There's nothing quite as heartwarming as hearing the depth of love a sibling can have for another sibling….that special bond that will hold them together against all odds.
And then there's Peyton.
"Peyton, get your shoes on, it's time to get the kids from school."
"I don't want to!"
"What, get your shoes on or get the kids?" – in retrospect, i probably shouldn't have asked that one.
"Get the kids."
"We have to."
"No, we don't."
"Yes, we do. How are they going to get home?"
"They can walk!"
"They're too little to walk home by themselves, Peyton."
"Oh right, I forgot."
Her love is so deep that she can only express it by ditching them to get home from school at their own peril….ahhh, touching isn't it? They just don't make Hallmark cards for that.
I talked today with Ann Miller from All Children's Hospital. She coordinates the annual telethon that benefits the hospital and they are going to be filming a spot on Peyton at her clinic and using it during the televised event. She's going to be filmed during a treatment, using the virtual goggles that are such a huge blessing through her procedures and interacting with the amazing staff at ACH. I'm so honored that Peyton was selected for this and excited about being a part of this event. I'm hoping that her story touches hearts, that her sweet little smile reaches out to people and that her courageous spirit raises awareness not just for the hospital but for pediatric cancers as a mission.
Nathaniel is a complete goof-ball, but he has these moments when I see in his eyes the incredible young man he's turning into. His class has a field trip planned to Sea World in a couple of weeks and when I found out how much the tickets were my heart sank. I had to explain to him that we couldn't swing both tickets, that he could go but Dad and I couldn't go with him. I offered him the option of a day with Mom instead, we were lucky to get Busch Garden passes for the year and I told him that we could go there for the day instead. I knew it wouldn't be a day with all of his best friends and classmates, but it would be a way for us to do something special and its already paid for. He cocked his head and thought about it for a moment and came to the decision that he'd rather do Busch Gardens. He told me "I'd rather be with you anywhere, Mom." Ok, that seriously IS a Hallmark moment. I want to box it up and keep it to show him in case he gets a little older and won't let me walk next to him at the mall or asks me to drop him off a block from wherever he's supposed to be in sheer embarrassment of the fact that his peers will know he was born and not hatched! He just made my morning.
Everyone has their opinions on the best way to potty train. I've heard to keep them naked indefinitely, bribing, cajoling, all sorts of fun and interesting ways to convince your child that life is much cooler when you don't have to sit in a pile of squishy diaper all day. We may have found the one that works best for Peyton. I call it "bedtime". Attempting to put off the inevitable, Peyton would rather sit on her potty and tinkle than lay in bed and go to sleep. In fact, in the span of 30 minutes she went twice! Now, don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic that she's actually initiating the potty-going experience on her own, but I really want her to sleep also. Yes, she's potty trained, but she's sleep deprived AND her bladder is strained for forcing herself to pee to stay awake!
I'm happy to let you all know that we've gone two nights without pain medication and she's slept through the night without waking up crying. The first night she tossed and turned a lot and there was some pitiful moaning sounds in her sleep, but she never woke up for me to medicate her. Last night she slept solid through the night. I'm praying that this is a sign that the pain is subsiding or at least getting more tolerable. She still took a head dive down the hallway last night, I was with her when it happened and it was still her knees giving out on her, but it was the first time she'd done it in a couple of days, so that's an improvement as well.
We are now off to the Children's Cancer Center this morning, Peyton has play group with her sweet little friends.
f.r.o.G…fully relying on God
—Anissa
