David has recovered from his last round of chemo quite nicely, and so far, we've not had any bumps in the road to speak of.
We had a lovely Christmas. My parents and grandmother came up for several days. My dad did a whole lot of work for us while he was here. He changed around the laundry room so that it was set up more usefully and added several outlets and a utility sink for me. He and Rob also added a bunch of insulation to places that didn't have any, so I am toasty warm while I do laundry now instead of having to thaw my fingers out afterwards. I am really loving it and am so grateful for both my dad and Rob.
The big kids are continuing to do well in school, and we are working on getting into a daily routine of chores. They have to do chores in order to earn time on the tv or computer. So far (after 3 days) we are doing alright. It is a huge help to me to have them doing their part around the house. They have been very cheerful about it too, so that is a blessing.
David has also presented some challenges. After a few very stressful days of trying to potty train, Rob and I decided that it would probably be wiser to wait to potty train until after he got his port out and had a few weeks to settle into life without the constant presence of doctors. I think it was just too much change all at once, and also, Rob and I were just too worn out to have the kind of patience we needed. So, that is on hold for now.
David's prosthetic is doing better, but still isn't great. It still spends a good deal of time up-side-down, and we still have a lot of trouble with it getting gunk on that has to be cleaned off. But, he has gone several days now without taking it out, and is getting pretty good at taking it out for cleanings when we ask him to. Putting the eye back in is pretty traumatic, but David is doing really well letting us put ointment and oil in to help lubricate the eye. There is progress, but we still have a very long way to go in this area.
Our biggest challenge with David is that he has become pretty violent both in the volume of his voice and the swinging of his fists - mainly at the big kids. He is very very sweet at times, but then has these outbursts. His life has been pretty unstable and out of control, so I'm sure that the "fight" response is pretty close to the surface all the time as he never knows what to expect tomorrow. I have come to realize that he probably views love as a very violent thing. He has heard "I love you" from us many times, but then has been held down for people to stick needles in him or squirt nasty tasting medicines down his throat or put masks over his face. We would appreciate your prayers for wisdom in this area for us as we try to teach him gentleness and kindness.
We will be taking him in on Thursday the 14th to have his port out. Hopefully, then we will be able to lengthen the times between doctors' visits.
Other than that, life is starting to have a nice routine for us, and Rob and I are feeling a little more rested. I'll keep you updated as I can!
-Kim
