Back home...

Ally arrived back home about 2pm today. No sooner than all the methotrexate goes into her body, they begin flushing it back out of her body. She is allowed to go home when it tests .1 or lower in her blood. Saturday morning, it tested at .4, so there was talk that she might reach the appropriate level that same day. But we know better than to get our hopes up, and indeed she did not pass and had to stay Saturday night too. This was expected though. We are very glad to now have her back home under our roof and sleeping in her own bed. It is better for all of us. In addition to wearing on Jerad and I, the hospital stays are particularly hard on Evan and Carly too. I have noticed some issues with Evan for the past few days. It is just not easy. And all I can say is that I am trying my very best. I spend a lot of time caring for Ally, preparing stuff for Ally, researching for Ally, even blogging for Ally, so I don't have as much time for him as a normal mother. These hospital stays bring me right to my breaking point. Since we have to do this three more times in the next month and half, I am beginning to recognize that we need to ask for more help. We have an army of people willing to help, yet Jerad and I find it very difficult to ever ask for any.

So she spent her last night in the hospital having another movie night (well it was a new episode of iCarly) We also had a donut test taste amongst the kids (her friend Joshua came to visit) What do you do when you can't get your child to eat? A taste test, of course.

All sucking their thumbs like Carly.....

We continue to try to get our girl to eat. They actually prescribed an appetite stimulant for her (she has lost 18 pounds). It should take effect in another day or two. My Dad made her a steak and baked potato dinner tonight. She loved it and ate a lot. But then she literally stood up from the table and threw it all back up. Ugh. How can I keep her nourished with these side effects?

Ally is not feeling so well. She spent most of the time at home laying around today. You can tell she is beat. Except for one particular time when she must have gotten a second wind and started helping me with all the chores. Emptied the dishwasher for me. Folded some laundry. What a good girl. But she is tired and her belly hurts again. It is all very reminiscent of the first month or two. Which they told us in the beginning that this phase of treatment would be particularly intense and hard on her. So I guess I knew it was coming, but I hate it. I just hate it. I am guessing she won't be going to school tomorrow unless she makes a big turnaround. I am hoping that she can go a couple days this week. We will see.

Please pray for our sweet girl Ally. She doesn't deserve this and neither do any of the other leukemia children that we spent our weekend with....Aubrey, Ashley, and Dave. Prayers to all of them.