Through week 10 and ready for a break!

Today Stella finished up her tenth week of chemo.  Now we get a two week break - YAY!  Stella did awesome today.  It was a packed house and there were four little girls aged five and under getting chemo at the same time.  Eight weeks ago just being in that room watching these little girls would have had me teary eyed. . . now this is just becoming part of our life and we are all getting used to it.  We are very ready to have a break though, and Stella's next chemo treatment is not until November 11.  Yay, yay, yay! 

Stella still has all of her other appointment, and an MRI, in the meantime.  Her MRI is on November 1 and we are anxious to see what is happening with her tumor.  I am feeling cautiously optimistic. . . her eye seems to be looking a little bit better sometimes.  It is so hard to really tell though.  One good thing is that her physical therapist is feeling (cautiously) hopeful about Stella's ability to regain movement in the left side of her face.  She did a bunch of work with her and determined that, while Stella can't currently move that side of her face, she can definitely feel that side of her face.  That is a good thing, and hopefully will translate into recovery of some facial movement in the future.  Right now Stella sees a physical therapist once a week every other week and an occupational therapist once a week on the alternating two weeks.  Crossing our fingers that all of this will help. 

Below are a few pictures of Stella at chemo over the past two weeks. 

Rob went with Stella to chemo last week.  I was in the bay area for a quick business trip and got home in time to sneak into chemo and snap this cute picture of the two of them.  Stella loved hanging out with her daddy. 

Making bracelets today at chemo.  :-) 

Drinking her "coffee" while lounging.  I order Stella the vanilla steamed milk and she calls it her coffee.  Pretty cute! 

At gymnastics this week.  Stella is having some problems with balance and depth perception because of her eyes, so we are hoping that the gymnastics will help.  She loves it.