In an effort to share more positive things, I give you this post...
Dempsey is:
THRIVING through treatment. He still maintains the
no negative side effects stemming from treatment. This is miraculous!
DEFYING the "norm" the CHOC employees talk about. 😀
Enjoying 1st grade. He LOVES art. I swear, we need to be planting SO MANY trees to replace the ones needed to create all the pieces of paper he's used. His medium doesn't matter that much to him but he tends to use markers most.
Growing in his understanding of Scripture and spiritual matters. His questions about the topic show an uncanny awareness of this arena and it encourages me. He is eager to participate in Sunday School at the Warehouse OC and works to memorize those verses to earn Bible Bucks. He enjoyed participating in the kids Christmas choir at the Warehouse OC as well. It was a wonderful first experience for him and I am thankful for the opportunity he had, along with Sawyer, so sing, dance, and glorify God in this manner.
Active. Running, jumping, playing soccer, and some new break dancing or mixed martial art-ish moves - we're not quite sure which distinction is more accurate.
Reading more and more. He is interested in learning to read, therefore he is picking it up quickly and we can tell he is having fun getting smarter in this way.
Taking on more responsibility - on his own. It is precious... I just watched him walk from the kitchen to our dining table, a spoonful of water in hand, gingerly stepping toward and slowly watering Sawyer's new "pet"... a Venus Fly Trap plant. 😉 He helps with trash cans, bringing those big ol' things in from the street on trash days. Helping Sawyer do the laundry (I am completely removed from this entire process).
Tonight he even took his pill by himself, mostly. I cut it and put it in the banana but he took the pieces and bites all on his own (I had to leave to pee).
Working on his writing ability. He works in a workbook to train those little fingers to write and recognize letters and words. This also helps with his reading.
Hitting every milestone/ marker just like a
normal 6 year old would. He is growing in height and weight just as he should. ALL of his baby teeth are still tightly fixed in his mouth... which is surprising to me considering at his age Sawyer had already lost at least 4. (I know, kids start losing their baby teeth between 6-7 generally speaking.)
Eating so well. He eats whatever we put in front of him. Even if he doesn't love it he eats it because he knows it's good for him. I love that my 6 year old is taking such ownership of his own health. He has surpassed my by like 20 years!
Opening doors like the little gentleman he is. Not only for me, as he tells Sawyer, "Ladies first", but also for others... and not only ladies but other men as well.
Still enjoying his technology time. It has been limited for quite some time and only recently have we (I) let up a little to allow a bit more screen time. Since he's not reading on his own it makes no sense to force him to stare at book while I visit the chiropractor or whatnot. So, a little iPhone playtime is allowed. He gets annoyed with me because I tell him "You can watch something... but it has to be educational." [insert Dempsey's eye roll here]
Deepening his brother bond with Sawyer. The relationship and respect they have for each other is awesome, in every sense of the word. They play together well. They even argue well. The communicate well 90% of the time. The really don't like being apart for too long. Each gets sad when the other is away for longer than they think they should be. It really is the best brother bond I've seen in children their age. Blessed.
Developing his own personality more and more. He is a bonafide knucklehead and goofball. He is becoming a master of sass and sometimes pushes the envelope a hair too far and gets called out for it. He is funny! His jokes aren't always that great but I think they will just get better as his vocabulary increases. He's a stinker and a jokester. This kid definitely adds so much laughter to our home.
Increasing his holistic health knowledge. He usually knows which essential oil he needs for whatever is ailing him. He is so oil-aware that when Sawyer is struggling in some way he will go fetch the appropriate oil to support Sawyer. Precious. He is articulate when it comes to nutrition as well. At stores he knows what labels to look for and what words to avoid. He rarely asks for anything that is processed much or contains a ton of ingredients with words that are long and foreign.
Cultivating a deeply sensitive heart. Out of the steroid stresses we can still see that he cares about relationships and when the steroids breakdown the communication he FEELS that. He doesn't like when people are not
okay.
Constantly brave beyond what any of us can imagine. The way he handles his cancer journey is incredible and inspiring. I hope to be as brave as he is when I grow up.
Ever-growing in his love and knowledge of all things Star Wars. Much to my dismay, Star Wars is a HUGE part of life in my home. My boys LIVE it daily. Music. Legos. Costumes. Pretend play. Conversation. Art/ drawings. Home videos. Clothes/ pajamas. You name it.
There you have it, friends. A delightful list of positivity regarding Dempsey and his journey with cancer and CHOC. Don't you wish every cancer patient could have this kind of success on their journey?
