Well the Auto show is in town and the Dad’s have been pretty busy.  For that matter so are the Mom’s!  As it worked out, it turned into Dad’s and Daughter’s day at work, go figure!  So what do the smart Dad’s do, we put them to work!  Morgan and Jenna became bored with us, so the Chef’s took over.

Two pints of huge strawberries, lots of warm milk chocolate, and two budding Chef’s add up to an afternoon of sheer delight. Needless to say it was a great diversion for all.

Morgan has decided that it is time for her to make her own posts.  However she is in the dictation mode and not full blown writer mode yet.

Morgan has been making great progress in the last few months, and the weaning process seems to be winding down.  She is down to two pills a day.  And her body strength is kicking in full tilt.

While taking a short cut through Macy’s to get to her favorite store, Blick Art supplies, Morgan decided to make a pit stop in the hat section.  Needless to say we had a few good laughs, along with a few other folks who happened to pass by and caught glimpse of Morgan darting back and forth between the hat rack and the mirror.

Anyway that’s my piece, now for Morgan’s…

Morgan wanted everyone to know that she is doing great, and very much realizes that she feels fully revitalized.  She now has lots of energy every day, and likes the fact that her hair is growing back.

She has taken a liking to baking, but prefers to give direction, rather then get all messy.  It’s definitely entertaining to go through the process with her.  Wrestling is also back on the agenda, Kato is in the house!

I asked how she was pacing in regards to being out of transplant for EIGHT MONTHS.  The doctors said she is doing GREAT.  Better than anticipated for a girl who over the summer had grade four GVHD, which is the worst case.

She continues to collect her favorit chatchkey (not sure of spelling), which are Pet Shops.  We are always on the look out for the “newest” additions to her collection.  Pop Pop decided to take a photo with all her booty…173 and counting!!!

Morgan is back in full swing, and has almost mastered her multiplication of zero, ones, twos, fives, tens, elevens and twelves.  Thank goodness for multiplcation.com, otherwise I would be pulling my hair out by now!  As you can see from the photo above, Morgan has remained the shy girl we all remember, and yes, that is lipstick she is wearing - she has her Grammy’s genes.

Last year this time, we were “celebrating” the holidays in the hospital.  This year Morgan was in the big snow storm for 3 straight days!  I could not get her out of her longjohns and snowsuit.  She was devastated when the snow melted.

Home schooling is a huge drag for both of us.  What I have learned from this experience, is that I am NOT meant to be a school teacher - anyone who teaches needs a RAISE!  FOR SURE!!  What Morgan has learned, is that having mommy as a teacher - not so fun.  A lot of the teaching has fallen to our nanny Stephanie, whom Morgan adores, and seems to listen to better.  Go Figure!

Morgan is back at full speed for the most part, and is bored out of her mind everyday, wondering who is going to entertain her.  Remember the days when I was so sad that her energy level was down, and she could not even lift her head.  Why was I sad about that again?????  We continue to use good hand sanitation, and stay away from friends that are sick just to stay on the safe side.  However, we continue to see our friends Max, Sydney, Harley, Holden, Aden, Kelly, Dar, Rebecca, Will, Teddy (Stewie), Olivia, Mason, Amy, Abbey, Margo, and all our cousins as much as possible.

Thank you to EVERYONE, who continue to ask about Morgan, and how they can help.  We are continuing in the right direction, and really that’s all we can hope for to close out 2009.  As we begin 2010, our plans are to stay strong, and prepare for our celebratory trip to PARIS in the summer before (if I can help her pass 3rd grade) starting 4th grade cancer free!

I took Morgan out for lunch today, and asked if she realized that one year ago today, we were told that she had cancer.  She looked at me like I had two heads.  She just shrugged and picked up her chicken finger and said, hmmm.  OK, she may not realize it, but I sure do!

As of this week we are six months out of transplant, and seem to be on the right side of things.  Yes, she is still losing weight, but each day, we shove, I mean, give her more things to eat.  This morning was 2 chicken fingers and a pancake, Sunday night with her dad was 6 bowls of pasta fagioli.  We started a year ago taking about 18 pills a day.  Today, Morgan takes about half that, AND even gets her meds ready herself.

Her energy is definitely returning, as she gears up to challenge her cousins to a dance freeze contest this Thanksgiving.  Last Thanksgiving we had our meal at the hospital, this year, Grammy and Pop Pops!  Lots to be thankful for this season.  Hug your loved ones tight, and enjoy every moment you can!

Morgan continues to do well.  So well in fact, that she was able to go to the Hanna Montana concert with tickets given to her by her friends at Children Hospital.  Thanks CHOP!  Morgan had to wear her mask on the way in, and was told by the Doctors that if any one was coughing or sneezing around her she would have to leave, but fortunately that wasn’t the case.

A few weeks ago after we stopped Morgan’s steroid treatment, Morgan stopped eating and drinking, and lost her sense of taste.  The pounds she had gained during the treatment were shed quickly. We went on for a few weeks trying to get her to eat and drink anything.  Morgan doesn’t drink soda, so water and juice were the only options, but no luck.  We could only get her to drink very small amounts of water, and hardly any food.

The tide has finally started to change, and Morgan seems to be back on track with a more balanced diet.  Meat is now the course of the day.  Filet Mignon to be exact!  She loves filet, medium rare only!  I overcooked them the other night, and you would have thought I was trying to feed her cat food!  Needless to say she didn’t touch it.

Morgan’s level of activity has increased, and her personality is coming back with a passion.  I love to watch her in front of the television when she thinks I’m not paying attention, and hear her start to hum along with the songs from her favorite shows and end up in a full on duet.  The girl can sing!

I have to stay on my toes when she gets in the playful modes, as it usually ends up with her challenging me to a wrestling match, or the occasional pillow to the back of the head if I’m not paying attention.  I actually like the pillow assault, because she laughs so hard, because she thinks it’s so funny.

Morgan loves to help me cook.   She’s a wiz in the kitchen, and helps me prep everything.  Now if I can just get her to learn how to clean!

Morgan still has a long way to go, and she still has many problems that inconvenience her in one instance, and cause her severe pain and discomfort on others.

In her medical world Morgan continues to make great strides, and in the our world she continues to show us how the monumental strength of an 8 year old can prevail over almost anything.

Life is Good!

The vaccination is a live virus if taken as the nose spray/mist.  If you vaccinate your child this way you must STAY AWAY from Morgan for a minimum of 7 days.  If you have the vaccine by injection, no worries, because the injection is not the live virus.  Stay healthy - then we can see you soon!!

The doctors said that if she did not stop loosing weight soon, we would be back on the feeding tube.  As of Tuesday, her weight has started to climb, so we have avoided that obstacle for now.  Home schooling, I can definitely say is not for me, and I am counting the days until she returns to school next year - just hoping that we prep her enough to have her ready for next year!

The doctors said that if she continues on the path she’s on, we may be able to only have to go in to see them twice a month, instead of every week!  Morgan is currently prepping for Halloween, she has decided to be an artist - go figure!