Hello! Real quick update today- which we love!! Mason continues to rock this treatment cycle.

We had a quiet night last night- he even challenged himself to take two of the chemo pills at one time so he could have "less swallows Mom"- so we got through treatment pretty quick. He did take over my bed again for a few hours- it really is that comfortable- until I kicked him out at midnight so I could get some sleep.

He woke up with another smile and a thumbs up today. He sent me out for Chick-fil-a minis and chocolate milk for breakfast, and was just finishing those up with big sister Hayley came for a quick visit. She brought Mason some fun taco socks, which he promptly put on, along with his slippers, so they could take a walk around the floor. We initially agreed on one lap, and then sweet big sister gave him an incentive- walk 3 laps around the floor for four days straight and she will buy him any pair of Jordans that he wants. This was a tactic I should have tried weeks ago- this kid got a smile on his face and proceeded to walk a full 3 laps instead of just one, getting one day closer to a new pair of shoes. (Note that yesterday he walked about half a lap with PT- we really thought 3 laps would be a stretch for him.)

When we got back to the room after the walk, they pulled out a game with velcro balls and catching pads and proceeded to play catch for a solid 30 minutes. Mason's aim was a little bit off, but I almost think Hayley's matched his since she beaned him in the nose a few times (his reaction time was pretty slow compared to "normal"). While he works to regain his strength, it was so good to see him laughing and almost forgetting he was attached to any kind of tubes and poles as he dodged all over trying to catch the balls.

The doctors stopped by briefly but had no major changes to discuss. We continue to watch his blood counts and pray that they start to rebound- which usually starts around day 14 in the cycle, so that would be next week. They were impressed with how much he ate yesterday, and when they weighed him today he was up by 6 pounds.

He ate a big lunch today as well- making sure every calorie counts so he doesn't have to put the feeding tube back in place.

He has declared that tomorrow he wants to ask if they will allow him to get detached from his IV completely so that he can actually PUT ON HIS TENNIS SHOES and go down to the Zone to shoot baskets outside. Once he sees how much he can handle, he said he should be ready to have his friends come visit- so we will be in touch soon to start scheduling those visits!

I did ask him if he had anything he wanted me to share- he said to let everyone know he is "getting back on the basketball grind" so be prepared.

Thank you all for your continued messages, support and prayers. We are in a good, stable place for this round of treatment but also are not losing sight of the larger war- we know we have a ways to go before we consider this battle won. But for today, we remain thankful for all the little wins!