Nothing to Say

I feel like I should post but I don't have anything to say. I guess that is somewhat good. At least we haven't had anything bad happen. Kenyon's blood counts continue to trend upwards. Overall, the doctors continue to be pleased with his progress. The biggest thing right now is to adjust the meds until they get everything to the right levels - and hopefully control the nausea at the same time. I am regularly asked - how is Kenyon? Well, he feels pretty lousy but really he is doing ok. We have good moments and not so good. I think that is just how it will be for a while.

Elise called me last night with the big news that she lost her first tooth. I wish I had pictures to share. She was determined to not have a tooth dangling in her mouth like Teague. She must have been working pretty hard on it. The tooth fairy is working overtime in California.

Our Basement is Finished!!

Hip Hip Hooray! Our basement is finished. (There are a couple minor details of having a lighting fixture installed and paint touch up). I wanted to give a huge shout out to our good friend Chris Morley of Morlove Construction who pulled it all together and made it run so smoothly. It turned out great. My little sales pitch - if you want to buy/sell, build or remodel then it would be worth your while to call Chris. He does great work. It will be a nice space for Kenyon to use but it will be even more fun to use when he is all better.


We are so grateful for all the help. We had a few neighbors moving my dumb appliances out of the kitchen and down those cement steps to the basement. The Relief Society Pres (my good friend) laid the tile. It is beautiful. Her husband picked out my paint colors and tile. Thank you!! That was seriously stressing me out. Several other neighbors used the shop-vac to get it all clean at a couple different stages. And yet another neighbor suited up in full protective gear to paint the basement. It was quite a project. And then of course more neighbors and my parents helped me clean. It is beautiful and we are again - so grateful!

Do you like the lounge chair? It is actually quite comfy and it works until we get something else. I am anxious to use it out in the backyard. :)

No Big Updates

There isn't much to say. Kenyon feels pretty tired and lousy most of the time. Some days are better than others. Sometimes it is just moments here or there. But generally he is doing well. His biggest complaints are all those darn pills and nausea. He can't stand them.

We had a nice visit with our kids. Teague only spent a moment with us but Gavin and Elise made the house pretty exciting for a few days. Unfortunately, Gavin wasn't willing to be in a picture with Kenyon. The kids did a great job washing hands and generally keep their distance. They mostly played out on the neighbors water slides for two full days (thanks!!). They were really excited to head to California. Lots more fun. Thanks to my parents for being up to another road trip and a couple more weeks have hard work!

Happy 24th! Ours was pretty boring but Kenyon did put on his face mask and we sat on our front porch and watched the neighbors light fireworks.

Our New Baby

No, we haven't had the baby yet. That would be bad. But we do have something that requires constant, careful care. It wakes me every couple hours - not with cute baby cries but an annoying beeping sound. Yes - we have an infusion pump. It is driving me NUTS! We have it so that Kenyon can get some extra fluids in his system each night. Unfortunately, it requires as much attention as a baby. But, I shouldn't complain. It is helping Kenyon.

We saw the doctor and he said that Kenyon is going to have tough out the nausea. The doctor called it "engraftment blues." It is just part of getting better. He is making progress and the doctors are pleased. Hopefully in a week or so his stomach will settle down.

The kids are home- Hooray! Our neighbors found that out pretty fast. The kids said hi to Kenyon and then took off to find their friends. They have missed their friends. It has been fun to be with the kids but it is very evident why they have been gone. It is quite the juggle to attend to the kids and their friends and Kenyon. All the friends want to come in and it is a little tricky to keep everyone out. I feel bad but that is what we have to do.

The kids have not been able to stop calling me "Grandma." You can tell they have been saying that name A LOT! We are so grateful for all that Grandma and Grandpa are doing to keep the kids happy and busy.

"I Feel Like I'm on Chemo."

That is our quote of the day. Needless to say it was a pretty bad day. Luckily, we go into the clinic tomorrow and hopefully they can figure out a way to help him. He is so nauseated and can't keep anything down. Yesterday was quite good so it was kind of a surprise that today went like it did.

On a different note - A friend of our owns a carpet cleaning company (ContraCare) and he had his guys come clean my carpets today. They did a fabulous job. I had several areas where the carpet was loose and they stretched it. The carpets look so much better. So if you are looking for a good company - call ContraCare. Thanks Austin!

Home After 30 Days?

Are we surprised? I told the PA today that Kenyon has always excelled at everything so, of course, he was a star patient. This is really the very earliest a patient could be released. We checked out of the hospital today at about 2 p.m. It felt so strange to pack up all his stuff and walk out of that hospital. Our neighbors had decorated the garage door and house with signs and balloons. We will head back up there to Huntsman a couple times a week but hopefully we can avoid any more hospital stays. Although it is not all that unusual to find yourself back up there with a fever or some other illness.

Kenyon is definitely tough but not all better. It will take a long time to build an immune system that is strong enough for him to be exposed to illness. Now that we are home, we just have to be as careful as we can.

A Home Health Nurse came today and taught me how flush his ports on his central line. I also learned how to run the infusion pump so that we can hook up a little extra fluids for him at night. There are also a lot of meds to keep track of but I think we will manage.

Kenyon has made himself at home tonight on the couch with some BYU vs REAL soccer. That is enough to make him pretty happy.

One last look at the contruction view outside Kenyon's window.

Homeward Bound

Well, the good news (I guess) is that Kenyon is on schedule to come home tomorrow?! I am happy. I hate being alone at home but oh my gosh. I am pretty much freaking out. I was really planning on having all week to finish some things. Some things are out of my hands - like the basement. There is nothing I can do about that. I am also pretty nervous because of what it requires from me. I have loved the nurses and aides and all they do for Kenyon. But for Kenyon's morale - it will be good for him to come home. And the kids will come home this weekend for a few days. Wow!