Ready for Anything

Max wakes up most mornings pretty ready to play. This means that so often, as I am sitting here trying hard to drink my coffee and wake up and face the day, he is ready to play something like chainsawing bicyclist ready for a swim.

Sibling Love

This one is for "the teacher at Farrington." :)

One of the bright spot out of all of this is how close Lauren and Max have become. They really enjoy each others' company. Often, they start there day with hugs. Max likes to read to her and tell her about things. A couple of days ago, while Lauren was napping, Max wanted to wake her because he missed her. She adores him, too. They do fight and there are times when Max definitely wants her to go elsewhere (we are working on teaching him to go into his room and close the door rather than flatten her), but more often than not, they get along.

Whether dancing, painting, helping Lauren enjoy a boat ride at the amusement park, or teaching her how to drive a remote control car, they really enjoy each others' company.

He's Come So Far

A year ago, we had hoped to attend the Common Ground Fair in Maine. Instead, Max received his first blood transfusion. I was determined to attend this year, so we drove up on Friday morning. It was a long drive but worth every minute. The kids had a great time. Max especially enjoyed it. We spent most of the day in the kids' areas. The adults didn't get to do much of what we had planned to do, but sometimes you just need to let the kids do their thing. Here are some picture of a healthy looking boy

Treasure!

So often, I find myself sad that Max has not had a chance to do so many of the things that his friends are doing, like preschool and music class and swim class and dance and soccer.... the list could go on and on. I read the local community center activities lists and think about how much I wish he could go to things. Part of it is selfish, I will admit. I wouldn't mind the breaks that some of the activities offer. But also, I sometimes really feel like he is missing out on things. Like maybe if he doesn't take a class now, he will be behind later. And then we have things like yesterday, when he and Josh found an old hatbox in the attic. Josh brought it down and cleaned it and the hats up (yes Mom, we cleaned them really well before letting anyone play with them) and let the kids play with the hats that were inside. THere were two. One reminded Josh of Indiana Jones. The other was rounder with a flower. Max took one and gave the other to Lauren and they played games involving their hats. It was so much fun to watch. They are so inventive and imaginative. I love watching them learn, too. I worry that I am not doing a good enough job teaching them, but they continue to amaze me, especially Max. So maybe it isn't all bad that we are spending all this time together. This is a great age and so much fun.

Much Better Numbers - CBC - 09/06/2007

Max had a visit from the home healthcare nurse today. She did a blood draw. Believe it or not, Max was thrilled. He missed her. He was actually asking to get a blood test yesterday. Strange boy. :)

His numbers were much improved. His doctor was very happy to see them, and even cancelled next week's blood draw. He said we don't need to check again until the end of the month. He definitely wants to wait on school until his system is stronger, though. That is fine with me, as seeing his numbers plunge like that really shook me up. I went to his preschool orientation last night (is starts next week) and it was kind of sad knowing that his start date is still up in the air, and he really wants to go now that all of his friends have started school, but it is for the best. Hopefully he will have no trouble adjusting when he does get there.

We talked about removing the port again. The goal is next month assuming his numbers hold. I know that this is the third month that we have heard this, but seeing as the original plan was to remove it a year after it was put in, and that was in mid October, I think they mean it at this point.

Here are the numbers:

WBC: 4.2
HGB: 11.9
HCT: 34.4
ANC: 1344