We have 3 updates:
1) Kourtney is back from Camp Casey soccer camp and said she had a good time with her friends and played a ton of soccer!
2) My mole removal, 2 weeks ago, took Dr. Byrd about 2 hours and I have 4 more scars to prove now that I am completely free of melanoma. This round of GM-CSF shots will be over on Friday, then I take 2 weeks off and go for one more round for 2 weeks.
3) Alexa had her surgery today and it all went very well, Grammie, Doug and I were there with her. She wanted to "sleep" during it, so she wouldn't feel any pain, and it worked. We checked into Virginia Mason at 7:20am, moved into the prep. room around 8am and she was changed and ready to get wheeled into the operating room with Ruf Ruf and Ruf Ruf (2.0) in hand around 8:30am. 
Her plastic surgeon, Dr. Alexandra Schmedik, was very personable and showed her a picture of her "real" dogs :-) I was able to go into the operating room with her until she fell asleep. Once in the room, they quickly administered "laughing gas"... and much to my surprise, she giggled into a nice slumber... she said the last thing she heard was me say "I thought laughing gas was just what they called it" then she said it echoed over and over in her head, along with the nurse saying "keep breathing", and that was it, she felt all tingley and was out. The surgery went from about 8:30-9:00 and then we were visited by Dr. Schmedik with the news that it went very well and her instructions of no soccer for 2 weeks, since they did internal stitches and don't want to risk them getting hit by a ball or cleat. I think she decided to say "2 weeks of rest from soccer" specifically instead of 1 week due to the nice bruise Alexa has on her shin from the soccer tournament in Portland this weekend ;-). 
After seeing this photo showing her surgery area and bruise, her soccer coach texted, "Hmmm which one will she more proud of....? :)" Alexa says "both". We are now at home resting, watching tv and movies.
Her plastic surgeon, Dr. Alexandra Schmedik, was very personable and showed her a picture of her "real" dogs :-) I was able to go into the operating room with her until she fell asleep. Once in the room, they quickly administered "laughing gas"... and much to my surprise, she giggled into a nice slumber... she said the last thing she heard was me say "I thought laughing gas was just what they called it" then she said it echoed over and over in her head, along with the nurse saying "keep breathing", and that was it, she felt all tingley and was out. The surgery went from about 8:30-9:00 and then we were visited by Dr. Schmedik with the news that it went very well and her instructions of no soccer for 2 weeks, since they did internal stitches and don't want to risk them getting hit by a ball or cleat. I think she decided to say "2 weeks of rest from soccer" specifically instead of 1 week due to the nice bruise Alexa has on her shin from the soccer tournament in Portland this weekend ;-). After seeing this photo showing her surgery area and bruise, her soccer coach texted, "Hmmm which one will she more proud of....? :)" Alexa says "both". We are now at home resting, watching tv and movies. We plan on being DONE with hospitals for good now since these last 8 months have given us enough experience with them and because we all have been given a clean bill of health, finally! Also done are soccer tournaments and summer vacations so we look forward to the nice routine of school and fall soccer that is just around the corner.
Thanks for all your support and we will update the blog sometime in September.
~Keri, Doug, Kourtney & Alexa
PS An early "Welcome to the World" to Zoe Hill (Tom and Stefanie Hill's new little one) - Stefanie is in labor at the hospital as I type and we wish them and Zoe's big sister, Hanely, all the best!
