December 7th - Chemotherapy Treatment # 69

Friday was a fairly typical day for Peyton. It was a treatment day only so that makes the day easier. Peyton had taken his iPod into the hospital with him, and after a bit of convincing, he "performed" for several doctors and nurses! He sang "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz. He sure knows how to get people to smile, and he can certainly pull on everyone's heartstrings...... He was also excited to have some special one-on-one time with Ms. Pat. She's the creative arts therapist at the hospital, and he loves getting to work with her. She came and helped him make some special Christmas cards. We will return for treatment and MRI on December 21st. Praying for some good news!!!!!!

October-November 2012 - Chemotherapy Treatments #65-68

I'm a bit behind with updating the blog. I can't believe how fast time gets away from us. I'll combine the notes together and get myself back on track. Peyton's October and November treatments continued to go fairly easy and uneventful. We are so thankful the Avastin (chemo) is a very tolerable drug. Peyton has very little side effects with this. On October 26th Peyton had two eye tests done. His eye doctor has concluded that Peyton's deteriorating vision is caused from the tumor on his optic nerve. They had been concerned that maybe toxicity from the chemotherapy itself was causing nerve damage, but again the tests revealed it's the tumor doing all the damage to the optic nerves. We were fairly certain the vision loss was from the tumor, but it's always good to check everything out. We still have not had any luck with this particular tumor shrinking, but thankfully there's no new growth. We continue to pray for results. Peyton's vision has remained stable so doctors said we won't have to bring him back for 4 months! His next eye appointment isn't until February. We have previously been having to schedule appointments every 2-3 months. Peyton is doing very well in school! We are so proud of him and the accomplishments he's making. It's quite magical to watch a child learn to read! It's even more special when you know they have obstacles, and they are still making it happen! He is on grade level in all areas and working above grade level on his Phonics skills! We are proud parents indeed. He loves school and his attitude continues to be an inspiration for all of us.

September 28th - 2012

It was a long day for us. We began the day with an ERG (this is an eye test that is done while Peyton is under anesthesia) and then an MRI. It always takes Peyton awhile to wake up, so from start to finish it was about 5 hours. This meant Peyton didn't have time for chemo afterwards. The oncologist ended up coming downstairs and meeting with us in the recovery room. She confirmed that it wasn't necessary that Peyton went upstairs for treatment. She said she felt good about the progress he's been making and didn't think missing one treatment would set us back. We were anxious about getting the results of the MRI. She told us that one tumor continues to shrink since starting this new treatment. The others are stable with no new growth. We will continue on this path and have another MRI done in 3 months. MRI days are always stressful for us. As I've mentioned, we are always nervous and anxious about the news. We are lucky to have such a wonderful oncologist that doesn't make us wait for results. She shares it with us immediately; that way we can go home without worrying and wondering. We have come to think of these doctors and nurses as our family/friends. I know that sounds strange but it's true. You become very close. They have seen us laugh, cry, break down to the point we feel we can't go on, and just about every other emotion you can imagine. Peyton's oncologist for the past 2 years, informed us on Friday she will be moving to Ohio in December. I once again found myself in tears talking to her, but for a different reason. She has been with us since the beginning. Our whole journey has been with her by our side. She's so wonderful! Not only is she an oncologist but she knows a lot about Neurofibromatosis. I feel like Children's Hospital is losing such an amazing doctor. She is moving "back home" to be around more family. She and her husband recently became parents, and I know how that seems to put life in perspective for all of us. They are doing what is best for their family and I respect that tremendously. We are just going to miss her and all the knowlege she has. Not sure who will be the new oncologist. Guess we'll see...... On another note, Peyton can have the surgery to correct his "shorter palate" whenever we are ready to go ahead with it. We have decided to not do anything until summer time. That gives us time to visit with doctors and get all our questions answered. Peyton will have to be off of chemotherapy for a month prior to surgery. This will require some advanced planning but I would rather not rush into anything. All in all it was a good weekend. We took the boys shopping for their Halloween costumes. That's always fun! Looks like Batman and Robin this year!

September 14th, 2012 - Chemotherapy Treatment # 63

This week our trip to Denver was very fast. Landon has started soccer and his games are early Saturday mornings. We don't want him to miss a game so we drove up to Denver very early Friday morning, Peyton had treatment, and then we drove back home that night. We were exhausted! Peyton slept most of the way home so that was good for him. If he hadn't felt so great there's no way we could have done that! It was late by the time we got home so everyone went right to bed. I don't like days like that, but at least we made it to soccer! Whew......sometimes I honestly feel like I live my life in fast forward! I'm not complaining....I love my crazy busy life!! It's just how I feel sometimes.

August 17th and 31st, 2012 -Chemotherapy Treatments 61 & 62

Peyton's treatments are fairly easy and uneventful lately. This is a wonderful new transition for us considering how rough the previous months have been for him. He breezes right through each treatment. Peyton and I have started school and he's loving kindergarten! He's so excited to be going to school all day instead of just 1/2 day like he did in preschool. I'm trying to get back into the work mode. After such a wonderful summer this is hard! It seems I have a great class though, so it makes it a bit easier. Landon is with a new sitter this year. She is a very nice lady and I think he's liking the chance to play with some kids his own age. (She watches 2 little girls that are both close to 3 years old.) Peyton did see an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. Turns out kids with NF often have a "shorter palate". Not sure what all that means just yet. I definitely want to do more research on this. To correct his speech issues Peyton will need a surgery. Again this is something that is on the table but we aren't feeling the need to rush into anything. We want to explore all our options and discuss this with more than one doctor. We have visited with his teachers and they can understand him on a very regular basis so I feel comfortable with that. I also want to consider doing this in the summer rather than having to miss school. He's doing so well I don't want to interrupt the progress he's making. We'll see. I'll keep everyone updated on any decisions we make.

August 3rd, 2012 - Chemotherapy Treatment # 60

Another week done for Peyton and it was easy! We are still excited that Peyton is doing so well since getting him off of one type of chemo. He continues to feel great and is looking forward to beginning kindergarten this year. How is it even possible that my sweet boy is starting school? I'm thrilled that he's ready but I know he's growing up and I'm just not sure I'm as ready for it all! lol On a different note....we have started talking to Peyton's doctors about our concerns with his speech. There are times when it is very difficult to understand what he's saying. His speech is often slurred and just unclear. We aren't sure what we should do. It's been a problem for ahwile but we are now noticing that it's becoming more prominent. Should we try and get him in to see a speech therapist? Is this something a speech therapist can assist us with? Later this month Peyton will see an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor to help us with these questions. Summer is wrapping up and we are going to try and just enjoy the last few days of break!

July 20th - Chemotherapy Treatment # 59

Today Peyton had a dentist appointment to fill the last of his cavities. He did so much better this time around. He saw a different dentist and she was really good! He didn't cry and we were in and out in about an hour. We then went up for chemotherapy. We once again shared with the oncologist how sick treatment has been making Peyton. She began making phone calls and came back with some wonderful news! Peyton can be taken off the chemo drug that's been making him so sick!! With just one chemo drug now, she said we should (hopefully) continue to expect the same results. We hope to see the tumors shrinking. This treatment ended up being a breeze for Peyton! By taking out that one treatment, he's no longer sick. What a relief......he felt so good that he didn't even need a medicine for nausea. We made it home without any adventures this week!

July 6th, 2012 - Chemotherapy Treatment #58

Peyton had a dentist appointment to begin the day. We recently found out he had 6 cavities. We were shocked because 9 months prior he had no cavaties at all. Initially the dentist had told us that Peyton's teeth and gums looked great. He said, "Keep doing whatever you're doing." Later he came back with the x-rays and told us there were cavities; so we were so surprised! After talking to the dentist and oncologist it was concluded this is a side effect of the continued chemotherapy treatments. The treatments can change the acid in the mouth therefore making it more likely to get cavities. They fixed three teeth on Friday and will fix the others on July 20th. Peyton did ok....he didn't like it of course but he was really good and stayed fairly still. He cried a bit; not because it was hurting but because he was scared. (That's what he told the doctor anyway.) I was having a hard time when he started crying because I just wanted to go over and hold him!! It's hard on moms to see their babies crying! :( Maybe the next appointment will be easier because he knows what to expect. We took him to his chemo treatment next. He was really sick about an hour into it. Come to find out he was given zofran instead of the new medicine we tried last week. (Zofran won't even touch his nausea now. It's getting worse with each treatment.) By the time he was given the new medicine he was already so sick it took awhile to kick in. He was sick the rest of the night. We did lower the dosage (due to the fiasco last time). I'm not sure less is going to work though. He was really sick. He woke up sick on Saturday morning so we waited to see if he felt better before heading home. By about noon he was feeling better and we thought it would be safe to head back home. BAD IDEA!! About an hour into our drive he started throwing up. It was like that all the way home. We just kept up with the medicine and would pull over when he felt like he needed to get out. Then we stopped at a gas station and purchased a GIANT coffee/soda plastic mug. I can't believe they sell such large containers, but I was glad we found it. He used that as his bucket and it saved him from having to have throw up everywhere when we couldn't stop really fast. When he threw up in it we would stop, rinse it out and back on the road we went. My poor sweetheart had a rough day. Charlie and I both said we should've just waited until Sunday to head home, but we didn't know.....Sunday he woke up and said, "Wow! Mom, I finally feel like myself again!" I was so happy! However it didn't last; he woke up on Monday morning really sick again and he missed day 1 of swimming lessons. :( He was really bummed out about that. It was definitely a rough round of treatment this week.

June 15th, 2012 - Chemotherapy Treatment #57

Today was a long day at the hospital. Peyton had 2 different vision exams and an MRI. One was while he was awake and one was done before the MRI. We walked in the hospital at 8:15 and didn't leave until almost 5:00 pm. Landon, thankfully, was with Leroy and Darlene. We had to wait unitl Monday for Peyton to get treatment because there was no time on Friday for a 3-4 hour treatment on top of the already packed schedule. The doctor came in to see us as Peyton was beginning treatment. She had great news for us.....one of Peyton's tumors (around his brain) had shrunk significantly! WOW! First good news we've had in almost 2 years! The other tumors look the same, but we are now hopeful this new treatment might be the combination that will finally work for Peyton. What a beautiful perfect day! I finally felt like I could breathe; like a load was lifted off my shoulders!!!! I can't explain how we felt. Peyton responded a little differently. He said, "Does this mean I will finally be able to see?" That pulled at my heartstrings a bit, but we explained that unfortunately no he won't be able to see better, but that chemotherapy is working and he can finish up with it someday and hopefully his vision won't get any worse. Very tough to explain to a 6 year old. It was a bittersweet moment for us. He was ok with our answer and even told a few people the good news about one of his tumors shrinking so he internalized it to some degree. Good news in Peyton's mind (I think) would be no more chemo and being able to see like everyone else. I don't blame him.....that's my prayer too. But I realize he will never have more vision than he does right now.....but I will continue to pray it doesn't get worse. We also talked to the doctor about Peyton's nausea medicine not being effective anymore. She prescribed another medicine for him to take in addition to the two he already takes. She said this medicine will work for his nausea and he shouldn't throw up anymore. However, she did say it would make him "loopy" and tired. So.....good news was Peyton didn't throw up....bad news was he was more than loopy he was essentially drunk!! And he was NOT tired. He didn't go to bed until after 10 pm! I'm fairly certain the recommended dose was a bit too much. He couldn't hold his head up or even walk. He was saying really bizarre things and doing things I couldn't believe. None of which I want to even share.....I just know that it was too much medicine for him. We are going to talk with the doctor before the next treatment and see if we can find a more accurate dose for him. It was just as hard watching him act like this as it was watching him throwing up all night. Surely we can find a better balance.

June 1st, 2012 - Chemotherapy Treatment #56

I can't believe it's June! Peyton's treatment started to make him sick before we left the hospital. It's almost like each treatment is getting rougher for him. The nausea medicine isn't doing much to relieve his discomforts. We were all going to meet our friends for dinner later in the evening but Peyton was so sick he couldn't move from the couch. He threw up so much. I felt like it would never end! He was so thirsty. I tried to give him Gatorade but he couldn't keep anything down. It was really hard to watch him going through this. I just held him and squeezed in some special snuggle time. Landon and Charlie met up with our friends and had dinner while we stayed home and watched cartoons. Once again, thankfully, by the next morning he was feeling much better and we were able to head home. Next week will be the MRI...........I'm also going to talk to the doctor about a different medicine to treat this nausea. Ugh....

May 18th, 2012 - Chemotherapy Treatment #55

Today was a regular day of treatment. We left the hospital and Peyton was already starting to feel sick. The house we stay at in Denver is only about 15 minutes from the hospital. We didn't make it back to the house and Peyton started throwing up. We had a new pair of shoes for Peyton in the back so Charlie grabbed the box they were in, threw the shoes out and Peyton was able to use the box to throw up in. Most of it landed in the shoebox. However the rest of it fell into Landon's diaper bag and in the floor. The smell was horrific and I am ashamed to admit I'm the type of person that will throw up if I see or smell throw up! I call it a "reflex vomiter". That's me..... The smell and the sight of it was more than I could take so out the window my head went. Charlie was trying to drive and tend to both of us. It was crazy! Mainly the heat and confinement of the car got to me. I can handle throw up (a bit better) if we aren't confined to a car where there is no room to step away for fresh air. We got him home and changed his clothes, cleaned him up and put him to bed. He was very sick the rest of the night. While I took care of Peyton, Charlie went and cleaned the car and purchased a new diaper bag. By the next morning the car smelled much better and Peyton was feeling a bit more like himself. Always an adventure! We had a busy weekend ahead so we were hoping he was going to be ok...... Peyton's birthday present from us was a concert at Red Rocks. We bought tickets to see Eric Church at Red Rocks. Saturday morning Peyton woke up feeling a bit better but he still threw up once around 8:30 a.m. The concert was at 7:30 that evening. We hoped he would feel up to it but still didn't know for sure. He had been so excited for this concert!! He had been counting down the days for 2 months. By late morning he was feeling 100% better and we prepared to get ready for the concert. Landon stayed with Aunt Jodi and Uncle Matt so we had to take him up to their house and then get over to Red Rocks. Peyton had such a great time and impressed everyone around him by singing all the songs!! We had a great time.......

May 4th - Chemotherapy Treatment #54

It was a long day for all of us. It took awhile to get the lab results back today with the go ahead for treatment. I think we spent about 7 hours all total at the hospital. While waiting, Peyton spent some time with Miss Pat doing a special Mother's Day project. He enjoyed that and it helped to pass the time. :) Peyton slept during all of treatment. Charlie took him to the Rockies game after it was all over. We figured he was rested and he had been super excited about going! Probably not the best thing to do right after finishing a 3 hour chemotherapy! He started out having fun and he felt ok....Not great but just "ok". (Which is typical on Fridays right after treatment.) Landon and I enjoyed some relaxing time just the two of us back at Deb's house. Peyton did fine until about the 5th inning and then he really got sick. Unfortunately he threw up before they could make it out of their seats and up to the bathroom. Some very kind people nearby brought over napkins and tried to help out. I guess we might have to save the baseball games for any day other than treatment days. Darn! They were excited to make it on national TV though! Several people watching the game called and said they saw Charlie and Peyton on TV so that was fun! Peyton was feeling much better by Saturday when we drove home so that was good. Yet another memory made.....

April 20th, 2012 - Chemotherapy Treatment #53

Once again Peyton was sick during treatment. Doctors have tried giving him medicine before the chemo starts but so far the combination hasn't worked. About half an hour into treatment he starts feeling really yucky. The last couple of times they have just given him Benadryl and that will make him tired. He typically sleeps through the rest of treatment and then we wake him up when it's over. By late Friday evening he's usually feeling better. Sometimes he still feels sick on Saturdays, but after that his days are great! We just get through those rough hours and then it's smooth sailing. Peyton turned 6 on April 18th! WOW! My little boy is growing so fast! I can't believe it! We had a birthday party on Saturday night in Denver. He requested a Chuck E. Cheese celebration so we invited our family and friends to help us celebrate up there. We had lots of fun and the boys really enjoyed themselves. It was a birthday to remember for sure. Treatment days are now every other Friday. I sure do like this new schedule because it feels like we get to be home more. We are home this weekend and I'm sooo excited!!

April 6th, 2012 - Chemotherapy Treatment #52

Treatment on Friday made Peyton really sick. He went in feeling fine, but after chemo started he was feeling pretty nauseated within half an hour. They ended up giving him some extra medicine to help with that and he fell asleep. He woke up when it was over. We went to pick up Landon at our friend's house and Peyton fell asleep again. He slept for another 3 hours and then felt fine the rest of the weekend. Guess he just needed to rest while he regained his strength. We were thankful it passed fairly quickly and we were able to enjoy a nice Easter at home. We had fun coloring eggs and hiding them with the boys. Life is back to normal today and we have next weekend to be at home!

March 23rd 2012 - Chemotherapy Treatment #51

Peyton had an eye appointment and then chemo after that. His vision remained stable from last month's check-up so we are happy!! He hasn't lost any more vision and we remain hopeful this new treatment will continue to prevent that. Treatment went well and Peyton breezed right through it. We love the "easy weeks!"
Peyton is considered legally blind so accommodations will need to continue to be made at school. He will start kindergarten next year and will be a dual reader. He will be learning Braille but will learn to read regular text too. He will have work translated to Braille, and then regular print materials enlarged enough for him to use his vision to complete the assignments. It will be extra work for him and the teachers, but he'll be given lots of opportunities to be successful. We just hope he continues to love school as much as he does right now! The teachers at Trinity Lutheran have been so wonderful and play a large part in his love for school. I can't say enough wonderful things about the whole school and its staff members. They love kids there and it really shows. I can't believe I'll be sending him off to Kindergarten. Time flies too quickly....

March 9th 2012 - Treatment #50

We got up to leave for Denver on Friday morning and Peyton was really sick. He'd been complaining all week of not feeling great but it was never too bad. It just seemed like he was coming down with a cold. (He'd finished a 10-day round of antibiotics a week earlier). Friday he was sneezing, coughing and just felt crummy. By the time we got to Denver, and they checked him over, we discovered he had an ear infection. After getting all hooked up for his chemotherapy treatment his fever spiked at 101. That meant doctors had to draw blood to make sure he didn't have any other infections near his mediport. It's a safety precaution that has to be done anytime his fever reaches 101 degrees. He slept through most of the three hour treatment, and then doctors gave him a shot of antibiotics and sent us home with more to give him for a week. Because his blood counts all looked good we didn't have to spend the night in the hospital so we were thankful for that! Doctors just told us to stay in Denver until midday Saturday to make sure the fever broke before heading home. He didn't feel good all Friday night, but by Saturday he was feeling a little better; no fever at least. His overall energy level has been low, but he slept most of the way home from Denver on Saturday and slept well once home.
We kept Landon with us all day during treatment and he did really good! The hospital has a wonderful place that kids/siblings can go and play and there are people who watch them for you. It's a giant play area with lots of toys and fun things to do. Landon spent a couple of hours down there and really had fun! He was such a great boy even though he missed his nap.
Still waiting on some of the other test results from March 2nd, but the MRI results came back and nothing has changed. All tumors still look the same - no changes in size. That's good and bad. Treatment hasn't been working, but at least the tumors are not continuing to grow larger. Bittersweet really.....
Peyton's vision will continue to be our driving factor. If his vision continues to get worse then we know we have to change things and do what's best to save that. We'll have another eye exam on the 23rd of this month.
Next week is Denver's St. Patrick's Day Parade. We will once again proudly join the Children's Tumor Foundation Group and walk with them, bringing awareness to NF in our bright green NF shirts! It's so much fun! Peyton's really excited. Afterwards we all meet up at the Spaghetti Factory for lunch. It's so wonderful to talk to other families that are going through their own battles with NF. Their stories are so inspiring and we realize that we aren't alone in this. It also connects Peyton with other kids who are facing challenges that most kids will NEVER have to go through. It's a wonderful connection to have and we look forward to it each year.

March 2nd, 2012

We spent a total of 10 1/2 hours at the hospital on Friday. Thankfully our little Landon spent all day with Leroy and Darlene. They all had fun together. It's so great for Landon to have his special time and attention too. Peyton had eye tests ordered by his eye docotor and an MRI. We literally didn't walk out of the hospital until almost 6:30pm. Peyton was supposed to start his new chemotherapy today but there just wasn't enough time to squeeze that in too. We will have to go back next week for that. We did, however, have time to meet with the oncologist and discuss this new plan. Peyton will be on another combination chemo treatment. One type is used to treat high grade tumors so it's a bit more aggressive and will hopefully work better than the others we've tried before. The side effects aren't too bad. Of course there are some but I think we'll manage. Just figuring out the right amount of medicine will be the key to him staying comfortable. He should be able to continue on as before; going to school and just getting to be a regular kiddo! Unfortunately the new treatment is scheduled for another year. That really makes us sad because we were hoping to possibly finish up before summer kicked in, but that's not the case. I've learned, during the last year and a half, that nothing is predictible with this disease. One never knows how the tumors are going to react to treatment. Even the oncologist has said there are no guarantees that any of this will work, but we all agree we have to try. His vision remains our biggest concern right now, but again the doctor told us she can't guarantee that he won't go blind. We remain hopeful and know doctors are all doing everything they can to prevent that, but I'm not going to lie, it's on my mind all the time and I worry - A LOT. I worry about my sweet Peyton, but have to balance that with keeping his life normal and not causing him to worry and stress. He's a wonderful kiddo that handles this all with such ease and a great attitude. As I've said before, each week he charms his way into people's hearts. He's touched so many people with his loving, mature and brave spirit. We will continue on.....we will go to all lengths, as a family, to support him and get the best care possible. We have such a great circle of friends and family around us lifting us up in prayers and spirit. We will handle this like Peyton does, with a smile!

February 10th - Treatment #49

Friday was a really long day for all of us. We started the day in the eye clinic for Peyton's routine eye exam. His vision is checked every 2-3 months. His last eye appointment was in November. Unfortunately this eye exam did not go well. Peyton really struggled to see out of his left eye. The vision in his left eye had decreased significantly. The right eye remained stable from last time. Neither eye is great, but at the November appointment the left eye was 20/200 and is now 20/400. That was enough to send us all into a panic mode! After that appointment we headed up to visit with the oncologist. Of course she was as concerned as the rest of us. Peyton went to play in another room while we visited. She explained that the path now is unclear. How do we continue with treatment when what we're doing doesn't seem to be working? What should we do next? Is his vision going to get continually worse? Is there anything we can do to prevent that from happening? Will he go completely blind? All these issues were discussed but no plan is in place yet. She explained there are some options left but can't guarantee any of them. (I won't discuss those in detail because no decisons have been made. If any of these options are decided upon I will share that.) He did get treatment before we left and the doctor assured us she will visit with other doctors and explore ways to handle this. It seems clear a new route has to be taken. I'm just worried some of the other options are more risky. That said, I don't want my sweet boy to go blind and that's a real concern for us right now.
His doctors do want us in Denver this next weekend. They said they can't guarantee treatment but we will visit with them and discuss the future treatment. Peyton will have an MRI and some other tests done on March 2nd. Then he'll have another eye exam 2 weeks after that. From here we pray even more and know that God has a plan and we are at his mercy.

January 27th - Chemotherapy Treatment #48

Peyton had treatment this week even though his counts were down. He hadn't felt himself all week; mostly tired and an overall lack of energy. As usual he didn't want to miss school, so he went each day, but did have to have some time down time and rest before joining the other kids again.
Near the end of treatment on Friday he did say he wasn't feeling too well. Fortunately, it wasn't anything too bad so we left after doctors observed him and determined he was ok to go home. The rest of the day Friday he didn't feel too good and then Saturday was more of the same. He complained of a stomach ache. We kept up with his medicine, but by late Saturday night he was throwing up and really feeling sick. Thankfully it didn't last long and there were no other symptoms, so after a change of bedding and clothes back to bed we all went. Sunday he woke up feeling really good! I was so happy! We had a play date scheduled with one of his friends from preschool so off we went. He's a tough kid for sure!! Wow!! Not much will keep him down for very long!

January 13th - Chemotherapy Treatment # 47

Today was a quick day and the end of another cycle for Peyton. He will have a week off with no treatment! He's been a little tired lately but not bad. I'm happy to report he's been very healthy this school year and I hope it will continue! The next cycle will involve an eye exam and possibly an MRI. We'll have to see what the doctors say.

January 6th - Chemotherapy Treatment #46

Today's treatment was fairly quick since last week was the long treatment day. It was a great week and Peyton felt really good! He's so very excited to get back to school. We have had a wonderful Christmas break. Charlie had a week off from work as well so we all enjoyed spending some quality time together. One more week of treatment and then Peyton gets a week off!
We enjoyed a wonderful lunch with Leroy and Darlene this week after treatment. Landon had been asking about them the last couple of weeks, but they went on a cruise for Christmas so we hadn't seen them in awhile! He really missed them and the time they share together. They make him feel so special. And like I've said, it allows us time to take care of Peyton on treatment days. We are blessed to have them in our lives!

December 30th - Chemotherapy Treatment #45

I'm happy to report we didn't have to head to Denver on December 23rd! The weather was terrible all over the state! We called the hospital and treatment was canceled. That meant we were home for Christmas Eve, Peyton felt great and we were all rested and relaxed for the first time in many weeks. Santa brought Peyton the stage he requested and he has been performing on it each day since!
Today's treatment day was a long one. It was the first day of the new treatment regimen. Peyton received both types of chemotherapy today. It took about 5 hours start to finish. He did amazing! Only some mild nausea; nothing the medicine couldn't handle. We are hoping for some good news this year and pray that in 2012 Peyton is able to finish chemo and these darn tumors go away, or at the least, stop growing! Either would be good news.....