Well, Fall is officially upon us and looks like it could snow anytime now.  BOO, I say!  I'm not ready for this yet!  Seems like we went straight from Winter to Summer back to Winter again.  Oh well, nothing to be done for it....  I haven't enjoyed breaking out the winter clothes, coats etc...

I have to take a moment to brag on our girls.  They have been so good lately.  I can't believe how well behaved they are.  They play together wonderfully and there isn't anywhere I wouldn't take them.  Well, maybe not to a formal dinner, but we are working on the table manners.  I haven't been feeling too hot lately and had to have a proceedure done at the doctors office today.  They let me sleep until 6:00 this evening and were super gentle with me.  Everything turned out fine and all my test came back normal.  Now, I just need to get over the Hydrocodone.  (Uuugghh that stuff knocks me for a loop!)  I guess I should brag on my hubby a bit too as he took Hannah out this afternoon, picked the kids up at school, and delivered them to their proper locations. (We're carpooling now with another family that has open enrolled as well.  Helps with the 20 mile drive both ways.) 

Abby has school pictures tomorrow.  I can't wait to see them.  For some reason she wants me to hang around and go with her.  I had to do this last year too.  Hopefully, she will cooperate a little better.  They should be adorable since she is missing one of her front teeth and one of her bottom teeth.  She has 4 that are almost back in and has been singing "All I want for Christmas are my 6 front teeth, my 6 front teeth, oh my 6 front teeth."  Will upload them as soon as we get them.

Well, guess that's all for now.  Will write again soon.  Thanks to those of you that continue to check on her.  Please keep praying that she stays healthy.  Please pray that God will lay His healing hands on Brooklyn Durham as well.  She is not doing very well and strength for her family.  Check out her update blog at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/brooklyndurham

Have a good night.

Carrie

I can hardly believe that October is half way over, and I'm not impressed at the idea of snow at some point in the near future.  Seems like we haven't had much of a fall.  Before I know it, Christmas will be here.

Abby had her 8 month check last Friday after finishing chemotherapy.  All blood work checked out great and her immune system is good enough to have her booster shots that she couldn't have for Kindergarten.  She's not impressed at the idea of more poking.  I can't say that I blame her.  She's still bitter that she no longer has her port and they have to poke her hand and squeeze it to get the blood out.  It's strange not seeing a bump under her skin from it.  She has four more monthly visits and then we begin once every 3 months. 

She is doing great at school.  She won the very first Character Counts award in her class for Respect.  (Pics in photo album) James and I are very proud of her.  I still can't believe how advanced the school system is compared to when I was in school (at least where she goes.)  They are doing things that I don't remember doing until the end of the 2nd grade. 

Hannah is doing great as well.  She says that she does NOT enjoy preschool, but she sure does talk about how much fun it is.  Her class went to the pumpkin farm a couple weeks ago and she refused to ride with me.  She wanted to ride the bus!  So, she went on her very first bus ride and had a blast.  (Pics uploaded)  I can't believe how fast our girls are growing!

Well, I guess that's about all for now.  Will post again soon.

Carrie

Well, we are going to hope this works.  It appears that allaboutabby.org has been off-line for a bit.  Hopefully, all is working now. 

Lots going on.  I'm not even sure where to begin.  How about for now, I make it short and sweet.  Girls are great!

Write more soon, when I'm not quite so tired.

Carrie

Well, Abby went in for outpatient surgery Monday.  The procedure took about an hour and we were home that afternoon.  She is a tough little girl and was begging to hang on the swingset that very evening.  Outside of a little Tylenol here and there, one wouldn't know that anything out of the ordinary happen.  So, we have no infusa port in this house anymore!  She is a kid just like any other now!  (Well, from the outside view anyway.  My opinion is that she's one of the toughest people that I have ever met!)

She starts 1st Grade tomorrow!  Hannah begins 4 year Pre-School in about a week depending on which place I decide to enroll her.  (Way to go me, waiting until the last minute to make a decision like that.  Seems the way I operate though.)  I've just recently taken over one of the local Real Estate Brokerages here in town after passing my exam early this Spring.  Took a little time making sure it was the right move.  So.....onward we go toward a NORMAL life!

Abby will continue to have check-ups once a month until Feb after that we will go to quarterly.  Thanks again for all your support over that last (almost three) years!  Words cannot express what all the prayers, encouraging words, cards, flowers, financial help etc.... has meant to us.  Please continue to pray that Abby is completely healed!

Abby is scheduled for surgery at 9:30 to remove the infusa port.  If all goes well and she responds good, it will be outpatient and should be home tomorrow afternoon.  Please remember her in your prayers.

Congrats Eric and Julie on your precious baby girl, Vivian Elizabeth!!!!  We love you all!  Can't wait to hold her!

I can't believe how fast this summer has gone by.  I think we have had a good one.  The girls have done lots of playing etc..

Abby is scheduled for her 6 month check up on August 7th and will have her port taken out on the 11th.  She is very worked up about this and isn't understanding that it is an out patient procedure and will be home that same day.  Please pray that all goes well, that it comes out without any problems.  Also please pray that her 6 month appointment checks out great! 

Well, that's all for now.  Back to work with me.

Carrie

Abby is doing great.  Spending lots of time outside being a normal 6 year old.  She has lost another tooth for a grand total of four now.  We found out that the tooth fairy pays more in Kentucky that she does in Iowa!

On a very serious note, a real estate agent from another office here in town has just found out that her son has leukemia.  Please remember the Daters family in your prayers.  It will be a very long haul for them.  He has been admitted to one of the hospitals in Iowa City and will be there for a month.  As soon as they have his Caring Bridges page ready, I will post the link. 

Carrie

Abby had her 5 month check this morning after finishing chemo therapy.  So far, so good.  Blood work was excellent.  Everything is slowly climbing to a normal range!!!

We've been pretty busy around here lately.  The girls and I just took a trip to KY to see my family.  Had a great trip and as usual the girls were fantastic travel buddies!

Hannah turned 4 on Tuesday.  We had her birthday party at mom and dad's Sunday and will have the one here this coming Sunday.  She is happy to FINALLY be four.  Now she wants to know when she will be 4 1/2.  Lets not speed up time any faster than it already is.

Well, guess that's about it.

Carrie

Abby's great, her and Hannah are REALLY looking forward to the fireworks tonite.  You all go blow something up, or scorch it on the grill or somethin in honor of the birthday of the greatest country on earth.  That is all.

James

Well, the summer is flying by.  I'm enjoying spending the days with the girls going for walks, to the park, playing in the back yard, reading, etc...  All those things that you do with kids that are not undergoing chemotherapy.  Not worrying about all the sun screen, the bug bites and falls when platelets are too low.  Right now, the biggest thing is Abby and Hannah being in eachother's faces too much.  I think I can handle this!

I am so proud of my girls.  Today, they got to go get something with their allowance that they have saved up.  And yes, they work for it.  They get $2 a piece every Friday for unloading the dishwasher, setting and helping clear the dinner table, helping clean their rooms, making their own beds, helping take out the trash and putting their clean clothes away.  You know, maybe they need a raise (but then again, efficiency rate sometimes leaves something to be desired.)  They don't really care though.  $2 is a lot of money for a 6 and 3 year old. 

 While we were at the mall, I had 2 different women stop to ask if they were REALLY spending their allowance.  They couldn't believe how much they help out and one said Abby and Hannah should have a talk with her teenagers.  Lots of "pleases" and "thank yous" to the clerk as well.  The cool part is that they do all these things many times without being asked and very rarely do they argue with me or James about it.

I have to say, we are enjoying having a normal family.  We don't really have any summer plans, just enjoying time together.  Hannah begins 4 year old preschool this year and Abby will be starting 1st grade.  I only have one more year with a baby at home (that's only part time this year) and then I will be alone during the day.  I'm not sure what I will do with myself, but I'm sure for the first week there will be lots of tears.  After that, I guess I'll be going back to work full time.  If there's no one here, I guess I should pull some weight financially.  Start saving to send the two future doctors to school, since that are THEIR plans at this time!  Who knows, maybe the two of them can help discover a cure for Leukemia!

Well, time to clean up my mess I made cooking dinner and after I have a babysitting job to do for Abigail and Hannah.  Those baby dolls of theirs sure do require a lot of attention.

Carrie