We spent all day at CHLA yesterday. We had to bring Lauren in because she has been complaining of headaches for the past couple of weeks. They checked and adjusted Lauren's shunt (it pumps excess fluid out of her head), they checked her blood counts, which was great. It was over 5k (anything over 1,500 is considered normal), and they did a CT scan, which confirmed the tumor is stable and there was no swelling or build up of fluids. It's hard to stay positive and not think of the worst-case scenario when the doctors and nurses are checking Lauren out. All of us (me, Hilary and granny) are reading the body language of the medical staff as they check her out. We see and interpret (usually wrong) every twitch or raised eye brow of the doctor or PA (physician assistant). Maybe it's because I'm so tired, but as I was laying Lauren down on the table for her CT scan and seeing her go into the machine that looks like a big donut (I always have to remind Lauren not to take a bite out of it), I had this sense of dread. I know I need to stay positive, but I couldn't help it. While we didn't find the cause of Lauren's headache, it's a huge relief that the tumor is stable and that there was no sign of swelling.

One of the good things about staying late at the hospital is that we got to eat dinner at Lauren's (and my) favorite Japanese restaurant, Sen Shin Gumi in Rosemead. And one of the best part of eating there is that I know the girls will finish their dinner, which can be a challenge.