers.

Another Treatment Tomorrow

Today Rena had a visit from her math and science teacher.  He brought all of her things from her locker and a few great books for Rena to read.  He also brought some cards from her classmates and she was really happy to read them. It was a nice visit. Soon we expect to have a regular tutor to help Rena keep up with the important things.

Tomorrow we will visit the clinic again for Rena's chemotherapy treatment.  Now that we know how things work at the clinic we will be better prepared and are really hoping for a more positive day. Please send us your positive thoughts tomorrow!

Tuesday

We've had a couple of pretty good days.  Rena's appetite and strange cravings have continued.  Rena has tried various recipes with mashed potatoes and other ingredients like barbecue sauce.  When she isn't eating she is thinking about what she wants to eat next.  She seems to do pretty well during the day, though she is getting sick of being stuck at home.  She is tired out by the evening and tends to feel things more.  We are tying to get into a routine and will get her started on her school work again soon. Rena and I are reading "I Am Number Four" (from the upcoming movie) and it is turning out to be a great book.

Also, a firefighter from Washington state is climbing in Rena's name during a fundraising event for Leukemia research.  If you want to learn more:
http://www.llswa.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1088182&pg=personal&fr_id=1161