Good evening! Later post today- sorry.

Mason had a very quiet night last night. He was able to sleep through the night- as much as you can when the nurses are in and out to check vitals.

He woke up asking for pancakes and bacon and perked up a bit more when he got a visit from Alex and big sister Hayley. Alex was excited to show his brother his new do- he decided to proactively shave his head in Mason's honor last night. These sweet kiddos continue to amaze me.

Mason's nausea remained uncontrolled today- unfortunately. The good news was that he continued to have an appetite- asking for cheeseburgers, milkshakes and Gatorade. So maybe we will consider that as half a win?

Grandma Mary arrived at the hospital this morning. She has been expertly holding down the fort at my house since arriving in Georgia last week. I am officially handing over the hospital sentry duty for the week. I spent an hour walking her through ALL the things that go into being Mason's caregiver while spending the night with him. (I'm sure there are still things that I missed and I have called her at least 10 times since I left...) John and Adrienne will also be swapping nights with her this week, and I know Mason will be in good hands with all of them.

To say I have mixed feelings about this is a gross understatement.

BUT- the night before Mason was diagnosed, we were busy celebrating a huge milestone in his oldest brother's life- high school graduation. As his graduation gift, I had booked a trip to celebrate- bringing Hayley, Emerie, Jack, 4 of his closest friends, Kylie, Alex and Mason to Universal Studios for the week, followed by a weekend at the beach while I brought Alex and Mason to a lacrosse tournament.

Obviously, this leukemia diagnosis hits the entire family and I have been so impressed by how each and every member of the family has been coping and rolling with the changes. However, I really want to do everything I can to make sure that everyone else's summer remains as normal as possible. So I have rented a larger vehicle to fit us all, bags are packed, coolers are ready to go, and we head out first thing in the morning.

I spoke to Mason about the trip and his serious disappointment that he cannot join us at this time. We spent a lot of time last night planning his dream trip once he is done with treatment. He can't wait to get back to Universal Studios himself and then added a Caribbean cruise to his wish list- mainly for the unlimited ice cream cones. I told him that we will absolutely make those things happen as soon as we can.

Please continue to pray for control over his nausea, increased energy and continued response to the chemo treatments. Prayers for peace of mind for his mama who is going to do what she can to have her heart and mind in two very different places would also be appreciated! Thanks all!