Day 87

Kennedy modeling Kora's hair.

There is a different set of rules when your child has cancer in regards to discipline.  It is very hard to not let them get away with everything and anything.  Also, the self-soothing technique we as parents spend months helping them learn when they are infants is also out the window.  With all the craziness Kennedy experiences, we never want her to feel sad or inconvenienced, we want to make it all better and in the process, she has forgotten how to self-soothe aka – put herself to sleep.  This may not seem so bad; you may figure we can lay with her until she falls asleep but unfortunately she is up 2-3 times during the night and have start the process over.  I think I got more sleep when she was an infant than I have in the last 80 days. 

Last week, I put my foot down.  She needed to learn how to put herself to sleep again and the incentive was a visit to American Girl on her birthday in addition to her birthday party.  The deal was that we would put her to bed at night but in the middle of the night when she gets up to go to the bathroom, she would have to go back to sleep on her own.  She would need to sleep through the night for 3 consecutive nights without making us sleep with her or ending up in our room.  Well, some nights she did good, others not so much.  To throw a curve ball, add in her hospital stay and itchy rashes and we have to start from the beginning.  When she is sick, she can sleep in our room.

Kennedy's fashion show

Last night, was the night of all nights.  We have 4 nights until her birthday and it counted as the first of 3 consecutive nights.  She wouldn’t go to sleep on her own so she agreed that if I listened to her meditation tape with her, she would not wake us up in the middle of the night.  I agreed.  At 3:30 am, we got a tap, tap, tap on the door followed by  “I can’t to sleep by myself”. I said fine, bring your pillow and blanket in our room but remember, this means no American Girl Doll.  She decided to go back into her room after a quick potty break. 10 minutes later, another tap, tap, tap – “mom, I peed in my bed”.  Well, that wasn’t possible, I just heard her go pee.  I said “Kennedy, go back to bed”.  She said, “mom, really, I peed in my bed”.  I got out of my bed and felt her pajama bottoms and she was soaked.  I then went to her bed that was also soaked….and cold.  Turns out she poured a cup of water on herself and bed to get me to come in and change her sheets and put her back to bed.  I had to pretend I was mad but it was pretty darn funny and VERY witty.  There comes the problem again of how to discipline a bald little cutie with cancer.

Enough about my lack of sleep and Kennedy’s antics.  The rest of the weekend went well.  Kennedy got released from the big house (hospital) by 2pm on Saturday, the shortest stay yet.  She got to see grandma and put on a fashion show for us.  Sunday uncle Sergey came over and hung out with dad and played outside with the kids.  Dad took the kids to shoot some balls later at the golf range but it started to rain.    

Hanging out with Grandma and Jaxon

Today K had some mouth sores and has been nauseas.  Hopefully all will subside by her birthday on Thursday.