Pinkalicious

From Sept/Oct 2011

Tonight Annikka and I went to see Pinkalicious the Musical at the Oregon Children's Theater. I wish I could have taken a picture of her watching it because she was completely memorized. She said her favorite parts were when Pinkalicious and Peter turned pink. And she was very impressed that it was all "real" - not sure what she expected, but clearly she didn't understand what a play was before tonight.

From Sept/Oct 2011

From Sept/Oct 2011

Annikka was so excited about the whole experience, and I'm so excited that she's reached the age that we can do these kind of things together. Tonight was a big success (even the drive to and from Portland went well), hopefully we can go to another again soon.

From Sept/Oct 2011

Pumpkins

From Sept/Oct 2011

Joel and the girls carved pumpkins (and we still have 2 more to go). It's become a fun Halloween tradition that we all look forward to, and the roasted pumpkin seeds afterward.

From Sept/Oct 2011

This is Annikka's pumpkin ...

From Sept/Oct 2011

Unfortunately Eila's little pumpkin had an accident before we could get a picture of it, so you'll just have to trust me that Joel did a great job making a little spider for her.

From Sept/Oct 2011

From Sept/Oct 2011

And this is Joel's pumpkin ... he is quite pleased with it. :)

From Sept/Oct 2011

Chemo VII

From Sept/Oct 2011

I can't believe it's the end of October, the weeks are moving quickly. We are happy to report that Eila's still doing well. Today's appointment included an ultrasound of her lower belly, checking the area where they removed her kidney and tumor, as well as her remaining right kidney. Apparently Wilms tumor is relatively fast growing, so it's standard procedure to check for growth after surgery and treatment (and we'll have more of these checks in her future). Although Eila didn't enjoy the ultrasound, we were very happy to learn that they didn't find anything to be concerned about and we're simply continuing on with her current course of treatment.

From Sept/Oct 2011

From Sept/Oct 2011

Today's appointment was also unusual because we went to the infusion unit for the first time. Eila's chemo is quick, taking less than 10 minutes, so we usually stay in the exam rooms for it. But the clinic was busy today, so we got to see the other side of the floor (probably doesn't look that much different to you).

From Sept/Oct 2011

Chemo VI

From Sept/Oct 2011

Eila is doing really well with her weekly appointments; she's caught on to the routine and isn't fighting the nurses any more. Today, she started with snacks and did stickers during her chemo. Her doctor is happy with how well she is responding to the infusions - and so are we.

From Sept/Oct 2011

See, no tears. Just hanging out, getting chemo. :)

From Sept/Oct 2011

Beaver's fall carnival

From Sept/Oct 2011

It was a really nice morning for costumes and fun at the stadium before the football game. And yet another example of our idyllic little town, trick or treating from the Beaver athletics programs. So here's a sneak peek of Halloween - Snow White & Oliver.

From Sept/Oct 2011

From Sept/Oct 2011

Eila LOVED the cup she got from the boys' basketball team.

From Sept/Oct 2011

Annikka got her face painting by the girls' softball team.

From Sept/Oct 2011

Eila and Roberto Nelson (basketball) were both dressed up as cats.

From Sept/Oct 2011

Doctors

Eila's fifth chemo treatment went well on Thursday. She is adjusting really well to the routine. This week she even reminded the nurses that she likes bubbles when they check her vitals. :) We have been fortunate to have very little side effects, and I'm amazed at how quickly we've made it through the first 5 treatments.
At this appointment we found out that Eila will have scans done at the end of the month to find out if there's anything new trying to grow in there. I have mixed feelings about this - glad to know that we're double checking everything, but nervous about what that could mean. Either way, it's better to know, right?

From Sept/Oct 2011

And today Annikka had her 4 year check-up. She's now 36 lbs (52 percentile) and 40.5 inches (63 percentile). No surprises and everything went well, except for the giant meltdown over getting the flu shot.

From Sept/Oct 2011

Fall fun

From Sept/Oct 2011

Saturday was a beautiful fall day, so we got out and enjoyed a local pumpkin patch. Both girls loved the hay.

From Sept/Oct 2011

From Sept/Oct 2011

Annikka and Joel conquered the corn maze and the mud.

From Sept/Oct 2011

While Eila discovered the nearby horses.

From Sept/Oct 2011

It was a fun afternoon - Eila was happy to also get a wagon ride. And we came home with big pumpkins to carve.

From Sept/Oct 2011