Office visit 8/29

08/29 12:35
ANC 3990

Quick visit for counts. Doc A is pleased with Alan's condition...feisty as ever! Counts check on Friday.

Office visit 8/26

08/26 12:15
ANC 1831

The last day of chemo went by quickly and without incident. Alan was tired from his first week at school so he was content to sit and play. By the time the IV pump was beeping that it was done, he was ready for a little walk up and down the halls with a hand from Mommy. Six down, only two more to go!

Office Visit 8/25

08/25 12:25
ANC 1816

Day 4 was pretty uneventful. Alan again played with his tubing, ate some hamburger bun and fries, and read some of his books. We missed the rain that came through because we were inside... seems to be our luck lately.

Office visit 8/24

08/24 12:40
ANC 2052

Day 3 of chemo went smoothly. Alan spend most of the time playing with his tubing and going through his ABC and 123 books. He devoured some puffs and we played "What's this colour?" with some M&Ms. Amazingly, he turned down the lollipop that the new chemo nurse Marcia offered him. I think Uncle Peter got him hooked on chocolate!

Office Visit 8/23

08/23 12:28
ANC 3105

Second day for this round of chemo was pretty quiet...no fussing at all. We think the early days with school tend to keep Alan subdued during his treatment. Also, we've stepped up the rate at which he gets infused, resulting in slightly shorter times at the doctor's office. Doc A is filling in for Doc P this week and is pleased with Alan's progress.

In school news, Alan rode the bus today for the first time! He wasn't too sure going to school (he had a look of quiet apprehension on the bus) but didn't want to leave the bus when he got home! His teacher said he was much better today. We think he's already getting into the groove at school.


Waiting for the bus to arrive


Home again after a successful day

Office Visit 8/22 Post-Op Chemo Round Six begins

08/22 12:58
ANC 2140

First day of this round of chemo, and Alan's first day of school! After a somewhat inauspicious start to the day due to a minor snafu at the school, Alan ended up being able to attend the full session. His teacher said she had to do some 'tough love' (read: pretend to ignore him when he got upset because he didn't get what he wants all the time). But she also said he's already starting to pick up on the lesson. Since we've been doing this at home, hopefully he'll learn pretty quickly. He seemed to love his first day, and he worked hard!

At the clinic, the first day went pretty well...in fact, there was very little protesting at all. We think he was pretty tired after the early wake up and work at school. Anyway, his counts were good, and we watched some Wiggles and read his ABC and 123 books during the treatment. Hopefully he'll adjust his sleep and wake times as he goes through the week.

No pictures today because of the snafu with the pickup. We'll get pictures tomorrow!

Post Spica Cast Twenty-Three Weeks

A week after taking his first free-standing step since surgery, Alan has started walking small distances, sometimes walking as far as five or six feet! While visiting friends and family, there has been a lot of encouragement, motivation, and helping hands so Alan has been constantly on the move. He has been working so hard on walking, climbing and playing that he fell asleep for a rare nap in the middle of playing.

Being around lots of kids and interesting new adults has really motivated Alan. One afternoon, we heard some furious pounding at the window - Harold was trying to get Judy's attention because Alan had started to take some free standing steps! He's walked as far as six feet completed unassisted. Crawling is still his preferred mode of transportation when he's tired or in a hurry, but this is all very encouraging!


Alan has been working (playing) so hard, he fell asleep in the middle of a play date

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A video of the first day Alan walked without assistance. By the time Harold got Judy's attention and she grabbed the camera, Alan was pretty tired, and we only got 2 steps on film. He was working very hard!


[video - Free standing walk]

Post Spica Cast Twenty-Two Weeks

We hit a big milestone last night - Alan took an unsupported, free-standing step! It was a short little step, followed by a graceful fall to a foam-tiled covered floor. It comes after several days of chasing cousins and friends who love to help him walk around and explore. He was also watching the Cobra Dance from Bride and Prejudice. He's always loved that scene, asking for it again and again. This time though, he started trying to dance along! It was pretty amazing (and funny!) to watch him try to balance and wave his arms, roll around and even hop along with the movie.

Today, we were at the park launching rockets. Alan was having a grand time with Uncle Duli, flying like a plane and getting horsey rides. He kept asking for "up please" and we saw him take single steps a few more times to get to Uncle Duli. He has been so active and having so much fun, he just has to keep walking!


Uncle Duli takes Alan for a flight

Office visit 8/5

08/05 11:45
ANC 1546

It was a quick visit today by the whole family to check Alan's counts before we go on a trip. Since it was just counts, we didn't go in until the late morning, which gave us time to go to a nearby mall for Alan to have some time running around in his walker. Alan walked almost the entire length of the mall, carrying a Wiggles t-shirt that has become a favoured item with him the whole time.

Doc P was very happy with Alan's counts and sent us off on our trip with his blessings and a quick note from his prescription pad to help smooth things along the way. We will be back in two weeks to start Round Six of post-op chemo. It will be a busy week as Alan will be starting preschool as well. Doc P wants Alan to be able to participate as much as possible, so we'll be doing chemo in the afternoon.

We were very pleased to see Carole, briefly returned from retirement, in the office to train the new chemo nurse Marsha. It was nice to have a chance to say goodbye.


Alan leaves the bounce house to take off


Alan plays Peek-A-Boo with his Wiggles t-shirt


Wearing the Wiggles t-shirt on his head is a handy way to carry it when both hands are occupied. Luckily, Daddy helped him drape it along the walker for the rest of the walk.

Orthotist follow up

Lorenzo, the orthotist who made Alan's brace, wanted to see him after he's had the walker for two weeks to be sure everything was aligned correctly for Alan to walk. After our incident a few weeks ago, we also took the opportunity for Lorenzo to give the brace a once-over - on July 21st, Alan's brace actually broke! He had been been playing, climbing, walking and on the move so much that the copper rivets on the thigh cuff came out. Lorenzo had originally put in copper rivets so the brace would be easy to adjust. After all, Alan is growing and the brace is made to be able to grow with him. Given Alan's activity level, Lorenzo replaced them with steel rivets this time. Luckily, broken rivets are easy to replace, unlike the specialized screws in the joints of the brace. Those had been coming loose too, so Lorenzo secured them with some Loctite.

After watching Alan walk, Lorenzo went over the general condition of the brace and how it fit his body. He was very pleased to note that Alan's bad leg is stretching out to match his good leg. The brace is doing it's job quite well! He thinks we'll need to adjust the length in the next month or two (probably by adjusting the bar attached to the AFO), so we'll be back in September for another once-over and re-assessment.


Alan checks out the fish in Lorenzo's waiting room