Avery's First Day at Kindergarten & Last Treament on this phase!

August 31st, 2011: Picture of Salt (Kelsi) and Pepper (Avery) before I dropped her off to her first day of Kindergarten.

Avery & Saydee! Their hair is coming back, but Bald is still Beautiful.

Avery & Mom!

First day of school celebration August 18th

Aug. 23rd, 2011: Meeting with her Teacher Mrs. Mathews, seeing her new classroom and finding out what she knows letters, numbers etc...

We talked very little about going to Kindergarten because I didn't know if she could go and I didn't want to get her all excited about an experience she may not get to be a part of, something that before all this, she would have been super excited about. As it got closer, I asked her oncologist (Jennifer Wright) for the up-teenth time about her going and she still gave her the go-ahead. I finally could start getting Avery excited for it. People asked aren't you so sad that Avery is starting school. I never thought that she may have to miss Kindergarten so I was just so glad she was able to start this new experience with all the other kids, but sad for what she has to go through. I'm hoping she can go as much as possible, but at the same time it's so scary worrying about her low immune system and getting sick. She has been off treatments for a whooping 15 days so that gave her a chance to have the best experience possible under the circumstances

Her last treatment on this phase (Sept. 1, 2011) Interim Maintenance I, her counts were only 700. They needed to be 750 to up the dose of MTX chemo. I decided I'd better stay home with Carson who was only a few weeks old and Kelsi who feels so left out. This really has been so hard for me feeling like I have to choice between 3 children who all need me. I hate feeling like I can't be there for all of them especially when it's so hard on them. When they drove away at 6 in the morning I felt so guilty for not going, but Johnny really does an awesome job. He doesn't ask a zillion questions like me, but he knows just what to do and Avery knows she's in good hands. Johnny's dad rode up with him. Johnny said it hit him to see how real this really is- seeing all the cancer kids and just seeing Avery getting chemo. The medicine that will save her live, but also is so dangerous.. They didn't have it ready because due to her mouth sores on the last visit, her Doctor wanted to see her first to decide if they were not going to give her MTX chemo at all (only vincristine) or just give her the lower dose like the week. They decided on the same dose as the week before. They made it home safety and for the last few weeks she has felt so good.

We start the "Worse" phase called Delayed Intensification in two days which she has three treatments in one week. So not fun to be back on the horrible steroids. I still vividly remember how swollen & sad she was and how much pain we cried through and how she was a totally different girl who rarely smiled. How I would have done anything to just take it all away from her. I never want to go back to those days and hope the on 7 days off 7 days of steroids will be more bearable. I'll never forgot those who were so supportive through those really hard times!