September in Utah

I really do love fall in Utah but it just doesn't last quite long enough. I love the weather right now. But for some reason - all my kids want to do is play inside. Lame. Go out!

I am not a sports fanatic. Duh. But, I do like BYU sports and I enjoy going to a good BYU football game. Especially on a day like today. (Wasn't that a crazy win?) Kenyon LOVES BYU football, so it is very frustrating that instead of going to the game today we were at home. Sick. Kenyon is worse and it is frustrating - for both of us. And then I have some crazy cold. I have had allergy problems that get worse with being prego but now it has developed into some sort of cough. What is that about? How are we supposed to function in this house if I am not totally healthy? I could scream. Actually, I just tend to cry a lot. Nice, I know.

As far as Kenyon goes, we don't really know exactly what the problem is but it is probably Graft vs Host Disease. We won't know that for a little longer - a few more tests but they ruled out a bacteria. He is really miserable and he HATES it. Rightly so. 80+ days of puking and then it gets worse could ruin any day. He has definitely lost more weight, which is also discouraging because we were doing so well. He had gained a couple of pounds before Thursday hit and then he dropped a good 8 or 9 pounds in the last couple days. You are probably thinking - are there any more pounds to lose? No, not on Kenyon. Meanwhile, I have easily gained 9 pounds this week. Thanks Baby!

If it is GVHD, it is not shocking or terribly bad news. It is kind of what they expect and they treat it with steroids. In fact, some doctors think a little GVHD is not such a bad thing - except for the person who has to deal with it. But as far as the transplant goes, it is quite common. It would probably mean extending the time some of the meds are taken and adding a couple (all bad news for Kenyon).

While I am in a complaining mood - I'll tell you what else I am sick of. Driving to Huntsman. What is that about? It is so flipping far away and I drove up there 4x this week. Shoot me. I already have to go a couple times for sure next week and maybe more. Oh well. At least we have Huntsman and we didn't have to move to some other state to deal with this. Lots of people do.

On a good note - Kenyon's hair is growing back. It is not much but some good fuzz all over. He is excited and so are the kids. The kids had soccer games this morning and all played hard. I only saw bits of all three as I jumped from each game but it was all over by 10:30 am. That is a little insane for me.

Remember

I remember that day. We all do - I guess. I turned on the TV after Kenyon had left for work and I remember thinking - What is this? Is this a movie preview on the Today Show. It really took me a few minutes to figure out what the heck was happening. Then, I couldn't stop watching TV. That night I was having a baby shower at my house for one of my friends. There was some debate - should it still go on? We ended up having the shower but under less than wonderful circumstances. I think I was still in denial or at least not completely grasping the gravity of the events.

A couple of years ago we took a trip to NYC with our friends. I knew that we had planned on going to see ground zero but I didn't quite plan on what that would be like. We came out of the subway and there it was. It hit me so much harder than I had ever expected. I was so such a basket of emotions. I am glad that we saw it when it was a big hole. Last year, I went back and it was mostly covered or under construction and it was a different experience. Seeing that massive hole in the earth and reading all the signs was so moving.

Tonight is CRAZINESS but tomorrow I plan to drive the kids over to park in Sandy where all the flags are posted. I want my kids to know something of this event and the impact in our lives. We are so grateful for the sacrifice of men and women around the country who are serving in the armed forces. It is such a blessing to be surrounded by people who are willing to make a sacrifice for the good of others.

Crazy Saturday Mornings

For the next 8 weeks, my Saturdays are CRAZY! At least the first half of the day. All three kids have soccer games. They love to play and it is so fun to watch. They play on teams with lots of friends and neighbors. It is just a little tricky trying to be at 3 games and short one parent. But Kenyon did want to come out today. He found a comfortable spot to cheer on his kids.

Gavin scored a goal at his first outdoor soccer game. He was pretty excited the whole game.

Thanks to Mindy for taking pictures for me. Someday I will remember my own camera.

We're So Proud

Isn't he a cute preschooler? We have such good dental care.

G-Man was so excited to start preschool at Miss Brittney's in our neighborhood with all his friends. He wouldn't take a normal picture and then my camera wouldn't do anything that nice anyway. The only frustrating part of the day was that preschool didn't start until after lunch and he just couldn't stand to wait that long. He must have asked a million times if he could go to preschool. Brittney is lucky is wasn't hanging out at her garage door for hours.

Kenyon update - not much. We have passed 70 days. So far no GVHD (graft vs host disease). That is great. I think the nausea is getting better. Fatigue is probably the next big problem. We work towards packing his food with calories so that we can put a little bit more weight back on the guy. The highlight of his week was probably having a couple friends come watch the BYU game with him. BYU football is always a highlight to the week (as long as they are winning).

First Day Excitement

At our house - we were all excited about going back to school. No sadness or anxiety (that I know of). Mr. T did say he planned on being shy. I don't really know what that is about but I don't think it lasted. They both came home happy. They loved their teachers and were so happy to see all their school friends again. I love uniforms! The kids looked so sharp and it makes getting dressed every morning so much easier for all of us.

Kenyon even woke up early on his own to join in the first day excitement.

I drove the afternoon carpool and of course G-man feel asleep. So I woke him to bring him inside and he promptly walked to the stairs and fell asleep in this position - and stayed there for another 40 minutes. Looks comfy! Last night I discovered that he was watching TV at 3:30 am. That might be why he is so tired. I have since disabled the upstairs TV - much to the complaint of all the Porter children.

The best part of the day for all of us (I think) was dinner. My kids favorite food is crepes. We didn't have time to pull that off for breakfast so I made them for dinner. And we have discovered (thanks to Jane and my mom and some downtown eatery) that crepes are best when filled with nutella and strawberries. It was a heavenly dinner. Hooray for school starting!

Needles and Donation

Today was the first acupuncture appointment. So cool to me. I would love to try it. Kenyon said he didn't even feel it. They put in four small needles (one in each wrist and one in each leg) and they had him rest for about 20 minutes and then they pulled them out and it was over. We have scheduled a couple more and we'll see if it does anything. Next time they will put in more needles. They are trying to treat nausea and fatigue. I think he did pretty well today but hard to say if that was exactly why.

Also, you may remember I posted earlier this summer about Adrian Sudbury, a young British guy with leukemia. He passed away this week. It makes me so sad. He was so young and had every bad thing happen to him possibly could. Obviously I don't know him but I have followed his blog and efforts to spread the word about bone marrow donation. He was so impressive to me as he lived at the last few months of his life. His goal was to pass legislation in England that would require students to learn about getting on the bone marrow registry. He made such great strides. It is fairly easy to become a bone marrow donor and not too bad a procedure to go through if you are a match. We have talked to many people who have not had a related donor and been blessed to find a match on the national registry. It saved their life. And I have said this before - but if you are having a baby you can also donate the umbilical cord. An easy way to save another life that would otherwise be thrown away.

I know I need to update my picture at the top of my blog. I am working on that....hopefully it will look better soon.

Day +50 and Stuff

Well, I think I am overdue for a Kenyon update. We are just past day +50. I don't really know what that means. Day +100 is the magical number that doctors aim for. The first 100 days are when we would see acute GVHD (graft vs. host disease). That is when the body and the new blood are kind of fighting each other and it manifests itself in a few different ways. So far no GVHD. That is good. His blood counts continue to make progress or stay the same (which is fine). We go into the clinic every week for check up and blood work and overall the doctors seem pleased. There are no major concerns - other than the constant nausea that Kenyon deals with. They are trying to figure out a solution - adjusting meds, etc. I am afraid it might plague him for as long as he is on GenGraf - the immuno-suppressent drug. However, I did schedule an acupuncture appointment for him. You never know - that might really work for him.

The Olympics have kept him (and the rest of the family) entertained. In fact, we are staying up WAY too late. But, really you can't go to bed and not know the results. Unfortunately, the kids are not sleeping in so then I am always sorry that I did it. Weren't you so frustrated that Nastia got the silver last night. Lame.

Elise is convinced that if she sets her mind to it she can be an Olympic gymnast. I have carefully tried to tell her that there isn't a chance on this planet that she will ever be one without dashing her positive thinking. She is going to be at least 6'0 so let's be realistic. We are trying to push her in the direction of volleyball, soccer, high jump - track and field, tennis, etc. Just about any sport benefits from some height - except gymnastics.

Teague wants to be the world's fastest sprinter. That is a great goal but somehow I once again don't think there is a chance. But, worth a try. I just wish he would be that practice to work whenever I ask him to do anything. Somehow every time we are in a hurry or I need help, he just can't possibly move because he is SO TIRED.

Baby names seem to be the other topic around here. My family has been very helpful in supplying as many options as I could ever want. They even had a little vote, but the official judges have not made any commitment to any name. My good neighbor suggests that the baby must be named after a beer - he is voting for Amber Ale Porter. That would go over well on blessing day. :) We continue to wait - hoping something will really stick.