Not to bring the mood down here, but 2008 was one hell of a year. One we Taylors hope not to go through again any time soon. Now don't get me wrong, there were many happy moments. However, March saw the passing of my brother, Nathan, at the young age of 34 as well as Jennifer's grandmother, Irene (Grand Memere) at 85 years young in late July. And, of course, this whole little cancer thing sprouted up in June. Why we didn't just pull up stakes and head for a little cabin in upstate Minnesota is a testament to y'all out there. Your support, love and kind words have really kept us grounded and focused on the path to wellness. Thank you.
Now for some news on the man, the myth, the legend. On the outside he's doing well. Those of you who have seen him up close may have noticed that JT is getting some fuzz hair back. He's getting more rest which, along with the passing of the holidays, has seemed to keep his energy up. While a full day of school takes a toll on the little guy, he's yet to fold. Nap, yes. But not fold.
On the inside, well, he's still fighting like a champ. This last chemo round took a toll on JT's blood counts. For one of the first times the Clinic firmly warned us that JT is not to be around any sick people. His ANC counts (basically, white blood cells) were essentially zero which classifies him as neutropenic. In layman's terms, neutropenia is a condition where you have low white blood cell counts and are at an increased risk of infection. Your defenses have just been beat to hell. So that's where JT is. His body is rebuilding the little buggers as best he can. It's just going to take some time. While his ANC was basically zero a week and a half ago he's climbed to a whopping 198 this week. Now clearly I'm no hematologist, but from what I've read, to put this into perspective he normally should be north of 1500.
For those keeping score at home we head into BBCH on Friday for a "routine" MRI. Let's keep our fingers and toes crossed. While I can't imagine anything, let alone a tumor, could be growing in his head right now, I also couldn't have imagined it to be there in the first place. Then a week from tomorrow, if all goes according to schedule, JT'll be back in the Big House for another two day chemo treatment.
On a much brighter note, James has finally joined his first grade brethren who have already lost teeth. I like to say that there was a great story behind his tooth loss. A big donnybrook on the playground or something. But I can't. James simply wiggled and twisted his first loose tooth out of his melon. To say that he was excited would be an understatement. Mom and Dad feel the same. It brings a welcome bit of normalcy into the little guy's life, letting us focus on the more typical milestones of being 6. Another nice thing is that he'll now go back to eating things harder than Spaghettios. And then there's this. Jenn and I occasionally joke that Jack is the "evil one". Geez, the way we joke about it we've probably already laid the foundation for a lifetime of therapy. The argument can be made that his curly, wavy hair is only there to hide the spike horns. There's no denying 
his kinetic energy can be a little overwhelming at times but he does have a cuteness factor (parental bias, I know) that - more times than not - gets him out of the trouble he's created. James brought home this picture with his schoolwork this past week and was quite proud of it. I'm not trying to say anything here, but you'd have to agree that when your 6 year old brother "paints" this picture of you.....well, we'll let the picture speak for itself. It's titled "Jack, 500 Years Old."
Lastly, I'll leave you with this. One of Jenn's co-workers spent a great deal of time and energy on making these incredible foam light sabers for the boys. They have fallen head over heals in love with them. Here they show off their Jedi talents. Don't all Jedis wear fuzzy moose slippers?
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