Victoria 7 months later

This is a video of Victoria the first night we got her.  She still has that sweet giggle.  

She has grown so much and is still as sweet as ever.  This is a video of her 7 months later.

The end of chemotherapy

On June 12th, Isaiah officially finished all of his chemotherapy medications.  It is so exciting for all of us that after giving medications every night for 1159 days, it is finally over.  It's been a long road and thinking back, there were some intense treatments that Isaiah had to withstand for a little guy.  I'm so proud of him for being so brave and never fighting his treatments....(minus one time where the nurses had to swaddle him in a blanket as he kicked and punched to avoid a nasty nose sucker swab).  He's been such a trooper.  There are mixed emotions.  We feel blessed that Isaiah is cured and is thriving.  We're nervous however about the next couple of years.  There's always a possibility of a relapse and if it were to happen, we were told it would likely be in the first two years.  It's hard to put that out of our minds but we are reminded that God is with us.

Isaiah recently memorized a Bible verse that reads "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9  Whatever life throws our way, we have God to give us the strength we need to sustain us.

We'll really miss the staff at Children's Hospital.  They are all so wonderful.  They always wear cheerful smiles and go above and beyond to make the treatments as comfortable as possible.  Popping bubbles from the bubble machine as the general anaesthetic slowly kicked in was one of the ways Isaiah didn't mind getting his chemo.  We will need follow up appointments once a month for the next while and then once a year until he's 18 so will still get to see everyone periodically.  

Isaiah's very last procedure will be August 7th to remove his VAD.  So excited to be done!

Dream night at the Aquarium

 Last week, we were invited to Dream Night at the Vancouver Aquarium.  This is a night where children with life threatening illnesses can enjoy the Aquarium after hours with their families.  We had so much fun!

A highlight for the boys was hugging all the mascots.

The machine that spit out a pop when you give it a hug.  I was amazed.  

A cherry on top at the end of the night:  Goody bags filled with Aquarium paraphernalia.  

a few crazy days

Isaiah was admitted to hospital Thursday night with fever and neutropenia.  He really is finishing up his cancer treatment with a bang.  He's off chemo and out of school until his blood counts go up.  He was discharged on Sunday afternoon.

Victoria sharing snacks with Isaiah in his hospital bed.

Victoria practicing her walking throughout the hospital

Adam watching the construction of BC's new Children's Hospital....It's going to be beautiful

After being discharged, the kids played outside

And then today, not like we haven't seen enough of the hospital, Adam bashes his chin on the coffee table.  Four stitches.  He was actually quite happy to be at the hospital.  I think he enjoyed being the center of attention.  He fell asleep waiting for his turn and slept the whole time while they stitched him up.  

Recent photos

Isaiah's last LP

Isaiah had his last lumbar puncture on Wednesday.  He will no longer receive intrathecal chemotherapy.  It was a big day.  We celebrated afterwards with pizza and a smoothie at the hospital.

Enjoying life

Things have been going very well these last couple weeks.  Isaiah returned to school on Monday and is doing very well health-wise.  I was a bit worried about how he would adjust to going back to school full time after being home for so long.  Fortunately, he is doing very well and is happy to be back.  He was so excited to bring Madame Souris (his teacher's stuffed animal) home this weekend.  I'm so thankful that he has such a great teacher this year.  There's nothing more comforting than knowing your child feels safe and loved at school.  He really loves her.  He told me that she has a bucket full of special things for outside exploration and that "she even has magnifying glasses mom!  We should get a magnifying glass!"  He said that the whole class got to chase her and that "she's really fast, even faster than you mom."  I just love that he's telling me about his days (did not do this in the fall).  He seems so happy and grown-up.  We've been organizing a few play dates for him as well to help him ease back in to school.  Today, he had three boys over.  It was wild in this house but they had fun.
It's been nice spending time with Adam and Victoria while Isaiah is at school.  Adam is so different without Isaiah around.  He's so quiet and calm.  He's actually a lot like Isaiah was.  He loves to draw, build puzzles and be my special helper.  I'm thankful for this time with him.  He's so well-behaved and loves to please me with special drawings, wiping up dust, cleaning up toys and giving me flowers.  I love him so much and realize that he needs more one-on-one time with me.  He thrives when I'm giving him my full attention.  He's sort of the stereotype middle child and often gets lost in the crowd.  I think that's why he always shouts when he speaks.  All his conversations begin at a very high volume.  I'm constantly telling him to lower his voice.  At one point, David and I were wondering if he had hearing problems.  He doesn't.  I'm trying my best to create special moments with Adam.  I don't want him to be the stereotypical middle child but I see it happening.  Isaiah has had a lot of attention with being the first child and having so many health problems and Victoria naturally gets a lot of attention for being the youngest.  On top of that, we've been giving her extra attention to ensure she bonds with us.  So you can see how Adam can easily become that middle child.  This week, I let him pick out some new paints.  We love to paint in this house and can't wait to paint something special.

Adam being Adam

Victoria is still as cute as ever.  She loves pointing at the sky, trees and birds, all of which she refers to as "ba".  She also says "dada".  When I told her to say mama, she shook her head and said dada.  It's adorable.  She is taking more steps and is still very curious...sometimes a little too curious.  Two weeks ago, she was emptying my can cupboard and dropped a can on her toe.  The nail turned purple.  Poor girl.  She's still very attached to me and gets very jealous if the boys are sitting on my lap.  Whenever Adam sits on me, Victoria comes up to him and pinches his legs.  She also weazles her way onto my lap and continues pinching Adam to get him to leave.  She's very possessive.
I love being with the kids so much.  I don't want this time to end.  I just want to freeze these moments.  I love the curiosity of my questioning 5-year-old, the affection from my adorable 3-year-old and the pure love from my precious 1 year-old.  They are all so special.  Mothering has been such a blessed time for me that I don't want it to end.  I just want to have more babies and make it last forever.  But maybe that is only my hormones talking.  Maybe tomorrow when Isaiah is having a meltdown because felt doesn't erase, when Adam wets his pants after refusing to go to the bathroom and when Victoria is throwing all her food onto my carpeted floor (p.s. who puts carpet under dining room tables!?)...maybe then I'll realize that there is a time for all seasons and will be longing for the day when they will be independent human beings.  Who knows what the future will bring?