Busy Couple of Days

It's been a busy couple of days. The rest of Thursday went off without a hitch (so to speak) and she actually got in to Proton Therapy only 15 minutes later than her appointment time. A new record, I think. After that, we went over to the Galleria Mall again so Charlotte could watch the ice skaters. She really enjoys this. Plus it's nice and cool by the ice rink. We also found a Sanrio store (home of Hello Kitty!!) and had dinner at Rainforest Cafe. It was good food and Charlotte liked watching the animatronic "wild" animals putting on a show with their noises and antics.

After that, we went back to the camping truck because Juanita's son Phillip was going to appear on the Speed Channel on the show Pinks All Out. It's a drag racing show and this episode was in Texas (he lives in Lubbock). He raced his green pickup truck (most of these cars are classic, souped up dragsters) and actually made it into the top 8.

Went back "home" and Charlotte wound down with an evening of books, videos, and playing with her horses. That has become a favorite diversion. She puts them in the green drawstring bag. Then she takes them out and puts them in the "barn" (the wooden shadow box they came in). Then she takes them out and moves them around the room. Then she puts them back in the bag. It's like the shoelaces but a new obsession.

We got some great packages in the mail including a set of about 30 craft projects with all the materials (conveniently placed in individual ziploc bags) from my Aunt Shelley. Just have to get her interested in those. She did like that they came in a plastic container with a pink and purple lid!!

She refused to take her accutane last night (I didn't do a very good job of hiding it). Oh well. This morning I had to wake her up and she started the day kind of grumpy. Again, I couldn't get her to take the medicine (this time in applesauce) and about the time Grandpa showed up, she had gone into a full-blown crying jag. Just very emotional. She screamed, "I MISS MY DADDY!!" and just sobbed. Poor thing. She has been so much more emotional lately. Some of that is actually a side effect of treatment (especially the accutane) but I think it is more a side effect of just STRESS. Her life is so out of control and I think that a lot of it catches up with her at odd moments so that the least little thing sets her off. It's become kind of a pattern. She usually calms down after a little while but I've learned not to push her to do something unless it's really vital.

We decided to head off to the Science Museum anyway and see how the day went. She definitely calmed after getting in the car and once we were to the museum, she was fine. Thanks to our Houston connections, we pretty much had free tickets to the exhibits we wanted to see. We spent the morning checking out the main exhibits (dinosaurs, other animals, a great Native American exhibit, a fantastic seashell collection, and a gem and mineral collection that was beautiful). We also went to see the butterflies. Very impressive as well and I think this was her favorite part. Charlotte was tolerant of most of the events but if I stopped at any one exhibit for too long she would say (from the stroller) "Keep pushing, mom!".

We left the museum after a huge rainstorm (that we thankfully missed) and headed over to the PTC. One of the patients (an older gentleman) who was having his last treatment was treating the other patients and their guests to a concert. He and his wife are musicians. She played piano and he played saxophone and fiddle and sang with a drum track behind them. It was pretty good and the crowd was lively. Charlotte even bopped to the music a bit. She went in kinda late again today (not too bad) and we did our "old routine": Go get some lunch, run a few errands at Target, etc. and head back to the PTC. She woke about 4 and we went back to the camping truck for dinner. I did manage to get BOTH doses of accutane into her by the day's end so that was good. Now she's reading her books and settling in for the night. I think we're going to head to Galveston tomorrow while we have family and a car available.

Good night all!! One week down, one more to go (for me) and 4 more to go (for all of us).

PS: Charlotte Says, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT B!!!!"

Rachel

Rachel is in Houston Too!

My turn!

The trip out to Houston was mostly uneventful. The flight coming into Richmond was late so I made my connection in Atlanta (to Houston) with only minutes to spare. Fortunately, I only had to walk about 8 gates to make the connection. I also upgraded to business class last minute (yee haw) so it was easy on/off the plane.

On the second leg of the flight, I sat next to a mom with a 3 1/2 week old (!!!) and across the aisle from a couple with a 10-month old. If I didn't miss my daughter before, MAN!!! I was getting some serious Charlotte withdrawal so I thought the plane couldn't land fast enough.

My Houston Ground Angel was waiting for me when I got down to the terminal and in just a few minutes, I was "home sweet home" at RMH. Roger and I left Charlotte with her grandparents and headed out for a last-minute date. we ended up just going out for some good ol' Texas BBQ and talking. These are the best dates, in my opinion, because we rarely get a chance to really just talk with each other without tons of distractions. Plus: major bonus when the restaurant served Fat Tire beer. We hardly ever can get that in VA. It's a Colorado favorite!!

We came home late and relieved our wonderful babysitters then settled down for a quiet evening together. It was SO nice to have all three of us under one roof...if only for an evening. We slept in late (if you consider 8 AM late...it is in our house) and then got up for breakfast. Roger made eggs and Charlotte didn't eat much. She explored the play area and walked around downstairs.

Then we decided to take advantage of the car we have for the weekend and headed over to the Galleria. This is a mall to behold! Quite the experience and a nice, cool indoor place to window shop. We did make a few purchases. I had a Godiva gift card burning a hole in my pocket so we bought some chocolate covered strawberries and a few yummy truffles. Charlotte did a good number on the strawberries. Yay calories! We also stopped in Borders and Charlotte found a Melissa and Doug horse playset with 12 different 3" felt horse figurines. We got this for her and she has spent the evening playing with them. She decided that I got to sleep with the "grown up horses" and she is going to sleep with the "baby horses" (the horses are all the same size but somehow she decided that some are grown ups while others are babies. Whatever!

So back to the mall...we made our way down to the ice skating rink where we met up for lunch with my friend Cara. Cara and I went to high school together and we have kept in touch loosely through the years. The "keeping in touch" part has been made immensely easier lately with Facebook so when we found out that she would be spending her family vacation in Houston about the same time that we would be here, we decided to try to meet up. She got to meet Charlotte and we got to chat while eating at a Mexican restaurant by the ice rink. I think Charlotte's favorite part of the day was watching the kids ice skate. We might make a return trip to the Galleria just to do that again.

Time was getting short so we made our way back to RMH so Roger could pack last minute essentials and get ready to meet his ride (another Houston Ground Angel...actually the same one that brought me in last night.) We said our goodbyes and as far as I know, Roger is making his way home.

Charlotte spent the rest of the afternoon in the playroom with me, Granpda, and Grandma Bonita. She spent a LOT of time resting on the giant stuffed cow (it's practically lifesize and very comfy). A youth group from a local church came in to make dinner (burgers, dogs, and salad and YUMMY brownies and cookies). Charlotte's dinner consisted of a hot dog bun, about a dozen pickle chips, and a brownie and a cookie. So nutritious but at least she's eating. We said goodnight to the grandparents and headed up to our room to settle in for the night. Now she's watching Diego and resting in bed. What a day!

Tomorrow will be full of follow up appointments, her next radiation treatment, and (of course) a day full of NPO. Let's see what I can get into her by 6 AM. Hopefully, she and I will find a rhythm soon enough.

I almost forgot to mention that we actually had "coordinated outfits" today. Miss Devon (or Charlotte's Devon as she is sometimes called) sent us a great care package with a purple Dora shirt for Charlotte (that says Princess Power), a pink Peace Frogs shirt for me that says "Faith, Hope, and Love" and a big pink shirt for daddy that says "Tough Guys Wear Pink". We couldn't resist the opportunity and decided to all wear our Devon shirts today. You can see our full ensemble in the picture.

So that's all I have to report.