I do have an update on life, but today will be about Ike.

A week ago I received the travel dates for our Make-A-Wish.

When planning this trip, we decided to hold off until Ike's Chemo was done.  (And we wanted to go last year, but had a surprise baby instead!)

When we decided this, the trip seemed SO.FAR.AWAY.

And, here it is.  5 months away.

I can hardly believe it.  

This last clinic appointment was surreal for me.

Ike had a spinal, so we had to be there early.  His IV was in with one poke, and we waited to go down and get his sleepy medicine.

After his spinal.  I began to think.  Only one more.  That's it.  One more scheduled spinal.  I sat and chatted with Ms. Jen in the play room about a possible "no more chemo" party.  And found my mind wondering to thoughts like, "Is this really happening?"   "Am I really talking about this?"  When Ike was diagnosed at a 1 1/2, I thought, "He is going to be in SCHOOL, for heavens sake, when this is over!"  And here it is.

I had to talk to Ike's pre-school teacher about steroid week and chemo. Leukemia has just been our life for so long, it was really weird to talk to "new" people about this journey.  Childhood cancer is awful, but I forgot what it feels like to not be living this way everyday.  I had to remind myself how I felt when a friend we knew whose child was diagnosed with cancer, how DEVASTATED I was!  (This all before we knew ANYTHING about Ike!)  That this really is such an awful thing to have happen to your child. 

Just another reminder of the journey.  We do our best to not talk about Leukemia because we want Ike to be treated like everyone else.  We don't want cancer to have any power over our family.  We try to keep things as normal as possible, and his teacher is right on board with us.  She mentioned it may be hard, but she wants what we want.  Since he is at Tri-Unity which is a christian school, she asked if she could bring him up at prayer time.  I jumped at that with a "Yes, please!"

There are never enough prayers if you ask me!  Especially with treatment ending in January.  We sit and watch to see if all the years of medicine has tricked his body into not making any more cancer cells, and if the ones that were in his blood are gone.  That is a post for another day.

Yesterday when picking Laney up from school, I was talking to Laney's teacher for just a second.  (Keep in mind, what I am about to write is supposed to be funny.  I really think I need to write a sitcom based on my family.  It would be a comedy of course.)  I asked her if the teachers talked to each other.  Mostly because Laney can be a little tricky.  Mrs. T said she did talk to Mrs. G and that we go to her church.  So, nonchalantly, I said, "Oh good, so she told you about Laney's brother."  She looked puzzled.  So I said, "Oh, that he is in treatment for Leukemia."  As I said this, craziness ensued with car-pooling, and I was pulled away saying "Oh, well, he is fine!"  As she sat there as if a bomb just went off in her face.  Of course that is how it happened.  I have yet to email her the whole story.  I am sure she thinks I am a lunatic.  So is life. 

I am not used to moments like this any more.  I am not really sure how to handle these situations.  Do you say something or not?

We are doing our best to navigate this new season.  Working out the kinks, and seeing what Ike can handle.  He did come home from school today because his legs were tired.  But most days were without incident.  And Ike LOVES school.

I'm excited to think that next year, (the Lord willing) Steroids and Leukemia will be a thing of the past.  I'm not trying to wish time away, and yet, I kind of am.

That is my update.  And stay tuned!  I might have a guest blogger, (Ahem! Jacob!) on here!

That is all!

Adios!