Only five doses left!

After taking her steroid dose this morning we let Anya know that she only has five doses left (tonight, and morning and night doses this weekend). I'm not sure who needed the encouragment more, her or us!
The past few weeks have been pretty grueling for everyone as the steroids have taken their toll on Anya's emotions and appetite. She is hungry almost constantly and her moods swing from playful to melancholy to fussing and crying in a matter of seconds. The steroids cause water retention and weight gain (because of increased appetite and decreased activity) so we have tried to limit Anya's food consumption as much as possible. However, "limiting" her means making her wait 30-45 minutes between refrigerator raids! It honestly seems as though she would eat without stopping if it weren't for our limitations. This resulted in some early trouble with constipation but we've got her regular again which has helped ease some of her discomfort. She still moves around and hurts in ways similar to a woman in her 9th month of pregnancy and manages relatively little activity and few smiles throughout the day.
But we are THANKFUL for the smiles and activity when they come and are glad that she seems to be resting better at night and throughout the day. We are also grateful that we have been spared from what could have been a much harder three weeks. The doctors have warned us repeatedly that this three week stage (Delayed Intensification) is often the hardest part of the treatment. While it has been very difficult and demanding it has not been nearly as hard as our first eight weeks. We are blessed that God has relieved her suffering and continue to trust and seek Him in the midst of this situation. We are definitely looking forward to next week when she will have a seven day break from medication and should get back to her own self and size again.
It's amazing for us to think that this ordeal has only been going on for seven months. It seems like much longer to us, our extended family, and our church family back in KC. We hope to be reunited with them very soon, probably in the neighborhood of March. I (Israel) intend to make one more solo trip home before our family goes back together and that trip should take place sometime in the next three weeks. I plan to drive in our minivan loaded down with stuff that we've accumulated here in order to not have to rent a moving truck when we go back as a family. Please continue to keep us and all those affected by our situation in your prayers. And please be sure to thank God for His provision and care for us, as we are unable to thank Him enough ourselves.