One year later

Hello all. For those of you that didn't see my post on facebook...Today is the one year anniversary of my diagnosis. I am sorry that I have not done a good job of keeping you all posted as to what is going on. Not much has been going on. Lets see. I last posted just before I was scheduled to finish radiation. Well I ended up not having any more radiation. Just as I didn't react well to the Chemo, I didn't react well to the radiation either. Luckily I was well enough that it wasn't a huge deal. I "missed" the last 3 treatments. I have some lung damage still. I am on 2 inhalers. One I have to do 2 puffs twice a day and the other one is as needed.

I went back to work in early August. I only worked 4 days a week before I got sick and now I have to work 5 which is tough, but I am doing okay with it.

We had a lovely trip to Vegas in October. We ended up driving rather than flying. It was a long trip. Irelynn is still not our "little traveler" and Zander asks ALOT of questions. But we survived, we had an awesome time and can't wait to go again.

We had a great Christmas and New Years and I am anxiously awaiting spring! We are getting ready to start planning our trip to our 7th annual Mariners opening day in April. We are also hoping to get our house on the market in the next couple months. We really need to get a bigger house! And we really want to be back in CV district by the time Irelynn starts school in December. Speaking of starting school, Irelynn is in group at the Guild School. She is in a class with 5 other boys! She is picking up so much already. This is only her 3rd week. Zander is still at St. Aloysius. He is in Pre-K (which he will do again next year). He also just started basketball. He is doing pretty good. He finished his first season of soccer with daddy as his coach. Nobody else volunteered so good 'ol Frankie stepped up. Have I mentioned how lucky I am to have him?

Frankie is doing well also. Besides being an awesome daddy and husband. We didn't do too much this summer so hopefully come May we can get the boat out and maybe go camping again. I really want to get down to Portland to see family too. They are missed greatly.

It has been one year since we had a foster child and I am missing it. I am hoping once we get a bigger house we can look into getting licensed again. Zander told me last night he wanted another brother and sister. We will see what daddy says about that though :). I'm okay with it... I still miss Eli like crazy. With the exception of the height of my illness when I had other things on my mind, not a day has gone by that I haven't thought of him. I picture his cute little face EVERY SINGLE DAY. I sure hope he is happy and healthy.

I have my first post treatment scan on the 9th of February and I am dreading it. Have been for a couple months now. I know I shouldn't think about it, but I keep wondering what happens if the cancer comes back. Seeing as I didn't handle Chemo or radiation well... what will they do. We will see I guess.

I will try and get on here to let you all know how my scan goes. But you probably shouldn't hold your breath seeing as how long it's been since my last post. ;)

Thank you to everyone. Misty and my sister Karin did a wonderful job of putting together that BBQ/Silent auction for us. It was SO NICE to see so many people that I hadn't been able to see while I was so sick. And it raised a nice chunk of money to help us get some bills paid/caught up.

Oh! My hair! It's coming back VERY CURLY. And it's pretty dark. I am sure once I am able to get out in the sun more it will lighten up. Not sure what the curl will do. It may stick around, but there is a good chance it will go away. Especially when I can put it in a pony again! It is maybe 2 inches long now.

Thanks everyone, chat with you later!

Pretty sucky

I updated my blog and then clicked the wrong button and everything went away. Guess what... I don't feel like doing it again right now. So you will have to wait.

I DO WANT TO INVITE ANYONE AND EVERYONE TO A BENEFIT SILENT AUCTION AND BBQ THAT A FRIEND HAS ORGANIZED FOR US. I FEEL SO BLESSED AND AM THANKFUL TO EVERYONE. IT WILL BE SO NICE TO SEE EVERYONE THAT HAS KEPT MY FAMILY AND ME IN THEIR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS DURING THAT PAST SEVERAL MONTHS.

PLEASE JOIN US SATURDAY AUGUST 21ST FROM 4:00 PM TO 8:00 PM AT EASTPOINT CHURCH. IT IS THE OLD K-MART ON SPRAGUE AND SULLIVAN NEXT TO YOKES.

A week from now...

A week from now I will be done with treatment. Oh how happy I will be. I am yet again in a rough patch. It hurts so bad to eat that I am sure I am dehydrated/mal-nourished again. I am trying my hardest to push things down but it hurts SO BAD. I can't even describe how it feels. I have 2 more regular treatments and then possibly 3 "boost" treatments. Boost treatments will be easier on me because they are to a more specific area rather than what they have been treating. I am also having issues with my energy level and breathing again. I see the doctor tomorrow and my other oncologist on Thursday.

We made it camping this last weekend (4th of July). It was pretty fun. I have been needing to get out of town. We went with another family and despite the yucky weather we were not expecting, we all had a pretty good time! Zander caught his first fish too! And second and third. Frank is COVERED in mosquito bites. They were horrible there!

Irelynn has finally cut her first teeth. Her top two front teeth and it looks like her fangs are not far behind. She is doing so much and we are very proud of her.

Thank you to everyone again for everything. We are happy to be ending this journey and hope to get back to "normal" very soon. Hopefully this will be the end of this journey forever. I still have a fear of the cancer coming back. I will live each day for what it is and worry about the cancer coming back IF it does.

7 down~10 to go!

Today was my 7th radiation treatment. I have 10 more with the possibility of 3 at a lower dose and to a more specific area. I am feeling okay. I have so much more energy than I had a month ago. The radiation is hurting my throat area. It hurts really bad to eat. I have to take really small bites and chew it up really good and it still hurts. I have recovered from all my illnesses. My lungs are back to normal. NO PERMANENT DAMAGE! I am still on oxygen at night, but only because it wasn't my lung doctor that put me on it. It was my oncologist and I don't see him again for a few weeks. I keep taking it off in the middle of the night and I am still alive so I think I will be okay without it.

We signed Zander up for soccer. He starts in August. I asked him if he wanted to play soccer and he said "YEAH! I want to have a number 1 on my back!" It was pretty cute. We got him some cleats and everything. I am excited to get him on a team. I can't wait until he can start baseball, but I think we are a couple years away from that. He is done with swimming lessons. They were a short thing. I missed most of it because I was in the hospital for the first one and too sick to go to the rest. I tried, but it was too much for me.

Irelynn is doing well. Crawling all over the place and getting into everything. The other day Frank was leaving for work and she said "bye daddy". She is picking up so much. She had her 18 month well child last week and her pediatrician is impressed with all she is doing and saying. She says mama, daddy, hi and bye bye. She tries to say doggy and baby. She is also starting to pull herself up on furniture.

Frank too is doing well. He is still a great husband and daddy and I am SOOOOO lucky to have found him. He still has his days though...

Cabin fever has set in pretty bad. I need to get out of town. We are hoping to go camping sometime soon. Maybe towards the end of July. We will have to see.

My friend Kim is here from Vegas. We have had lots of fun so far and I am sure there is more to come. We had a little reunion of some of our high school friends and are doing a BBQ on Thursday to meet each others kids.

I am getting excited to head to Vegas too, but have 4 more months until that happens. It will be here soon enough. I hope.

I will update you all again soon. Thank you to everyone for thinking and praying for us during this difficult time. We really do appreciate it.

Getting better?

So from what I can tell I am healing nicely from my Pneumonia, Blood Clot and Bleomyacin Toxicity. I am still supposed to take it easy for the next month but I am getting up and around A LOT more. I get very tired very easily and am still pretty slow. I started driving this week. I have driven more in the last week than I did the entire month before this week. I have had something every day this week and it is the same way next week.

I had a nice 32nd birthday. We went to dinner with my mom and the kids on my birthday and then Saturday Frank and I went out to dinner on our own. It was nice and I even had a drink! That is a rare thing when I am healthy but after the month I had I figured I deserved one!

So yesterday I went in for my radiation simulation. Tomorrow I go in and finish it. They will give me "tattoos" that they will use to know where to set me up for the radiation. Then I start radiation on MONDAY! That is one week earlier than my goal! I also had expected to have to do 6 weeks of radiation and I only have to do 3 1/2 to 4 weeks. This means that one month from now this should all be behind me! I will still have lots of appts and scans I am sure, but for the most part I will be DONE! We can get on with our lives! I am hoping that it won't take me long to regain my strength and I can get back to work by July 31st. Maybe sooner! I am very excited to get back to work. It is a huge stress to not be working. I love being around my kids more. It is making up for the fact that I am not "taking care" of them. At least I get to be around them more.

Zander had his last day of pre school today. He will be in Pre K in the fall at St. Al's. They have been wonderful to us, especially in the past few months. His previous teachers from his pre preschool class invited him back today for a graduation. They had little graduation caps and he got a diploma. He hasn't been in that class for a few months now, but I think Miss Brittanie and Miss Amanda always had a special place in their hearts for Zander. It was very kind of them to invite us to their graduation party.

I will try to update you and let you know how the radiation goes. It has just been so crazy with all my appts the past couple weeks and like I said, next week is no different.

Thank you everyone!

Another set back

Just a quick note to let people know of my latest hurdle. I got a call on Wednesday from my doctor and from my CT Scans and PET scans on Tuesday, they found that I have a blood clot in my lung. I am now doing blood thinning shots in my stomach every day to break it up. Not sure how long I will have to do them. Have I told anyone that I can't wait for this to be OVER! It has been a somewhat depressing week. Just one thing after another and then not being "allowed" to work but also not being able to take care of my kids. It is tough. I am hoping in the next week or 2 I can take care of my kids on my own again, but then what happens when I start radiation and have to go EVERY DAY.

On a positive note I am excited that my friend Kim is making a trip up from Vegas to visit me. I am so VERY excited. I have not seen her in over a year and it will be a much needed visit. She doesn't care what I look like. Which I look like a Chia Pet right now.

I am thinking about shaving my head again because I think my hair will be growing back for good since I'm not going through chemo anymore. That way it can all grow back even.

Thank you to the Indian Trail Yokes for the yummy turkey dinner you brought us. I can't wait for dinner! You guys (along with many many many people) have been so very kind and we appreciate it!

Thank you!

Just wanted to give everyone a little update. I don't have much to report. I am home from the hospital, thank goodness. So much of that stay is a blur. I barely remember who all came to see me. So thank you to those of you that did. I appreciate it. I am home on my own today with the kids. That is tough when you are not used to it. I don't think I have been alone with both my kids in a few months. Zander is somewhat of a helper and somewhat of a 3 year old. overall he is doing pretty good though.

I forgot to mention that I had to have a blood transfusion while I was in the hospital. That was kind of scary for me. Just thinking about what could happen. But it was needed. I was low on blood. I also had my blood drawn probably 40 or 50 times. I have so many bruises on my arms. And they had to check my blood oxygen! That hurt like such a bad word! They take that blood from an artery instead of a vein. As of right now I am not "allowed" to work. Doctor's orders. I have an appt tomorrow and I am hoping for some answers. Maybe a name for what I have. Besides the Pneumonia.

I also want to share a nice story. I shared on facebook, so sorry to those of you that are hearing this again. The day I came home from the hospital, I was sitting out on the porch swing and a lady that lives across the street and down a couple houses came over. We have never met this lady. Her husband plows the street in the winter but we really haven't met him either. Well she comes up to the gate and she said she had something for me. I walked out there and she said she could tell we were going through some tough times and wanted to give us a little something. I told her that I had Hodgkin's lymphoma and she handed me $100! What a nice lady! I wish I could bake. I wish I had the energy to bake to take her something. We have had a lot of generosity come our way and we appreciate every single bit of it. From the meals to just having someone to talk to. In my opinion, this neighbor went above and beyond. I just wanted to share this little story. As much as I talk bad about our neighborhood, there are still those "good" neighbors out there!

oh what a...MONTH!

No pictures today and probably won't type too much. I am on the laptop and I hate typing on this, but figured I needed to let everyone know what was going on. I will tell you to the best of my ability.

So I battled that stupid cold for 3 weeks and FINALLY started to feel better just in time to have Chemo again. That Chemo went okay and for the first few days I actually felt okay. Then that Saturday I started getting sick. I couldn't keep ANYTHING down. I thought I was doing really well with drinking my water, but I wasn't doing good enough. So last week (the 6th and 7th?) I went back to my oncologist and they put me on IV fluids. I was still very very very weak. I seriously did nothing but lay on the couch or in my bed. I just couldn't beat it. So Sunday afternoon (Mother's Day) Frank brought me into the ER. They ended up admitting me and here I sit. A week later.

My port has slipped, which my be why I have been getting sick, but who knows. One of the Chemo drugs has caused lung damage. I am currently on oxygen. I will no longer have Chemo, I have to do the rest of my treatment by doing radiation. I don't know how I feel about this. I know it will make me VERY tired. But I don't think it will make me sick. Who knows. I am sure I will find out more soon. I wonder if my hair will grow back... I wonder, I wonder, I wonder. So many questions.

just a quick "funny" Zander story... He and I got home one day and he picked up a rock and was playing with it. We went inside and I was going to lay on the couch and he was laying on the love seat and we were going to take a nap. After laying there for about 20 minutes, Zander pops his head up and said "mommy, my rock is in my nose!" so off to the ER with Zander. As we were sitting there he sneezed 3 times and sneezed it out! He was pretty excited that he "Achooed and got it out all by himself"

Well hopefully there aren't alot of errors here, my dinner is served and I am going to try and eat. Everyone have a wonderful evening or whatever it is when you read this, and I will update you as I know more!

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.

I am so sorry that you all had to wait so long for an update. I give small updates as needed on facebook, but I know a lot of you aren't on facebook and I am sorry. This Chemo was kind of in the middle of the first two. Not as bad as the first one, but not as "good" as the second one. I have been sick to my stomach almost every day since then and VERY VERY VERY tired. I have slept quite a bit more in the last week than I usually do.

My hair is coming out in clumps. I just laid on the couch Friday and Saturday after Chemo and didn't even take a shower. So Sunday when I finally felt up to taking one it was very traumatizing. And my husband was not very sympathetic. He learned quickly that it was the wrong time to give me an attitude. So needless to say I told him it was time to shave my head. I think it was too hard on him to do and that must be why he gave me an attitude. So we went out to my dads for my step mom to help me out. This isn't something I wanted to do in public nor have an audience for. Well I guess I chickened out once again, because we just ended up cutting it REALLY SHORT! I have no choice now. It will be gone by tomorrow. I desperately need to deep clean my house but there is no point in doing it until my hair is gone. It is ALL OVER THE PLACE!

I also learned of a website from Irelynn's Occupational Therapist. She wasn't gone half an hour and I had gone on and ordered two scarves and two... WIGS! Yep one is short and blonde and the other is really long straight hair and I think it will be kind of a strawberry blondish brown. The scarf is Pink and the other thing is actually kind of line a beanie and it too is PINK! I hope I wear the wigs enough to get my moneys worth at least. My wrap that I was given was shipped yesterday. So I should have it sometime next week hopefully.

Our trip to Seattle is quickly approaching. We are staying at the Holiday Inn in Renton. We will get to town on Sunday the 11th probably not until at least 1 or so. We are hoping to see Frank's cousin Mister and his family. We don't know too many people over there anymore... and it is such a quick trip. We have opening day on Monday and we are heading out Tuesday the 13th. Didn't want to over do it or over spend. We do need to save for VEGAS!

I want to also say thank you to Patty. She is my part time bookkeeper that covers my days off. She is doing a great job stepping up. I don't have the follow through that I used to have... She is more than willing to work whenever needed. I wish I didn't have to stress so much about having 24 hours (for insurance) or I would probably take her up on her offer a lot more. Some days it is so hard to get through my day. And I only work about 5 hours a day. I have to catch myself or I will just stare off into space. Chemo brain really does exist! I sure hope my bosses don't read this or I may not have a job anymore ;) Anyways, Patty did a wonderful job of getting me a prayer quilt. She went to a couple of other stores that I have worked at and had so many people sign it! I LOVE it. I am waiting until I am hairless to take a picture of it (and me) and then I will post it. And if anyone wants to sign it that didn't get a chance, just let me know. I would love to fill it up. That was Patty's plan, but I think she was too excited to give it to me.

We are loving the meals that have been given to us. It is so nice to have yummy meals. And so often not something I would make. I had been craving tater tot casserole for some time and just hadn't gotten around to making it and then Jill in the deli brought it to us after my last Chemo. It was so yummy!

I took the kids to JC Penney today to have their Easter pictures taken. We went here for the first time for Christmas Pics before Irelynn was born. The lady asked for us to sign a release so they could display them. I felt so honored. So far they haven't used them but it still feels so nice to be asked. So today we were waiting our turn and Betty Ann (?) said it would be just a minute. I noticed they had been switching places as far as who is taking the pictures and I don't think we were supposed to have Betty Ann. So I said with a big old smile... "Are you going to take them" and she said "I can" and of course I said yes please! Not saying the other people aren't as good, she just really does a good job and had a lot more patience. So once again as I am picking which pictures I want to buy, Betty Ann came up to us and told the other lady... "we need her to sign a release" YIPPEE they asked again! So always keep your eye on the little fliers that they send out in the mail or put in the magazines or even hang in their stores. It could be Zander and/or Irelynn!

Well that is all for today. I am sure I will let you know how our weekend goes. Hopefully we will make it to Riverfront park on Saturday. We need to pick up and start using our season passes that we have already paid for.

Hello again to everyone. Thank you for keeping up with me. I love to go back and read all your comments. Some make me laugh, some make me smile, and some make me want to cry. My emotions are actually in check lately. Not too bad. Hooray for Frank! So I am still doing really well since my last Chemo and am anxiously (?????) awaiting this coming Wednesday to get #3 out of the way! Here is a not too great picture of me with my new Tinkerbell hat. I think Zander took this one. It's for the people that don't get to see me, which is probably the majority of you reading this. My hair is really coming out. I have been thinking about cutting it one more time, but don't know if it's worth it. I think in the next couple weeks I will be shaving it.

After doing all of my countdowns I thought "how sad is that!" and I told Frank I NEED something to look forward too. Just the end of Chemo isn't cutting it for me anymore. Soooooo... We are in the process of planning a trip to... VEGAS! We aren't going until October, but I am looking and looking and looking and pricing and pricing. A couple of my sisters and their families are coming with us and maybe a friend from work and her husband. We are going to go down for 4 days with everyone else and then we are going to stay a few extra days with my good friend Kim who lives there. And as much as Frank is trying to talk me out of it... OUR KIDS ARE GOING WITH US! Just not ready to part with them any time soon. Hopefully the medical bills won't get in the way of this trip. I am trying to get it going soon so we are "locked" in.

We also got tickets to opening day for the Mariners! This has been a big concern to me because I just don't know if I will feel up to going. Hopefully I will be okay. If not, Irelynn and I can hang out at the hotel and Frank and Zander can go without me. I just couldn't watch it go by without at least trying. We have gone every year since we got married and Zander and Irelynn have both been to every one since they were born. Well, Irelynn went last year and this will be her 2nd. It will be Zander's...4th.

So Irelynn has an appt tomorrow to get a new G-Tube. She won't be able to pull this one out like she does now. Which will be nice. I am going to push to see if they will re-do her fundoplication. With the Fundo, they take the upper part of the stomach and wrap it around the esophagus. She can no longer puke when she has this done. She had it done last May and it only lasted 4 months. I am hoping this time it will last longer. I worry about the acid coming up and how uncomfortable that is for her. I know over the last few weeks I have developed horrible heartburn and it sucks! I can only imaging how she feels. She hasn't gained any weight since her 12 month check up. Actually she did gain, but then she lost it again. The pediatrician isn't too concerned about the weight loss, because Irelynn is so mobile now and burning calories. I think though that her dietitian and her speech therapist are on board with us wanting to re-do the fundo.

Zander is doing well and had recovered from his ear infection and possible strep. He is happy to tell us "my ears don't hurt anymore!". He is wanting to get outside so much now. Hopefully over the next few weeks it will get even nicer than it already is.