Hooray, we should be headed home in an hour or so! I realize it's only been three days, but when isolated from the outside world, one day can seem more like a week! The good news is that Autumn is doing really well, it's amazing that she can have that volume of drugs put into her little body and still function as she does. She is having a blast (dare I say it!) with her sisters playing XBox...who knew? She is fairly warm right now, but that is normal since her body has been inundated with chemo for three days straight!

Some of you have inquired as to the reason that chemo must linger for so long. When I spoke with the oncologist this morning, he said that although her scan was clear last month, all prior studies indicate that a contiunation of chemo is necessary to reduce the likelihood that the tumor will return. Sometimes those nasty cancer cells fall dormant for a short while and then perk up at a more opportune moment for them, how annoying. The 9-month long chemo should take care of those misbehaving cells.

The hard part will come this next week when we have to be extra careful of germs as her white blood count will be dangerously low. Ugh, it is these times that are trying for a parent. On the one hand I want her to live a "normal" life right now and have all of those experiences that any 4 year old should have, but on the other I have to be so careful that it can make a situation unpleasant or uncomfortable...nothing less than frustrating!

Once we make it through a few more weeks, when she have this wekk-long-blast again, we will be in the home stretch! At that point, we should celebrate, at least a little...any excuse really!