Well, we've just spent Christmas Day @ The Sick Kids. We've opened lots of presents and gifts. Some were ours, some were Santa's and just as many from charitable donations. Olivia and Ewan, Donella and myself all received gifts from various charities. It's really quite humbling.

Tabby's best gift arrived yesterday when she was told she no longer needed a constant IV infusion. We were able to get rid of her drip stand named "Wall-e" and she now has much more freedom to move around the ward. Wall-e's wheels were like your worst supermarket trolley!

Tabby continues to look and feel better on a daily basis - so far. She is on high dose steroids as part of her chemo and we are warned that she may have mood swings, tantrums or general brattish behaviour. So far all she has is the "munchies" - mostly for spicey savoury foods and certainly not sweets! She is doing very well, undoubtedly gets tired easily and still looks pretty pale but is quite matter of fact about taking her tablets or discussing her temperature or blood pressure when they are taken. Even blood samples from her central line are ok as long as the nurse does not get in the way of the telly.

Anyway, we had a charity lunch this afternoon a sort of rolling buffet Christmas lunch prepared by parents and siblings of the ward patients. We are still the new kids on the block and it was a good chance to relax and speak to other parents and childeren on the ward. Everyone's story seems so harrowing yet we all use the words "adjust", "adapt" and "get on with it". All impossible without the staff of ward 2 @ "Sick Kids".

Happy Christmas,

The Lawsons