Update (Ian)

This isn't going to be a long post--I'm at work, duty calls, etc.--but I wanted to get something up.

Ian continues to do pretty well. He's been falling more, and complaining about his legs hurting. At this point, we're chalking it up to inflammation (as a result of the steroids). Deb and I are going to try managing his diet better, in the hopes that it will reduce the inflammation.

I've noticed that the past few days, he's had a harder time swallowing. This one scares me. It could be a sign of radiation scatter...or of the tumor. I think that he's getting sick and tired of me asking him if he has any problems swallowing, because when I ask him about it, he just indicates that everything is fine.

As far as we're concerned, Tuesday can't come soon enough. At this point, the waiting is the hardest part (hey, that sounds like a song...)

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I've had a little bit of money saved up from my birthday last month, and I've been spending waaay too much time figuring out what to do with it. I took a cue from a devotional yesterday that covered materialism; one fo the standout sentences was to "want what you already have."

Ian and I have been sharing a Nintendo DS game system for a while, but lately he's been hinting that he would like his own for Christmas. The main reason he gives is that he would like for the both of us to be able to play each other at the same time (the systems can be connected wirelessly, so that multiple people can play each other). I got to surprise him last night, when I took him to a game store and bought another DS. When he realized what I was purchasing, he coyly asked:

"Dad...what are you going to do with the old DS?"

(I love pausing in moments like these, just to stretch the tension out a little bit.)

"I don't know son." ... Pause ... "I thought I might give it to you."

The joy in that little boy's heart was worth every penny. I got several hugs and kisses, and even a few from his stuffed raccoon, Fisher. (I seem to have a good rapport with stuffed animals.)

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Ok, looking back at previous posts, maybe it is a longer one.