Don't fly to Mexico for apricot pits.

You know it's going to be a good day when the oncologist leaves you a message saying she has good news. After reading the radiologist's report from Friday's ultrasound, the largest tumor appears to have shrunk by fifty percent. Eve's going all Chuck Norris on these bad boys!

Eve does not sleep; she waits.
Eve doesn't read books; she stares them down until she gets the information she needs.
When Eve does a push-up, she isn't lifting herself up, she's pushing the Earth down.

The ultrasound was done after just three weeks of chemo. (Her fourth treatment was immediately following the ultrasound.) One doctor was so confident in these drugs that she begged us not to fly to Mexico for apricot pits. Because I guess we looked like the type that was going to reject modern medicine, hop a plane to Tijuana, and hope for the best.

Eve doesn't seem as hoarse as she did over the weekend and she's not having major coughing fits after she drinks. Hopefully she will be ready for her half-dose of Vincristine on Friday. Now the question is, can I get up and get all my Christmas shopping done that morning before we have to leave for the clinic at 8:00? Yeah...I feel an Amazon Christmas coming on.

My morning only got better as I partied hardy with Nat and Dan at preschool. (Or did I party hearty? This is one thing I'll probably never learn the answer to, much like how to pronounce nonpareils.) I arrived at Natalie's Thanksgiving party first and watched her proudly give all of her classmates the squirts. Oh, and the restraint she showed by resisting those chicken nuggets in front of her until they said their blessing! She wisely passed up the carrots, as she needed to save room for mandatory brownies and cookies. "This is a feast!" she declared. Her friend added, "This is the best Thanksgiving feast ever!"

Now I have a back-up menu in case I am too tired to do the turkey thing on Thursday.

Nat gave me permission to leave her party for "four minutes, not five" to visit Daniel's room. He was quietly eating a ham and cheese sandwich. And black olives. And green olives. What? Is this my kid? According to his teachers, he's the best eater in his class. WHAT? He always asks for seconds. WHAT WHAT? DANIEL GRIFFITH?? Can this morning be any more eventful?

Now here comes the part of the post where we do the mandatory "I am thankful for..." stuff. I mean, there's a lot that's going on right now, but it helps show us how lucky we are in so many ways. Here is a short list:

I am thankful for...
...how unaffected Eve's spirit seems to be.
...how well she is responding to treatment.
...how cooperative she is.
...our family, friends, and neighbors, and their love and support.
...Nat and Dan's turkey-hand artwork.

Dan also had a list he dictated to his preschool teacher. He is thankful for the following things, in this order:
1. Firefighters
2. Cookies
3. My blankie
4. Toys
5. Sam, the one with the yellow shirt.

I will be thankful next year if I can edge out the yellow Wiggle in the top five.