We're Home!!!

Praise the Lord! Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all your prayers. Libby weathered her stay in the hospital like the trooper she is.  And her paranoid Mama calmed down. Her blood work indicated there was definitely something going on in her little body. They just weren't sure what. The scary stuff was ruled out, and they kept her a couple of nights just to be safe. We're praying it was a nasty virus that worked its way out of her system. Whatever it was, it certainly seems to be gone, because she is fantastic! We're so blessed to have all the prayer warriors we do, including our nurses, doctors, friends, complete strangers, and incredible family. I can't tell you how LOVED and prayed for we feel in these moments. God certainly provides for us. He has given us all of you! We love you!

Prayers, Please!

We took Libby to the ER this afternoon, and she was admitted to the hospital. She is seemingly in a lot of pain, and we're not sure why. She's also started running a low grade fever. They're running the whole gamut of tests. The entire thing is eerily familiar to the way she acted during the weeks leading up to her leukemia diagnosis. In fact, I haven't seen her act this way since then. And I'm not handling it all that well.

In the midst of all this, the other night, Hib and I happened to catch up on our church's most recent message. The message was about following Jesus. And, interestingly, the message was about fear. And about overwhelming faith that drives out fear. It was timely. Because here I am. Out here on the edge. And all of the sudden my faith feels really small. I go kicking and screaming when I'm taken to the edge. Fears and anxieties mounting. Emotions rebelling against my will. And Andy's imitation of Him plays in my mind...Yep, I knew all about this, too. I'm Jesus. What are you so afraid of? He goes before me. And I choose to trust Him. But I'm still scared.

Thank you so much for your prayers. Truly. It's overwhelming. It's awesome. We're so humbled. And so, so thankful. We love you. And if you would, please continue to pray for our precious little Libby. Pray for her pain to subside. Pray for healing. Pray for wisdom for these wonderful doctors. Pray for me. :)

I'll update when I know something!

Easter

Here are a few pics of our wonderful Easter, courtesy of my Aunt Amy-photographer extraordinaire. Thank you, Amy!

Hope all of you are excellent! We're doing great. Minus the crazy steroid rages she suffered through the first week of the month, Libby feels fantastic! We're so very thankful. Our next treatment is scheduled for May 1st. LOVING having a treatment just once a month!!!

We love you all!

We Made It

 

Libby starts the maintenance phase of her treatment this Thursday! She’ll be sedated for her IT chemo, and then she’ll receive her monthly IVIG treatment. Hib will be out of town, so I’m especially asking for your prayers for this treatment and the day after! 

However, the hard part-they tell us-is over. According to our doctors, this phase will become our new normal. And I certainly hope we adjust, because we’ll be doing whatever it is we’ll be doing for the next year and a half. Treatments will only be once a month. The chemo is not going to be nearly as strong as the stuff she’s been getting.  She will begin to regain her strength. His timing.  I have to smile. Spring is here, and as all the gorgeous flowers sprout up everywhere around us, so do the beautiful blonde hairs on my little girl’s head.

I read a book nearly a year ago, before Libby was even diagnosed with leukemia. A divine coincidence, one might say. I happened to pick it up again the other day. Here’s one of the first things I had underlined: People who insist on happiness never find joy…Shattered dreams are the prelude to joy. Always. In the middle of our pain, God is working for our joy. At some point, He works in ways we can see. 

I’m thrilled we’ve made it to Libby’s maintenance phase. I’m ecstatic thinking about enjoying a relaxing summer, lazy days outside, vacations, and not heading to the hospital every week.  But my expectations for how I think life should go are eroding. That’s what happens when you face circumstances you can’t control.  I’m not being pessimistic. I actually count myself fortunate God is training me in this early. He doesn’t want this world to work for me. He didn’t design me that way. I was made to desire much more. I was created for another world. And everyday my hunger grows for His redeemed world. This world, and everything in it, will eventually fail me. The only thing that will not is Him. Happiness is fleeting. Joy is everlasting.

So to title this post “We Made It” is a big presumption. :) He knows I know this. We made it to here. We have no idea what’s next. But it doesn’t matter. I’m so thankful and so happy things are going well. More importantly, I’m joyful. As my expectations of this world erode, my expectations of Him continue to grow.

Post Surgery

Surgery couldn't have gone more smoothly! Actually, the ENT decided not to put ear tubes in her ears because they were so clear. But it was nice he was able to get in there and have a good look. Tear duct was probed and IT chemo was administered easily. Libby has been pretty nauseous, but zofran is her little miracle drug. Half a zofran, and bring on the eggs and bacon!

Your prayers are SO felt. We love you!

Beauty in the Ashes

  

Well, we made it through Monday! I wanted to ask for your continued prayers as we head into tomorrow. Libby did great today, but I forgot to tell y’all about a minor hiccup we had last clinic visit. If you weren’t aware, our almost three-year-old is a very strong and determined little girl. And she's increasingly aware of what each and every clinic visit will bring. She knows the medicines she likes, and the ones she doesn’t. She sips the ones she likes right down, and promptly spits out the ones she doesn’t. There is no fooling her. Not for long. And she hates anyone messing with her port site. She puts up a pretty good little fight when they access her port.  And she likes to tug at her line and wince every so often, just to make sure we know she’s good and annoyed. So last visit. Apparently, she tugged too hard, dislodged her needle, and some of her medication was absorbed subcutaneously. Thankfully, this particular medication can actually be given this way.  It wasn’t as big of a deal as it could’ve been. Thankfully, it wasn’t the medication given to her minutes before. Seriously, thank you, God. Still, the incident has aggravated her port site a bit, which has aggravated her much more than a bit. Add on to all of this that we decided it might be a good idea to speed up the rate at which her chemo is given (so there would be less time for her to be able to tug at her line while these meds are going in) and, well, a lot of vomiting ensued. 

But we met the kindest Aflac volunteer today. She wanted to know Libby. She wanted to know all about her. And she genuinely wanted to know all about me. We had the nicest conversation. Bless her heart, she sat down to talk with us right before all the craziness began. She read Libby books and sang with her.  Libby kept asking for song repeats, and she would sing the song over and over again. And when the vomiting started, she must’ve run back and forth 15 times bringing us washcloths, a change of clothes, lollipops, ice, popsicles, towels, sheets, you name it. And our nurse would’ve done the exact same thing, but she couldn’t because she was so carefully watching the medicine she was administering. It was a crazy 45 minutes. And in the middle of it all, covered in vomit, all I could think was that there is such beauty here. I told Hib the minute he called to check on us. God continuously shows me beauty in the ashes. Sometimes right in the thick of the fire. These people. He just drops them in our lives. They help us. Talk to us. Pray for us. They give us glimpses of Him. He’s here. Beauty in even these ashes. 

On our way out, I had to literally tear Libby away from three precious nurses who are absolutely in love with her. And the feeling is mutual. She would move back and forth between each of them, dancing with them, and didn't want to come back to me. And tomorrow, three doctors and nurses (from different practices) have coordinated their incredibly busy schedules to work together to make things as easy as possible for us, and for our little girl. Beauty in the ashes, right? We’ll be at day surgery at 6am. We’ve got to do a version of this all over again. Tomorrow. I’m not thrilled. And I would probably be more anxious, coming off today, if I didn’t have all of you. Thank you for showing me even more beauty.

Treatment Update, and Minor Surgery

 

Hey y’all! I hope everyone is well!  We’re great. Disney World was a blast!!! (Hoping to post some pics, soon.) We made it home and survived the long weekend without Daddy. Treatment went smoothly last Friday, and it’s hard to believe it's already time for the next one. Would you please pray for Libby’s treatment this week? Not only does she have chemo and her monthly IVIG treatment Monday, but she’s also scheduled for minor surgery on Tuesday. She’ll get her IT chemo, and her eye doctor will probe her blocked tear duct (we’ve been waiting, since birth, for it to clear on it’s own, but it’s not happening). Then, her ENT is going to replace her ear tubes. The doctors, incredible as always, are working together and have coordinated all this so she only has to go under anesthesia once. We’re so thankful to them. And we’re so thankful for your prayers!