Halfway through round 1

After the first round of chemo treatment, we knew we would be waiting for Pia's blood counts to drop, waiting for them to build back up, and then a brief stint at home before the start of round two. She has reached the halfway point today. From here, we wait for her body to start recovering. With the significant drop in counts, she's reached about her lowest and developed a fever early this morning. A fever of 100.4 quickly turned into a 104 fever. Yet none of the doctors or nurses seem as flustered or anxious as I am--which I suppose is comforting in its own twisted way.

In the midst of blood cultures, Tylenol, antibiotics, increased fluid, a platelet transfusion, and close monitoring of vitals, Pia discovered her hands and knees today. Seriously, nothing stops Pia from having fun. She's been rocking back and forth, and you can see the determination in her eyes to just take off crawling. (I tried to upload the video of her pre-crawling to no avail. I'll have to snap a picture tomorrow and add it here.) I'm grateful that Pia knows how to turn life into an adventure and find the joy in the midst of pain. There's a lot of wisdom to gain from this little 12 month old nugget. Keep on teaching, Pia. I'm listening.