Growing up!!

Thought I'd do a quick update. Catherine had a fun-filled day at 2 doctors' offices. First the weekly trek to Guilford for counts. The office was unusually busy today. They have a lot of new patients which is scary. It's like every kid in CT is affected by cancer. Luckily, Catherine and Alex's new best friend Taylor, a 16 year old volunteer, was there to keep them occupied. The afternoon visit was with the dentist. Catherine loves going to the dentist - I would too if I had healthy teeth like her. Her 2 bottom front teeth are loose. She is so excited!! The dentist told her that if she has an apple everyday they will come out sooner. So, of course, we went out and bought apples. For those of you who know Catherine well, you also know that she is not exactly the healthiest eater. Fruits and veggies are not a part of the pyramid for her. If I had known that all I had to say was your teeth will get loose to get her to eat an apple, I would have done it last year!! Hopefully those teeth stay in long enough that eating an apple everyday will become a habit.
Back to the Guilford visit - Amy, the social worker, and I discussed Kindergarten and what accomodations need to be considered while she is in school a full day. Because she is being treated for cancer, she is protected by a federal law called Section 504. Basically, the school is required to treat her the same as every other child, but must agree to make certain considerations for her, ie. letting her have an unscheduled snack when she is on steroids, letting her miss gym when she has pain related to the chemo, or letting her take naps in the nurse's office if she is tired. More importantly, any absences related to her counts, procedures, doctor's appointments, or hospitalizations cannot be counted against her. Also, if there are extended absences, she is automatically assigned a home bound tutor. Before school starts, the school will receive a letter from Amy and then the principal, teacher, school nurse and school psychologist will meet with me to discuss all this exciting stuff. As usual, I was a little teary going over this stuff, which amuses Amy whose own daughter is considered a leukemia survivor. I just hate that I even have to think about all this. Even when filling out the medical forms for school is a pain. It is just a reminder to me that I do not have 2 healthy children - the one thing you want when you are pregnant. We also started to talk briefly about the neuro-psych testing Catherine will have to undergo when she finishes treatment. The state of CT mandates that all children who undergo chemotherapy have this testing (and insurance must cover it). Basically they want to see what the late effects of the chemo are. The first test, which she will get some time next year, will be her base line. I don't know how often she will be tested, but these tests will tell us what special needs she may develop as a result of chemo, be it physical or neurological. All sorts of fun stuff. I have to say, I am just fried between all that and our move.
Otherwise things are going great. Catherine seems to be a natural swimmer and is doing great with her lessons. And Alex, well what can I say...he just keeps me on my toes. I can't turn my back for a second. I can't tell you how many times I have stuck my hand down the toilet after he flushes it to grab a toy he threw down. Last week he flushed a bag of Pirate Booty down the toilet. And he seems to enjoy eating frozen pancakes out of the freezer. He never ceases to amaze me.