It's hard to believe, but Maddy is 1 month old already! She had her checkup yesterday, and here are her current stats:Height: 21.8 inches (77%)
Weight: 10 lb 3 oz (79%)
Head Circumference: 37.5 inches (62%)
Diaper Size: 1
Clothing Size: 0-3 Month
She is a very good baby. She is already sleeping better than her big sister did. Last night she gave me a 5 hour and 15 minute stretch of sleep. Most nights she sleeps in 3-4 hour stretches. I'll take it! Hopefully she continues this way! She is becoming more and more alert, and she is starting to make cute little noises (mixed in with her constant grunting!).
 |
| Stretching out at the doctor's office! |
 |
| Tummy time makes me sleepy! |
Taylor
Taylor loves having her little sister home, and she loves her new "Big Sister" role. She is very helpful and will try to calm down Madelyn when she cries. It's very sweet to see. She is always in her face, and can be very loud when she talks to her, which we are working on!
Taylor is also loving all of the Fall and Halloween related activities that we've been doing! She loved going to the pumpkin patch and then going home and decorating our pumpkins. We also spent the afternoon at Rock and Read, a Minooka High School event, where Taylor got to wear her costume! She looked adorable as a cupcake!
She continues to make us laugh every day. She is very imaginative and has some great "pretend play" activities; some of her favorites include being a gymnast in a show, playing sleepover, trick-or-treating, playing doctor, looking for treasure, and playing in the "snow" (our down comforter). She is also developing quite a sense of humor. Her favorite joke is to call people by the wrong name - she thinks it's hilarious!
 |
| Proud of her pumpkins! |
 |
| Reading to her little sister... Maddy doesn't appreciate it yet! |
 | |
| Her craft from Rock and Read |
 |
| Rock and Read |
 |
| Hanging out with her pal Gillian at Rock and Read! |
 |
| Listening to a princess story at Rock and Read |
 |
| Holding her little sister |
 |
| Painting a pumpkin at Mrs. Erica's |
 |
| Playing in her new playhouse! |
Sam
Sam began round 6 of chemo recently, after a 2 1/2 week break. During that break, he was supposed to have surgery, but things have changed quite a bit. The surgeons at the University of Chicago have decided that Sam has a better chance of kicking this cancer for good if he undergoes a radical surgical treatment that is only performed by a handful of skilled surgeons in the country. He will be going to Dr. Gokaslan at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. He is one of the top spinal surgeons in the country. The surgery involves completely removing the L4 disc in his spine and replacing it with some sort of synthetic filler. Prior to this, he will receive a high-dose radiotherapy (also known as CyberKnife) to kill the tumor so that there are few living cells before the surgery begins. It is a very complicated surgery; it will take 2 surgeries of about 10-14 hours each, and he will be in the hospital for approximately 2 weeks afterward. His total recovery will be 6-12 months. Needless to say, we are very nervous about this, but we take comfort in knowing that Dr. Gokaslan performs this surgery quite often, with very little complications. We also agree with Dr. Gokaslan and Dr. Rubin (Sam's oncologist), that this is the best option considering that both his original tumor and this relapse occurred in the L4 disc. We all believe that this will give Sam the best chance of being rid of the cancer forever. We still don't have a surgery date, but are hoping to begin everything soon. 
