Update

We made it to the hospital and are doing fine. The chemo started around 5:30, which is good. It looks like Easter at home is a real possibility. The nurse practitioner considered starting with a blood tranfusion but that would have slowed us down quite a bit, so we decided that since he doesn't feel too sick, they will do the transfusion in a day or two, when his methotrexate levels are low. They will closely monitor his ph levels and give him sodium bicarbonate as a pill during the transfusion if they need to. That may not make sense to anyone, but there you have it. Oh, and the nurses were shocked that Steven hasn't had a transfusion yet and he is in week 9 of chemo. What does that mean? I'd like to take it as a little miracle, but my worrying self wonders if the chemo isn't killing the red blood cells enough, is it killing the cancer? The only answer they will give is that we have to wait for the biopsy.

In other news, we have been on a quest to help Steven gain weight so that the surgery recovery will be better. We try to get him any kind of food he can dream up. Mostly he wants homemade hamburgers (a result of the anemia?). Andrew said to me the other day--"when can we have something to eat besides chicken and hamburgers? We always have what Steven wants and I never get pasta!" We do eat too many hamburgers. He had one for lunch and dinner today and he has probably had 7 others this week. The diet seems to be working-he had gained some weight. I know it is working for me because I finish up the high calories shakes I make.