Happy Day!!!

Well, it started off a little slowly.  Ainsley wanted her medicine as soon as she woke up.   She quickly took it and said "nothing to it!"  Today was a double medicine day.   There is a liquid antibiotic that she takes 3 days a week.  So we take it Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  It prevents a specific type of pneumonia that is common in those with immune compromise.  So for her to take both that and her regular medication so easily was great!

But after that is where things slowed down.  Her back has hurt off and on since Thursday's Lumbar Puncture and bone marrow aspirate.  She hasn't wanted to walk much.  After she ate breakfast, she gingerly climbed down from her chair and wouldn't let her toes touch the floor as she walked.  She laid down and just cried.  Then she started to say her head was hurting.  Since the diagnosis, she has refused to take anything for pain (Tylenol).  Even after surgery!  As soon as she complains of pain, we ask her if she will take the medicine and she says "No!  I don't want medicine!  It doesn't hurt anymore!"  We could see how much pain she was in, though, and persisted until she finally took the medicine.

A few hours later, after a nice nap, we got to see glimpses of our Ainsley again!!!  It was a beautiful afternoon and she went into the back yard to play with her sisters!  She went out with them into the front yard and drew with sidewalk chalk.  Her sisters have been very good in the past at doing lemonade stands, and this afternoon they drew up cardboard signs asking people to "bye braslets" and yelled as loud as they could "buy bracelets here to support our sister who has cancer!"  I must say, we have very kind and supportive neighbors and they got quite a few people to stop by.  The whole time, Ainsley was enjoying playing with them and soaking up the sun that she has not been able to see for a while.

Here she is with the artwork she designed and wanted to sell along with the bracelets.  

Here is Ainsley's Army in Logan, Utah!  Thank you all!  This was Ainsley's cousin Addie's baptism.  What a happy day!  We wish we were there.  We pulled this picture up and went through to identify everyone that was in it.  Ainsley would say "it's Addie!!!" and "it's Sammie!!!"  She was so excited to see each person.  She asked me before we even pulled it up if Brookie was in it?  Brooklyn is her cousin that was born just a few weeks after Ainsley.  They only get to see each other a time or two each year, but they are such cute friends and remember each other throughout the year even when they are apart.  Thank you all for the support!  Loud and Proud!  We love it!  Thanks Aunt Shari for sending the picture, it came at just the right time and truly helped build her energy.

Ainsley's Army Thundering Up!!!  Here we have two of our favorite people in the world, Kennedie and Emelie!  Thanks ladies for strengthening our army with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Rumble.  Loud and Proud!

Another shot of the the whole family!  Thank you Jon, Debbie, Kennedie, and Emelie!  How we ever got so lucky as to have friends like you is beyond us, but we are so grateful!  Love you guys!

 
As we were going to bed tonight, she decided she wanted to join her sisters to sleep!  (She usually won't leave the front room). As we were tucking them in, I gave each of the girls big "zerberts" on their cheeks and said "how would you know your Daddy loves you if I didn't do that?"  They laughed and for the first time since her diagnosis, Ainsley REALLY laughed.  The girls started giving "zerberts" to each other and Jenny and I just loved listening to all of them laugh and play together.  We really haven't heard Ainsley laugh like that for over a month.  What a happy day it was!!!