My Eater Is Back

Natalie is doing really well. Her appetite seems to be back to normal. She is eating full meals and even wants a snack between meals and dessert. This is the Natalie we've known since birth and love; she has always loved food and all kinds of it. That is why it was so painful to see her barely eat a bite of anything in the hospital.

Natalie's energy level has also grown. She has been running up and down the stairs at home, riding her scooter outside, and doing art.

We hope her hemoglobin is way up from last Monday. We suspect it is from the way Natalie is acting, but will not get a formal confirmation until her blood draw next week.

The biopsy from last Tuesday is also good. It was a long day on Tuesday for us, but we were happy to hear that she does not need another biopsy done unless something looks suspicious in her blood. Natalie will go in for monthly blood draws for a couple of months, then it will change to once every other month, then once every 4 months, then once every six months. After 5 years, she will be considered cured and will only have to go in annually for a check up.

We've been really busy trying to transition. I didn't know how hard it was until we lost the support of the hospital staff. It took Natalie a while to finally get the hang of taking medicine orally again. Then, there is the boredom issue. Natalie is still recovering at home so she can't really go out and be around other kids. As a result, she is going stir crazy at home. She looks out the window and wants to be part of the real world again. She wants to have sleepovers, playdates, swim, and go inside a store full of people. When she realizes she can't yet, she gets sad and mad. She is learning to be patient and I am learning that lesson as well.

We've been going back and forth on the decision to rent out our condo and rent a house with a yard so that the kids can have a yard to play while Natalie is recovering this summer. I just feel so bad that both Sean and Natalie are cooped up inside all day because Natalie can't be around people. It takes so much effort to search for a place, find somebody to rent our place, and move. We are just praying that the right place opens up for us if we are meant to move.

Grant and I are both trying to take better care of ourselves as well. We've both have gained a little weight from sitting day after day in a hospital room. We've been doing WiiFit at home when we can. I also enrolled in Yogaworks in Walnut Creek through my job. That place is amazing. It looks, feels, and smells like a spa that I just want to spend the whole day there doing yoga and read a good book by the bay window in between yoga classes. Of course, that will never happen with my busy schedule.

That was crazy wishful thinking until I actually took a yoga class last Friday with my co-worker. That was when I realized how hard yoga really is and how out of shape I am. My co-worker, who runs and is in great shape, thought that it would be relaxing and fun. She didn't really think we were going to even break a sweat. My view of yoga is that is suppose to be a class to meditate and relax as well. We were both wrong. Sweat was pouring out of both of us during the middle of class. We both realize it's going to be a challenge, but it will be a great workout as well when we get better at it.

Natalie was playing on Webkinz today and she was happy that she knew all the answers to the medical trivia on there like:
1. Which cell is bigger? A white blood cell or red blood cell?
2. What is the function of the red blood cells?

It's good to know that she got some education during her hospital stay!