We need clones.

A few weeks back Kate had a good idea.  She said that there should be three mommies and three daddies: one to be at the hospital with Anna, one to be at home with her and Ethan, and one to do the work.  I agree, except that maybe there should be a fourth who would do the sleeping :)

We just feel like there is so much to do and we wish that we could be in more than one place at a time.  I want to be at the hospital to be with Anna, because I think that this is best for her, because she wants me there, and because I like to have the control that comes with being present.  I want to be at home with Kate and Ethan, because I think that this is best for them, because they both want me there, and because I like to have the control that comes with being present.  But I also need to do the "work" that needs to be done.  Phone calls; organizing who will be eating what, when, and where; figuring out who will be sleeping where on any given night.  I like to be in control of those things.  And then we have to make sure that we have the right carseats in the right cars at the right time.  I dropped the ball on that one this week.  Oops.

We're trying to let go of as much as we can, but, especially for our kids, consistency with their caregivers is best.  So we're doing our best to keep our heads above water, and letting go of a lot of the things that don't really matter.  And, amazingly, our kids are resilient.  It's probably best that they are learning early on that the world does not revolve around them individually.

In fact, Ethan seems to be bouncing through this stage of life quite easily.  A case in point was how he behaved during the benefit on Sunday.  At first he was pretty overwhelmed and didn't want me to set him down or pass him off to Matt or my mom.  But by the end he was running through the silent auction area, almost looking for ways to get under everyone's feet.  Then he would take off down a hallway of the high school, searching for a quieter place where he could still roam.

He also still loves anything with wheels.  Last week when Melissa took him to a friend's house to play, he was shy and reserved at first.  But soon he collected almost every toy car and truck and had them piled on the table.  Then while Kate and her friend were playing in a different room with Polly Pockets, Ethan ventured in, found one of the two Polly Pocket vehicles, and brought it out to add to his collection.  He rarely goes anywhere without a matchbox car in one, or both, hands.  Silly boy.

Kate is having a hard time with the changing caregivers.  She's gotten away with a lot in the past five weeks and so when Matt or I hold the line with her, she fights back.  I miss our cooperative, easy-peasy lemon squeezy Kate.  It's probably all due to the unpredictability of life right now.  Or maybe it's just because she's 4 1/2.  Either way, we've decided that we're going to continue setting clear expectations with her, but we realize that we'll have plenty of time to correct any behavioral slips when life isn't quite as crazy.

Anna had a good "first Wednesday".  Hooray!  My mom was with her most of the day, until I brought the other kids there this afternoon.  Matt showed up in time for us to have dinner in Anna's room before I brought the younger ones back for bed.  Anna was up in her wheelchair several times again today, had her radiation (XRT is what they call it at the hospital), physical and occupation therapies, and speech therapy.  She had an art exploration field trip with grandma this morning, a chance to visit the playroom on P4 and watch Kate and Ethan play this afternoon, and also an opportunity to meet one of the Pet Pal dogs with Kate and Ethan this evening.  As I look over this list of her day, I realize that it is probably more activity and stimulation than she has had in a long time.  Hopefully, everything will continue to look better.

One of the current concerns for Anna is her weight.  She had been losing weight for a week or two before she was admitted to the hospital, then continued to lose weight until she was intubated two weeks ago.  At that point she started putting on a few pounds, finally.  However, this week she has lost weight again.  She hasn't been nauseous in several days (thankfully), but her feeds seem to be going right through her so that her body doesn't have much of a chance to absorb any nutrients.  The nutritionist, nurses, and I are working on how we can fix this problem.  Getting adequate nutrition is a big deal for kids undergoing chemotherapy.

Matt is with Anna tonight; I'll be with her tomorrow and tomorrow night.  My mom is planning on staying with her again overnight on Thursday so that Matt and I can have another evening here at home together.  Hopefully, everything goes as planned.

Time for prayers

Thanksgiving
Please give thanks for the strength and energy (physical, emotional, and spiritual) as she went about her night and day with Anna at the hospital.
Please thank God for the opportunity for me to drop Kate off for preschool today and pick her up again; I haven't done that in a long time.
Please give thanks for the good health for everyone in the family, Anna's cancer not included.  Since this all began, none of us have had serious colds or illnesses.
Please thank God for the relatively consistency that we have been able to have as a family in terms of caregivers for the kids.
Please thank God that Anna has had a whole week now without major surgeries or other invasive procedures.
Please give thanks for all of the people at the hospital who are caring for Anna.

Requests
Please pray that the chemo and radiation is 100% effective in Anna's case.
Please pray that Anna experiences few (or no) side effects from the treatments she is receiving.
Please pray that we can figure out a way for Anna to safely gain some weight.
Please continue to pray for strength and wisdom for my mom as she has a day with Kate and Ethan tomorrow (which involves lots of experiences getting into and out of the car).
Please continue to pray for Matt this week as he balances work, home, hospital, etc.
Please continue to pray for Anna's caregivers at the hospital.  Whether or not they realize how many people are praying for them, I know God is working through each one.

Thank you, as always, for all of your prayers and support.