The Christmas Squirrel

For your own peace of mind, do not leave anything shiny around my child.  He'll snatch it like a thief takes a purse from a little old lady.  I have been searching for my wedding band for over a week now and Zach has sit back and watched me crawl around on the floor checking under the dressers, under the bed, going through my purse and all over the car.  That sly kid had my ring the whole time.  The thought had dawned on me to check his room since he's gotten a penchant for hiding things...thanks Branden and Cameron for showing him some really good hiding spots!  However, I wanted to not jump all over his case and was just thinking I was having a late 20's breakdown of my mind.  Surely I had misplaced the ring.  Right?  Right!? 

That would be a big, fat NO.  While on the phone with at ZTC donor last night, I witnessed my little squirrel as he came in my room and went right to my jewelry box.  He proceeded to rifle through it like a pro and produced a diamond stud.  Wow.  What a pro.  Had the balls to come in and take it right in front of me.  Hmmm.  Got me thinking again about how my ring may be in his room.  I get off the phone and promptly forget about my ring.  This morning while Zach was still sleeping though I suddenly remember and run into his room while he's not there to distract me again.  Sneaky squirrel.  I look under his bed and find all kinds of stuff...no ring though.  Adam checks his closet and finds my tweezers and nail clippers.  Shiny objects.  I'm sitting in the floor wondering where this boy could have put my ring and Adam jumps up and reaches for the piggy bank.  We share a Ahhhha moment and decide to empty it out and check it.  Among Zach's money we find a few paper clips, casino chips and behold...my wedding band.  Lesson learned.  Check the piggy bank first next time.

We also had a visit to Duke this week.  On Monday.  And we're still waiting for results today.  Thursday.  I think my hair is falling out from all the pulling on it I've been doing while I wait for this stupid phone call.  I have been taking this frustration out on presents this morning.  They are taped up real good.  Family is not gonna be happy with me for all this tape.  Oh well.  Better to have less tape at the end of the day than hair.

For the first time, I have taken a few pics of Zach during his routine cancer check.  No scans this time, but tons of other tests to pass the day for us. 

He's passing time in the waiting room by playing.

The fear starts to set in.

He thinks we can't reach him in the corner.  And then contemplates his choices.

                         

This was not fun for him.  The actual blood draw isn't so bad, it's the build up that gets us.  This was his, "I'm glad it's over" face.

Back out to the waiting room.  The blue and green dinosaur made the blood work somewhat worth while to him.  That and coloring.

 Finally in the room to see the doctor and we're going on past 2 hours being here.  I didn't use my Duke brain and didn't pack enough food so we resort to playing games of hide and seek.

 He loves a good game of hide and seek.  Especially when it involves wallowing all over the not-so-clean hospital floor.  This smile is for Mommy as I freak out about germs...

I took these while at Duke by myself and they aren't the greatest, but I wanted to show people that even without scans, these visits aren't easy for kids and parents and that's why we collect toys for kids, like Zach, who are there all day and parents either forgot, or like me, didn't put on their good thinking cap and didn't realize I'd need more toys today.  I hope this shows people what a general day at Duke looks like.  Minus chemo.  Minus sedation.  Minus not eating.  Minus throwing up.  You get the point.  This was actually a great day at Duke, even with my forgetting to pack more food and toys.  An easy day some would say. 

We're waiting for results and while it would be a really great Christmas present for me, but I'm going to take what I've got and just trust that Zach is as good as he looks.  Those results will be negative and he'll still be NED.  However, Santa, if you are reading this, please make Duke call me and tell me that my miracle child is still NED.  It would just make me feel better.  Merry Christmas ya'll.

Holly's World: Bee-otch

Holly's World: Bee-otch: "So the time has come that Zach has learned one of many words he shouldn't say. Don't ask me why I thought those little ears wouldn't h..."

Bee-otch

So the time has come that Zach has learned one of many words he shouldn't say.  Don't ask me why I thought those little ears wouldn't hear me, but as I'm telling Adam about our experience of having Zach's pictures made and about the lady (Bee-otch, not just plain B*tch) that was taking the pics...Zach decides to listen for once and then repeats the word over and over again.  Then it got interesting.  He started putting it together in a sentence and laughing, as in, "Daddy, you are a Bee-otch!  hahaha!"  hmmm. 

I know as parents first of all I shouldn't have said that word, but second - we shouldn't laugh when he says things like that, but man was it funny.  In my mind, I wasn't thinking about what he was saying, but how he said it.  It was one of the clearest words he's ever said.  On top of that, he used it in a few different sentences and was able to get the sentences correct.  Examples: "You are a bee-otch.", "My Mama said you were a bee-otch." and my personal favorite, "Why are you being a bee-otch?" 

All this from a kid that has been going to speech therapy to help him pronounce words correctly...it seems to be working better than I'd originally thought. 

So far we've put a lid on the word and he knows he isn't supposed to say it again, but you never know when he'll decide to put it to good use in the future.  I'm thinking Walmart or Christmas will be the place he'll decide to use his new word.  Always keeping it interesting at the Leggett Family Christmas! 

Obviously, Zach is doing quite well these days and I couldn't be happier about that.  He helped me make our first ever gingerbread house - you tell me how you think it turned out.

It was pretty until the roof wouldn't stay on since someone kept eating all the icing.

He goes back to Duke on Monday, December 20 for a six month check up.  He'll have lab work, urine tests and a physical.  We've been given a wonderful gift this year - we're far enough out from treatment Zach doesn't have to get a scan this time and doesn't go back to Duke until June 2011.  Merry Christmas to me! 

We're also going to plan on taking toys to Duke that day to make the most of our trip.  The toys Zach's Toy Chest donates are the only toys the Valvano Day Hospital receives.  I am hoping to keep their toy chest stocked again this year.  We'll see! 

Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers - I truly believe they have gotten us where we are now and will continue to help us in the future.  Merry Christmas!