Undetectable

Lots of things are undetectable at some point in time - my sense of humor and my patience level are two things that seem to dip into the realm of undetectable more often than I would like. Yesterday we got word that Henry's thyroglobulin level is now considered 0, with thyroid tissue in his body undetectable. Another thing on our list of undetectable, but this one made me cry with relief.

This is incredibly good news for him and for us. Since any thyroid tissue left in his body since about March was cancer, this is a huge step towards declaring him cancer-free. He has a chest CT scan in Salt Lake on Thursday to check the spots in his lungs but we anticipate it being clear as well. I don't want to jinx anything, but I really think we are close to putting this behind us, at least for now.

Henry will have to deal with periodic blood tests for the rest of his life to monitor his levels. If his thyroglobulin starts to go up, it could indicate a recurrence. Since he is so young, there is about a 30% chance of a recurrence over his lifetime. We also have to check his TSH levels - right now they are a bit too high. They aren't too bad and actually in the low normal range for the average person but thyroid cancer patients need to have their TSH hold steady at a below-normal level. This will happen every so often as he grows and gains weight so we are going to up his dose of thyroid hormone and retest in two months to make sure it's back down to where it needs to be. He was a little bummed about this at first but really it doesn't change anything for him - he still has to take a pill every morning so he'll just take a different color pill. No big deal.

However, the threat of additional treatment and the possibility of having to travel out of state for further treatment is significantly decreased now. We meet with the doctor in about a month and we'll get the lowdown on further monitoring.

But today we breathe a sigh of relief! I'm starting to have a good feeling about 2011.

Only In Utah

Only in Utah does a dance studio use a Primary song for their recital. Not complaining, mind you. I just thought it was funny. And as cute as can be.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

For Your Entertainment...

...we present a Hawaiian Christmas!

Nutcracker Lite

Tessa had a mini-dance recital today. Her little class performed four dances for family and friends. Jay was able to leave work early to watch. The girls were so cute and did a great job. Here are two of her dances.

This was one of my favorites. They've been working on it for a while. My friend Melissa was there and commented, "she's sure got the shaking part down." Yes, yes she does.




This recital was pretty laid back. The girls wore their favorite dance outfit (hers was a gift from Grandma) and we were literally there for 15 minutes. The "big" recital is in May so mark your calendars now if you want to be overwhelmed with cuteness.

Oh and I was going to post another video but the second one wouldn't upload to my blog. Don't despair, however - I'll try again tomorrow.

Comfort and Joy

There is so much going on this time of year that it can seem overwhelming. Shopping to do, gifts to wrap, treats to prepare, deliveries to make. I'm guilty of starting the season with the best intentions to simplify and enjoy Christmas and then letting things get out of control. We do pretty well with budgeting and not overspending for Christmas but it's hard. I want my family and friends to have a good Christmas if it kills me!

Yesterday, however, I was reminded of the true spirit of the season. We did a little reader's theater production in Primary - the kids had parts to read and then we sang some songs. During the presentation I really felt the Spirit of Christmas and was so thrilled to be able to share that message with the kids in our ward. I took a deep breath and remembered the reason we celebrate Christmas. I felt peaceful. I want that feeling to last through this week and throughout the coming year.

Today I was back to busy, busy, busy. But I still remember the way I felt yesterday and I hope I can take a few minutes to replicate that peaceful feeling every day this week. I have hopes that if I'm feeling the true spirit of Christmas that my family will feel the same. I'm not sure if it will work, since this is prime Christmas-crazy time. But we'll do our best.

We Are Family!

I have been meaning to post these pictures for a while now. My good friend Melissa took them and I think they are amazing. She got these pictures in about 15 minutes of shooting, compared to the insane amount of time that we usually spend coaxing some semblance of a smile out of them at Kiddie Kandids. I also love that we were able to do them outside. I can't wait to pick up my enlargements!

Happy 7th Birthday, William!

In honor of William's birthday, here are a few pictures of him through the years.

Newborn William (with Aunt Elizabeth):

William at 1 - he was soooo chubby and thick:

William at 2 - love the dimples:

Here he is at 3, in the thick of his construction truck/builder phase:

Here's William at 4, looking more grown-up:

William at 5:

This is William at his 6th birthday party - the icing on the cake was blue, as you can see:

And here he is today (well, about 6 weeks ago):

Happy Birthday, William! We love you!