October 19--A Special Day!

Hello friends, family, and lurkers, : )

Today is a pretty special day for several reasons.  First of all, it's my birthday!  For obvious reasons, we couldn't do too much for it yet, and that is totally okay.  I got presents from Cassandra, the boys put up decorations and made me cards and a little gift, and Scott and I will go out as soon as we get a chance. : ) 

Second, today is Sarah's FOREVER FAMILY DAY!!  Exactly one year ago today we received one of the greatest blessings of our entire lives--the gift of our precious Sarah Ting.  Words really can't express how special she is to all of us.  How she has brought joy to every one of our days since we met her.  I remember so clearly how I felt God whispering to me when I was afraid of the unknowns while considering her paperwork, that He was going to bless us with this girl.  I remember the peace that came over me as I knew without a doubt that whatever the future held, no matter how overwhelming or unexpected, it would not matter.  She would be a blessing to our family.  Well, at first it sure seemed that all my fears were unfounded.  She was perfect in every way.  No developmental problems.  No trouble with that small blind eye.  No bonding issues.  No temper tantrums.  No sleeping issues.  Smiles every day.  Such an adorable little peanut, and smart as a whip.  Our entire family completely smitten. : )

Then the diagnosis of cancer came as a shock on that first day of June, just a few months ago.  It rocked our happy little world, but it certainly didn't stop it from being a happy one.  God has continued to keep His promise to me.  Sure, things have gotten tougher, but never once have we even thought for a minute that God  has not overwhelmingly blessed us every single day with our girl.  I am so very, very grateful.

Little update from this morning at the hospital:  Sarah's white blood cell counts are still over 1,000!  Eventually they will dip down to 0, but she's still doing great with that.  No mouth sores yet.  She didn't mind her baths, even the ones in the middle of the night.  Normally kids at this stage are not eating at all anymore.  (They start losing their appetite as the full force of the chemo hits them.)  Sarah's not eating much, but she is still eating some.  A big praise!  She is more tired, but not feeling miserable by any stretch.  She hasn't had any nausea that we can tell.  The doctor today said that she is handling this chemo better than most kids.  I was thinking, Yeah, but she probably has more people praying for her than most kids.  Thank you so much to all who are praying!  (And while you are praying for Sarah, say a quick one for the other kids on our oncology floor too.)

So... happy birthday to me!  It's been a great day. : )