First of Advent

This is such a special time of year. I love all the traditions I grew up with and have always tried to keep them going with my little family. I think that this year it is especially important to me that we keep these family traditions alive. We have had such a tough month with so many uncertainties. Emma is now starting to feel much better and I want to do everything I can to keep this time of year special for all of us.
As today is the first of Advent, we lit the first candle at the end of the day while eating saffron rolls. I used my mother's recipe and if I do say so myself they turned out pretty tasty...though maybe not very pretty... The house smells wonderfully of the Christmas tree we picked up today mixed with the aroma of freshly baked bread. The mood has been helped further by the fact that it snowed most of the day - everything is white and fresh!
Tonight I will finish wrapping the little gifts for Emma and Henry's Advent calendars so they can open the first ones tomorrow. Emma and I are going to decorate the tree in the morning while Henry naps - I hope she has as much fun as I plan to!

Who needs toys...

...when a plain old box is so much fun!?

Trunk-or-Treating

Emma's preschool did the cutest thing for Halloween, they had a "trunk-or-treat". At first I didn't get the concept and had to read the handout a couple of times but the basic idea was that parents park in the preschool parking lot and then the kids trick-or-treat out of the parents' trunks. The teachers led a line of adorable little pre-schoolers, all dressed up, around the rows of cars. Parents had decorated their trunks and it was very festive. Grandma and Grandpa came to join the fun and of course Henry was there too. Emma was so sweet when she first saw Henry - she gave him a nice, gentle pat on the cheek. She was really happy to see her little brother! Emma collected a lot of loot and when we got home she immediately wanted to count and sort all the things she had collected. She even shared a few pieces with Henry. The next day Emma was admitted to Children's Hospital so she didn't get to go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood this year. That was ok, at least she had already had the experience at preschool. Emma also went trick-or-treating around the HOT unit, dressed in her hospital gown and ballet slippers, dragging the IV pole with her. I am happy that Henry is too young to realize that he missed out on Halloween. We'll make up for it next year. Can he be a golfer again? That costume was just so darn cute!

Emma

Since Wednesday of last week, we have been at Children's Hospital. It all came about very suddenly but Emma has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). I took her to the Pediatrician on Wednesday afternoon and by that night we were admitted to the hospital. The diagnosis was confirmed on Thursday and treatment begun on Friday. This is such a shock. Noone thinks something like this can happen to them and I was no different. Under the circumstances Emma is doing as well as can be expected and she is responding normally to treatment. We are honestly extremely optimistic and hopeful for a full recovery though we know the road will be long and tough.

I have decided that this is all I want to say on this blog about Emma's condition and treatment for now. Here I am choosing to focus on the positive aspects of our everyday life. I am convinced there will be plenty of things to be happy about in the coming months as we fight this battle. Emma is a strong little girl and has the love and support of so many people. She will beat this!

If you are interested in following Emma's treatment, we have created a site at caringbridge.org