Day 378: Autumnal Equinox!

Monday, September 22, 2008 - I apologize for not writing in almost... a MONTH? Yikes! And my mom (Grandma Peggy) didn't even call (yet) to remind me to write! :-)

Frankly, things are going well. Mady is feeling good, and Julia gets out of her leg cast on Friday (did I mention that she broke her little toe a few weeks ago?). Construction on our house is pretty much complete and we're back in. Some minor things are missing... gutters, window screens, things like that... but in general it feels done, and it's nice to be settled into a normal routine.

Mady's new school

Mady has started high school... at a NEW SCHOOL! Last year, while Mady was undergoing the worst of her chemotherapy, we researched private schools. She had attended little of the 8th grade, but with the help of some home tutoring, she graduated from middle school. With her continuing chemo protocol we knew that the next two academic years could be challenging, and we thought that a smaller, more nurturing environment might be helpful. We looked a number of great schools in the area, but the favorite turned out to be very close to home... the Waldorf High School of Massachusetts Bay happens to be (literally) right across the street!

The teachers are wonderful and the classes are small. In fact, the entire 9th grade is 12 kids! Mady has really enjoyed the first few weeks of school... In addition to classes, she's involved in drama club, soccer, jazz band, and just got back from a 3-day service camping trip in northern New York where the the entire 9th and 10th grade class helped build a trail.

The Waldorf School's goal is to awaken in their students:

• Clear, informed, and heartfelt thinking;


• Creativity and inquiry;


• Compassion for and interest in the world and all humanity;


• A well-founded belief in their capacities and the will to use them.

Nice. So far, it seems to be a good fit for Mady. I asked her the other day if the kids at school know that she has leukemia. She said that some of her friends do, but it's not a big deal. She's mostly just a normal 9th grader! :-)

One year diagnosis anniversary

As you can tell by scrolling down to the bottom of the blog, September 10th marked the one year "anniversary" of the worst day of our lives. We all remember the moment sooo clearly. The question of the day was How this could happen to our happy and healthy daughter? A year later, she still has a long way to go in her leukemia battle, but she is still our happy daughter... her spirit is so strong. And her strength (and her hair) is returning! A year into the treatment, we know that she will win the battle. Thank you to the many friends and family who had Mady in their thoughts on the 10th.

When I came home from work on the 10th Mady asked me if I knew what day it was. I said with a smile, "Sure... it's Wednesday." She smiled back and said "Yeah," and gave me a big hug.