UPDATE ON MADDIE

We had an exciting week, heading up to see our new home in Quantico. After our clinic visit Monday to get chemo, we got straight on the highway. Five and a half hours later, we got to check out our new place. Brandon had been there since the previous Wednesday and he had the whole house pretty much unpacked and organized. Although the base housing is significantly smaller than our last house in Jacksonville, it was brand new and the floorplan is pretty neat. Most of our stuff fits in the house and what doesn't is currently in the garage.
Maddie seemed to love it, and was practically running all over the place. This house is only one level, so it seems much easier to child-proof. We really enjoyed our week there with Brandon; it went way too fast. It is amazing how going to a different place can make you feel so different. It was like a vacation from cancer, almost, thought there really is no such thing. It was very invigorating and reassuring to me to get to imagine what life will be like when we get to live together as a family. It made me want to fast-forward to October when we think we might start actually moving up there for real.
Of course, just moving doesn't change anything; we will have chemo once a week until October 30, 2009. But the change of scenery makes it easier to pretend that things are different. I think I resolved that pretending is okay. Miss Priss will have chemo for alot longer, and the risk of relapse doesn't go away for even longer than that. But the most important thing is that Maddie enjoys every moment, so the sooner we can start pretending cancer isn't a huge part of our lives, the better. I think the move will be good to help us put a little distance between us and the very recent memories of diagnosis and the initial haze of hospitalizations. We will be just as vigilant about germs and any signs of relapse or infection, but we will do it in a new atmosphere where it feels like we are at least trying to move past this.
We have been incredibly lucky to have the best helpers in the world, my mom Bea and my stepdad Lance. They have not only opened their home to us, but have fed us, cleaned up after us, done laundry, etc. They have completely re-arranged their lives to make room for the insanity that is a baby with cancer. Living with us when Maddie is on steroids is enough to make any normal person want to go running for the hills. We will never be able to repay them for all they have done for us during this time. It will be tough to learn to live just the three of us again, because Brandon will actually have to go to work everyday and I won't have two other adults around to help me with Maddie. I know it will take a little getting used to, but we were able to do it before all this, what now seems like a very long time ago.
So our visit with Daddy was great, and now we are back to our normal routine, and if everything continues as planned, Maddie will have a spinal tap (LP) to give chemo next Monday and she will start steroids again (Arrghhh!). Then we do more oral chemo most of the rest of this month. In September, we will be hospitalized twice for hard chemo and her counts will be dangerously low again for about 6-7 weeks. But when all that is done, we hope to move up to live with Brandon.
Please keep our amazing baby in your prayers, as well as all of the other children with cancer. I swear we hear about more and more every week. This is something no child should have to go through.
Take care, Liz, Brandon, and Maddie