March 26, 1999

Dinner Time

Daddy received several nudges already, so here are some new photos.

March 24, 1999

Larissa is eight months old today! She is such a delight for Mommy and Daddy. She is learning lots of things by herself, and Mommy is showing her how to do many different things, too. Today at lunch, she drank from a sippy cup all by herself. Yesterday, she had her first bath in the big people's bathtub. Daddy is going to take pictures tonight, so if there are no new pictures here by Friday, and you are waiting for them, give him a nudge.

Joann is doing well. She has had two acupuncture treatments. This is to find if it can relieve some of the effects of the peripheral neuropathy. It's too early to tell.

March 16, 1999

Joann is continuing to do well. Her blood counts were good last Friday, and she was able to discontinue her nightly Neupogen injection. She can now look forward to over two weeks without any sticks. Yeah! She has lots to keep busy.

Larissa is becoming more mobile every day. Rolling over is a breeze. She is becoming more interested in examining, shaking, and tasting whatever she can get her hands on. Joann is feeding her solids at lunch, too, as she is showing more interest in her rice cereal.

March 10, 1999

Joann is reading "Dancing at the Edge of Life : A Memoir" by Gale Warner. The book was extracted posthumously by Ms. Warner's husband, David Kreger, from 1000 pages of a journal she kept as she battled with non-Hodgkins lymphoma for 13 months in during 1990 and 1991.

Joann said to Jim this morning at breakfast, "I've been fortunate that I haven't had a lot of pain. I guess the lung is one place where a large tumor can grow without you knowing it." Jim replied, "Yeah, the lungs have a lot of empty space." Joann said, "Hey! Spacious quarters. Let's move in!" Then, disdainfully, "Squatters." There was hearty laughter.

Larissa weighed 15 lbs. 15 oz. on the Pine Street Pediatrics scale on Friday. She had two vaccinations and barely cried. Last night she was very enthusiatic about her rice cereal. She insisted on having her hand on the spoon to guide it to her mouth. Daddy heard her say "Mama" later in the evening. Of course, proud fathers are subject to various delusions.

March 5, 1999

We went to Albany on Wednesday for the next round of Joann's chemotherapy. We saw the CT scan that was done on February 23, and it was good news. In some dimensions, the tumor has reduced by 50% since the last scan on November 24. Joann and Dr. Grund agreed that it made good sense to continue with Taxol for several more rounds. The Taxol/Carboplatin combination is effective against the tumor, and the neuropathy has not worsened during the last two cycles. Dr. Grund will be meeting with a colleague who is researching peripheral neuropathy.

Needless to say, Joann is very pleased with the progress.

March 2, 1999

Another month is starting, and we continue reporting good news. Thank you, everyone, for your prayers and positive thoughts.

We go to Albany tomorrow for Joann's tenth cycle of Taxol and Carboplatin. We will discuss with Dr. Grund the advantages and disadvantages of switching agents in the near future. The Taxol has been causing peripheral neuropathy, but has been effective against the tumor. There are no easy choices in this cancer business.

Larissa is approaching 16-1/2 lbs. She's rolling from front-to-back-to-front-to-back-to-front-back. That sequence puts her at least 6 feet from where she started. The days of putting her on the gymnasium pad and leaving the room for a few minutes are behind us. Last night she went to bed at 10:30 pm and slept this morning until 9:30 am. Wow! Daddy got to bed before midnight, even with setting out the trash and walking Blacky.