Day +171

I know one thing for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When you are excited about something, or you are waiting for a time to come, the days go by slower than ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It seems like it is taking forever for just one day to go by!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Alicia is soooooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we made a chart and she is marking off the days til she gets to go home. After she marks off the day she calls her Mommy an Daddy and Ne Ne and she tells them how many days are left. Actually she calls them about five times a day and tells them, but like I said she is very excited. We still do not have all of the details yet as to when we will be leaving, but I am sure that will come when it gets closer to the time. Did I mention there are only 16 days left on Alicia's chart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fridays hospital visit went very good. The Docs are so impressed by how good Alicia is doing. She is shocking everyone I believe. I just tell them that anything that could of happened to her has already happened so it is all on the good side now. That is what my VERY good group of friends used to tell me when I was having a hard time when we were still inpatient. (You all were right!!!!!) They did have to take her labs twice though. The first one came back that her Hemoglobin was only at four but when they repeated it that was not the case. Her HBG was actually at 9 which was up from the last time. Her Platelets also came up, they were at 79,000. I am so happy that all of her counts are rising by their selves. She has not had to have any transfusions in such a while!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Her Wbc and ANC are still very elevated though. her ANC was at 22.89 and her WBC was at 28.6, they still show no worry to me about these numbers. Her liver numbers are slowly coming down also which is a lot of relief. We are scheduled to be at the hospital on Tuesday for her every other week Imfleximab infusion. Then back on Friday for her Ambison.

I was looking through my pictures and I found one that Alicia had taken with Clifford the Big Red Dog just a year ago, and I was comparing it with the one she took last week here at the RMH and I can not believe how much she has grown. I keep thinking that maybe this one was two year ago. I am sure Denise or Erika will correct me if I am wrong. I thought I would share them with you. The video is still on Cincinnati.com if any one has not seen it.

Thank you again everyone for follow the progress of Alicia and for the many many prayers!!!!!!!!!

oops forgot

I for got to let everyone know that Alicia was on the front page of the Cincinnati Enquirer paper. Clifford the Big Red Dog visited the Ronald McDonald House yesterday and Alicia LOVED Him. The is photos of her dancing with Clifford as well as a video on Cincinnati.com. Just click on the video with the picture of Clifford. It is on the right side of the web site almost at the bottom of the screen.

Day +168

WE ARE GOING HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got a call today from Wings of Hope and my new best friend "Dotty" said that they are taking care of everything and they are getting us home for Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I could of went through the phone and gave her a HUGE Hug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sooooo excited. They are taking us all the way to our home town on the 23rd ( my Birthday and the best present ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and they are bringing us back to Cincinnati on the 27th. I have never rode in a small airplane before and I might say I am kinda nervous.

Alicia is very excited also. She has told every body she has seen today that she is going home to see Mommy and Santa. But I think Denise is the most excited of all. She is making out a schedule of every day we are home. LOL she even called Erika and wanted to know when she wanted penciled in to see Alicia. Erika just laughed at her.

We are going to Day Hospital tomorrow morning so I will update on any news tomorrow evening.

Thank you everyone for so many prayers. GOD IS GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He heard each and every one of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day +167

Well we got the Ok today to go home for Christmas for just a few days but now we are having an issue with finding a non-commercial flight to get us there. We have different avenues we are trying so hopefully something will work out. I told Alicia we will jump on Santa's Sleigh if we have to!!!!!

With it being so close to Christmas it will be very hard for us to find a way. I am not going to give up hope though, Alicia wants to go home soooooo very bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paula, Alicia's therapist, came today and she is working with Alicia going up and down stairs. She does the going down part pretty good but it is the going up part she has many problems with. She puts all of her weight backwards and no forwards and her legs just are not strong enough yet but with a little work she will over come that as well.

please keep us in your prayers in hopes we find a way home for Christmas and if any one has a Jet parked in their garage let me know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day +166

I want to start by saying that I am sorry about the days in between my updates. There really is not much change. I know this is the only way that some of you keep updated on Alicia and once again I apologize.

We still do not have any news to report on coming home for Christmas. Yes I have been pushing to go home, if only for a couple of days, for Christmas. Alicia and I both really do miss home very much so I have been asking if there was any way we could just go home for a few days. Hopefully I will find out if it is even possable by the end of the week. There is not a day that has went by since Denise and Cassie have left that Alicia does not ask if it is time to go home yet. She really misses her Mommy and Daddy and she tells Erika every time she talks to her that her and I are going to fly and come see her and Santa Claus. It breaks my heart every time I hear her say it.

Here Cbc's are about the same. Today her Platelets actually went up more on their own to over 70,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Her White cells are still elevated at 31.78 and her Anc is at 22.45. Her Hbg is holding at 8.5 so we have not had to make a trip to the hospital for blood. She has an appointment Friday for her Ambison infusion so we should know more then.

Thank you everyone for keeping Alicia in your prayers and tonight say one for us that we can come home for Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!