Well, starting last Friday, Gabe has not been feeling very well.  Friday morning he woke up crying and continued to be whiny throught out the day for the most part and even all thru the night Friday night.  When it came time to go to bed, he cried alot thru the night and acted as though he may have been in pain.  He would wake up crying all thru the night and kicked and threw his arms around and finally settled down about 4:00 Saturday morning and slept for 3 or 4 hours straight.  Saturday he was not as fussy, but still didn't act as though he felt very well or have the energy that he normally has.  Sunday he played a little bit better and seemed to perk up a little compared to the previous couple of days.  Monday (the 6th) we came back up to the hospital for his 5 day stay for chemo.  After talking w/ the doctor about how he acted over the weekend and by the appearance of his face, we have come to the conclusion that it is time to start the radiation stage of his treatment.  We were hoping to hold off a little longer and honestly didn't think that we would start within the next 6 months as he has been doing well w/ the chemo.  However, things have quickly changed w/ his recent actions and appearance.  This has led us to believe that maybe he is in pain and that the tumor is more than likely growing again. 

The doctors have been communicating and trying to get things started as quickly as they can.  Gabe will go thru another surgery, most likely will be next week, to place some beads into his skull.  These beads will be used to verify that his head is positioned exactly the same each time he gets the radiation.  I have been told that it is a very simple procedure and that the beads will not cause him any pain or prohibit his growth in any way.  Dr. Chang's office is working to find out which of the 3 neurosurgeons can get him in the quickest.  We have a tentative schedule of a consulation w/ a doctor in Bloomington on Monday named Dr. Haddad.  From there, the surgery would probably take place on Thursday, Oct. 16.  On Monday, Oct. 20 Gabe would have an appointment at the Radiation Institute to get a CT done of his head so that Dr. Chang and his team can start on the 3 dimensional drawing/mold of Gabe's head, which should take anywhere from 2-3 weeks. At this time, it is unclear what his chemo schedule is going to be like.  He will most likely continue with chemo until they have completed his drawing for the proton therapy.  Once they have completed that drawing and are ready to start the radiation, we will stop chemo, at least for the time being.  Radiation will be 5 days a week (Monday thru Friday) and will last 6 or 7 weeks. 

As for how he is doing this week...well, today is actually the first day that has been a good day for him.  he has not been feeling well for the most part and even started running a little fever last night, which went back to normal range after a couple hours.  He has not had an appetite all week, so getting him to eat has been impossible.  Tonight he actually ate a couple french fries, but mostly ate the ketchup.    He will be getting out of here tomorrow morning and I'm sure he is ready to be home. 

As for Zeke...he also has been sick this week.  He ran a fever Monday afternoon until Tuesday morning.  Since then, his fever has not returned, but he has still been fussy.  My best guess is that he caught a little bit of something which caused the fever which was 102.3, on top of that he is teething,so he just hasn't been feeling well.  Other than that, he is getting so big!  He has just about caught up to Gabe is size (weight and height).  Gonna be hard to tell which one is the oldest before too long,other than the fact that right now one can walk and the other one can't.   

Well, as usual, thank you to everyone for your continuous prayers and please keep it up.  We are so grateful to all of you for everything.

Sincerely,
Brandy