We are definitely due for an update! In my last post I shared the news that she was able to begin the 2nd round of treatment for this phase. That round ended up lasting a bit longer than the first and we were in the hospital Friday-Tuesday. I have to admit I was pretty worn out afterwards and it took me awhile to recover. Those few weeks of prepping for round 2, execution and then recovery kept me down for a bit longer than I would have liked. BUT some exciting things happened at the beginning of April!

Emmy got to celebrate her besties birthday in a special way! Their dance studio allowed us to receive a special class with just them in order to keep her safe! Wow, the joy she felt and love she experienced blew me away! My grandma, aunt, and uncle from Georgia were able to come visit for Spring Break and my brother got married!! Emmy was THRILLED to be able to attend her Uncle Matt and Aunt Erica's wedding and she even felt wonderful that day as well. All around that was a prayer answered as I spent many months wondering what that day would look like for our family. Immediately following the wedding, Ryan and Hudson had an awesome opportunity to travel to GA with my dad and Ryan's longtime friend for a Braves game and MOST importantly, to see a practice round at the Masters! While they were away we had some sweet girl time and tried to start round 3 of treatment. Her body wasn't quite ready so we headed back in on April 12th to try again. Her counts were high enough at that point and she honestly breezed through that round! We were admitted Friday-Sunday and we have now officially made it through 3/4 of this phase! She even got to have a visit from my best friend during her hospital stay while I had to go to work for a bit! Visits from some of her favorite people bring her such joy! She always finds something to look forward to and truly finds a way to enjoy the stay! She constantly says she can't wait to see her friends (the nurses) and we look forward to seeing who gets to take care of us each time. It's things like this that help remind me of the sweet memories we are making in the midst of the pain. I hope we remember them forever. What a unique opportunity we have to deepen our relationship and man what confidence she is growing! Emmy is incredible and as cliche as it sounds, I thank God daily He is allowing us to be her parents! She reminds us to dance through the ups and downs and laugh often. Her imagination is contagious and her spunk and enthusiasm keep us laughing and teaching! 😊 

I can't believe it's already time to start round 4! We will head in this Friday the 26th with the hope of getting started.

Hudson's baseball season has ramped up and she was ecstatic to make it to his game last week! She was hoping to see him play on Saturday too but was not feeling well and I had to take her to the ER due to vomiting and a fever. She tested positive for rhinovirus but we were able to come back home quickly since her ANC number was high enough!! We have never experienced such an easy ER trip and it was honestly nice and a good opportunity to help heal some of her fears of the Emergency Department. She always thinks it's a different hospital because it feels like such a different experience for her. So far she is feeling better but not back to 100% yet! 

Something that has been on my mind a lot lately is strength. As Emmy is receiving so many "pokes" and blood draws, various types of chemo, etc. it's common to say things like "you are so strong" and "look how strong you are" to her. This isn't necessarily wrong but it has caused me to think a bit more on those phrases. Especially as I have personally felt the ups and downs of great strength and great weakness over the last 7 months. This has led me to be a bit more intentional in my conversations with her and Hudson about strength. I would hate for them to grow up feeling like they are in control of their strength and that they always have to be strong. What happens when they are feeling weak? How will they handle that feeling? So for me it's vital that they understand where their strength (and mine) comes from and ways to experience strength. In this instance I am specifically referring to emotional strength and not physical strength!

"God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found
in times of trouble.
Therefore we will not be afraid,
though the earth trembles
and the mountains topple
into the depths of the seas,
though its water roars and foams
and the mountains quake with its turmoil."

Psalm 46:1-3

My prayer is that they understand that their strength comes from the Lord! That they can call upon Him when they are feeling weak and He will renew their strength. It's also vital to understand the importance of having a community of friends and family who can help! Without the faithful friends and family Ryan and I have I know we would get stuck in our "down" phases for even longer. But the Lord uses others to help us in our weakness when we are willing to admit it. I am forever grateful for the friends that I know I can text or call and just say "today i'm weak." I know they are praying for me, they will stop and pray with me, and continue to point me to Christ and remind me of the strength He provides through them and the Holy Spirit. I pray my kids grow up understanding that and witnessing parents willing to admit they are weak and watch them seek the Lord for strength and see what happens when they do!

Prayer Requests:
- this final round of phase 4 will be easy on her body
- we will enjoy every day together
- the Lord will be glorified through our interactions