Mid-February update

Well it has been forever since we have posted anything and we apologize for that. This might be a lengthy message to cover the last few weeks and what is coming up.
First of all a few thank yous to pass along. If I have forgotten to include you, my sincerest apology and know that all help, thoughts, and prayers are appreciated and viewed as the sweetest blessings. Thank you to the members of the chancel choir for the wonderful meal the Monday night of the round 2 of chemo. It was delicious and we all loved it. Thank you to Pauline Muntz for keeping us in the best comfort food of all...dessert! As Rachael Ray would say, "Yummo!" Thank you to everyone who is helping get Drew to and from church. Thanks to everyone who has sent cards and signed the guestbook. We cherish each and every thought sent to us no matter what way we receive it. Thanks to Meredith for the cheesecake...it was delish. A special thanks to Lisa Pool and Norma for helping me choreograph the dance for church.
Speaking of the dance...what an amazing worship experience. For those of you who don't know, today at church Drew sang and I danced to "Praise You in This Storm" which is the song that we have playing on the blog. (For those of you who never have your sound on-turn it on and listen!) What was meant to be a surprise and special moment from us to Gavin turned into so much more. Just know that once I started dancing up there, I wasn't alone. I could feel the tender hands of God guiding my turns, steadying my feet, and lighting my face with His love. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!
Now for a quick (?) update from the last few weeks in the journey of Goliath. Chemo, round 2, definitely had more of an impact. Gavin has felt more tired at times. He is also experiencing some queasiness, in the morning especially. Those of you who have seen him have probably noticed the most visible sign of all that is going on...less and less hair daily! So far it seems to be thinning quite evenly but the day is getting closer that he will join the shiny-headed men's club. He seems to be fine with it and I've heard some great things about bald men (take that statement where you want to go with it! hee hee). On a more serious note, the side effects have been interesting to handle so far. While I expected it to have some effect on our lives, reality is so much different then expectations. It is very difficult for me to see him so tired and I think that has been and will continue to be the hardest part for him to accept. He is such a vibrant person, it's hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that he can't go...go...go like he used to and that his body needs him to slow down and to rest. His attitude has really been pretty good about all of it. He figures if he feels like crud, the chemo must be doing something!
Speaking of the chemo and it's effectiveness. He has a CT scan scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m. This will allow the doctor to see how the chemo has worked so far. If it's not working in the way he had hoped, this will give him the opportunity to adjust the chemo before getting too far into the treatment plan. I will admit that I'm quite anxious about this test. There is so much riding on the chemo...well not sure what to say past that.
Another test this week is the regular blood test or as the medical professionals call it...the CBC. This is scheduled for Monday at 9:45 (who scheduled all these tests for that early???). Hopefully his counts are decent but I'm not holding out too much hope. I do think they will come back pretty low. What am I basing this layman's opinion on? I believe a lot of the side effects Gavin has been experiencing are due to the counts being so low. When Austin was 2 years old we had an experience with him where his hemoglobin levels dropped really, really low. The only visible sign was that he was very pale, especially evidenced in his lips. Fortunately for Austin, his 2 year old energy more then overcame what the effect of low hemoglobin levels should have done to him. His doctor said his level was so low, he shouldn't have had any energy, he should have been lethargic and just wanting to sleep all of the time. That never happened! Long story short (ok so it's already long) he ended up getting a blood transfusion and all is well. My point (you thought I would never get there didn't you?) is that Gavin does seem pale to me and has been battling lethargy the past 2 weeks. My hope and prayer is that for once I will be wrong and his levels are great. I promise to post in big letters tomorrow my error. I'll even post it twice since I don't expect that phrase to ever exit my lips (fingertips) again!
I believe Gavin mentioned in his last post that we have a new addition to our family. That new addition finally has a name, Dakota. He is a shetland sheepdog and just about the cutest thing ever. I just can't wait for the house training to be over!
While the beginning of the week will be pins and needles, the end of the week will be all smiles. Gavin's brother, Grant, and our niece, Alexis, are coming up from Florida for a visit. Many of you met them at Camp Tekoa this year. Friday is also Gavin's birthday so we will be celebrating all weekend!
Sorry for the long post! I'm fully aware that if we would post more often we could make it briefer. A goal to set for the future!
Happy Valentine's Day! A great big hug sent to all of you from us!
Love, Maria (and Gavin too!)