Big Boy with Bananas!

Merit absolutely loves bananas! Which is too funny because Daddy really dislikes them! He takes the biggest bites. His little cheeks are completely puffed out and he can't even chew because he has so much in his mouth. It is quite funny!

Mesmerized by the Christmas Lights

We got out all of the Christmas decor this weekend. Merit thought the lights for the tree were one of the neatest things he had ever seen. He just kept touching and staring at them. He wanted to help us string them on the tree. However, him helping didn't actually work very well. He thought it was very funny to pull the lights on one end while I was holding the other end. I think he definitely had a good time!

Feeling Great!

I won't be going for blood work this week so I'll have to wait until next week to see what my numbers look like. I'm expecting them to be great. I have been feeling really good; continuing my normal daily routine. I'm so thankful to God that I have had plenty of energy to get through each day! Thank you friends and family for praying for me! Don't forget; Dec. 13th is when the doctor will check to see if I am possibly going into Complete Molecular Remission. Please also pray for Dr. Juturi and her family.

Family Pictures 2010

We had family pictures taken in downtown Frisco late afternoon on Sunday. It was really windy but the photographer still got some great shots. Merit is quite photogenic. Merit had a great time playing on the railroad tracks. It was a fun afternoon for all of us!

Ashley's Wedding!

My dear friend Ashley married Sam Smith on November 20th. We have had so much fun the past year celebrating this upcoming day! Ashley had a ton of showers and invited her wedding party to basically all of them. The wedding day was absolutely perfect. Ashley had a girl from MAC cosmetics come do our make-up; that was a lot of fun. The bridesmaid luncheon was on Friday at Neiman's and the rehearsal dinner was at Maggiano's at North Park mall. The wedding ceremony was at Park Cities Baptist church and the reception was there also. What a great weekend! Congratulations Ashley & Sam!

Wow! Amazed by the Christmas Tree!

Ashley & Sam's rehearsal dinner was at Maggiano's at North Park. The room where we dined a Christmas tree set up with presents underneath. Merit was completed amazed by this display. He very carefully touched the ornaments and the packages. I'm hoping that he is very careful with the one that will be set up in our house too!

Laying with My Dogs

I tried to capture Merit laying on the dogs. It is really the funniest thing to watch him do this. He routinely lays his head on them and the poor dogs just lay there motionless. They are probably thinking, "what is this kid doing?", "please leave us alone already". They are such good dogs. They are both so tolerable of little Merit. Cali kisses him all over his face and Maui follows him everywhere. Merit truly adores both of them.

4 Year Wedding Anniversary!

JP took me to The Capital Grille at The Hotel Crescent Court to celebrate our 4 Year Wedding Anniversary. We only go there for special occasions. It was fabulous as always! Mimi kept little Merit while we went out. They had a fun evening too!

Prayers Are Being Answered!

Prayer Warriors,
Wow! I stand amazed this morning at the works of His hands! God is so good and He is truly at work in my life. I went to the doctor yesterday afternoon. They took blood and then I waited for the results. The doctor shared some pretty phenomenal results with me. My white blood cell count has gone from 46,000 to 12,000 and my platelets have gone from 880 to 550 in only two weeks of being on the medicine. The doctor could not stop smiling as she was sharing the results with me. She told me that patients who achieve these kind of results so quickly are usually the ones who reach Complete Molecular Remission. She doesn't need to see me for another two weeks since I am doing so well. On December 13th she is going to go ahead and test to see if I am entering Complete Molecular Remission. Keep praying!!! The next thing that happened gives me chills each time I tell the story. Dr. Juturi is Indian and I have had no indication from her that she is a Christian. She pushed her chair away from the computer and said, "Talk to me Charissa, you have to tell me how it is that you have such peace, calmness and even joy during all of this. From the time I told you that I needed to do a bone marrow biopsy to the day that I shared with you and JP the news of your diagnosis, you have remained peaceful. Every time you come to my office you are smiling, happy and so jubilant." These comments from the doctor completely caught me off guard and I really couldn't believe it! So...I shared with her my love for our Lord and Savior. I told her that he had given me peace because I know I am in His hands and that He will take care of me. I then shared with her that my family and I have been through quite a few storms in the past two years and that He had been seeing us through these storms. He has given me joy and happiness despite my circumstances. I told her that instead of asking God, "why?" I have asked him, "for what purpose?". Maybe this storm is going to make my faith and JP's faith stronger, or maybe He is telling us to count our blessings and not worry about all of the little things in life. Or, maybe I can serve as an encouragement to others who are experiencing health issues. She got tears in her eyes and said that she had never been around anyone like me before. She then went on to say that she wanted to be around me more. I am so very humbled that God trusted me to share the good news of Jesus Christ with her. I appreciate all of you praying and checking on me throughout the past few weeks. Please continue to pray. I am praying for Dr. Juturi and her family. The seed has been planted!

Playing with Mommy's Pots & Pans

When my mom and I are in the kitchen we both let Merit play with the non-breakable pots and pans. We give him a few of my plastic large spoons and he has a grand 'ol time. It is amazing that he can sit and have fun doing this for long periods of time!

Bastrop Car Show 2010

Papa D and Grammy treated us to a weekend in Bastrop, Texas for the annual Veterans Day car show. We stayed at the beautiful Pecan Street Inn Bed & Breakfast. We drove in on Friday evening. JP took off a little early and I worked all day. We spent Saturday looking at cars, eating good food and shopping. We went out for a delicious dinner on Saturday evening and then hung out back at the B & B. We left early Sunday morning to head back to Dallas. We stopped at the famous Roundrock Donut Shop on the way home. JP and I are big health nuts and we never eat donuts. However, when we drive through the Austin area it is hard to resist stopping here. We even let Merit try one small donut hole. He sucked on it and let the icing run down his chin. He seemed to savor every last bite. It was pretty cute. I told him not to get used to eating donuts. He will definitely not be eating those very often.

Fun at the Arboretum!

Mimi and I took Merit to the Pumpkin Patch at the Dallas Arboretum. He had so much fun! He loves pumpkins and was mesmerized by the amount of pumpkins in one place. He ran all over the patch laughing and smiling. We will most definitely do this again next year!

Fun with Aunt Alicia!

We love it when Aunt Alicia comes to visit us. Merit adores her and she feels the same way about him. I miss her so much and wish I was able to see her every day. Maybe someday we'll live in the same city together. She kept Merit on Monday and Tuesday while I was at work. We went to dinner at Sharon's house Tuesday night and had some really fun times. Sharon is an amazing cook! Alicia left on Wednesday morning; we were sad to see her go. However, she will be back for Thanksgiving! Yippee!

First Lab Work Results!

The doctor asked me to come back for blood work six days after starting the Gleevec. We were praying that there would be some difference and that the levels would be lower. What a blessing that my wonderful sister, Alicia was in town. She and Merit went with me to have my blood drawn. They couldn't give me the results that day because the lab was closing. They called the next day to tell me the results. God is so good! My white blood cell count went from 46,000 to 22,000 and my platelets went from 880 to 750. The doctor was pleased with my results and told me she'd see my in one week again. Wow! I couldn't wait to share the results with my family and friends! I am surrounded by prayer warriors and the prayers are being answered! I have had minimal side effects. I've been able to go to work every day feeling good, work out in the evening, cook dinner and spend great times with JP and Merit. What an answer to our prayers! Praying that the next lab report is good too!

I Love My Big Teddy Bear!

Merit adores this very large teddy bear that he received as a gift from my Great Aunt. He is constantly picking it up and carrying it around with him. He really loves to lay down on the bear and hug it. It is quite adorable!

Celebrating a New Life!

Our dear friend, Shanel is expecting a baby in January. We are so excited for her! We went to PF Chang's for dinner to celebrate and catch up on life. Alicia came in town for this special evening. We had a great time hearing about the baby's room and the adventure Shanel and her husband are about to begin. Congratulations Shanel! We love you!

Playing with Ashleigh

Merit sure loves spending time with Debbie & Ashleigh. I had parent conferences on Tuesday and Debbie was nice enough to help with Merit. He had a so much fun!

Official Diagnosis

JP went with me to see Dr. Juturi and to hear the results of the biopsy. We had to wait all weekend but we had a great weekend! We had so much fun with little Merit. We took him to the Pumpkin Patch and to the Fall Festival at PWood. God gave me an amazing amount of comfort and peace all weekend long. I had joy and happiness despite the circumstances. God is good and he never leaves the side of his children. I know He will take care of me! So...Dr. Juturi met with us and explained that I have a blood disorder known as Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. It is not a very common form of Leukemia to have. It is a treatable form though. She told me that CML is caused from a chromosomal mutation. It is not something you can cause to happen and it is not hereditary. My body just decided to start making an extra chromosome named the Philadelphia chromosome. Wow! This was all pretty overwhelming. JP sat listening with his head lowered and I sat up straight and tall trying to comfort him and take in all of the info. I could. God gave me such strength, composure and calmness during this time. Dr. Juturi told me she would monitor my blood counts weekly to see how my body is repsonding to the medicine. I will immediately begin taking an oral chemotherapy drug named Gleevec. The doctor told us of the most common side effects and of course this scared me a little. I don't like the thought of not feeling well and not having energy to do all of the things I enjoy. I left the office feeling thankful that I did not have Acute Leukemia. Praise Him for answering our prayers. I know I am in His hands and he will take care of me. He knows that I need to be here for Merit and JP. We are praying that the side effects are minimum and that the medicine works quickly!