North Coast Adventure

We wrapped up our maple production last Sunday, 22 litres in total. It was quite a bit of work, but the results are dangerously satisfying.

A friend invited us on a sailing trip to the North Coast the following day. Why not? So we packed up and headed out for Prince Rupert Monday morning.

The weather was a little stormy with winds gusting to 20 knots or more, but it wouldn't be the North Coast without a good measure of wind and rain. We set sail for the Dundas Island group.

It was an enchanting two-night adventure and the girls were enthusiastic sailors. Exploring the remote, uninhabited island beaches and forests; fishing and crabbing; and tearing across Chatham Sound under sail were unforgettable experiences. In so many ways, we are a very fortunate family with an incredible community of family and friends. We are grateful to all of you for your care and support.

North Coast Adventure

We wrapped up our maple production last Sunday, 22 litres in total. It was quite a bit of work, but the results are dangerously satisfying.

A friend invited us on a sailing trip to the North Coast the following day. Why not? So we packed up and headed out for Prince Rupert Monday morning.

The weather was a little stormy with winds gusting to 20 knots or more, but it wouldn't be the North Coast without a good measure of wind and rain. We set sail for the Dundas Island group.

It was an enchanting two-night adventure and the girls were enthusiastic sailors. Exploring the remote, uninhabited island beaches and forests; fishing and crabbing; and tearing across Chatham Sound under sail were unforgettable experiences. In so many ways, we are a very fortunate family with an incredible community of family and friends. We are grateful to all of you for your care and support.

Chloë's Photography

Not to be outdone, Chloë has also developed an interest in digital photography. Here is a selection of her images (look closely at the first photo and you will see the photographer):

Chloë's Photography

Not to be outdone, Chloë has also developed an interest in digital photography. Here is a selection of her images (look closely at the first photo and you will see the photographer):

Wren's Photography

Tomorrow morning we will fly to Vancouver and Wren will have her central line removed. This will require her to fast all morning until around noon, always a challenge. We will spend a few days in Vancouver while the wound in her chest heals, then we will be flown to Oahu, Hawai'i, courtesy of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. The recent snow storms in Smithers have only served to heighten our anticipation of this joyous occasion.

Wren's fractured head appears to be healing without trouble. Her strength and energy continues to build and she even has developed a perfect little tum-tum, divided horizontally by a terrific scar from her three surgeries.

On Wren's last few days in hospital she discovered how to use our little digital camera. The results speak for themselves and I will post a few of the images here:

 

I wonder if she has been influenced by the photography of cousin John, presently residing in Paris?

Wren's Photography

Tomorrow morning we will fly to Vancouver and Wren will have her central line removed. This will require her to fast all morning until around noon, always a challenge. We will spend a few days in Vancouver while the wound in her chest heals, then we will be flown to Oahu, Hawai'i, courtesy of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. The recent snow storms in Smithers have only served to heighten our anticipation of this joyous occasion.

Wren's fractured head appears to be healing without trouble. Her strength and energy continues to build and she even has developed a perfect little tum-tum, divided horizontally by a terrific scar from her three surgeries.

On Wren's last few days in hospital she discovered how to use our little digital camera. The results speak for themselves and I will post a few of the images here:

 

I wonder if she has been influenced by the photography of cousin John, presently residing in Paris?

Long Days

These have been long days. Yesterday we ran the evaporator from 7:00 am until midnight, and even at 8:00 am the next morning it was still steaming. But that wasn't what made the day a long one. In the morning Paula noticed swelling on Wren's head. Naturally we feared the worst, a return of neuroblastoma, but a visit to our family doctor allayed these worries. The diagnosis was a bump on the head, a pretty bad one. Wren had fallen out of bed that night, but she'd done this before without causing such a bump. An x-ray was scheduled just to make sure that everything was okay.

A short time after the x-ray we learned that Wren had a three centimeter fracture in her skull starting near her ear and running upward. The cause of this fracture was a fall from her hospital bed last Thursday night, her last night in the hospital. While sleeping, she had wiggled her way around the railing near the middle of the bed and fallen into the cardiac monitor before hitting the cement floor. Because she was still hooked up to the I.V., she was given a dose of sedative and was able to return to sleep. The fracture went undetected.

Since then she has flown home to Smithers, has been running and dancing around the house, and has been zooming up and down the driveway on her push-bike. Little did we know. The second fall from bed aggravated the injury, causing rapid swelling.

What a strange thing to be thankful that your kid has a broken skull, rather than a relapse of cancer.

I couldn't have picked a worse time to put together a trampoline.

What does this mean for Wren? It just means that she must not aggravate the fracture again. It will heal on its own in three or four weeks.  Her bones are strong and she should heal relatively quickly. One more hurdle for Wrennie, in case she needed more. The good news is that we gave Wren her last subcutaneous injection tonight (a drug called GM-CSF, it stimulates her immune system).  May it be the last. We celebrated with a little cake and a happy dance.

The house is filled with the smell of maple syrup as we boil down the final 13 litres of the last batch of the season. The sap sugar had dropped to below 2% in the past two days, a sign that it is time to clean up the gear, pull out the taps, and put the evaporator away.

Long Days

These have been long days. Yesterday we ran the evaporator from 7:00 am until midnight, and even at 8:00 am the next morning it was still steaming. But that wasn't what made the day a long one. In the morning Paula noticed swelling on Wren's head. Naturally we feared the worst, a return of neuroblastoma, but a visit to our family doctor allayed these worries. The diagnosis was a bump on the head, a pretty bad one. Wren had fallen out of bed that night, but she'd done this before without causing such a bump. An x-ray was scheduled just to make sure that everything was okay.

A short time after the x-ray we learned that Wren had a three centimeter fracture in her skull starting near her ear and running upward. The cause of this fracture was a fall from her hospital bed last Thursday night, her last night in the hospital. While sleeping, she had wiggled her way around the railing near the middle of the bed and fallen into the cardiac monitor before hitting the cement floor. Because she was still hooked up to the I.V., she was given a dose of sedative and was able to return to sleep. The fracture went undetected.

Since then she has flown home to Smithers, has been running and dancing around the house, and has been zooming up and down the driveway on her push-bike. Little did we know. The second fall from bed aggravated the injury, causing rapid swelling.

What a strange thing to be thankful that your kid has a broken skull, rather than a relapse of cancer.

I couldn't have picked a worse time to put together a trampoline.

What does this mean for Wren? It just means that she must not aggravate the fracture again. It will heal on its own in three or four weeks.  Her bones are strong and she should heal relatively quickly. One more hurdle for Wrennie, in case she needed more. The good news is that we gave Wren her last subcutaneous injection tonight (a drug called GM-CSF, it stimulates her immune system).  May it be the last. We celebrated with a little cake and a happy dance.

The house is filled with the smell of maple syrup as we boil down the final 13 litres of the last batch of the season. The sap sugar had dropped to below 2% in the past two days, a sign that it is time to clean up the gear, pull out the taps, and put the evaporator away.

Home Life

Paula and Wren returned home last Friday night. They were both so excited to be back that they couldn't sleep and it has taken a few days to adjust to home life again. Wren stayed energetic and playful throughout this latest round. She really is gaining strength, a good sign.

Paula said an emotional good-bye to many of the nurses and doctors that we have gotten to know over the past year at the BC Children's Hospital. They are amazing people and we have always felt confident under their care. We have a lot of knew friends in Vancouver.

The snow is gradually melting from the yard and a bit more of the lawn appears with each day. We've been outside a lot and Wren loves to ride her push-bike, though now she would like one with pedals so that she can be like her sister.

Both girls have been helping with the maple syrup production. Every few days we walk up the road about 1/2 km and then into the woods another 1/2 km to collect maple sap from 95 trees. It can be quite a bit of work when the snow is soft. And quite a bit of work when it is hard too.

Yesterday we brought out about 160 litres (about 350 pounds). We bring it out of the woods on a sled, which can get a bit tricky on the steeper parts. We now have 400 litres of sap ready to make into about 10 litres of syrup. I've lit the stove on the evaporator this morning, so today we will spend most of the day tending the evaporator and playing outside. So far we've made 11 litres of beautiful golden syrup at about 7 hours of labour per litre.

Wren continues with a few different medications for two more months. The good news is that I only have two more injections to give. We will all be happy about the end of that. Some of these medications cause mood swings, so Wren is not always joyful. Then again, most three-year olds I know have moments of anguish and frustration.

Wren has also been waking frequently with nightmares. We, all four of us, are all still processing this very intense year and it will take some time for it to settle. What does life look like when living with cancer? We still don't really know. What is normal? Where do we go now? These are all questions that we are trying to figure out. For now, we are all together, and happily so. And in a few week's time...Hawaii.

Home Life

Paula and Wren returned home last Friday night. They were both so excited to be back that they couldn't sleep and it has taken a few days to adjust to home life again. Wren stayed energetic and playful throughout this latest round. She really is gaining strength, a good sign.

Paula said an emotional good-bye to many of the nurses and doctors that we have gotten to know over the past year at the BC Children's Hospital. They are amazing people and we have always felt confident under their care. We have a lot of knew friends in Vancouver.

The snow is gradually melting from the yard and a bit more of the lawn appears with each day. We've been outside a lot and Wren loves to ride her push-bike, though now she would like one with pedals so that she can be like her sister.

Both girls have been helping with the maple syrup production. Every few days we walk up the road about 1/2 km and then into the woods another 1/2 km to collect maple sap from 95 trees. It can be quite a bit of work when the snow is soft. And quite a bit of work when it is hard too.

Yesterday we brought out about 160 litres (about 350 pounds). We bring it out of the woods on a sled, which can get a bit tricky on the steeper parts. We now have 400 litres of sap ready to make into about 10 litres of syrup. I've lit the stove on the evaporator this morning, so today we will spend most of the day tending the evaporator and playing outside. So far we've made 11 litres of beautiful golden syrup at about 7 hours of labour per litre.

Wren continues with a few different medications for two more months. The good news is that I only have two more injections to give. We will all be happy about the end of that. Some of these medications cause mood swings, so Wren is not always joyful. Then again, most three-year olds I know have moments of anguish and frustration.

Wren has also been waking frequently with nightmares. We, all four of us, are all still processing this very intense year and it will take some time for it to settle. What does life look like when living with cancer? We still don't really know. What is normal? Where do we go now? These are all questions that we are trying to figure out. For now, we are all together, and happily so. And in a few week's time...Hawaii.