Tomorrow, we try again - Cycle Twelve!

Yesterday, I think Amanda turned a corner.  Up until Monday, she had been super weak, with her legs getting weak and shaky just walking around the house.  We headed into this week not sure what to expect.  Brandon is spending the week in Temple with Wayne and Paula, so as Amanda and I thought about this week and what she might feel up to doing, we thought it would be fun to take Dad to the pottery shop.  While Sunday was not a good day for her, she woke up Monday wanting to give it a try, so off we went!

It was a very nice, calm outing for Amanda and she lasted longer than I thought she would.  Thomas is very artistic, so I was looking forward to seeing what he would come up with at the pottery shop.  He didn't disappoint!  When we pick up the completed pieces, I'll be sure to post a picture.  I can't wait to see them.

After coming home to rest for a few hours after pottery, we then headed out to swim, thinking she would just like to float around.  Nope - that girl must be part fish.  She got in the water and ended up having a great time and swam for about an hour!  I was amazed.  Why, oh why do I still get surprised at her?! I should know better.  By bedtime though, she was paying for her active day and feeling miserable.  Thankfully,  this morning she woke up feeling pretty good.  We tried to get out of the house and go to lunch today, but she was too wiped out.  Once again, after resting for the day, we were back at the pool with her swimming around.  The weightlessness of being in the water allows her to move around easier, even when she might not feel one hundred percent.  I love seeing her active and out of the house!

We go to Dell tomorrow.  Amanda's appointment is at 2:20.  Personally, I think that her counts will be up judging from what the past two days have been like, but who knows?!  There was a point I was afraid her counts might actually be dropping, so I hope that her wanting to go swimming is a positive sign.

Oh my, I feel emotionally exhausted after these past three or four days. The ups and downs and unknowns really just wear on you. While I should know better than to plan ahead, there is so much excitement surrounding the completion of chemo I just can't help myself!  But now, with this delay, everything I had planned is off by a few days.  Ha! Serves me right!  In fact, I was thinking about my planning tendencies this morning and it seems that in the beginning of this journey, it was easier to live "day by day" than it is now.  Life feels almost "normal" at times (more than you would imagine!) and somehow that makes me want to start planning ahead....like I said, I just can't help myself.  When I concentrate on it and am successful, being able to live in the day really is a beautiful thing.

We will once again be sporting our Team Watson shirts tomorrow in honor of our sweet girl's last chemo treatment.  Here's to cycle twelve - let's do this!!

Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Dad and daughter painting together....

..and swimming together!