Today was a great day. Ansley was FULL of energy!!!! She played in The Atrium several times - painted, played restaurant, etc. She has also eaten better! 'Adult' mac n' cheese is her favorite item right now (which means non-Kraft mac n' cheese)!! Her dinner consisted of two helpings of that and french fries! Her snack today consisted of Oreos! We are just excited that her tummy is feeling better, her appetite is kicking in, and, well, that her bowels are moving! Considering how all of this started, that is a huge blessing.
Amy and I have had a strange day in the midst of this. We are thrilled to see how she is doing. In fact, it is hard to believe that she even has cancer. But, we also know that we have to be more careful than ever for her health. So, we are trying to let her be a little girl and enjoy her spunk, while at the same time beginning to feel very protective - wearing masks, being careful for anything she touches, etc.
All in all, we are all a little tired. We are looking forward to going home on Friday (if all still goes well) and sleeping in our own beds! We are looking forward to eating dinner as a family and having some movie nights and game nights.
Thanks to everyone who has been praying and who continues to do so! As we watch our little girl start to heal, this song from Andrew Peterson comes to mind:
Come broken and weary
Come battered and bruised
My Jesus makes all things new, all things new.
Come lost and abandoned
Come blown by the wind
He'll bring you back home again, home again.
Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake,
the light of the dawn is upon you.
Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, he makes all things new.
Come frozen with shame
Come burning with guilt
My Jesus, he loves you still, he loves you still.
Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake,
the light of the dawn is upon you.
Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, he makes all things new.
The world was good,
the world is fallen,
the world will be redeemed.
So hold on to the promise,
the stories are true, that Jesus makes all things new.
From Amy:
What a mix of emotions today. It feels so good to see Ansley playing and being her normal, fun self. And yet, at the same time, I ache thinking that my baby girl has cancer. How can her body be attacked by all these cancer cells and yet she can smile and play and laugh? What a glorious picture of her circumstances not owning her. She is stronger than me. She has no more "tubes" meaning she is off all IV medications and fluids!! That means the only thing still on her is her port and she will have that for a few years. She will have her next chemo treatment on Friday morning. Please pray her lab work shows that she is healthy enough for this therapy on Friday. If she gets it, then we can go home after it's done! We will come back in on Monday for her Spinal Tap chemo but it is outpatient and we can go home after it is done.
I feel like I am on a roller coaster with my emotions. One minute I am calm and then I see something as simple as her precious little shoe. Then, I begin crying and my heart hurts so bad it feels like it could burst. I am learning that trusting our faithful Father is the only way to live. I'm not saying it's easy, in fact, I am finding it not so easy right now. But, I was never told trusting would be a breeze. I am told something much better than that. I am told He is faithful and He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Now that's something worth trusting!
