A sneaky Mommy refers to me sneaking broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots into Dempsey's smoothie. The final list of that smoothie's ingredients is this: organic apple juice, plain greek yogurt, 2 capsules Acidophilus Plus, frozen medley of broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, frozen medley of strawberries, peaches, pineapple, mango, and 2 scoops Neolife Berries 'n Cream protein powder. Like I've said before, leukemia is no excuse to disregard good nutrition... no matter how sneaky you have to be.
An update refers to me sharing the latest and greatest of our journey.
So far things are going well at home. Dempsey is managing to get around the house better than we thought he would at this point. Now I understand what people were meaning when they told us it would get better once he got home. The familiarity and comfort of home is powerful. Dempsey sleeps well here. He has a familiar environment to move around in. It's such a blessing to be vacuuming and see, at the end of the hallway, my Dempsey boy making his way from the playroom to the bathroom to answer nature's call. A few weeks ago that wouldn't have made me smile.
So much feel like when he was transitioning from infant to toddler. The learning what his body could and couldn't do. The discovery of objects that are fixed and those that are not. Judging if the distance was worth the object at the end. Learning his limits and resolving to ask for help. The major difference between then and now is he already knows most of these things... he just has to decide to DO it and GO for it. Which he does, quite often.
Dempsey has grown in independence since we've been home. Not surprising, the hospital was so limiting. So foreign. So unfamiliar. Life is better at home.
The thing about being home that is scary is we are 17 miles from safety. If he gets a fever we can't wait it out. WE MUST GO to CHOC's ER. What temperatures you and I dismiss so quickly poses a serious threat to Dempsey. Germs that were once not given a second thought, pose serious threat to Dempsey. Not showering once we get home after we've been out and about hugging people can pose a serious threat to Dempsey. I told my cousin "I've never been a germophobe, so it's weird to have to worry about them." He goes, "You're not a germophobe, you're a germ-realist." Touche.
Dempsey is eating like a high school water polo player!! Little Dude is getting a big dude belly. We can thank the steroids. We are taking this opportunity to feed him things he might normally turn his nose up at. Hunger pains for the win in the battle for proper nutrition. Many a nurse has shared that families, out of guilt, will let their cancer-ridden child eat whatever they want and excuse it as "well, at least they're eating". I get that. Guilt is powerful and when you're in shock and terrified it is easy to fall into the traps of easy and comfort in the hopes of keeping your little one's spirits up. Being a nutritionist, I realize that this leukemia journey is temporary and in order for him to remain strong and come out strong he needs to have proper nutrition NOW. Does that mean we ignore the food items that make him happy like soda, chips, popcorn? No. It means we moderate how much of those items he gets. When you ask him (regarding food) "What are you watching?" he will reply "I need to watch my salt." He does. The steroids are already doing whacky things to his little body I refuse to add sodium bloat to that. Thankfully this kid already enjoyed fruits, veggies, yogurt, Neolife protein shakes and protein bars, smoothies, rice, salads, etc. When it comes to food and Dempsey, our real battle is telling him no. I keep reminding him, "Just because you feel hungry doesn't mean your stomach can handle more food." He gets frustrated but I think he's catching on. I couldn't handle him throwing up because he literally stuffed himself because of steroid-induced gluttony.
It was wonderful to see loving faces at WACC this morning. It was nice to be seen, too. So many prayers for our family makes my heart so happy and grateful. I hear the same phrases over and over, "I just couldn't believe it" or "It breaks my heart" or "I couldn't handle it as well as you're handling it." My friends, I have had these thoughts myself. Yes, that includes the last one. I always looked at people in our current situation and marveled at their faith and how the were handling what i thought was unbearable. Can I just tell you something? You would handle it as well as we are... if not better. We serve a mighty God who has given us the Holy Spirit. THAT is where our strength comes from. It is not of our will or strength. Are you kidding? If it was up to our own human strength we'd be a hot mess.
In the beginning of this journey I was looking for Dempsey's social security card/ number. In the same envelope with is card was his ultrasound pictures. So many spiritual applications in that fact alone. The one that hit home hard was that God had designated this life path for Dempsey even then, as he was growing inside of me. God knew this was Dempsey's cross to bear and God chose US to walk with him through it. There is power in that! Power comes when you realize that God, the creator of the universe, thinks YOU are enough... YOU are capable... YOU are the right person for such a situation as this. Do I feel this every moment of every day? Certainly not. But when I give myself the space to survey the big picture as I can see it so far, I can find the power in that perspective. I hold onto it as my life raft until I can fully believe it again.
All this to say: THANK YOU. Thank you for your prayers. They ARE being answered!! They ARE being felt. We still need them. Thank you for your support. It IS helping. We ARE managing. We still need it. Thank you for your love. It means SO much. Thank you for showing love to Sawyer too. He is super special and we are grateful that you are willing to love on him in such fun and tangible ways. YOU are our people!! YOU are our TRIBE. YOU are our VILLAGE. We love you and we need you.
Prayer requests:
Pray against negative side effects
Pray against pain
Pray for miraculous healing
Pray for supernatural experiences that defy medical understanding
Pray that we are always salt and light to a dark worl
Pray that we can share the hope that is in Christ Jesus with those who are ready to receive it
Pray again fevers
Pray for safety (in general)
Pray courage for all of us
Pray against fear and worry
Pray against despair and depression
Pray for increased physical strength for Demps
Pray protection over Sawyer's heart
Pray protection over our marriage
Pray for easy communication with medical insurance/ billing
Pray for wisdom as we deal with the medical world (so convoluted)
Pray that this journey would go supernaturally smooth
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