How's Little Air Bear?

Sweet sisters.

This month marks our 18 months of being cancer free!

Erin has her 18 month follow-up visit at the end of the month with her Pediatrician and our local lab because we got another special extension from our Oncology department at Primary Children's to do the visit here.  We'll do her 21 month follow-up at Primary Children's in September.  

I still get antsy thinking about her cancer coming back, especially because we've lost so many friends with AML.  Our little 5 year old friend Sean passed away 3 days ago and it's just not fair how some make it and some don't.  Erin's been sick, the usual, a cold or cough and she's been complaining of leg aches.  Thankfully we got all the yeast infections (that kept coming back) taken care of 3 weeks ago...that was not fun at all...fingers crossed that they stay away for good!  It all probably boils down to just some growing pains and her beat up immune system that catches everything, but the thoughts of cancer lurk in the back of my mind.  

She's doing really good otherwise!  She's does everything she can to keep up with her big brother and sister.  When we go anywhere she nearly outruns them, she is quite the fast runner on her short chicken legs.  When we go for walks in our neighborhood she always runs the last block to beat us all home.  She is a fighter and she is determined to win everything that she does.  She's been intrigued with reading and has started the reading books her siblings also did before kindergarten and it's been a blessing to see how quick her mind picks things up - I worried so much that the chemo would leave long lasting learning issues.  She is still in love with princesses and wakes up nearly every morning telling me that she dreamed about Disneyworld and visiting the princesses.  Her make-a-wish experience has forever changed her and I am so thankful for how that trip has created the most amazing memories that she'll never forget.  

We are so grateful for every day that we spend with Erin.  Sometimes I look at her and think of the blessings that kept her life going during the hardest times.  She is a little miracle.

On another note:  I wrote up a little blip on our Utah Moms With Cancer Fighting Cuties blog about how many moms in Utah received the news that their child had cancer.  Some of us found out in the most crazy situations...like getting a phone call in the middle of a movie at the theater, getting the call while driving down the street and like me, in the checkout line at Walmart.  It makes you think about what someone is talking about when you see them on their cell phone in a public place....they could be getting the bad news as you wait impatiently behind them.  It makes me think about how we should always be Christ-like in every situation when dealing with someone on a cell phone.