It's been a week since round 1 began. Taylor is doing wonderfully! The only side effects have been sleepiness and he gets irritable sometimes. He drinks a lot but eats less than usual. His tumor is now completely soft on all sides! Dr. Wexler said he's doing just great so far.

Taylor was admitted at 3am this morning. He was running a low fever of 100.4 F. That is the limit he is allowed to get to while at home. Anything above that he must be admitted. We had his blood counts done immediately and found that his Hemoglobin is at 7 and that his platelets went down to 27 from 350. His white count is also down considerably. Taylor is receiving his first blood transfusion today as well. He will be in the hospital for the next 3 to 5 days. We are very tired being that all three of us have pulled an all nighter. Taylor is now in great spirits. Thank the Lord for Tylenol.

We did get some good news today, the tumor had originally grown slightly up into Taylor's lower abdoman. His oncologist checked and reported to us that he can no longer feel the tumor in that region. It is now only in his leg. Dr. Wexler is extremely happy with the progress of the chemo.

Taylor and Jen had a pretty rough day today. He had to have multiple doses of Morphine. He also received platelets for the first time today. They gave him Benadryl being that he had a slight rash from them. We got word that he could be in the hospital till next Tues. Please continue to pray for strength for Jen and pain relief for Taylor.

Today was a little bit better. Taylor is on constant Morphine. He received more blood today. He is still very cranky. It seems as though his whole body is in pain. The doctor said that the mouth sores should go away as soon as his White Blood Cell (WBC) count comes back up. His temperature got up to 102.9 twice today. It seems as though he has a "bug" that they are treating with three different antibiotics. Please pray for God's healing hand on his little body.

Today was tough. Taylor has been getting very aggitated and angry lately. The doctor seems to think that it might be the Morphine. They put him on a different pain medication. He is also on a anti-anxiety medication to help calm him down. He can't tell us where it hurts, but we can tell that he is in pain. The tumor is like a "gel pack" now. It has become very "squishy" (that's my medical term for it). We just can't wait to bring him back home again.

Things were a bit rough today. Taylor did not want to lie down at all. He is being very stubborn. I guess being dutch and german doesn't give him much choice. He fell asleep sitting up many times. He was on Benadryl, an anti-anxiety drug, and one of his other meds that all make him tired. He is just plain miserable. He is also very aggressive. The doctor told us that as soon as his blood counts start rising that he will turn back into his old self. This is going to be a very long year. His hair has started to fall out today.

Today was a little bit better. Athough Taylor was still cranky, he seemed to be a little calmer. His White Blood Cell count has come up to 0.2. This is very important because that's what helps fight infections and such. He did go to sleep a couple of times today. We swapped out his crip for a bed today. Now Jen can lay down propped up with him laying down on her chest. This wiil allow her to be much more comfortable. She was trying to do this standing up and also in a chair. She was in need of a massage every night. Her shoulders and neck hurt her every minute of the day. About half Taylor's hair has fallen out. Jen was able to lift "clumps" of hair with her fingers. There is hair everywhere. Tomorrow, we are hoping and praying, will be much better.

Praise God! Taylor's White Blood Cell count has come up to 0.7. The doctors expect him to perk up quite abit tomorrow. Right now we need prayer for sleep more than anything. Jen is exhausted. Taylor is not letting her sleep much and they are both very miserable. He is also not eating. They are discussing installing a feeding tube to make things a little easier and less stressful. Please continue to pray for him.

Three bits of good news. They may come home as soon as Wed., The room mate went home leaving them alone and quiet in the room, and the doctor said that he is surprised at the positive progress. The tumor has visably started to reduce in size. Praise God!

God is Good!!! Taylor is feeling much better today. His WBC rose to 3.4 over the last 24 hrs. He actually smiled today. He played in the playroom for a few hours today as well. He is doing very well now. Jen is in a much better mood today as well as a result. It looks as though they may be able to come home tomorrow (Wed). He no longer has a fever now (it lasted 7 days straight). We are continually encouraged by all of these things. Thanks for your continued prayer.

Great news! My son and my wife are home. Taylor is still not feeling good, but he is in better spirits. He is just tired at the moment. We are praying for a good nights sleep tonight. We are looking more towards installing the stomach tube. It would help with getting him more nutrition when he is in the hospital the next time. It is a very quick surgery but can only be done when he is healthy. Please pray about this. Being that everything is going better than expected, he does not want to hold off on any of the Chemo treatrments. Praise God for all his great works.

Well yesterday was interesting to say the least. Taylor is starting to come back to his own personality, but occasionally, what I call Dr. Jekyl, would come out. He gets very nasty and angry. I can't wait for these meds to clear out of his system. Today he is at Sloan getting his blood counts taken. The good news is that he is eating some here and there but more important is that he is drinking quite a bit of the Pediasure. We put a little Nestles Quick in it and call it Chocolate Milk. We just thank the Lord that he is getting some intake.

Hi everyone, it's me (Jen) writing now. Thank you all for your prayers! They're working for sure. I feel stronger every day and I have such a peace and feeling of hope in my heart. It can only have come from the Lord! He's been giving me patience and strength to care for my son each day and I've learned to survive by taking it each day at a time. Sometimes it's each minute at a time! God is so good. Even in this dark hour for Matt and I, He's faithful. We've seen Him work in so many ways already. Taylor had his best day yet today since we began. His spirits were up (so ours were as well). He seems to be feeling better each day now. He will begin round 2 of chemo next week. On Thursday he will have a feeding tube put in. We are happy about this because we will not have to fight him to eat and his body will be strong and therefore better able to withstand his rounds of Chemo. His tumor continues to get smaller. His thigh now measures a half inch less in circumferance than when we began. We are so pleased to see such amazing results so soon. Praise the Lord!!

Thank You again for your prayers and for those who have been bringing us meals. We appreciate everyones thoughtfulness and for helping us through this difficult time. We love you all.

By the way, if anyone knows where we can get Pediasure at an inexpensive price, please let us know. That is going to be his main source of nutrients (about 3 small cans per day) and it is really expensive ($2 per small can).

Taylor had a terrific day today! He is now playing with his favorite toys again. He is also back to walking on his own again for short distances. He ate better today than in the past few days....... actually few weeks I should say! We went to the chapel picnic today and Taylor went on his first hay ride. It was so great to be there and see many of you. We didn't realize how many of you are faithfully logging on each day to see how Taylor is doing! Thanks!!! All your prayers are helping as well. Matt and I both appreciate so much our family, church family, and friends and how you are all so supporting and are faithfully praying for the three of us. Please remember us this week as Taylor will be beginning round 2. He will have minor surgery on Thursday to put in a feeding tube. We will keep you all informed on these days ahead. We love you all!