Day 258

     We are back.  We had a nice visit with my mom and family in New Mexico.   There have been some highs and lows with Katie since I last wrote.  Maintenance hit her hard.  Katie looked and acted so sick for the first week after treatments.  It was worse than it has been.  It was very painful and difficult to see her so sick again.  However, after the first week, Katie started looking and acting better.  By day 2 of the steroids we noticed the effects, and by day 5 we were seeing the full effects - weakness, hunger, cravings, very emotional, weak, and even her face and tummy puffed up a little.  However, the steroids are wearing off now, and she is daily getting stronger.  By the end of our trip, Katie was almost back to her "normal" self.  I can still sense some weakness in her, but she is happy and doing well. 
     The BIG surprise in all of this is how well Katie has taken her medication.  She has taken it daily without complaint!!!  It has been amazing!  What a blessing - for her and us!  I had talked to Katie before hand, and explained to her that she would have to take her medicine every day now.  I told her we would be going to the clinic less and not getting as many "pokes," but that also meant she would have to take medicine every day - like a big girl.  And she has!  She has been such a big girl.  There has been a lot of medication to take - especially that first week - but she has taken it without any fight, complaint, or struggle.  What a relief that has been!!  It just goes to show how much she has changed and matured from when this all started 8 months ago.  I am so thankful for this blessing.  I am so glad we aren't having to force the medication on her every day.
      Another great thing, is that Katie's hair has grown so much in the past two weeks.  That has amazed us!  We have been told it could still fall out or thin, but most likely it will not.  Katie is so excited about her hair - and we are excited and happy for her.  She is looking forward to clips, bows, and ponytails.
     Life has continued to be a roller coaster, but hopefully Maintenance will bring more of a regular routine into our lives.  (Although, I hope the routine won't be that she has such a rough first week every month!  That truly was very hard).  We go back to the clinic tomorrow for a check-up.  No chemo, but she will still get poked.  Actually, tomorrow they are going to try using a vein rather than her port.  The doctors are anxious to get her port out - and in a way, we are too.  Taking her port out will lessen the risk of Katie getting a life threatening infection.  (Although I dread the surgery to remove her port!)
      We still have almost a year and a half of Maintenance ahead of us.  I hope people will continue to pray for sweet Katie and our family.  We still need it!  However, I am wanting to shift my focus from sickness to wellness.  I have decided not to continue posting daily on the blog.  Instead, I am going to post once a week.  Hopefully, now that we are in Maintenance, there will not be so many ups and downs and not so much to comment on.  Hopefully, our life will take on some normality.  We are ready for that!  My only worry in doing this, is loosing people's interest in Katie.  I started this blog in the hopes of "reminding" people about Katie, so people would remember to pray for her.  I hope your prayers for Katie will not lessen as my blog writing lessens.  Katie still needs as much prayer as she ever did.  Please keep praying for our sweet little Katie!
     Spencer W. Kimball said: “There is a knowledge that our Father in Heaven wants each of us to have, and that is a personal knowledge that he hears and answers our prayers.”  ("Pray Always," Ensign, Oct. 1981, 3).