COOKIE - Giving Thanks....Boo! 10/30/06

Dearest Friends and Family,
Thank you for having the curiosity and wonderment about our beautiful COOKIE and the rest of the family.

Thank you for all of the beautiful emails and phone calls we've received in response to our BLOG.

Thank you for being the kind of friends and family that we can count on in a time of desperate need for support and love.

Thank you.

As the beginning of the Holiday Season quickly approaches, if you're like us, you're already planning the menu for Thanksgiving and making sure you have enough chairs and supplies. We're going to Aunt Shannon's house in Palm Desert for dinner this year. The weather should be perfect and it's always a fun time with Aunt Shannon and Uncle Johnny and their friends.

Did everyone take my advice about the flu shot? I hope so, although it didn't help us very much. Parker was very ill, missing a week and a half from school! Shelee followed him, running a temperature of 101-103.9 for 5 days, then I needed a turn. As I write this, my voice is still raspy and hoarse. We've had a rash of the flu hit us like I've never seen. Of course our goal throughout all of this was to keep COOKIE segregated from the germs. To do that, she had to be downstairs, while whoever was sick had to stay upstairs. It's been a true workout running up and down the stairs for whoever was the "nurse".

We've sprayed Lysol and used a ton of disinfectant wipes, worn our masks, Fabreezed every piece of furniture and washed our hands until they're red several times a day to try to keep this flu from spreading! I'm telling you! You don't want it!

So far, Matt and COOKIE have escaped it's clutches and we aim to keep it that way!

Shelee took COOKIE to UCLA today (Friday) and she's still on track. They reduced her Prednisone yet again and we're now at 5 (FIVE!!!) mg. every other day! We're almost OFF of the steroid and that's a HUGE milestone for our girl!!! She's lost the weight and is looking as beautiful as ever with her dark hair and bright blue eyes. She's doing SO well with her schooling and just adores her teacher. She's always doing homework and really feels grateful and happy. She's feeling more and more like a "normal" kid every day.

We're still struggling with her appetite, or lack of appetite, but she does eat some so they're not worried. I'm the one who gets crazy when she doesn't eat. It's what I do! I'm an Italian Grandmother!

Speaking about school, I cannot believe the difference it's made for Parker. He has learned soooo much since starting Kindergarten! And the way we find out what he knows is really funny because he often doesn't feel like talking about his day in school when you pick him up but throughout the evening he'll just start telling you about something that happened or start singing a song he learned! It shows in his homework too. Homework time is 4:00pm and he's great about following the routine. He loves the routine. His printing and letter and number recognition have improved 100%. He's actually writing little sentences with a little help! He too has been blessed with an awesome teacher!

Are we lucky or what? If ever a family was grateful, it's this one. We've had one heckuva year but the light is shining at the end of the tunnel and we're going forward, one day at a time.

Well, the roller coaster ride continues. I didn't send this blog out immediately after I finished writing it because I was hoping to get a picture of the kids today (Sunday) at Parker's "Fall At Fern" play! EVERYONE is coming to see him and his kindergarten class perform! His class is the only one to put this play on every year and his teacher has worked very hard. The kids will have over 100 costume changes! But, back to the roller coaster part......COOKIE was ill all day yesterday. The doctor called us the night before to tell us her cyclosporin level (taken Friday) was very low. So, needless to say, she woke up yesterday morning feeling terrible. Her appetite is non-existent and before noon her headache was full blown. She tried to eat a little alphabet pasta, then took some Tylenol for headache. After an hour or so of feeling very punk, she finally vomited and then felt better. No temperature in sight so it's all about the cyclosporin level. After speaking with the doctor, the dose has been adjusted and "wait and see" is back on again. COOKIE takes cyclosporin twice a day, timed doses, 10am and 10pm. This is the very important medication that keeps her from the dreaded graph vs. host disease. It's also the med that causes the hair growth all over her body. I'm happy to report that that aspect is well under control. By night's end, COOKIE was able to eat a popsicle, drink a little soda, and she was feeling much better. Hence the roller coaster.

I'm VERY happy to report that she is feeling well this morning (Sunday). No appetite but we'll work on it.

So, here we are, getting ready for company, for all of the wonderful friends and family that will take their $.50 ticket and watch Parker perform on stage as a Fireman! I'll write more later after we return.

Today is Monday and we're still reeling with laughter and awe at the performance yesterday! WHAT A SPECTACULAR THING TO SEE! 20 5 year olds singing and changing costumes and following directions and saying their lines and performing in front of a packed house of proud parents, relatives and friends! There were 240 people in the audience and that's saying something for participation! Ms. Wilson is a one of a kind kindergarten teacher and we are blessed, along with the other 19 families, to be part of her annual "Fall At Fern". Seeing is believing and there's no way I can convey what we felt and saw yesterday. It was just too overwhelming! COOKIE was so proud of her brother and was snapping pictures with her digital camera left and right. She got really choked up when she looked up on the wall and one of the decorations that the kids had made. This one was Parker's and it was a Fall tree. It had the question..."What's your favorite thing about Fall?" Parker's wrote...."Playing with my sister."

Parker, along with the other 19 darlings, was wonderful and we were all so very, very proud of him. We celebrated our health and Parker's DEBUT by going to dinner at the Macaroni Grill! A very well deserved and overdue treat for all of us!

Well, I could keep this thing going and give you a blow by blow on a daily basis but I'm going to close it for now. Tomorrow is Halloween and COOKIE is going to be a hillbilly, and a mighty cute one at that! Parker is going to be a "Director of Operations for WASTE MANAGEMENT". If I can get this blog to send pictures, I'll gladly include them in the next installation!

Hugs and Spooky Times for all!
Love,
Cookie, The Grandma