Starting off this year...
Arley was halfway through with preschool and doing remarkably well, and I myself had just enrolled back into classes to finish out my second degree. I finished out the semester earning myself a 4.0 GPA, scholarship for another semester and landed on the President's List.
The next milestone Arley had this year was obtaining her first ever Library card! While we do not utilize it due to the germs than can manifest in there, it was still a rite of passage that she was thrilled to take part in.
I myself personally left one career and started another and then switched organizations halfway through the year. It has offered a lot of growth and has been rewarding to learn another trade.
Next it was Arley's second season with the Hartford Hawks Softball team. I am so incredibly proud of these young women and cherish the friendship and bond they have with Arley. We have been frequent visitors to a lot of their games and in turn they have been frequent supporters of anything Arley has been involved in. We are so honored that we get to continue to be apart of this organization for our 3rd season and look forward to counting down the days until on the field again.
With that, Arley was also apart of the Bristol Blues again. This past season was much different than the first. Nobody can ever replace the friendships she formed with the Fab 5. Our experience this year wasn't the same and it's hard not to compare the two seasons, but the expectation was set very high and it fell flat. Although, I have been informed that this season is going to be even more different than the last so I'm hopeful that things will turn around for the better.
We also learned that Arley's Oncologist was pursuing a new venture and moved away. We miss him dearly, but hope that he is happy. Arley still hasn't had the first official meeting with her new Oncologist after the last time I mentioned it, but that is upcoming in the next couple of weeks so I'll be sure to update as it comes.
As we move further into the summer time a lot of things happened. Arley danced in her first recital, and was accepted into the performing dance troupe which would travel to different venues to perform during the winter months. We met actor Michael Cudlitz (Abraham from The Walking Dead), she turned 5 and started Kindergarten.
Moving on to the fall/winter months Arley has been extremely sick off and on since just before my birthday in October. She was doing good enough to attend her first big girl concert of Carrie Underwood, but November proved to be a harsh month health wise for her. She was constantly sick, missing days of school, and feeling all out miserable. You name it, she had it and then some. Because of this Arley has needed to do breathing treatments to help her feel better. It's been great, and she even alerts me to when she feels the need to do a treatment on her own.
To round out the year Arley achieved another milestone. She lost her first tooth!! A brand new tooth literally popped up overnight between one of her many trips to the pediatrician and took a whopping 12 whole days to fall out (in dance class of all places)
Additionally Arley got to be an extra in a commercial for the local news. It has aired several times already and will continue to gain frequency as the event she is apart of gets closer.
As far as all things related to Cancer. Arley began Physical Therapy. It was originally only supposed to be a 12 week session, but it turned into more with Arley eventually needing to have the leg braces put back on. The balance, coordination, and foot drop remain an issue. While both the PT and leg braces have been helpful, there are still many challenges and she experiences a lot of pain. Hopefully in the new year we will see greater improvements. Arley is set to have another set of scans soon and we will be doing a uro flow with Nephrology to figure out the blood in the urine issue she has been dealing with for quite some time. Unfortunately from my last update regarding that, nothing was to be done until January and we are almost there.
Regardless of everything, 2016 was a decent year. We gained new friendships, lost some friendships as well as a few loved ones, made big life decisions and continue to conquer everything that has come our way. We have no idea what 2017 will have in store for us. One can only hope, but I'm sure it's going to be a great year regardless because 7 just so happens to be my favorite/lucky number and I expect nothing but good things and will try to keep that attitude moving forward.
I still haven't made the decision on whether or not I will continue to post updates to this blog yet. I have created a new blog that will be much harder to find and will be using it moving forward more frequently in the new year. I will probably broadcast it on my main Facebook page so those family and friends can follow along, but haven't decided yet what I will do regarding those following along on our journey on the Team Arley page. I guess you'll just have to wait and see. Until next time, wishing you health & happiness in the new year.
