Got EBB?

But, that’s not all. The kids also rocked it in our front yard today. They ROCKED it GOOD! As promised, Elizabeth, Kate and Bryce were fundraising full force with their Super Duper Candy Scooper Shop featuring a Rainbow of candies and Rainbow Manicures. Although, there was no rain, they each had a pocket full of sunshine and were ready to make things happen with a rainbow of colors in Pop Rocks, Gumballs, Lemonheads, cherry rainbow and pink lemonade Swizzle Sticks, gigantic Jaw Breakers, Gummy Bears, rainbow heart cookies, and rainbow manicures. Have I mentioned Elizabeth LOVES rainbow anything? The proceeds of todays fundraising efforts will benefit The Ronan Thompson Foundation. The Ronan Thompson Foundation and The Garage Boutique for Kids are hosting a Rock the Runway Fashion Show Event. My 3 kiddos are all participating. Although they may not all model, they all 3 are certain they want to help raise money to help in the fight against Pediatric Cancer. These kiddos made BIG BIG accomplishments today! I would say a top accomplishment for each of them to date. Their goal for today was to raise $200.00 each for a total of $600.00. Are you ready for this? Are you ready to hear what my kiddos raised in our front yard to fight Pediatric Cancer? $1019.64!! In three hours, these determined children fought for their sister, they fought for their cousin, they fought for their friends, they fought for your family, they fought for our family, they fought for Ronan and all the other children who have won or lost their battles to childhood cancer. They fought hard and they fought proud! My husband and I are so completely impressed with how busy these little bees worked today. But we are not surprised at the results! You, our community, our family of friends are more than generous. We had a complete stranger drive up and give $100.00! Oh my SWEETNESS! We have a toothache tonight from all the sweetness. We are blessed, thankful, and just so happy for all the kindness, love and of course beauty that comes from within all of your hearts.

So whoop there it is! $1019.64 going to The Ronan Thompson Foundation.

You are beautiful,
The Blair’s

P.S. Elizabeth went back to school on Wednesday!!

Anyways, it was about 10:30am and Elizabeth was no longer feeling like P Diddy. Her speech was starting to slur to the point where I could not understand what she was saying, and the right side of her little bitty body was not working. She couldn’t walk and she couldn’t talk. I called my husband, who called the doctor, who said, CALL 911! Elizabeth was showing signs of a stroke. The fire department arrived at our house within minutes as they monitored her, until the ambulance arrived to take her to PCH. Just as we were leaving, the police showed up at about the same time to take a report on the theft of our tires. WOW! Never a dull moment around here.

We arrived at PCH where they did an emergency MRI. Elizabeth could not get the sleepy medicine because she ate cheetos for breakfast, therefore, she would have to hold really still as they did it awake. I had no doubt she could do it! Daddy had no doubt she could do it! The doctors had not doubt she could do it! And of course, she did it! I never doubt this child for a second. She is so amazing! She is more than cool, more than cute, and so much more than courageous! Words don’t even begin to describe how incredibly strong Elizabeth is. I mean her middle name ain’t Brooklyn for nothin’! So what was initially believed to be a stroke was an uncommon complication with a new chemotherapy she started last week. She was admitted into the intensive care unit at PCH and by 4:00am the next morning she began to regain strength in her right side and her speech slowly started to come back. Her right side woke up and today Elizabeth is doing great. If fact, she is doing so great, she is home from the hospital. I personally feel like I could sleep for three days straight, but she is full of energy and going back to ballet tomorrow. She is so excited and we are so excited for her!

The last time Elizabeth was in the hospital she made a new friend, Mia. Mia also has cancer and Mia’s mommy, well, she is super duper strong! They have been going through this for over a year now. Mia’s mommy, Sandra and I share a mutual friend, which is how we heard about each other. Sandra and Mia came to the hospital to say hello and introduce themselves. Well, can you believe Mia was admitted the day after Elizabeth and in the room directly across the hall this week! Although it’s no fun to be in the hospital, it does make it a little better when you have a friend to spend time with. Elizabeth and Mia had many laughs and good times, they watched videos on the Ipad, Mia’s mommy gave a fantasmic light show with glow sticks in every color (maybe better than the one at Disneyland), they blinged out their hospital bracelets with rhinestones and Mia had the same “Love Heart Glitter” that Elizabeth bought on her shopping spree last week. So of course, I was immediately sent home to retrieve hers and in the morning there was glitter flying everywhere!! You would have thought there were glitter fairies flying around at PCH. Mia definitely helped Elizabeth on so many levels this week. And I hope Elizabeth did the same for her. That’s what friends are for. I know I keep saying this but we are so grateful for everyone’s help and support during this very difficult time. We are sending much love to all our wonderful and amazing friends and family tonight, for helping us on so many levels and well…

Sweet Dreams and I hope all of you wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy,
-Elizabeth Brooklyn Blair

Woo Hoo,
The Blair’s

P.S. Elizabeth got her prize for taking the “Yucky” medicine. It was her own IPad! She loves it! Oh and I’m not pregnant that was just a joke:)

Did I mention, we had to move this week?

It’s hard to believe we are a month into this crazy unpredictable childhood cancer we call Lymphoma. There have been many ups and downs that come with each day, but one thing I’m sure of is “Don’t Stop Believin'”. This was one of the sayings on several shirts sent to me this week by a dear college friend. And it is the truth!!

We thought it would be only fitting to come up with our Top Ten Reasons to Celebrate this Week, which marks one month closer to Elizabeth being Cancer Free! So that’s what we did.

Elizabeth’s Top Ten

#10 Done with the “YUCKY” medicine! Can I get a Whoop Whoop! Well, she is temporarily done. I’m not about to tell her she will take it again in the later months to come). Daddy promised a big reward at the end of 30 days. We will keep you posted…not sure what it will be but something great for the bravest girl I know!

#9 Leaping Lizards! As many of you know, but for those of you who don’t…Elizabeth loves loves loves to catch bugs, slugs and anything really that falls within the insects or slimy reptile category. I am constantly poking air holes in the the tops of spaghetti jar lids for all her living treasures. This week was no exception. Elle has a nightly routine as many kiddos do, and the part she looks forward to the most is saying good night to her not so furry lizard friend, Fuzzy Wuzzy, which appears on the outside of the bathroom window each and almost every night. She can not walk into the bathroom to brush her teeth without looking for him. There have recently been several days and nights that Elizabeth does not have the energy to get out of bed so what is a Daddy to do? He saves the day of course! He found a little lost lizard in our house roaming the hall (probably Fuzzy Wuzzy looking for Elizabeth) because she didn’t show up in the bathroom to tap on the window and say good night. Well, out came the jar, in went the lizard, and all was (as Elizabeth would say) “super duper”. She ordered me outside right away to get some grass, a leaf and a flower. We cut a piece of apple and poured just enough water for the the little guy to be happy for a day or so. She kept him on the table top next to her all day long. Today we decided that her lizard friend needed to go home and so she said her good byes and off he went. And leaping lizards Fuzzy Wuzzy was on the bathroom window tonight!

#8 Triangle Tissue Boxes. Mommy found them at Safeway, they have pictures of ice cream with cherries on top. It’s just one of those little things in life that make you happy. Who knew a triangle tissue box would bring so much joy? Apparently Kleenex did and if they don’t I hope they do now.

#7 Candy Apples for dessert! They were pinkalicious!

#6 Pooping. (And that’s all I have to say about that!)

#5 Guess What? Elizabeth asks us the question, “Guess what?” We respond with “What?” Elizabeth says, “I love you.” Or she will say, “Mommy I can guess what you are thinking.” And I say, “What am I thinking?” And Elizabeth will say, “You are thinking that you love me.” She is so right EVERY TIME!

#4 Midnight Snuggles. They are the absolute very best! With not feeling good comes not wanting to be snuggled a lot of the time, but there was a night this week where all Elizabeth wanted to do was continue to squeeze me all night long! I didn’t get much sleep, but it was well worth it and the best night ever!

#3 Chicken Wings, Spaghetti Tacos and iCarly. Elizabeth finished all 38 episodes of iCarly this week. It’s a lot of TV I know, but whatever gets her through the day. She finished all 38 episodes all the while eating chicken wings (her number one craving) and tonight her special request for Spencer’s famous spaghetti tacos. I will say they are delicious and if you haven’t tried them you should. They are the best!! This is not the first time we have had them for dinner and it won’t be the last.

#2 Clear Spinal Fluid!!! Elizabeth had her 3rd LP this week and the results were CLEAR! We will cheer it again…Rah Rah Ree Kick Lymphoma in the Knee Rah Rah Rass kick Lymphoma in the (other knee).

#1 Midday Naps. This afternoon as I was laying there watching Elizabeth take an afternoon nap she would mumble and then smile, and then mumble some more. As she was sleeping with milky drool running down the side of her mouth she put her hands together and started to say her nightly prayers. I only made out part of it but I almost didn’t believe what I was hearing. It was such a blessing to see this little lady praying to God in her sleep. I know God hears her prayers. And I know he hears your prayers too.

So as I end for tonight I will leave you with Elizabeth’s nightly prayer…

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray to Lord my soul to keep, Angels watch me through the night as I wake in morning light, Amen. God Bless Elizabeth and make her well.

Don’t stop believin’,
Brooke, Heidi, Bryce, Kate and Elizabeth

It was the middle of summer and scorching HOT outside. Our girls had a brilliant idea, “Let’s have a lemonade stand!!” Mom and Dad did not think this was such a brilliant idea. “Once the weather cools down” Mom said. “Next weekend” Dad said. “It’s too hot!” We both said. They insisted that a HOT day is the perfect day for lemonade. We were not convinced. Even as Elizabeth sat in her hospital room on the 7th floor at PCH she asked, “Can we do a lemonade stand tomorrow?” Well, she was thrilled yesterday when her perfect day for a lemonade stand finally happened! She helped bake and ice confetti cupcakes, stir up a sweet batch of lemonade and helped create some really colorful signs for her table outside. Not to our surprise, she sold every last drop. But it can’t end there, not if Elizabeth is involved. The neighborhood kids all gathered and decided they would have a live music concert!! Bryce broke out his electric guitar and amplifier, his friend Jules jammed on the drums and all the girls busted a move taking turns singing on the Hannah Montana microphone system. It was VERY entertaining! Elizabeth sat front and center as she was their number one fan. She played freeze dance in her own modified way, laughed at jokes and had a wonderful day full of fun. (Pictures will be posted)

Today was Elizabeth’s 4th chemotherapy at the clinic and she handled it like a veteran. She knows the routine like she has been doing it for years…she walks up, takes her shoes off, steps on the scale, sits down, puts her arm out for her blood pressure, puts her shoes back on and finally follows the nurse to her room. She had to remind me to put numbing cream on her port before we left the house this morning. She asks, “Should I take my Miralax?” Honestly, I don’t know how she does it? I feel like she’s holding my hand through it all and not the other way around. She is amazing and I feel so blessed that God has given me this child. Elizabeth will have her 3rd spinal tap and chemo treatment in her spine next week as well as her 2nd PET scan. We have no doubt she will turn those lemons into lemonade, too.

Finally, we want to send a very special thank you to all of you! Your prayers continue to lift us up and all the wonderful acts of kindness we experience daily. Each and everyone of you have helped turn those lemons in our life into a refreshing glass of lemonade. We are so grateful. We love you and thank you so so much!

Think positive,
Brooke, Heidi, Bryce, Kate and Elizabeth Blair

Elizabeth achieved another milestone this week in her fight against cancer. She starting losing her hair on Wednesday. The strong girl that she is… sat in front of the family room window on Saturday and brushed her hair until she made a giant birds nest on the floor next to her. What is a mom to do? Cry? Honest to God the Martha Stewart in me wanted to glue it back on. I’m not a saver by any means. I purge closets and bins all of the time, but for some crazy reason I felt the need to put her hair in a plastic bag and save it. It’s the hair I caress every night when I tuck her into bed, it’s the hair I help her wash every night before bed, it’s the hair that she won’t let me touch when she’s getting ready for school in the mornings, it’s the hair she just learned to put into a ponytail herself. Cry? Yes of course I cried.

Earlier that day I took big sister Kate to ballet, we made a stop at the ballet store to pick up some hairnets, when there it was… a message from God speaking directly at me. There hanging on a rack was a pink t-shirt with a little birdie on the front. The t-shirt was ok, but honestly I bought it because of the tag attached. The tag said “think positive”. I’ve been wearing it ever since. So when I get sad and want to cry because my baby is losing her hair, my husband says, “Heidi, what does your shirt say?” And so I “think positive” and all of the good to come from this…Elizabeth and I and our daily conversation about beauty, fancy hats, fun wigs, but most of all no more cancer. The chemo is doing what it needs to do and I will not cry about that. I will only celebrate. And so we did, we had a little celebration with fancy hats, Justin Bieber, Never say never movie (which by the way has a great message), and pizza lots of pizza. A special friend came and set up a hat boutique in our home yesterday. She brought tons of adorable hats with tons of adorable embellishments to clip on. Elizabeth, Kate and I went shopping for the most stylish hats out there. And I have to say Elizabeth will definitely be stylin’ at the clinic on Tuesday! Not to mention, a very special day of memories for us all. So when you are asked what makes you beautiful? Just know how Elizabeth would answer that question…”Beauty comes from your heart with a little bit of lipstick.”

Think positive,
Heidi, Brooke, Bryce, Kate and Elizabeth

Well, today was Elizabeth’s 2nd Chemotherapy. Photos will be in the photo gallery soon. Elizabeth is on a supersonic boom and I am glad to report that she continues to kick lymphoma butt! On the way to the clinic this morning she watched Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and finally as we were pulling in she put on the Black Eyed Peas, Boom Boom Pow video on the Ipad. It was like she was psyching herself up for the fight!

Over the weekend, on Saturday, we were not surprised when Elizabeth requested chicken wings for dinner. We thought this was probably not a good idea for her stomach so we decided against letting her fulfill her craving. And of course on Sunday she woke up with some nausea and vomiting which eventually led us to the ER. However, her first words to her Dad were “See I told you, you should have let me have chicken wings for dinner.” After a dose of zofran, a supplement of potassium, some fluids and a new NG tube in place she proceeded to request chicken wings and chips with salsa for dinner, sooooo mom and dad gave in. And today she woke up feeling just fine.

She continues to teach us all something about strength and bravery. Her next chemotherapy will be on Tuesday next week and we know she will give lymphoma another big BOOM BOOM POW!

With much love and gratefulness,
Brooke and Heidi Blair

Also Elizabeth had her first chemo injection today and conquered it like a champ. The nurse and life care specialist could not believe that she did not make a peep when the needle hit the muscle as even most 15yr olds give out a yell. Watch out lymphoma she is one tough cookie!

We Brooke and Heidi have finally had a moment tonight to take a breath and look back over this last week that has so ever changed our lives.

First and foremost, Elizabeth (Aka Pinkalicious) is doing unbelievably well. We have never been more proud of anything. Despite the ‘yucky’ medicine (which if you have been lucky enough to witness this hour of whooshing and spitting everyday) she does not complain. The good news is Elizabeth learned to swallow a pill today. She has been practicing really hard and finally got it today with a cherry tic tac. We celebrated and think the entire 7th floor heard. Elizabeth has been busy making art projects and playing UNO. The nurses say that her room is one-of-a-kind! She’s got rhinestones on all the doors, a pink and purple lava lamp, flowing balloons, posters and cards galore. Fuzzy pillows and fuzzy flip flops, an entire counter and closet full if books, crafts and activities. The coziest stuff animals surround her and not to mention her frilly hair and nail accesories and jewelry.

Tomorrow it is possible we will get to go home. We are excited and terrified at the same time.

We are so increadibly blessed to have each and everyone of you in our lives. We would not have gotten through the last week without you. The words you have wrote, the prayers you have prayed, the gifts you have sent, the meals you have prepared, the parties you have plannned, the errands and chores you have done have truly touched our hearts in ways you could not imagine. This lifts us up many times a day. We so graciously thank you for each and everything big and small. We love you all dearly. Please continue your prayers as Elizabeth with all our support conquers this.

With much Love,
The Blairs