Fever...

Dance fever that is. Grandma and Grandpa from the mountains showed up Sunday evening to stay for a few days. The girls were very excited to have a new audience for their dance routines. The grandparents got quite a show.

Kerstin continues to stay healthy. We still get very nervous when someone coughs or sneezes around her. Her doctor has also cleared her to travel, so we are trying to make plans for spring break in March.

As Kerstin remains healthy, are thoughts and prayers are with all of our new friends who are fighting secondary illnesses in addition to their primary cancers. Please say a special prayer for them and all those who need the extra attention.

Thanks for checking in on us and we hope you have a blessed week.

Uncle Brian

Things kind of slowed down after Valentine's Day. The weather got really cold (single digits and below zero), so we basically just hibernated when the girls weren't in school.

Saturday Kerstin had the idea of going out to breakfast, so we bundled everyone up and headed to Perkins for "brunch". We braved the cold weather and the crowds and did some shopping after we ate. That afternoon Kerstin's Uncle Brian stopped by to play. He was actually in town to see his girlfriend, but knew he would be in trouble with the girls if he didn't come see them. They had a fun time using Uncle Brian as an indoor gymnasium.

Valentines Day

Kerstin had a great time at her Kindergarten Valentine's Day party. Her dad was also able to be at the party to help with the kids and read a story. See more pictures by clicking on the title "Valentines Day".

Spinoza Bear

Kerstin received a Spinoza Bear over the weekend. This is a great addition to her collection because this bear actually has a tape player built in and comes with several Spinoza audio tapes. She can also play regular music tapes in it as well. Thanks again Faye. If you would like more information on the Spinoza Bear, go to www.spinozabear.com .

Back to Gymnastics

Kerstin was thrilled to go back to gymnastics on Monday. It's great to see her getting back to a lot of her old activities. See more pictures of gymnastics by clicking on the title "Back to Gymnastics".

Visitors

We had visitors from the west today (Aurora, NE). Jeff's Aunt Shirley and Cousin Crystal made Kerstin and her sister each a blanket. Also pictured is Crysta's son Brian. Not pictured is Jeff's Uncle Max and Crystal's husband Jason. It was a very nice visit with some relatives that we haven't seen for quite a while.

Brownie Fun

McKinsey's Brownie troop got to celebrate a successful cookie sale by going to Paint Yourself Silly today. Kerstin and Annie got to got along to help supervise. This is a wonderful and generous troop. This group of girls sold popcorn for Kerstin a few months ago. We want to say a big "Thank you" to them for their kindness and generosity.

Kerstin continues to feel well and has been having a great time at school. She got to go to the lab at St. E's today for a finger poke(not fun in her book). Her ANC is 1558, right where they want it to be. Her hemoglobin and platelets were just fine, too. She will be able to continue with the same doses of her medicines she is currently taking.

Kerstin's friend, Abby is out of the hospital, but now has RSV. Another friend of ours from Children's, Hannah, is having surgery tomorrow to rid her body of her tumor. They are two very special little girls. Please add them to your prayers and visit their websites if you can. Tell them Kerstin sent you. www.caringbridge.org/visit/hannahknudsen and www.caringbridge.org/visit/abbybridgewater . Thanks for your words of hope and encouragment.

Super Sunday!

Today was a Super Fun day (not just because of the football game!) Kerstin, McKinsey, and Annie got to go to Omaha for Abby's birthday party at Build-A-Bear. It was fun to see Hannah, Elissa, and Emma, too. It took Kerstin a while to get rid of a case of the "shy's", but we all had a very nice time. Thank you Bridgewaters, and Happy Birthday, Abby!

We were also able to visit our friends the Holsteins while we were in Omaha. Joshua, Jonah and the girls had lots of fun playing and even put on a little music show (with dinner, of course!) Thank you Holstein family!

It's back to school for all of us tomorrow. Have a super week! Keep all of our friends in your prayers, especially Hannah as she will have surgery on the 10th.

A great week

Kerstin enjoyed her first three days back at school. Today she didn't even need Mom to walk her to the front door. McKinsey and Kerstin helped Annie up at Cavett after school today. She goes back to work next week. Annie seems to be ready to get back at it. She misses her class and her teacher friends quite a bit. She is very happy to be going back only part time (in the afternoons while Kerstin is at school). Mrs. Adams did an awesome job the past few months and plans to continue to teach the fourth graders in the morning. What a blessing! Kerstin wasn't happy to find out that she doesn't get to go back to her favorite babysitter's house, but Mom sure is glad not to have to wake her up before 7:00 each day. School is wearing her out, and we are glad she can sleep in if she needs to. Thank you so much for all of your prayers, good thoughts, and encouraging messages. Know that we appreciate it all. Thanks for checking on us! Have a blessed weekend!

Back to School!

12:44 P.M. couldn't come soon enough today! After more than 3 months, Kerstin is thrilled to be back to school! Mrs. Swiatek brought special celebration treats for the whole class. The kids also made her a beautiful card. Annie got to spend a little while at school with Kerstin and her friends. They are such a caring group of kids! Kerstin felt a little bit like a celebrity today! She had a great day, and we are sure she will sleep well tonight! God has taken especially good care of our little girl!

Waffle Man Fund Raiser

The Cavett Elementary PTO put on a "Waffle Man" fund raiser for Kerstin tonight. It was a great time, and there was a huge turn out. It was really nice for Annie to see some of her students and fellow faculty members. Kerstin was only able to eat half her waffle, but she said the half she ate was pretty tasty. I think it was almost completely covered in whipped cream and strawberry syrup! We would like to say a big "Thank You" to all of the teachers, staff members, parents and students who helped with this event. The fourth graders did a fabulous job of keeping the tables cleaned and ready for the next dinner guests. Kerstin and McKinsey had an especially great time watching the many students perform during the talent show. Thanks also to everyone who came out to enjoy a delicious meal and premier entertainment. We feel richly blessed to have such wonderful support from our family, friends, and school community. 

Haircut

Kerstin actually has some new hairs coming in, so we decided she better get those long "fly-away" hairs trimmed up. 

Just To Say Thanks

We have nothing extra-ordinary to post today. We just wanted to take an opportunity to say thanks. It seems like our world moves so fast, and there are so many life altering events that catch our attention. Sometimes it's easy to forget about other peoples' situations unless it is in front of you every day. We have been fortunate not to have that happen with Kerstin. It's four months after her diagnosis now, and we are still blessed to have people (some we have never met before) still reaching out to us with offers to help in any way needed. So, to all of you who read this blog (and to all who don't as well), we just wanted to make sure you know that all of your prayers, well wishes, and gifts are greatly appreciated.

As for Kerstin, she is loving life without her central line and seems to be adjusting to her new chemo meds just fine. She is also very excited to be going back to school this Wednesday.

Thanks for checking in on her. We hope you all have a blessed week.

Park Time!

It was absolutely gorgeous out this afternoon. McKinsey and Kerstin and friends played at the park for a while after school today. They claimed that almost everyone pushed faster on the Merry-Go-Round than I (Annie) could. I just didn't want them to get sick! They also created a new sport by going "Slide surfing" down the little slides.

Kerstin continues to feel really good. She has been taking one of her new meds for a couple of days now. She starts another new one tonight, so we are praying for the best! Kerstin is still looking forward to going to school again on Wednesday! Kerstin and Annie spent a little bit of time at Cavett today helping Annie get ready to go back to her teaching job on February 6th. Thanks for checking on us! Keep praying for our friend, Abby. You can visit her website by going to www.caringbridge.org/visit/abbybridgewater 

No More Central Line!

We took Kerstin to Omaha this morning to the Oncology clinic. After some lab work, we got to go to the Pediatric surgery wing where the doctor removed her central line. Kerstin has been so excited to get rid of it, but was a bit worried about how it was going to get done. She did not realize that she was going to get a shot (she says 3 shots) to numb the area. The anticipation of the shot was much worse than the actual shot. It wasn't a very fun procedure for her, but she hung in there like a trooper! We are very proud of how tough she has been. We also met with Dr. G who outlined the plan for her Maintenance Therapy which began this evening. She will be taking a total of four different medications, all but one are in pill form. She will really be a pro at swallowing pills after this! We are hoping that the side effects of these drugs won't be as bad as the labels sound! She will get her blood checked every two weeks (at St. E's in Lincoln) and a check up by her doctor every 4 weeks (in Lincoln, too). This maintenance therapy will last for one year from today. We still will have to be careful and keep try to keep her from catching any major bugs, but we won't have to be as cautious as we were at first.
Grandpa Gordon and Grandma Joann were able to come to Lincoln for a little celebration. We went out to dinner and even had time to play a game of Fast Track. It was so nice to be able to spend some time with them. They hope to be able to stay longer next time.
Thanks for checking on us and for all of your encouraging messages! 

Cookie Baking Train

Kerstin and Annie tried a new recipe for Monster Cookies! Kerstin got plenty of dough on her fingers and had to eventually lick them clean! We rolled the cookie dough in a variety of chopped up candy bars or chocolate chips. We decided to rename the cookies "Clean out the Candy Basket Cookies." After we finished baking, it was time to clean up. Annie taught Kerstin one of her favorite activities as a child. Do you remember this Grandma Clarice? Uncle Brian? Whenever Grandma mopped the floor, it was time to play train with all of the chairs. Kerstin decided her train was going to the North Pole. Polar Express anyone?

Kerstin is very excited to be going back to Omaha tomorrow to get her central line taken out. She is hoping to be able to visit Abby at Children's while we are there. Thanks for all of your messages, words of encouragement, and especially your prayers. Don't forget to add Abby to your list. Have a blessed day!

Artist in Action

While McKinsey went to a friend's birthday party in the Haymarket, Kerstin and Annie went to Paint Yourself Silly. What a fun place! It was a difficult decision, but Kerstin chose a flower-shaped bank to paint. We think it turned out great! Kerstin knew exactly what she wanted to do. The flower's petals are each different colors. The eyes are blue and the mouth is purple. We even made a new friend today who was painting with her girls. Afterwards we just had to go to the Ivanna Ice Cream store. Kerstin chose Grape Nerds. Yes, Uncle Brian, we were thinking of you! Grape ice cream with Nerds in it. Delicious!

Kerstin is excited to be going back to Omaha on Wednesday to see her doctor. They plan to take out her central line. Hooray! No more dressing changes! No more heparanizing her line every day! We also hope to find out more information about her maintenance therapy which should be starting within the next few weeks. We are so blessed that everything has been going so smoothly. We believe in the power of prayer. Thank you everyone for taking the time to check on us and pray for us. Send up a prayer for Kerstin's friend, Abby, too. She is back at Children's with a fever and very low counts. She can use your prayers. Have a blessed day!

Visitors from GI

Annie and the girls were treated to a visit from Uncle Jay, Aunt Deb, Doris, Trevor and Marcus this afternoon. They were in town for cousin Jeremy's Show Choir performance. The girls got to hang out and play legos with Cousin Trevor. Mostly they terrorized him and got very wound up! We enjoyed a nice dinner together before they had to head home.

Kerstin has been dressing up in this gorgeous Hawaiian dress for at least a few hours each day the past week. Thanks for the hand-me-down, Brenna! Here is a shot of her doing a Cheetah Girls song saying, "No, No, No-one else". I love it! American Idols, watch out!

Sheridan Visitor

We were all treated with a special visitor yesterday. Cindy, one of Kerstin's Sunday school teachers, came by with lots of nice gifts for the whole family. If you squint, you might be able to see Kerstin's gorgeous new blue and purple press on nails. We can't wait to have our pizza and movie night! Thanks, Cindy!

Today Kerstin had labs at the Infusion Center. Her counts are down a little, but her doctor is not concerned. We ran a few errands and even got to have lunch at the mall. Of course, when you are at the mall, you have to get a cookie! We bought three and took one to Jeff at work. It was nice to have a "coffee break" with Dad!

Kerstin and McKinsey pretty much destroyed the living room tonight with their restaurant for animals (stuffed ones)??? It even boasted live entertainment! I think I have heard that Cheetah Girls CD more times than any other human alive! Ha! We are so thankful that our girls like to be together and have some creative fun. Thanks for checking on us!

Puppet Show

Since Jeff is on duty today, the girls and I decided to spend the day goofing around. We went out for lunch and did a little shopping. There wasn't school today, but the teachers were working so I was able to visit with my Cavett teacher friends. The girls enjoyed visiting a number of classrooms and even had time to present a puppet show. Thanks Chris!

Kerstin had labwork done yesterday and her counts continue to go up! Hooray! Her ANC was 1092. As long as things keep going well, she should be back to school within the next few weeks. Are you ready Mrs. Swiatek? Kerstin is very excited about being with all of her friends again. Thanks for checking on us! Have a blessed day! 

Beautiful day

You know they say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I have to agree. How can you look at Kerstin's smiling face and not praise God for taking such good care of her! We just had to get out and enjoy the beautiful day today. Jeff stayed home with Kerstin this morning while McKinsey and Annie went to church. We didn't want to take the chance of her "catching any bugs" with so many people there. Afterwards we all walked to a new restaurant in the neighborhood for lunch together. The rest of the afternoon was spent swinging, riding bikes, going for a walk, cleaning out the car, sweeping out the playhouse and just enjoying being outside. Thanks for checking on us! Enjoy the day!

School Time

We have been richly blessed to have Mr. K working with Kerstin every day while she is unable to go to school. We are so pleased with her progress and how hard these two work together. Kerstin is now reading little books and learns new words every day. Thanks Mr. K for all you have done for Kerstin!

Mom got to go to McKinsey's Brownie meeting yesterday and help the girls get ready for cookie sales. Cookies anyone?? :) Kerstin and Mom spent the day hanging out together and even ran a few errands. Kerstin is always anxious for her sister to get home from school and play. McKinsey doesn't have to go back to school until Wednesday, so the girls should get in a lot of playtime this weekend. The Barbies have been very busy already this afternoon! Thanks for checking on us. We are so grateful for all of our friends and family!

Counts are coming up!

Kerstin had labs done today. Her ANC is on its way up! It is still low (620), but we are so glad to see that it is higher than on Monday. Her hemoglobin is low, but not enough to need blood. We even got to stop by Dr. G's Lincoln clinic today for a quick visit. He is pleased with her progress. Kerstin handled her dressing change quite well today, but she will sure be glad when that central line is gone. Thanks for stopping in to check on us. We love reading all of your comments. Keep those prayers coming, and pray for all of Kerstin's new friends, too (Abby, Mary, Lauren, Hannah, and Megan)!

Baking

Kerstin had a pretty good day today. She even had time to bake some cookies.

Dinner Delivered

On Monday Kerstin and her family were treated to a steak dinner delivered to their house, courtesy of Chuck C. (The steaks were perfect, thanks again Chuck.)

Kerstin also had labs done today. Her ANC dropped dramatically since Thursday when it was 2000. Today it is down to 500 which means she's pretty much on lockdown and the germ patrol is on high alert. Her hemoglobin was also down today. She'll probably get blood on Thursday when she goes in for labs. Even though her numbers are down, she continues to be energetic and in good spirits.

We are continually grateful for all the prayers and support, especially during this time when Kerstin's immune system is most vulnerable.

Tea In The New Basement

The basement is really looking nice. Kerstin and McKinsey posed in their new play area.
Kerstin had a much better day today. She took all of her meds like a champ and had pleanty of energy to play all day long. She even got to spend a few hours with one of her special friends, Jenny, while Jeff and Annie went to donate blood. Even though her counts are dropping as expected, we are hoping that she has turned the corner from her last cycle of chemo and it's nothing but up hill from here. Please keep her in your prayers as we continue to witness God's grace and power on our family. 

Rough Night

Kerstin woke up during the night with a neck ache and a headache. Jeff and Annie took turns laying with her, trying to get her settled down and back to sleep. She finally nodded off about 7am and we let her sleep until 10:30. We went to St. E's this afternoon for labs. Looks like her ANC dropped to 2000. Her appetite is also pretty poor and the ATRA has dehydrated her again, so we are pushing plenty of fluids and lip balm. We also had to do a dressing change today which is one of Kerstin's most dis-liked things. All around kind of a rough day.

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear."

            -- Mark Twain

Chemo takes effect

Kerstin got to go to St. E's on Monday for labs. Her counts are still high. Her ANC was over 2500! We expect that to be dropping soon as the chemotherapy gets to work. She has been feeling really tired the last few days. Today she did a lot of sleeping and not much playing. She has been nauseous and not very hungry and threw up once today. We have noticed that strong food smells make her queasy. McKinsey goes back to school tomorrow. We will miss her at home, but it will be good to get back into the routine again. I know she is looking forward to seeing all her friends. Thanks for stopping by to check on us. Leave us a message if you can! Have a blessed day!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone! Annie and the girls rang in the new year at the neighbors (sorry, no pictures), and Jeff was at work. We all went to church this morning and then ate lunch with some friends from church. Kerstin started to feel ill during lunch, so Annie took her home before she got sick in the restaurant. McKinsey and Jeff got a ride home from the Scheele's. Kerstin was feeling better by late afternoon and decided she needed to go shopping with some money she found in one of her other purses. She has had her eye on a Barbie laptop computer at Radio Shack. The computer was on sale, but Kerstin didn't have quite enough for it. It was the last one in the store and it's hard to say no for an educational toy, so Jeff spotted her the rest.

This is probably the last public socializing for Kerstin for a while because her counts should be dropping from her last cycle of chemo last week. She will go in tomorrow to get her counts checked and we'll go from there.

We hope everyone had a safe new year's eve, and you all will have a blessed new year!

3rd Cycle of Chemo

We spent the last couple of days in Omaha so Kerstin could get her 3rd (and hopefully last) cycle of chemo. This time she was able to do it as an "outpatient" at the oncology clinic. We met a lot of new people who are going through the same things we are. We count our blessings though because Kerstin has only had to deal with this a fraction of what some of these kids have. Some of these children have been doing this for up to three years.

After she was done with her first dose on Thursday, Kerstin visited the 6th floor to deliver some chocolate covered pretzel rods to the nurses up there. It was good to see them. I'm always impressed by how well they remember their patients. Kerstin had a stomach ache after her first dose on Thursday. She seemed to feel better after we met some friends for supper and then went to their house to play for a while. (Fun time is always a good distraction for aches and pains.) Friday morning during her chemo, Kerstin did get sick. On the bright side, she hadn't had an appetite so there wasn't much to come up. We made it home on Friday for lunch and spent the rest of the day unpacking and playing.

Build A Bear

Kerstin and her sister went to Build A Bear in the Oakview Mall (Omaha) today. They both had gift certificates to spend. Kerstin goes in to the oncology clinic for outpatient chemo tomorrow and Friday (hopefully her last cycle). We came down a day early to take her to the mall while she is feeling well (and so we didn't have to get up so early tomorrow morning to get here). Click on the title "Build A Bear" for more pictures.

News Update

I was going to entitle this "Good News and Bad News," but I didn't want to freak anyone out! Let's start with the good news. Kerstin's counts are high enough that she can go in for her last round of chemo on Thursday and Friday. Since she doesn't need a bone marrow biopsy this time, she can get her treatment as an outpatient at the oncology clinic in Omaha! Kerstin remembers the clinic from her first visit there in October as the place with all the toys and the Dora's talking house. She is excited for her sister to be able to see it as well. McKinsey and Kerstin got new doll beds last night, handmade by Uncle Jay, Aunt Debbie, Jeremy, Trevor, and Marcus. They are adorable, and the girls' dolls are all fighting to get to sleep in the new comfy beds. The girls and their dolls had a sleepover last night in their new sleeping bags in the new basement!


Now for the bad news. Some vandals came through our neighborhood early this morning and destroyed at least 15 of the candy canes on our street. As you can see, ours was broken in half. The girls and I were just sick this morning when we saw it. They have quite an elaborate plan in place to catch the "bad people." I have assured them that LPD is on the case so we should let them do their jobs. We have decided to leave the candy canes up as they are for now. We hope that the culprits will be caught soon. Both Channel 8 and 10-11 News crews were in the neighborhood today. I know we'll be watching the news tonight.

Infusion Center

The whole family got to go to the infusion center at St. E's today for Kerstin's blood draw. Kerstin and McKinsey parked themselves in front of the tv while Jeff and Annie kept themselves busy with other things. Kerstin's ANC came back at just over 2700, so we are expecting to take a trip to Omaha tomorrow. We'll have to wait to hear from the clinic in the morning before we make any plans.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you all from the Lincoln Leafs. We had a nice, quiet Christmas at home. Grandma and Grandpa Gnuse were able to stay with us. We always enjoy their visits. Santa was able to come down the chimney and leave a few things in the new basement this year! Kerstin wasn't able to go to church with us because her counts are down, but she put on her pretty dress anyway.

McKinsey is riding her new scooter from Santa. McKinsey also got a McDonalds cash register playset from her sister. Would you like fries with that?

Kerstin got a Dora doll from Santa and twin babies from her sister. We were able to spend lots of time today playing with the new toys. (Of course it takes at least 45 minutes to get each toy out of its box!!)








We will be in Lincoln for a few more days at least until Kerstin's counts get high enough to go back to Omaha for her next round of chemo. We will get some lab work done at the Infusion Center at St. E's tomorrow. Thanks for all of your prayers. Take some time to remember baby Jesus today and every day. God's blessings to you!