Cycle 2

Luis and I just got back from a tropical vacation...

...in London, Ontario. Yup, instead of staying at the Ronald McDonald House (RMH), we got to stay at the Best Western. This is all thanks to the sinus infection that Luis gave me since my sick germs weren't welcome at the RMH. Gotta love Canada though. Through RMH and Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, our one-night 'vacation' was free!

Our trip to London was for the start of the second cycle of maintenance. Each cycle is three months. I think we're looking at about 8 cycles all together. Today, Luis had his 'routine' chemo consisting of vincristine administered through his port and methotrexate given via a lumbar puncture (LP) while under general anesthesia. He has to fast for his LP, which takes place after 12:00pm. I always join him in his fasting so when he says "I'm hungry", I can say "I know. Me too." He actually looks forward to his LPs because he gets to go for a 'bed-ride' and then eat when he finally wakes up. Make-A-Wish celebrated their birthday today by bringing teddy bears for all the kids and having cake and fruit. Luis named his bear 'Luis bear' :)

In other news, Julien has been doing pretty well. I mean, really, look how happy this boy looks...

That pic cracks me up!  But seriously, he finally started walking for real a couple weeks ago. He is getting more and more fearless and now he is walking more than he is crawling. It's so cute. His first real steps were months ago. He would get to his feet, take a couple steps, then chicken out. For the longest time, he would prefer to walk on his knees, like in the picture above. Finally, finally, finally, this boy's legs are taking off.

Luis is growing too. He grew over 2 cm (that's almost an inch) and gained almost 2 kg (about a lb) in the last 3 months. Woo-hoo!

--Mommy