New Year's black cloud and silver linings

Chris and I feel like we have been walking around with a black cloud hovering over us all week. How can you not be full of dread after getting the AFP news and then having to wait so long for an answer? And to have a normally happy holiday to celebrate in the meantime? It was especially tough as people said "Happy New Year!" We have much to be thankful for, but this feels almost as terrifying as it did after our first visit to the hospital and Dante's diagnosis.

Last night we went to the shuffleboard courts and watched the fireworks over Mirror Lake. Dante had a great time, acting out all the explosions in the sky - sound effects and all; and both kids stayed up until 1am!

We paid for it today though, waking up too early, no nap, and visitors. Carina apparently thought that tonight was also a special occasion and didn't go to sleep until midnight. This girl definitely has her daddy's night owl tendencies.


Despite all the stress, there were some positives from this week:

• Dante looks much better and his appetite is back. He is still getting "yuckies in his mouth", but it's mainly because he tries to eat too much and his system can't quite handle it yet.
• Chris's dad, Tom, is in town for a few days to visit and Dante is having a great time showing Grandpa all of his toys, and playset.



• Today, we had an impromptu New Year's Day gathering at the house, with what I called the Bizarro Smorgasbord. We had all sorts of food that didn't quite go together. My mom made Hoppin' John, so that we could eat black eyed peas for good luck. There was chili (bean and no-bean?!), hummus, squash casserole, and a couple of vodka tonics. (if you see a big green cloud over Euclid/St. Paul's, that would be us.) Aunt Laurie & Robb, and Uncle Dave came by as well. Dante loves to entertain and have other playmates around. We were very happy to see Robb out and about.
  
• I took Carina to the doctor on Friday, thinking maybe she had the starting of an ear infection or something. The doctor took one look and asked if she was really 5 1/2 months old, because she was sitting up on the table, proficiently playing with a toy, and she's starting to crawl. The doctor said we better child proof now, because she could be walking by 9 months! Anyway, her ears look "beautiful" and we deduced that she must have a seasonal allergy. The doctor's words were "Sick of the Christmas tree yet? Take it down and I bet she'll feel better."
• Dante and I made "sprinkle cookies" today. I'm pretty sure that a couple of the cookies had more sprinkle than cookie, but Dante had a fun time shakin'

This week includes getting results from another AFP test, Carina's 6 month check up, Dante's CT scan, and hopefully, some playtime mixed in-between. I still hope to complete my homemade gifts for the year, and maybe Chris will finish up the X-mas cards too - one can dream!