The hospital called today and booked a CT scan for Tim for next week Tuesday. So far they have not managed to get an MRI at the same time. Please pray that an appointment slot will open up for that we can do both tests while Tim is still put out and that they will be able to get an IV in. Everything is going well at home. Tim is getting very speedy at crawling and can now chase Kate around quite well! The two of them have really starting playing together, bonding and giggling which is quite cute to watch. Have a great week y'all and I will keep you posted on the CT scan results.

Update

Hey Y'all. We went to the hospital on Monday for a follow-up appointment with Dr. Cameron, one of Tim's surgeons. It was weird... we actually hadn't been at the hospital since the surgery. You go from spending hours and hours there to nothing. And since I have been back to work, life seems almost normal! Anyways, the check up was good. All pathology looks favourable and the slides show that the tumour is showing signs of changing to a ganglioneuroma, which is a benign tumour. (this is good news!) There are still viable tumour cells left, which we already knew because they couldn't get out everything during the surgery. We also found out that the original survival stats they gave us were much too high (90-95%). Dr. Lieberman says it is closer to 70% survival but she is going to get back to me with some stats from the doc in Califormia. I think they really don't know how best to treat Tim because his cancer is so rare and also it is such a weird shape and presentation compared to others, it makes for a lot of discussion amongst his doctors. But for now, he will have scans done every 2-3 months, including another MRI and CT scan as soon as they can book one.
The neuro exam they did was normal. (Tim used to have NO reflexes on the right) but they found a little lump under Tim's scar which is probably just post-surgical scar tissue or something but they ordered an ultrasound just to be sure. So all in all a good report and now we just keep doing check-ups and hope the cancer doesn't come back. That's all for now!!

Tim is One !!

On December 30th, Tim turned one year old! What an accomplishment !! He has probably been through more in one year than most people will be through in a lifetime. Here are some photos of his special day!! Way to go Tim!

Merry Christmas from Shauna, Ken, Kate and Timothy

Tim's cheeky smile, his first tobaggan ride (which he didn't like), our new home-made table, and breakfast at sunrise.

Some more photos... Kate enjoying her new paints (she loves crafts!), Tim is excited on his tractor, fun in the tub and more!

A John Deere Christmas

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all! I trust you all had a wonderful holiday and are looking forward to a great year in 2009. We had a great holiday here in St. George as we all got to be home together as a family. Tim gave me the best present ever as he learned to crawl right on Christmas day! That was such a special moment since we didn't even know if he would ever be able to because of the possible damage done to his nerves during surgery. Tim has also been attempting to stand in the middle of a room, holding himself up on furniture, and taking steps when you hold his hands. These new accomplishments show a promising future for a normal development for Timothy.

Christmas morning was especially exciting this year as Kate is at the age to really get into it. She was thrilled to see that Santa had eaten his cookies and milk and that Rudolph had eaten his carrots. Santa really spoiled the kids this year as we had a lot to celebrate. Highlights included a new ride-on John Deere tractor from Gramma and Grandpa Dougley, as well as little mini ones from daddy! We had my mom's side of the family over on the 25th for turkey dinner and got to use our cool new table that Ken and I made as a neat project. Aunt Nellie also joined us this year which was a special treat! After dessert we couldn't help but burst into a good old fashioned Russian hymn-sing. Good times. The next day we went to Laura's house for Ken's family Christmas. (now a group of 31!)

In terms of medical news, there isn't any yet. I keep calling the hospital and no one calls back. We are still waiting to see what the director of the clinical study wants to do. The doctor wants to just observe now but had to make sure that was okay with the guy in California. So in the mean time, I am planning to return to work next week. I don't know how I am supposed to make any plans without knowing anything! Anyways, you can continue to pray for Tim's future health and treatment (if any!) and for Ken and I as we go in front of the church this Sunday for an interview with pastor Steve. Please pray for no tears and that we will be able to minister to the congregation thru sharing our story.