January 26, 1999
We haven't had new pictures for a while, so Daddy took a photo of Larissa in her new Pooh sleeper, and then one of Mommy singing to her (The Mockingbird Song). Larissa was able to sit up in Mommy's chair all by herself! Aunt Mary Frances took advantage of tax-free week to make a shopping trip to Macy's.

Marie Shaughnessy has moved to the rehabilitation unit at Sewickley Valley Hospital. She will be there until the middle of next week, with twice-daily physical therapy to speed her recovery from hip-replacement surgery. Larissa is going to have a hard time crawling away from Grandma!

We've heard that immediately on his return to Chicago, Ed Shaughnessy Fed-Ex'ed a bottle of vitamins back to Elena in Chengdu. What is this all about?

Joann's platelet count is rising, but her WBC count is a bit low. She is still aiming for her next round of chemotherapy on Monday, February 1.

This will probably be the last update for the month of January. Thanks for visiting. Please continue your prayers and positive thoughts.

January 21, 1999
Marie Shaughnessy's operation went well. We spoke to her this afternoon after she left the recovery room, and she sounded good. Her doctor expects a speedy recovery. With her expanding Grandma repsonsibilities, this hip replacement was none too soon.

Lowell Thing's website, whatis.com, was selected as one of the best 100 sites by PC Magazine, in its February 9 edition. This is well-deserved and remarkable recognition. Lowell has contributed several feature articles to these pages, and has been a gentle and constant friend.

Larissa is making attempts to crawl. When placed on her stomach, she pushes up her head and shoulders and struggles to get on her knees. Mommy and Daddy don't have much time left to babyproof the house.

Joann is doing well. Her platelet count is a bit low, so she will have to have more blood tests before her next chemotherapy, which is currently scheduled for February 1.

January 19, 1999
Another week has sped by since this page was updated. Wow, it's hard to keep up with everything. Joann is doing well, in spite of the nasty weather. Friday's WBC blood count was good and she was able to stop Neupogen. Friday was busy getting ready for a visit from Linda, Jim, and Marisa Cravens. Saturday was a trip to Janet's in Albany, where we had dinner with Janet and Tom and Michael, Judy and Jim and Jennifer, and Ginny and Ben. Sunday was a catch-up rest day, and Mary Frances treated us to an in-house prepared dinner.

Larissa has started to have rice cereal once a day, joining us for dinner. She is slowly getting used to the idea. She is about to graduate to 9 ounce bottles for all of her daytime feedings. She is starting to play with her rattles.

Marie Shaughnessy, Larissa's Grandma, has hip replacement surgery Thursday at Sewickley Valley Hospital, Sewickley, PA, 15143. We wish her a successful operation and a speedy recovery. We are planning to visit in mid-February.

January 11, 1999

We had dinner last night at the Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck, NY, to celebrate Judy Ives Barba's birthday.   Joann dazzled.   Aunt Judy said, "The best present I get is holding Larissa".   Of course, Larissa is always most content in Mommy's arms.   Even Uncle Jim can't top that.

January 8, 1999
An early Happy Birthday to Jay Barba, who will be 27 on Sunday, January 10. Also for that day, Happy Birthday to Judy Ives Barba, who is old enough to be his mother -- and is! Talk about giving yourself a nice present ...

Joann and Jen took Larissa to the doctor's today. She weighs 13 lbs. 7 oz. and is 24 inches long. She also had 3 vaccinations. Hear-say is that Dr. Appel said, "Gee, neonatal medicine is amazing nowadays. She looks like a normal 4 month-old baby." Joann didn't offer that she's only 3 months past her due date. Mommy and Daddy are very pleased with her progress. :-)

Joann is doing well. She started Neupogen on Wednesday evening and was achy yesterday. She had a good night's sleep.

January 6, 1999
We wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year.

We had a very wonderful holiday season. We seem to have our colds behind us. Joann feels good, looks great, and has a lot of energy. We think this is a good sign. We are settling in to tough out the rest of the winter and look forward to spring. Already, the days are longer, and our amaryllis is growing towards a bloom.

Joann's continued her chemotherapy on January 4 by beginning her eighth cycle of Taxol and Carboplatin. She is switching from three week cycles to four week cycles. She has been noticing at times a tingling and at times a numbness in her fingers and hands. This is an indication of peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage), which is a known side effect of the Taxol. Dr. Grund will be investigating agents to counteract this effect.

We look forward to continued progress in 1999 against Joann's lung cancer. The light ahead seems a bit brighter - we still have much tunnel ahead of us. We have not been promised a cure - our doctors do not know of one. Joann knows that the longer her tumor is controlled and managed, the closer she is to a discovery that will be a cure.

And then, there are miracles. Your prayers and positive thoughts continue to help, and we very much appreciate them.

Larissa continues to thrive and brings great joy to our lives. She has been enjoying her bouncer, a Christmas gift from Grandma.