Daley Ponderings

We had our appointment with the NF1/oncology doctor yesterday. It turns out the neurofibroma is even bigger than we thought. In addition to what we already knew, which is that it goes from her external ear where we can see into her middle ear, it also extends down under her ear into her parotid... (More)

I had to go calculate the day since we no longer count the days like that any more - it has been great to have less medical stuff going on these days, and we get more comments about her being "so cute" in the grocery stores and the soccer games, etc. Her hair is growing in, and I don't think... (More)

I've been meaning to write an update; I've even gotten started on one (labelled day +90: it's now day +97.) Overall, things have been going well, Grace's numbers coming back satisfactorily. But then she got a cold.  Just runny nose and sneezing.  But after her nap, she had a mild... (More)

We've probably said it before, and anyone who has been in a hospital for any length of time knows that any time someone says "soon" that means 2-10 hours, and "tomorrow" means 1-3 days, etc.  So, even though I posted here that it could be Friday, I've been telling myself Monday, though as... (More)

The last long update ended February 3 in the evening. In the wee hours of February 4 (Sunday) she got a blood transfusion for her hemoglobin level, which was expected. (They’re killing off her bone marrow, so her own body is not making as much blood.) Sunday morning, she got a dressing... (More)

T-minus seven days and counting. Transplant Day is Day 0 and they count all other days from that. Yesterday, I left off while Grace was still sleeping. She woke up slightly grumpy, but soon was fully awake and her normal self. Chemo every six hours, blood draws every half hour (!) plus... (More)

Warning: I'm feeling better now, but the following post pretty accurately how I felt for most of today. After a good appointment in Hillsboro, they still wanted us to go to a pediatric dentist who was familiar with chemo/transplant issues, so Heather headed up to Dartmouth this morning in the... (More)

For the most part, these last two days went pretty well.  Grace was a trooper as we navigated the multiple confusing buildings and talked with many providers and was poked and prodded by various specialists. Her audiology appointment went pretty well.  The doctor was impressed with... (More)

I am posting my backlog of pocket notes. Sometimes details are sparse. 1/4 - The whole family plays Cousin Memory. Nathaniel repeats incessantly, "I turn! I turn!" January - Nathaniel knows where all the dishes go. He loves helping to unload the dishwasher and he is good at sorting... (More)

Or: How This Mom Started Playing Minecraft They say that a good way to show love is to take an interset in what the other person is interested in, even if you wouldn't care about it on your own. I'm a busy mom and wife of an entrepreneur, right?  I don't have time for video games.... (More)

6/17 - Nathaniel gets three molars at once.  upper left, lower left, lower right.  The upper right made its appearance 6/22. 6/21 - Haircut day for some.  (It's pretty hard to get everyone in one day.)  I cut Noah's hair, and some of Jeremiah's (he got impatient and I... (More)

I typed up my memorial service reflection for a presentation we did at our church recently.  I don't think it has been typed up before, so I thought I'd post it now.  (Am I allowed to be amazed at myself?) Heather's memorial reflection, March 16, 2003 Isaac Christopher Daley - a... (More)

3/2 - I told Jeremiah I'd clean up the (play) food because he was still playing with the cars.  He came up to me, gave me a big hug, and said, "Thank you" (sounds like Duh-doo).  So sweet! 3/2 - Faith offered to ask Dad-o to walk them to Joyful Noise, "'Cause...I want you to have... (More)

I am the kind of person who enjoys writing.  I process my thoughts well by writing, and I like recording my thoughts and my family's life. This year, I will be posting more.  At first, most will be catch-up posts.  I have a whole year of pocket notes to enter, not to mention... (More)

Heather and I had the opportunity to attend a marriage retreat with 10 or so couples from our church this weekend, up at Rangeley Lake in Maine (thanks Scott, for the house!) We were the youngest couple (by far, the average marriage length represented there was 31 years), and we haven't... (More)