Mimi and Poppy bought Merit his very own lounge chair. He thinks it is pretty cool that he has a chair that is just for him. He sat down and immediately wanted a book to read. Thank you Mimi!

Merit's First Car

Grammy and Papa D bought Merit a his first car! It's a red sports car of course. It plays several different tunes on the radio, has blinkers that work and a horn too. He is having a ball!

Christmas in Houston

My mom, Merit and I drove to Houston on Monday after I got home from San Antonio. We wanted to have a late Christmas with Alicia and Marc. We had a wonderful time! Alicia cooked delicious food for us; she is truly the best hostess I know. We shopped, made candy and fudge and spent a lot of time playing with Merit. Merry late Christmas! Thank you Marc & Alicia for having us! Love you.

Doctor Visit

I went to see Dr. Juturi before leaving for Houston. My blood work was really good once again. My white blood cell count only went down by .2. Dr. Juturi doesn't want it to fall any lower but hopefully it is stabilizing. My red blood cells looked good too. She is watching the nutrifill level, which is the iron in the bone marrow. If this gets too low then it will make you feel very tired. I am praying that this level stabilizes too and doesn't get any lower. On another note, we are enjoying the Christmas season with Merit as I am sure you can tell from the pictures. He brings us so much joy. We are truly blessed greatly.

First Hat and Gloves!

Aunt Susan sent Merit the cutest fleece hat and gloves. We put them on him as soon as we opened the package. She also sent him a new book. He really likes books that make sound. This book is about a blue train. You can see him pressing the button in this picture to hear the train toot it's horn. Cute!

Reading Like a Big Boy

When I read to Merit I always point out specific aspects of each page. I draw his attention to the color of something or the shape, etc. On our way home from San Antonio, Merit appeared to be reading on his own. He was turning the pages one by one, babbling and pointing to the pictures. What a smart boy!

Christmas 2010 in San Antonio

We had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas in San Antonio with J.P.'s family. Melissa fixed delicious food for us and Merit had a great time playing with his cousins, Ella and Aidan. Merit made quite a haul in the gift department too! Thank you Grammy and Papa D for making Christmas so special for us! Love you!

Christmas Eve in San Antonio

We went to the Christmas Eve service at David and Melissa's church. It was a wonderful service and Merit really enjoyed the music. We then went back to the house and had dinner and let the little ones play. Merit had a blast playing with Ella, Aidan and the dogs. We went to bed early so Santa wouldn't miss our house. Hopefully he'll bring something fabulous for Merit!

Shopping in New Braunfels

We have a tradition of stopping at the Christmas store at Schlitterbahn on the way to San Antonio. They have some of the most beautiful and unusual ornaments and decorations. We left with two large sacks full of new editions for our house. Merit really had a great time looking at everything. He especially liked swinging on the porch swing outside.

Sleeping Peacefully

Merit didn't sleep much of the car ride to San Antonio. I think he was too excited about Christmas! I did capture this short nap though.

Playing in the Bath

Merit absolutely loves bath time. Now when I say, "Merit, it's time for your bath.", he walks to the bathroom and goes straight to the bathtub. It is quite adorable!

Daddy's Toothbrush

For some reason Merit likes our toothbrushes much better then his. He begs for ours when he sees us brushing our teeth. He grabbed JP's and before I knew it he had it in his mouth!

Yummy! Sugar Cookies!

J.P. and I let Merit try a sugar cookie. He kept staring at it instead of eating it. It was hilarious. He finally ate it but kind of sucked on it for a while. He got the biggest smile on his face and immediately asked for more! Yummy!

Not Yet

The nurse called today to tell me that my blood does still have the cancer cells circulating. So...I am not going into remission yet. However, my numbers are great and the doctor fully believes that I will be one of the CML patients that does reach remission fairly quickly. God is answering prayers and I know I will be healed. I am so thankful the medicine is working for me!

Christmas with Nana

We celebrated Christmas with Nana, Popo, Amy, Kevin and Maverick and Oakley this weekend. Nana cooked a turkey. a ham, sweet potatoes and many other delicious dishes. I made my family's famous corn bread dressing and green bean casserole. Nana gave Merit some really cute new clothes. We had fun eating and watching the kids play. Merry early Christmas!

Polar Express Party!

Merit's cousins hosted their annual Polar Express party this weekend. Merit wore his pajamas just as he was instructed and he looked quite adorable. Amy, Oakley and Maverick's mommy, had the house decorated beautifully, made delicious food and read The Polar Express to the kids. The kids got to drink hot chocolate while watching the movie too! Nana and Popo were there, which made the evening even more special. Merit had a wonderful time playing with his cousins and the rest of the kids. What a great night!

The Gift of Christmas

My mom and I took Merit to The Gift of Christmas at Prestonwood. This was a special event held for children at the church and in the community. They had a live manger scene with animals, cookie decorating station, Santa, Mrs. Claus telling the story of the birth of Jesus and a face painting station. It was so much fun! Merit absolutely loved the animals. We could not pull him away from the baby goat and when we did he was not happy with us. He got a snowflake painted on his face. He did not want anything to do with Santa. You can tell by his face in the pictures. At the end, each family was given a beautiful 3 piece manger scene to take home. Thank you Prestonwood for putting on such a wonderful event!

I Love to Read!

Merit's newest thing is he likes to pretend he is reading. He points to the pictures and babbles as if he is really reading. It is really sweet to watch him. Hopefully he'll have a love of reading just like his Mommy & Daddy!

Playing Outside

Merit now stands at the back door wanting us to take him outside to play. We have had some really nice weather lately and that has been wonderful because the temperature doesn't seem to bother Merit. He wants to go outside when it's really cold and I don't really want to go out when it's freezing. It amazes me that kids don't seem to be affected by the temperature. He picks up sticks and gives them to Cali and Maui and then they run with the stick. Merit chases them and they absolutely love it!

More Great News!

I went to the doctor this week for blood work. It has been two weeks since my last visit. My numbers were excellent once again! Praise the Lord! My platelets are completely normal and my white blood cells are a little on the low side. Dr. Juturi is going to keep a close watch on it. If the white cell count goes any lower then she will look at either taking me off of the Gleevec for a few days or lowering the dosage. I know she will make a good decision as to what is best for me; I am praying that God gives her wisdom and knowledge. Dr. Juturi and I had another great conversation too! She asked me about whether or not we would like to have children in the future. The Gleevec causes birth defects so you are advised not to get pregnant while taking it. So...I was able to share with her God's perfect timing in bringing Merit to us when he did. Merit was a surprise and JP was so worried about not having enough money and not being prepared for a baby. He thought he was too young to be a dad. But...once again, God knew what he was doing. He knew that I would get CML and that I might not be able to have children once on this medication. He gave us Merit and what a perfect gift at just the right time in our lives! God is so good. He always knows what is best for His children. Dr. Juturi really liked hearing my story and she smiled over and over again as I shared this with her. She referred to God as "my God", so I am still not sure as to her beliefs. I am sure of one thing though, God definitely has a purpose for what I am going through. Thank you friends and family for your prayers. Please continue to pray for Complete Molecular Remission. The test was run to check for this and I will know the results in a few days.

The Polar Express Train!

Poppy and Mimi let us borrow their Polar Express train this year. We set it up on the dining room table. Who needs to eat their anyway? Right? Merit thinks it is just wonderful. He sits and watches it go around and around. Thank you Poppy and Mimi!