Another succesful day

     Today Evan had another CT scan. It is interesting to see how much he changes every 3 months. He is so much more alert and curious about his surroundings. As usual it was not easy to keep him hungry for a long period of time. I woke him up at 5am to offer some formula. He was fighting it, more interested in sleeping, but I managed to feed him about 4oz. Then, 2oz of pedialite at 8am and then-nothing till after scan. Well, it was scheduled for 11:30, we were there by 10:30, but Evan did not get in till noon. Oh, that was not easy... He was so hungry, that as soon as they wheeled him out to get to short stay, he started turning around and flirting with a nurse.:)
    The doctor appointment was planned at 1:30. Well, we did not get to see her till 2:45. I think next time we'll avoid scheduling appointments around lunch time. :) The news from the Doctor were wonderful! She gave us pictures of a scan from November and from today. If Mat can figure it out, maybe he can post it on the blog. Wow, what a difference!!! Our baby is cancer free and hopefully ( very low chance of reaccurance!) we'll never have to battle again.
    Looking back, it is not an experience we asked for, but it was surely a very important lesson. Trust in the Lord, always have hope, never give up, be grateful for everything you have and remember to live in a moment, even one day at a time. We love every milestone Evan goes through. He is going for tooth #5 and still has no front 2 teeth. He looks like a little vampire with those fangs.:) He is still not liking being on his tummy, but sitting up quiete strong. He loves to explore his taste buds, and starting to pull away from baby food. He is starting to wave "good bye" and nozzles for kisses.:) He is not afraid on Charlie and Fuzzy, thinking that they are just moving stuffed animals.:) Oh, I could just go with this list.... I am just LOVING to be a mom to an infant again, even after 8 years!!! He is such a joy to all of us and now that he is doing well, we are starting to enjoy normal life again.
       As always, thank you to all of you, our friends and family, for being there for us, physically or emotionally.... God bless!

Hello Everyone

Many sources have inquired why we have not updated our blog in recent months? Well, honestly we forgot the password...Sorry about that, but as they say no news is good news. Evan has been doing well in all of his check ups. He weighed in at 26lbs 11oz. during his last check. We have a scan scheduled for this Friday. Hoping for more good news.  Thank you for all of your kind words and prayers, they are really helping us.

A young warrior scores big!!!

     Today was Evan's first CT scan since before Christmas and it was awesome!! We arrived at the hospital on time and in good spirits, hoping the whole time for good results. As the nurse bought us back to the prep room Evan was just looking around at every light and sparkle he could find. The nurse weighed him in at 9.550 kg and 28 3/4 inches long. They placed an IV in his foot an took some blood samples to test his chemical levels.      The scan itself went without a hitch. They did need to sedate him, they gave him one bolus that just made him drowsy. The anesthetist was just shocked that he was more interested in the stars one the ceiling of the MRI room than he was in going to sleep at the moment. She had to give him another squeeze on the syringe to get him to go out. The Nurse said they would be quick and then out to meet us. They expected he would be out about twenty minutes after the procedure and then we could take him home.
    We went back to the waiting room they had set aside for us. We waited about ten minutes and the doctor and nurse rolled him out to us and we proceeded to the short stay ward to wait for him to wake up. The only hitch was he started to open his eyes and look around as they stopped the gurney in front of our room. He was already starting to wake back up. The Doctor was really amazed. She could not believe he was already looking for us with his drugged out eyes and movements. It was so funny and cute to watch this precious little man wake from such a unusual situation and then look at us as if everything was just fine and there was nothing more to worry about.
      Over the next fifteen minutes as we watched Evan come out of his fog I had an incredible feeling of peace and assurance that everything is going to be fine. Evan came back to himself and we were cleared to go. Directly after his scan we had an appointment with his Oncologist and we were able to take a look at the new scans. We compared what he started out with and where he is now, what an amazing child this is and what an amazing blessing our Heavenly Father has given us. The doctor described the tumor as having no measurable form or mass for a measurement. The tissue is still there, but it is inactive and looks more like smooshed mashed potatoes than the mass that we saw just three months ago. The scans show that his gut, liver, veins and vessels have all moved back into their proper places. His chemical levels came back well within normal ranges and all we nee to do for now are monthly check ups. Thank you for all of your prayers and support over the last seven months. God has heard us and answered them for all of us.

Six months baby check...

Our little munchk is definitely thriving. At 6,5 months he weighs 24.1 lbs!!! That is 91% percentile in weight and he is 92%  in height. Maybe a basketball star is on the rise:) The newest milestone in Evan's social behavior is not being happy with those he doesn't know. He gave a good whale to the doctor yesterday. And she was actually happy to see that, recognizing his social development in such reaction. According to her, it is usually expected from a 9mo old. So, Evan is ahead on "crying with strangers" milestone. :)
    Grandma "babushka" went home last week. It is an adjustment for everyone in the house. Our helping fairy is gone and routines had to change. Evan is getting out more and so far he is good exploring the world. Yesterday we went to Sea Life in the MOA. He just stayed in his stroller and enjoyed the bright colors of underwater world. Today we went on a walk. What a relief to see this snow melt! And again, he just sat in that stroller and looked around. We look forward to this summer to see him grow and enjoy outdoors after being cooped up for so long!
   Next stop - scan on April 1st..... Please, continue your prayers for Evan's health. God bless!

Two months after chemo

Another long weekend behind us. We were waiting for Friday's HVA/VMA results. I called yesterday in the morning and our nurse Tom called me back and left a message that it was not back yet. In the afternoon finally I got a call, my heart skipped a beat when I heard Dr.McCallister voice. I honestly thought that if the doctor is personally calling, then there are some bad news. And, what a relief to hear that the news were very good. Evan did it again. His numbers dropped from 34/22 to 22/15!!! I can't wait to see on April 1st what's actually left of that tumor. That is when we have scheduled another scan. So, here is  a line of HVA/VMA results since Evan was diagnosed:
                                               November  235/289
                                               December   92/89 (after 2 rounds of chemo)
                                               January      34/22 (no treatment)
                                               February    22/15 ( no treatment)
    I am AMAZED by this boy's power to fight! I am AMAZED and testify of power of prayer! My heart bursts out of gratitude to all of you, our friends, for praying for our little boy. He is in the top percentage with his weight and height development. For the first time on Friday the doctor actually said that I can stress Evan out a little and let him cry at night if he asks for a bottle.:)
      We are definitely moving in the right direction. Evan will have this monthly tests till 36 months after treatment, and scans every 3 months for 12 months and then he will be on the watch every 6 months and then every year. We are hoping for no more surprises and looking at this experience as our trial of faith. We know that God is watching over Evan and we are blessed to have him in our lives and grateful for the lessons he taught us. He is such a joy, he makes us laugh, started sitting up and loves to play with toys and take a bath. He already pulls his sisters' hair and gets frustrated when he wants attention. Evan has the cutest smile and he loves music and lights. He is the most spoiled child in our family and so far his siblings don't have a problem with that.:)

Baby check appointment

On Thursday Evan had his first appointment after diagnosis in our regular clinic. It was his 4 months delayed baby check with immunization. I called Oncology clinic and found out that Evan cannot have live vaccine for 6 months after chemo. So, yay, we had to survive only 3 shots instead of 4.:) It is so painful for me to see Evan cry... But I know it's for his good. Our favorite Dr. Peterson was SO impressed with Evan's well being that she took him out of the room around the clinic to show him off to other doctors. Our little miracle...:) Wait, maybe not so little... Evan was already 21lbs 13 oz!!!!!  This kid just took off after his treatment.And we are so proud of him!!! We are very hopeful for his next scan results. I pray that nothing will set off his health improvement...