Preparing our home and our family

Welcome Home banner from our neighbor's entire 2nd grade class

Mark and I spent the last week in the hospital taking turns in going home and preparing our house for when Olivia finally comes home. The house is the cleanest it has ever been!

Here are a few things we bought SO FAR! Every fighter has their tools..these are ours.

Here are some other things to keep in mind :

1. We need to maintain clean surfaces all the time and hand washing is very important.

2. Only fruits that can be peeled is allowed. This means no more strawberries, blueberries and the likes. These fruits are at higher risk for mold.

3. We took all indoor plants outside. We cannot have flowers and plants inside the house. It could be a source of mold that can lead to infection.

4. Olivia cannot take multivitamins because it may disrupt chemotherapy.

When it comes to preparing our family, we are preparing ourselves for:

1. Hair loss. I have learned not all kids lose their hair. Some lose it right away and some lose it later. If Olivia does lose hair, the earliest we could see it is in the next 2 weeks. The secret is to not make it a big deal. Kids her age don't usually get bothered. Parents are more bothered by it than anyone else because it makes it more obvious that their kid is sick.

2. How to explain she cannot go to school for a while. Olivia always says she is better now. We don't even mention that she is sick because she wouldn't like it. On Monday when she sees Kuya go to school, she will question why she cannot go with him.

3. How to deal with other side effects. One of the side effects of the chemo she is taking now is difficulty in walking. Olivia started showing these signs last night. It's hard for her to stand or walk. The doctors say this is temporary, only while she's on the medication. Good thing I still kept our Ergo Baby carrier!

4. How to keep up with her appetite. Last night she ate 2 big slices of pizza. This morning she is requesting for more pizza! We need to stock up on ready to cook/bake meals!