New Moon

Just got back from seeing New Moon - loved it! Hayden and I have been reading the Twilight series books (OK, I'm reading, he's listening) so I surprised him with a movie date. As you might have guessed, his blood counts are up so public outings are finally allowed.

You might find it odd that I would read these books to an 8-year-old...it's kind of shocking to me too. When the first movie came out on DVD, I thought it was inappropriate and didn't allow him to see it but, of course, that only made it more desirable to Hayden. He, along with the support of most of his cousins, eventually wore me down and he became a big fan. Then I bought the book as a way to pass time in the hospital, and it worked exceptionally well. The reading seemed to soothe him when he was feeling crappy and the story took him away from whatever was going on at the time. He begged for more pages and I read aloud until my voice cracked. Plus, I censored as I read so we tore through the first 3 books. The movies present a censorship challenge but I must say, I couldn't have enjoyed it more. Being in the theater with him, watching him see the familiar story unfold, putting a visual to months of reading...it was great. I suspect, though, that these books will always conjur bittersweet memories for me.

We'll be back at the clinic on Tuesday for another blood test. Dr. Stoffman wants to see if last week's steroid pulse pushed up his counts or if he's really making neutrophils on his own free will. Hopefully his ANC is between 1 and 1.5 so we can stop adjusting the chemo doses and get on with life with an immune system and without weekly clinic visits.

If the weather warms up, Hayden will be snowmobiling around the yard this weekend. Did I mention he got a Snow Scoot for Christmas? He loves it. I'm sure we're all hoping the weatherman is right.