Friday, April 24, 2009

Avarie doing GREAT!

Avarie has been doing great this week. I just got home last night, so sorry I haven't been able to update and let everyone know how great she is doing. The swelling in her stomach is gone and she is a happy little girl again. She still has a little pain and has not been able to eat or drink yet. She tolerates water, but when we started trying to introduce food back to her she was too scared to eat anything. So we started feeding her through her tummy tube at an incredibly slow rate, but she just couldn't tolerate it and kept throwing it up. The surgeon's are going to give her a few more days to let her bowels rest and then retry food on Sunday. If she can't tolerate her feeds then they are going to do some testing to see if there was some damage done to her colan or intestines.
She is also starting inpatient rehab on Monday. That is intense physical therapy where she lives in the rehab part of the hospital and spends up to 5 hours a day just doing therapy to try to get stronger. She will do 2 weeks of rehab with chemo on the weekend. She is long overdue for her chemo, but the surgeons did not want us to do anything that would jeopardize her white blood counts when we need them to help her keep healing. She can't go too much longer with out chemo or we run the risk of her relapsing, so this next weekend is chemo no matter what.
Transplant still seems on for June, but we found out yesterday that we no longer have a donor. I am not allowed to actually know why, but the Dr hypothesized that perhaps through further testing something came up that made him unsuitable or perhaps he became sick. We're not sure why, but they are relooking for a new donor. They still have a lot to pick from and we are confident that we will relocate a suitable donor.
Big news in our family this week is that we are going to be moving back to Oregon. We will be moving to Milwaukie. We found a large home that we will be living in with Craig's parents. It has a very large downstairs with a great room and large bedroom and bathroom and laundry room. We will have the upstairs with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and a kitchen and great room. It has a great back yard that has a swing set, but I think the current tenants are going to take it with them, they offered to sell it to us for $300, it's not that great of a swing set. I would have maybe paid $75-$100. So if anyone knows of anyone that wants to get rid of a swing set we are in the market for one. My kids have never had one and it sure would be fun to have, we will totally buy it, I am not looking for someone to give us one, just hoping for a good deal.
I think we will be in Milwaukie Ward, which is great because I know quite a few people there and have met some other wonderful people in that ward recently. There is another little girl with Leukemia in that ward, I have become friends with her mom, that will be great support. It feels kind of like we're moving home. Gladstone is where Craig and I both grew up and that whole area feels so comfortable to both of us.
We have been so blessed through this process to have lived where we did when Avarie was diagnosed. That is going to be one of the hardest things about moving. We have made some great friends here and have a wonderful Ward that has been amazing through all of this. I have not always taken the help from them that I should and they figured me out and would just start showing up. They are great people who have helped to lighten my burden and have prayed and fasted for us many times. The Lord definitely directed us to this Ward for our benefit when we were looking to move up here. He knew what lay ahead of us and sent us to the right place. It will be hard to leave some of the friends that we have made here. I know its not like we're moving super far away, but I have loved having such dear friends so close.
My family all lives up here too, but I know them well enough to know I will still see them often, maybe not as often as I do now, and it won't be as close to drive, but we'll still have birthday parties, blessings and our girls night out.

9 comments:

Rachelle said...

I am so excited you guys will be SO close! I'm sure Craig and Jake will resume their video game nights! We will have to play ALL OF THE TIME!

Amber G. said...

YAY!!!! I am so excited that you will be moving back to Oregon!!!! Do you still have guinea pigs? I have missed Avarie so much and have been dying to see her. My friend from church asks how Avarie is and says she keeps Avarie in her prayers. I want to see you soon.

p.s. I am going to my first temple trip tomorrow (Saturday) I don't know if I will see you then, but I hope I will! I love you guys so much!!!!

K-jo said...

How exciting! Looking forward to having you in our ward! It is great to hear that Avarie is doing so much better.

j and k said...

Yeah!!!!!!! I'm so happy I can't stop crying! I'm happy because Avarie FEELS a little better and that she is smiling in her darling pictures! I'm happy she has that fun picture of the Easter bunny. And, I'm so happy you guys will be in our ward! I can't wait to meet your sweet family, and I would love to help in any way I can! I know you'll miss your girls night with your family, but I'm happy to be a surrogate girls nighter while you're here! :-) Let me know if you need help with the move, Ok?

mommyof6 said...

I am glad that you found a great house and will have extra help but am in no way glad you are leaving me and taking my surrogate kids with you=( It will be really really hard not to be able to be close so I can be there when needed within minutes. It will be hard but I know it is what's best for now. I will still be available to help and don't think I won't be kidnapping your kids still! The hardest will be that we will not see each other very much anymore It has been less since Avarie got sick but I could always lure you with food! Well this won't be the first time we've lived apart and unfortunately this might be last time we ever live so close again. At least we got a year though and I am so glad that I was here by you for all of this and i hope somehow I can still be a support to you.

Jenell said...

Oh don't worry Andrea, I will still find ways for you to support me, I'm sure I can come up with a lot of ideas.

Heather said...

I have a swing set you can have. It's a nice wood one with a slide and swing. We will be happy to bring it to you when you move in. We have had it for a yr and my husband has never put it up. It's yours, we will help Craig put it up! email me through facebook and we will work out the details of when and all that. :) yay for Avarie feeling better, glad you are "back home".

Pistolmom said...

BAWAHWAH!
You can't move away from us!
We love you guys sooo much :)

Seriously though, we will keep in contact and visit often...
Avarie~ Keep Dancing!

KeriLyn and Matthew said...

we will miss you when you move...but we are glad you found a house that will work for you. it really does sound perfect.