It's all down hill from here? I sure hope so. I have finally hit the half way point. Six down, six to go. I am thankful to FINALLY be over my cold too. THREE WEEKS it lasted. Finally went away on Wednesday. Just in time to feel like crap from Chemo. Lost my voice for 3 to 4 days. That was fun. Doctors are very happy with how I am responding, but not happy with my nausea issues. They have actually gotten better once I get home, but as far as during chemo, I am still getting sick. They got me a new nausea med. It is actually a patch that I will put behind my ear and change every 3 days. I haven't picked it up yet so don't know how well it works.

For this Chemo I am once again very tired. I try to listen to my body as much as possible and sleep quite a bit. I feel sick but haven't gotten sick. Today is the day that I have no taste. Everything is just blah. Not that I have eaten much. I have been craving salad a lot! I don't really know why, but for the last couple weeks it's all I want. I don't think it's hurting anything though. Not much of an appetite lately either. Hopefully I will get to buy a new wardrobe when this is all over! The scale says I have lost about 15 lbs, but I don't see it :(

I talk a lot about the kids and how they are doing. I really need to talk about Frank. From the looks of it he is still holding up pretty well. I have been pretty emotional the last month or so and he is doing a good job of keeping me going. I feel so bad for him and I really appreciate everything he is doing. He is such a good dad. EVERY night after work he is outside playing with Zander. No matter what. Last weekend I wasn't feeling well and didn't sleep well and was feeling bad that we don't get out much so I suggested that he and Zander go to Riverfront park and play. We have season passes. Well he took Zander AND Irelynn so I could rest. I took a 4 hour nap I think. He came home and took them out to his grandparents house. That got to be a bit much for me and I missed them! So thank you Frank for all you do. You are the best husband and I promise next summer we will go camping or take the boat out or go to a Mariners game EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND!

I also need to thank my mom for all she is doing. There are days (like today) where I can't get off the couch. And she does a great job of taking care of Irelynn and keeping the house clean and the laundry done. I haven't cleaned or done laundry in a LONG time! So thanks mom!

And of course onto the kids... I finally broke down and got Zander's hair cut. His cute little mullet is gone. I was joking with him before we left about getting his hair cut like mine and he kept saying no. Well we got there and he climbed up on the horse and said "I want it cut like mommy's" It was pretty cute. So he pretty much got the same haircut as me, but he has a little more hair than me ;)

Irelynn is "crawling" all over the place. She chases Zander around the house and "tackles" him. Her OT said she has never seen a kid with DS crawl like Irelynn does, but also said she will be crawling "correctly" very soon. I love the way Irelynn looks at Zander. She just adores him. And his is so good with her too. Today he was playing and he took a break to go over and give her a kiss. It was so sweet!

We had a great time volunteering at the penny drive for Irelynn's school and thank you to everyone who donated. I can't believe we made it at all and especially that we made it for the few hours that we did. I was still fighting that darn cold, but we made it. It is such a good feeling to be out there and it is so wonderful to see all the people supporting the Spokane Guilds School!

I once again need to start off by saying I AM SOOOOO SORRY! I never intended for it to take me more than a week to post. I have just been really really really really sick and the computer has been the last place I want to be! I have been fighting this "cold" for over 2 weeks now and I think adding Chemo to the mix was just too much for me.

So I am sure everyone wants to know... I am responding well to them Chemo. My original PET Scan put me at a Stage II. If this last PET Scan were my first I would only be a Stage I. The cancer went from being in 4 areas to just 1! I wish it had come back clear, but am very content with the results. It also showed I had swollen lymph nodes meaning I am fighting an infection. The only thing the doctor could think of was Strep. I thought for sure I had Bronchitis again, but she said I sounded good. She couldn't test me for strep (I would have to go to my primary for that) and she was putting me on antibiotics anyways because of what the PET scan showed. After 5 days of antibiotics I was not getting ANY better and possibly getting worse and I could no longer keep the antibiotics down. I called and let them know what was going on yesterday and they made me come in so I could get some IV fluids. They also sent me for a Chest X-ray. I go back on Friday and depending on how I am doing and what the Chest X-ray shows I may have a CT scan. I am feeling SO MUCH better today though. Still not 100% and my voice is gone, but I feel okay!

We got the kids a swing set and they are loving it. Irelynn got her own little pink baby swing. I put her in it the other day and she was giggling. She is also VERY mobile and into everything! I give her her little box of toys and she crawls over to the plug in. Why do we spend money on toys?

You would think after a week I would have more to post, but I don't. Sorry. Thank you again to everyone for your support. I am still planning on getting some thank you cards but haven't. Hopefully soon and hopefully you all know how grateful I am for everything!

Here are a couple pics of the kids. This is how Irelynn sits in her high chair. No matter what. She ends up this way. And this is Zander sleeping a few weeks ago. I was getting ready for work and he was half off the couch. He refuses to wear jammies lately. He only wants to wear the pants.

We are home from Seattle and had a nice quiet vacation. We kind of wish we had more time to visit, but it just wasn't in the plans. The Mariners lost, but we were there to see them lose and that's what matters. Zander was so excited the whole time. Even a few days before we left he kept asking if we were leaving to go on vacation and when are we going to the mariners game. Then even being there he kept asking "when are we going to Seattle". I guess technically we weren't in Seattle when we were at our hotel. We were in Renton. The weather was decent for the game. It was dry at least. I didn't have to put my warm coat on until the 7th inning stretch! Irelynn fell asleep in the 4th inning and Zander wasn't too far behind her.

I am STILL battling this cold and it is getting VERY OLD! It has been over a week! My voice was in and out yesterday and I now have a cold. I am wondering if I have bronchitis again. I will find out tomorrow when I go to the doctor. I haven't been as "anxious" this time. I guess since I have been having so much fun with my family. I really don't want to have Chemo tomorrow. I just dread it. I can't wait for August when this is all behind me. I hate wishing my life away, but since the alternative is this... then I will wish the next few months away! I hate the way I feel afterwords. I hate being sick. I hate not being able to take care of my kids. I hate hurting. I hate being so tired that I am barely around my family. And I don't have a cool fraction to use this time. I will be 5/12 of the way done. That's no fun :(

Irelynn is not the traveler we need her to be. We have barely traveled since she has been born. With all her medical issues last summer, we were stuck at home. We went to opening day when she was 4 months old, to the Tri Cities when she was 6 months old and to Portland and the coast when she was 7 months old. That is when Frank got laid off also. So no more fun for us! She did pretty good on the way to Seattle, but on the way home, she started crying in Moses Lake. I told Frank "watch, she will fall asleep right as we get to Spokane". Well we got to Cheney and she was still crying. Frank said guess she isn't going to sleep. But then... just as we got to the top of the hill over looking Spokane, she was out. We probably won't do too much traveling this year either. At least not until August. We will see though.

I think that is all I have for tonight. I h0pe you all have a nice week. I will try and get on here in the next couple days to let you know the results of my PET scan that I had last week. I get the results tomorrow at 1:00. Wish me luck!

Thank you everyone!

Good evening to everyone. I wanted to post last night but the laptop wouldn't work down in the basement. That is where I was stuck because I had a PET scan yesterday and couldn't be around my kids for 24 hours! That was tough! I got a quick hug and kiss from each of them when I got home from the doctor at about 3:30 but then it was off to the dungeon.

I didn't get any results from the PET scan. I will find out at my appt before my next Chemo on Wednesday. I wish it would come back clean and they would say "You are fine and don't need to do any more chemo, Oh and the cancer will NEVER return" But I am pretty sure that won't be what happens. I am positive it will come back better than the first one, but I will still have to do my last 8 chemos. And I think one of my biggest fears is this coming back after I go through all of this. Cancer and Chemo SUCK! I am miserable and I feel like the worst mom and wife in the entire world! Just to share that with you.

I have what the doctor called "associated nausea". I am finding so many smells mainly that get to me and make me sick. They are working on getting my insurance to approve some stronger nausea pills. My latest (sorry Dad) is the new car air freshener. My dad has that in his car and he has taken me to my last two chemo appts. Well Frank took my car to work on Tuesday and got the oil changed and they cleaned my car so he got me a new air freshener. He knows of some of my issues with smells and thought the new car one would be safe. It wasn't... Also as I drive up to the doctors office I get nauseous. It is so lovely. Haven't had any issues with foods yet.

We are for the most part ready for our trip. A little bit more to pack. Hopefully by 10 or 11 on Sunday we will be heading to Seattle!

Frank and I snuck out tonight for a late anniversary dinner. I didn't feel much like going out last weekend so we went tonight. We went to Outback. It was nice not having the kids, or Zander throwing a fit through dinner. I missed him the entire time because of that.

I also want to give a shout out to my nephew Cody, who probably won't read this. Cody is 16 and has achieved his lifetime dream (seriously) of being a race car driver. He had his first race out at State Line speedway last night. Because of my scan yesterday we were not able to go. We are hoping to make it soon. From what I hear, he was doing well until someone clipped him in turn four and sent him into the wall. At a very high rate of speed. He was able to walk away and they are working on getting him a new car. Way to go Code! We have a little present for you when we see you next!

I have been battling a cold and am going to go take some NyQuil and go to bed. I have also been battling sleep. I would do anything for a decent nights sleep. Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. Have a nice weekend if you don't hear from me again!

I hope everyone had a nice Easter. We did. Well we did our best. I have had a lot of side effects of Chemo this time and haven't been feeling the worst, but at the same time haven't been feeling too great. I actually got sick DURING chemo this time. That was a first. I think a lot of it is in my head, but at the same time I know it isn't. Even pulling up to the place makes me feel sick. I am officially bald now. I did it last Friday. Or Frank did. It was time. And my hair is growing back too. I am sure I will end up losing what has grown back.

Yesterday was our 6th anniversary. We didn't do anything except go shopping for Easter stuff. Oh what a date! So my new countdown is OPENING DAY! Next week at this time, we will be in our hotel in Seattle!

I have a PET scan on Wednesday. I am hoping for great results (which I won't get back for at least a week). The PET scans are nice, but I can't be around my kids the rest of the day, and that sucks. I miss them already with as little as I "feel like" caring for them. Even if I get good results I have to finish my last 8 chemos. I am now 1/3 of the way done. No neat fractions for a while. Not until I am 1/2 way I guess. Sorry so random. It will all end soon seeing as I want to go to bed.

Thank you to my sister Kimberly who came to town from Portland to see us for Easter. The house has been full, but fun.

What else... Zander just dropped a jar of jelly on his toe. I feel SOOOOO bad for him :( My poor little man. His toe instantly turned black, but is looking better now. Now he just fell asleep, sitting up on the couch. I really need to share some of his sleeping pics with you all!

Once again, I am sorry for being random. I will go to bed now.