Well, the last time I did my “monthly goals” post – life kind of went ummm…array from our regular scheduled programming (which you can read about here if you are new to the blog) & I got absolutely nothing done from that list. Oh, well – life happens…right? So, this month…I have a lot going on! Lots of shoots, lots of meetings & etc – but honestly, I’m really excited about it! I’m excited to feel somewhat normal again after a rough past couple of months, yannow? So, for September…I’m not shooting for any goals. Just living in the moment & taking it day by day.

Since Daniel started his second cycle of chemo yesterday & responded WONDERFULLLLLLYYYYY to the first round (might I add) – I definitely feel more comfortable taking on shoots & etc without having a huge lump in my throat just at the thought of having to leave him. During the first cycle of chemo – Daniel didn’t have any terrible side effects (Thank you LORD!) Daniel is receiving three different types of chemo – and one of them causes him to get hiccups. So random, right? We’re talking hiccups that are constant and last for hours at a time after he eats anything. That only happens during week one of each cycle. But if that’s the worst side effect of this process – that’s okay with us!

Daniel’s also starting to lose his hair. We shaved it a couple of weeks ago because we weren’t sure when he was going to actually start losing it  – and since he had long, luscious locks – we thought it would be harder for him to see his hair fall out when it was long rather than if it was shaved/cut shorter. So, yeah…it’s happening. I think that’s a part of the process that we knew would be coming eventually …but we were being optimistic & had hopes that Daniel would be one of the ones that didn’t lose his hair. It’s coming out in patches, just like we read about. Everytime he takes a shower, sleeps on a pillow, or even if I am rubbing his head when we cuddle, clumps of hair fall out. Traces of it are everywhere. It breaks my heart to see it…& every time you do see it, it mildly reminds you of the challenge that you’re facing…yannow? Kind of like a “oh crap – this is really happening & this is real life for us right now.” type of thing.  I’ve kind of been trying to prepare myself for this part of the process & even though I have, it’s still really hard to see. EVEN THOUGH I know that this is just part of the process and we have to trust that.

On a great note…we received AMAZING news yesterday that I wanted to update you all on. On Monday Daniel couldn’t receive his chemo because his White blood cell count was extremely low – which made me really nervous. He was feeling weak & “puney” as he calls it…and they had to give him a shot that would boost his white blood cell count and get him where he needed to be. The shot made Daniels bones hurt..to the point where it was tough for him to walk & even sit. However, the side effects subsided after a day or two. The shot boosted his WBC count back to the desired number and he was able to get chemo the next day. We also met with his doctor yesterday. We weren’t expecting to hear any news of whether or not the chemo was “doing it’s job” or not because they usually run tests after the 2nd cycle of chemo is over with to give the body time to respond to the chemo. Well, the doctor checked on Daniels cancer count anyways to see what was going on. His cancer count (aka tumor markers) started at 344 the day he started chemo. After the first cycle of chemo which was 3 weeks – Daniels cancer count is DOWN TO 12!!! T – W – E – L – V – E ! That’s almost to single digits & nearly down to normal. (The normal number to have is 4) To say we were elated would be a huge understatement. I was so excited – I started jumping up and down for about 10 minutes & let out shrill shrieks of pure joy! LOL

God is so faithful to us! Like…so, so, so, soooo faithful. It reminded me of a few of the bible verse we have been leaning on through this —

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified;do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

“When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” Psalm 56:3

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

I just wanted to give you guys an update as I know there are many people who have been keeping up with Daniel’s progress. We still have a long road ahead, but things are looking great so far! We truly couldn’t be happier with what we heard from the doc. Thank you for each and every single prayer you have sent our way. I know there is power in prayer & Daniel is a standing testimony of that! Love you all!! xoxo