Those were the days...

Hi All!

Is spring EVER going to get here?  We all want to get out on the golf course!  The snow needs to melt faster!  It is spring break, this week, for Aly.  Unfortunately, we don't have any fun or exciting plans.  Kevin and I are taking a few days off to try to fill some of Aly's time off.  It sounds like it will finally reach 50 degrees on Friday, so we'll have to find something to do.  Maybe go to a drive to Stillwater for shopping and lunch?  Something to get away for a short time.  I'm taking tomorrow off and am planning to take Aly and a friend to Mall of America for some ride time!  Aly loves the rides, especially roller coasters.  She is the dare devil of the family.  She is looking forward to it.  I've reached the point where I just get dizzy and start feeling sick, so it's not much fun anymore!  Stinks, getting older!

Speaking of getting older, Aly's birthday is coming up on April 11th. She will be 12 this year!   I'm busy searching for gifts.  She's a tough one to buy for.  She has received many nice gifts through her cancer experience, all the gadgets a preteen likes, so we usually have to come up with something creative.  I'll have to keep working on that!

Aly continues to have her ups and downs.  I wish I could wave a magic wand every time she gets down.  Last week, it was the friend thing again.  This time, she came home from school, one day, and told me she feels like the third wheel in two groups of girls.  There are 2 girls, whom she's friends with, and they both have other close girl friends, and Aly was feeling left out, saying how each of the groups are doing fun things and she "never" hears about what they are doing until after it has already happened.  I think most of us have experienced that at one time or another.  It is hard being a middle schooler.  This weekend went better as some neighbor friends came over to play.  She had a good time.  At one point the girls were sitting in our guest room and I was on the computer, next door.  Aly had left the door open, for a change, so I was eavesdropping (a mom's right, right?).  Our house, and our next door neighbor's house have bedroom windows across from each other.  When Aly was a little younger, Aly had the, mentioned, bedroom.  She and her friend, next door, used to write messages, to each other, on a small white board, and communicate by showing the messages through the windows.  The girls were talking about that and one of them said, "those were the days!"  I got my laugh for the day.  They talked like they were old retirees or something.  It was cute.  Aly was in a great mood after that play day.  It made me happy to see she was happy.  Today, she was invited over to another friend's house and she has her date to go to MOA tomorrow, so all is currently good, in the friend world.

Aly has made it to the growth hormone dosage goal, without any issues.  Yes!  I'm knocking on wood again...I don't want to jinx her.  It seems I continue to do that.  I find it interesting that she's not having the same problems as she did last time, such as the jittery behavior and medication problems.  She's had a couple of days where things have been thrown off, but for the most part, it's been good other than the fact she is really sick of getting a shot every night.  We will have to have her blood drawn, soon, to check the hormone levels to see if they are where the doctor wants them to be, where Aly should see the most potential growth.  The jaw locks continue to be sporadic.  Last week, she had 2 days without ANY.  Then, of course, I ask about them, because I haven't seen her have any at home.  The next day, she has several.  Jinx!  It still boggles everyone.  How weird is it that they happen on the first bite of food or gum, and then don't happen again until the next meal?  Why the first bite?  Why is it happening at all?  Some days, she'll have none.  No rhyme or reason.

Finally, our family will be attending the Ride for Kids, put on by the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, on July 21, in Vadnais Heights, MN.  Aly was out of town, with her grandparents, last year so she didn't get to ride, but we had a friend of the family ride, in the ride, on Aly's behalf.  This year, we will be in town, so Aly will be able to ride as well.  They find bikers with sidecars, so the kids can ride along.  The Pediatric Brain Tumor foundation does wonderful things to help families and kids. Besides medical research, for a cure, they give scholarships and so much more.  I have set up a fundraising site, in honor of Aly, if you are interested in donating to a very worthy cause.  Each day, 11 kids are diagnosed with a brain tumor of some kind.  Please consider donating in honor of Aly's survivorship and to help other kids and families like ours.  If anyone would like to register to ride, you are welcome to do that as well.  It is a fun event and awesome experience to see all the bikers take off in support of the kids. If you are a motorcycle enthusiast, it is cool to go and check out the variety of motorcycles.  Follow the link if you are interested in joining or donating.  Thank you!

http://pbtf.convio.net/site/TR/2013RideforKids/General?px=1186085&pg=personal&fr_id=1220#.UVIfeBwRQY5