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6/25/05

10:00 PM (Susan posting): We've had a full and satisfying day. It began when Sophie slept through the night in panties for the second night in a row. She's been doing very well with potty training during the day, but we had been keeping her in pull-ups at night. There were some nights when she would be dry in the morning, but a fair number also when she was wet. She insisted the night before last on sleeping in panties, so we gave it a try. Success!

Our friends arrived this morning, and we had a nice visit all day with them. Sophie was quite a show-off and really wore herself out by naptime. We had a quiet afternoon while she rested, and I learned to knit! I'm totally obsessed with it now, so when we went out tonight, we stopped by a craft store so I could get my own yarn and needles (and a book).

Sophie has done well today, but she's fussier than normal--our friends got to witness several tantrums. She also isn't enjoying many of her normal favorite foods, so we've been at a loss getting her to eat. She loves salt and salty foods, and one of the doctors suggested that chemo can dull the taste buds and change kids' food preferences. She said lots of kids end up wanting spicy food because they can actually taste it. I had some spicy noodles on my plate at dinner--Sophie snitched one, loved it, and finished the plate. We'll have to think about things she might enjoy that have more flavor.

Tomorrow we head to the beach for a short vacation. It's going to be a packed afternoon getting ready to go, but we are really looking forward to the time away, and we wish we could stay longer (we have to be back by Thursday morning for Sophie's blood test, and then she has chemo on Friday).

Comments

Hi to All, It has been quite interesting here the past two weeks. The Subaru dealer has declared that my car is totally worn out and needs a new engine. They basically told me that they wouldn't put one in on top ot that. The service manager there made me really really angry. I told the mechanic and the other service manager that IF I were in the market for a new car I wouldn't get a Subaru and if I did choose a Subaru, I wouldn't buy it there. That makes me sad because I have been driving Subarus for the past 25 years. I don't feel that the Subaru products now meet my needs because of the all wheel drive and poor gas milage from the AWD. I did a bunch of internet research and pretty much had my heart set on the Honda Accord Hybrid. I liked how it handled a lot. I also looked at 4 cyclinder gasoline Accords too. They basically handled like my Subaru. I just couldn't justify the extra $9000 for the Hybrid. I ended up buying a Toyota Camry because it had power driver's seat with the same gas milage as the 4 cyclinder gasoline engine Accord. I think I made the best choice for my needs. I even drove a Prius which is a full hybrid. It was an interesting learning experience, but it is not the car that meets my needs. It drives like a small car and for me somewhat disorienting with the odemiter appearing so far away from me. It handled like a small car and just wasn't as comfortable for me as the gasoline engine cars or as comfortable as the Hybrid Accord. I decided that maybe in a few years the hybrid technology will have improved enough to make a bigger impact on the gas milage for the midsize cars and then I can trade for one. I still really like the notion of what the hybrids are supposed to do. I did like the fact that you can drive the Prius without a key in the ignition, but it is not the car for me. The salesman said that for the most part here the folks who buy them buy them for the novality and for the "toy" aspect of them. Lots of neat gagetry on it.
I do hope you have a wonderful time on vacation. Enjoy the time together as a family. Drive safely and use lots of sun screen.
If Sophie likes spicy foods Mexican and Indian foods should be some good places to start. You can always add chilies to most any food like they do in NM. You can try adding Old Bay seasoning to more traditional foods too. (At least, I think Old Bay is spicy!) I can believe that the chemo does effect the functioning of the taste buds. I seem to recall the kids complaining of metalic tastes in their mouths from some of the chemo agents. Sometimes it must be very difficult to sort out what is normal three year old behavior and what is the result of the chemotherapy agents. Just keep experiementing would be my advice.
Will you be able to conitnue to post to the web while on vacation? Enjoy your vacation. Hugs and kisses all around. Love, Eileen

Hey!

I'm finally online -- got computer mostly set up and am late for work. I quickly printed up several pages for Mom -- All is well here, and we hope you have a great vacation!