• No perfect days so far.  After playing with several of her new toys, including Playdoh, a cool light up toy, and the one she got from her sister, she started to tire and crank returned.
• The never ending vitals checks and visits from dr. residents (or whatever you call them) would be enough to drive a saint crazy, not to mention a sick four year old.
• Ever wonder how many people actually pick their nose - in private?  Well young leukemia patients openly pick theirs in the company of others.  Unabashedly. . . .
• Due to the expected depletion of red blood cells, she was started on a red blood cell transfusion about an hour ago - four hour process with vitals every 15 minutes and then some lesser intervals as the transfusion progresses. 
• Then here's "downstream occlusion" alarms, IV drip-induced bathroom visits complete with the obligatory urine collection for measurement and culture, etc.
• Finally our efforts to get her to eat are getting somewhere - she at a half a dish of her all-time favorite, pasta w/ butter.   She then promptly threw that up along with her anti nausea med.  But, when she's regularly eating she can come off of the IV and it's machines that have to accompany us to the bathroom 20 times a night.  Eat, Santa, Eat!!
• The reminders that we're not alone keep coming from "Annie's Army".  That's what I decided to start calling all of you before falling asleep last night.  You're the army of support that's gonna help make her better and keep Fern and Oliver and Tich and me sane.  Can't believe how much this has affected all of you.  We don't want anyone to worry, but it's very heartening that you do.  Means a lot to us to know that Annie is in your thoughts and prayers and that so many of you are at the ready for whatever we might need.  My grass could use a good cut. . . .kidding.  I'm sure you're not reading these blogs to hear about this, but it's my blog and I feel like telling you all.  It's one of the silver linings to a crappy situation to know how many great people we have in our lives.  There's always some good with the bad, and you guys are the good.  Can't thank you all enough.
• Grandpa Vinnie made our day by eating some of the huge cake from earlier in the day. 
• Coffee in the kitchen is surprisingly good.  I'm rambling. . . .