Check out CROWFIELD

Pete and I were very fortunate to be able to go out on a DATE  this past weekend.  We headed to the Windjammer to see CROWFIELD. It was such a great night.  Great music and we got to catch up with a wonderful old friend.  It felt very normal and just plain nice.  I have to say.. & I know this is a shameless plug, but our dear friend, Micah (far right in the pic) plays in Crowfield and it truly was an amazing show.  Micah is like a little brother to us  and I'm so proud of him but I truly believe you will be seeing more of Crowfield VERY soon.  Please go to iTunes and download the album.  You won't regret it.  Promise.  You'll be saying "I knew them when..."

http://www.myspace.com/crowfieldmusic

http://www.apple.com/search/ipoditunes/?q=crowfield

Longing for Spring

Amazing how we have found a new normal around here.  6 months ago, the world we now live in, a child fighting cancer, didn't exsist.  6 months ago I would have told you that would be something I couldn't survive much less get a handle on. And yet, God gives us what we need when we need it.  Not a moment before.  It is impossible to store up courage, or peace, or even true grief.  It happens when it happens and God provides in the moment. Somedays really feel normal around here.  We've gotten used to the schedule, the hospital stuff, the pills, the shots.  And somedays it just hits me and I absolutely hate our new normal.  Yesterday was one of those days.  It was time to get Slade's portraits done and I wanted some with the boys too.  Looking at the proofs of the pictures, it just didn't look like my Forester.  He's swollen from the steroids and he's not as athletic looking like he's always been.  It just made me miss him.  Even though he's right in front of me, (thank you Lord!) I began to miss my "old" guy.  I was kindly reminded today by my sweet friend to remember that this time in our lives is just a season.  She's right.  Forester has already beaten cancer as far as I'm concerned & we're just dealing with the crappy side effects of chemo.  But, one day this will be in our past.  These days will be a memory.  He may miss 2nd grade but he'll be a "normal" kid in 3rd grade.  This too shall pass.  I'm doing my best to embrace the current season that we're in.  But somedays I just long for the new season to come like you would long for spring after a long, cold winter.  It will come.  I just miss my guy.

Above is a slideshow of Forester. I tried to put it in the sidebar but after hours of trying I just couldn't make it work.  It's also supposed to be in chronological order but it's randomizing.  Oh well.  Grrr..  I'll keep trying.  

I love him so much.  My first born, my baby.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Two posts in two days?  Whoa!! Just I thought I would share a few little happy things.  

This morning Forester & I were playing with Slade on my bed and my timex watch alarm, which was on the stairs in the other room, started going off.  After a couple seconds Forester asked"what is that noise?".  HE HEARD IT! It's a high pitched noise & rather quiet from the other room and he heard it!  As you well know I am always praying protection over his ears from permanent hearing loss. I know you are too.  We still have four more rounds to go but I really want to give God the glory for His protection over his ears.  At the end of these 6 months I want Forester to have perfect hearing.  I want to hear people say, "you're so lucky" so I can say "no, we prayed and prayed and God answered"!  Let's keep praying!  I know there are some of you who read this blog who are not Christians and you think I'm acting a little freaky. You're right, I'm freaky!  I have seen and witnessed what God can do.  He has proved Himself to be faithful and trustworthy over and over again.  Will everything turn out just like I want it?  Maybe, and most likely not.  Will God take care of us and continue to give us joy and peace in every circumstance regardless of any outcome?  YES.  Does He desire for us to be healthy and whole?  I believe He does.  I'm going to keep praying and keep giving Him the glory for every good report that comes my way.

Now for a really human moment....I find myself thinking if I post what I just wrote above will that mean that Forester will lose some hearing? Just so I have to eat my words?  Such a dumb way to think but you know how you might say, "that will never happen" and then it happens so you don't want to say "that will never happen".  Basically it comes down to some silly superstition, right?  I also want this so badly and I want others to see what God can do - if it doesn't happen does that cause someone else to doubt God? Those are my thoughts. But this is the truth.  I am not responsible for TRYING to make God look good.  He doesn't need my help by any means.  So that's why I'm ignoring those silly thoughts and posting this!  (Now my non-Christian friends really think I'm crazy!)

Okay, for more happiness here are a few cute videos of Slade waving Bye Bye and giggling at Micah being silly.  She'll be 8 months old tomorrow! 

*Remember to scroll down and pause the playlist so you can listen to the video.

HAVE A WONDERFUL  WEEKEND MY FRIENDS! ~Whit

Sorry it's been so long...

My apologies to all of you who have been wondering what the heck has been going on with us the last week or so. I decided that family is family and regardless of Forester's counts we would stay the week out at Seabrook Island with Mom & Dad, Paris & the kids. I took a mini vacation from life at home & the computer. It was a great week! We had to take a few 6 hour long trips to the hospital but Sam went with us which made it more fun for Forester. We had a wonderful time just being together.
Foresters counts bottomed out last Friday & he had to get a blood transfusion which was expected. His white blood cell count bounced back up from 40 to 24,000 on Monday. Thank you Neupogen shots! So we made it through round 2 without an additional hospital stay or fever. Forester seems to be doing pretty well except for the neuropathy in his hands and legs as a side effect from the Vincristine. He struggles to walk normally and has some pain. He is now on Neurontin 3 times a day to help with these side effects. So far, we haven't seen much change & it really ups his daily pill count! It also makes him very sleepy so he's taking more naps each day. We hope the benefits will kick in soon. Amazingly, his weight is up to 74 pounds so we were able to stop the Megace liquid (so nasty!) which is an appetite stimulant. Forester was very happy about that! Round 3 begins on August 10th.
Many of you have been asking about Pete. And once again I'm sorry I haven't updated you sooner. There really hasn't been much to tell until this week. We have no concrete conclusions but all tests have come back with good results. Including the sleep study. No sleep apnea. What has been discovered and confirmed 3 times now is that Pete does have an arrhythmia in his heart called ventricular bigeminy. It's a very consistent arrhythmia and doesn't seem to be cause for concern but he's going to follow up with a cardiologist in August. The last "non-breathing" episode happened almost a week ago & Pete seems to be feeling better with each passing day. It seems whatever was happening was related to some kind of virus that was in his chest & possibly in his heart. Don't know if we'll ever have an official diagnosis but the closest one we have is Myocarditis.
I know there is more to post but this is all I have the energy for today. I've been feeling pretty worn out emotionally...I'm not sleeping much these days as I tend to be so worried about my guys during the night. My brain is suffering the consequences!


*Still trying to work out details on the Braves game on Sept. 6th. More on that soon! Thanks as always for your love and prayers. ~ Whitney

*pictures from last week at Seabrook & the hospital.

Bald Stud

Micah - loving every moment! He's like this all the time. He loves life!

Maddie & Forester ....Forester could only get his feet wet which was sad & then I found out later we should avoid the ocean altogether for a while. Boo.

Sam & Forester at the hospital. Waiting for blood to arrive so the transfusion can start.



With a transfusion comes Benedryl so Forester sleeps through most of it.






A beautiful night at Seabrook Island's Pelican's Nest. I declared this day my birthday since it was so much better than my actual birthday.






Forester & Madison. Forester has a blue mouth from a blow pop.




Slade being adorable as always.



Having fun while waiting for the food to arrive.

Pete & Forester - always close together.

Me & Slade.

Pop & Slade

Pop showing the boys something cool on the computer.



Cousins! Baby Nicholas & Slade (she looks huge! sniff sniff)

Round 2 is done.

Forester is home and doing well. Happy to be in his own bed...or make shift bed in the corner of our room which has been his bed since Feb. He slept great and is in a great mood today!

The results of Pete's CT scan of his chest and neck were clear. We are thankful for that! Still not exactly sure what's going on with him but a clear CT rules out a bunch of serious stuff. Last night Pete slept well for the 1st time in about 2 weeks so praise God for that!

We return to the hospital for blood labs on Monday afternoon. My sis in law, Paris and her 3 kiddos (Sam, Madison, & 8 week old Nicholas) will be arriving from Nashville on Monday. Sam is Forester's very best friend in the whole world. They only see each other a couple of times a year. Forester currently doesn't know that they're coming because there is a chance that if his counts are already plummeting by Monday then we will have to quarantine him. Pray that Forester's counts take a slow decline so that I we'll be able to surprise him with the news that his favorite cousin is in town and he can go PLAY. I'm picturing the joy on his face...I pray I can give him this good news!

I'll keep you posted on the Pete mystery. Thanks for your prayers & keep praying against those chemo side effects!

Some birthday happiness...

my beautiful flowers... my flower made by Forester...and a great gift from Kathie, hanging pictures!

Another update!

Pete is on his way for a CT scan now. They're going to work him in. And, Forester gets to come home tonight! Sometime after dinner time..yay! I'm praying I'm not taking one out of the hospital and putting another one in but whatever it takes to get everyone well. Pray for a clear diagnosis for Pete, discernment for his doctor and pray that it's nothing serious! Thanks! I'll keep you posted...

FYI: Slade is on the mend but she's still a little stuffy and I'm pretty sure her top 2 teeth are about to break through. All I can say is thank God for miracle Motrin! :o)

Video & Brief Update

I know I should update with more info but to be honest I just can't re-hash it all right now.

Brief summary: Forester has been doing really well in the hospital but won't be discharged until tomorrow which we're all sad about. We miss him & want him home. Pete continues to get worse and not better. It's freaking me out because it's bizarre. Forester's headaches were bizarre. I do not like bizarre...it scares me. Right now the guess is it's related to a problem with his heart. Pete has a CT scan of his chest & neck tomorrow but he feels bad enough that he was trying to see if he could get it done right away. Not possible. Pete is the glue that holds us all together. My glue is falling apart, therefore I feel....anxious and afraid and a bit like I'm free falling. I feel like my limits are being tested as far as just how much one person can handle. And somehow I know God is trying to teach me to trust him above all else. I have no choice but to trust Him and I do. But, I'm still scared. Prayers are needed. Thank you. ~Whitney