Roller Coaster #1

Much as I lamented the loss of another teaching day, I have to report that we enjoyed an amazing snow day. Katie had the most normal day she has had in a long time. She played with toys she hasn't even looked at in five weeks. She painted, she colored, she read stories, she sang songs, and she wrecked Joshua's Lincoln Log masterpiece. She giggled. She even danced. We had to intervene when the kids wouldn't share toys. As odd as this may sound, it was refreshing to separate two Kelley kids with enouth energy to play with--and to fight about--the same toys. Wonder Kid even ate foods that had not been processed--apples, carrots and whole grain bread. We had a brief glimpse of the Katie we knew B.L. (before leukemia). I can't describe what a treat this was and how it lifted our spirits to see her so happy.

Then our day took an odd turn. The good folks at Fletcher Allen called to check in and shared some good news. Katie's counts are high enough that she can have visitors! Katie really misses her buddies at day care. She needs to interact with other kids. She wants to go to the library. This is so exciting! We also started to speak about treatment options for Katie, though, too, and while that was exciting, it was vaguely disturbing. "Echocardiogram" is not a term I use a lot in my everyday life, and I don't associate it with Katie, so it was strange to start talking about long term effects of various treatment strategies, none of which are attractive. Katie will probably be just fine--she has survived quite a lot thus far, and with aplomb--but I spent time learning about some of the medications she may be exposed to in the next few months and trying to decide which are less terrifying. It was a grim reminder that we still have such a long way to go. Fortunately, the nurse practitioner at the clinic, whose name is Heidi, kept me laughing throughout our conversation. She has a gift. I didn't know whether to cry or to nap when our conversation had ended, so I retreated into my head and continued with research, the only marginally useful thing I could think to do.

I should have napped. Katie took a long afternoon nap--another treat, for us and for Katie--and woke up bouncing. She went to bed on time, snuggling in with stories and very content, but she popped up in our room as we were preparing for bed just after eleven p.m. That was the end of my night. The wiggling and energetic Katie insisted that we eat some more and that we watch Dora. I gave in when it became readily apparent that she had no use for a bed whatsoever, and we adjourned to the living room, where we remained until four o'clock in the morning. Katie laughed, she sang along with Dora, and she happily ordered me around our kitchen, but she would not return to bed. Thanks to Grandma Kathy, Katie has a new Dora book about camping, and I can deliver some of its pages verbatim for anyone who is interested. I was so thankful to return to bed for a few hours early this morning. If only that had been the end of our adventure...