A Long day, A long Night

What we had planned to be a long day, has now proven to be a long night as well. All I can say is that chemotherapy is not any fun. Our sweet Ashley is having a very tough go of it. We finally started the second drug of Ash's chemo around 6:00p.m. She needed a total of 160mls. It should take approximately 6 hours to infuse. As of 10:00p.m. she has had 27 ml infused. At this rate we will surely be here in the treatment center all night. She is so irritable and nauseated. I have never seen her vomit such volumes! She has DRENCHED me. She has DRENCHED David. She has DRENCHED 3 sets of her own clothes and jammies so now she is wearing hospital p.j.s. Guess where I had to go to get them? The PICU. I appreciate them loaning them to me so my baby didn't have to stay naked. Dave is wearing a hospital gown that is opened in the back ( he does have pants on!), and I am wearing my mom's clothes that she ran down and unpacked from her suitcase. We are quite a sight! Our sweet Ashley Kate has not slept all day. She is so exhausted.

Despite all of this nonsense we are enjoying our time together. I wish we were spending the day at the park, the day at the apartment, or the day at home, but that is not the case so we are trying to enjoy ourselves anyways. We are here together. We have this beautiful baby that smiles and giggles between her struggles. We have been blessed. God has given us 19 months to love this amazing little gherkin and each day that He gives to us whether it be at home, in the PICU, at our apartment, or in this treatment center is a gift. She looks really good despite the cancer. She is growing, growing, growing! She weighed 21lbs this morning. I am amazed at how big she is getting. Guess what that means? Her new bowel is working. It is absorbing nutrition and she is making good use of it. Her little thighs are chunky, her arms have wrinkles around the elbows and the wrists, and her tummy is getting chubby. This is wonderful news to a family who has been praying for their baby to just be able to grow.

A long day, a long night, a long 19 months. A blessed day, a blessed night, a blessed 19 months.
How did we get so lucky? Thanks for praying for our baby. Good night and God bless. Trish

P.S. Our nurse just came in and figured out that she never even hooked the drug into Ashley's line. We have just sat and wasted another half our. Can you just imagine how irritated her daddy is? Just look at his face in the picture. He has now had it!