Starting Chemo in JAN 2007

Nancy hope that things are moving along for you….It is so hard to live in a construction zone…but in the end it will look great I am sure!  Sounds like you need some heavy duty slippers.

Tina congrats on getting your house onto the market!  That is a real milestone, and I know that you have been working very hard to get your house ready.  You are totally right about changing gyms being a “big thing”.  It was very traumatic for the kids, particularly Frances. She actually cried through half of her first practice….so much so that the coach was concerned that she was not going to come back.  He said that the nicer they were to her, the worse her crying became…which just confirms in my mind that this was the right decision….she is not used to being treated so nicely by the coaching staff.  Her old coaches had gotten increasingly harsh over the last few months, and when her favorite coach left (this coach was a lovely, supportive, positive woman) the negativity became overwhelming.  Gymnastics should be FUN not torture.  I guess because it happened slowly, and because the old gym has “closed practices” I did not notice it right away (baaaaaaaaad mommy).  But anyway, her tears dried up fast, and now she enters the gym with a smile, and when it is time to go she is STILL smiling.  Which of course makes ME smile….I have been walking on air about this change, and I guess I should apologize for running on and on about it.  LOL Melia…wild Indians indeed!  That describes them exactly.  Owen has a lesson tonight…he has been counting down days and telling ANYONE who will listen that he has a new coach and he goes TWICE a week now.  He is so proud and excited.

Melia, still thinking about you and your DH.  I am glad that the panic mode is over, and that he can make his choice with clarity of mind.  Keep us posted!

Joni…EEEEEEEEEWWWW about the body!  YIKERS!  Definitely keep your guardian Thor near you!  I seriously doubt that he would allow anyone to harm a single hair on your head!  How is your hip feeling?

Skye, hope you got your chocolate….this is a great time of year to get it on clearance, as long as you do not mind pink and red wrappers encrusted with hearts. 

Debbie and Viddie, glad you guys are having a good time.

Caya you are a good friend to help that mom through this…it really stinks, but as we all know it is much easier to deal with if you know that you are not alone.  On another note, I am not sure I would have been able to keep my cool if one of my kids came home with a pierced tongue.  As I am sure you guys can imagine I see A LOT of piercings among my students.  Some of them I have grown to accept more than others…for example, a small diamond in the nostril can look quite classy, and lately I have seen some girls with studs in their cheeks that rather look like Cindy Crawford style moles with bling (would not do that on myself, but it is not as gross as some of the others)  The one that grosses me the most is definitely the tongue.  Kids with those things tend to play with them a lot during class and I have a hard time looking at them much less speaking to them.  EEEEEWWWWW.  So anyway…you are a saint Caya and you obviously  handled it just right….since she got rid of it on her own!

Owen is feeling a lot better this morning.  I wound up not taking him to the Dr because he has not been sick long enough to warrant an antibiotic….and he perked right up after breakfast.  I was the most concerned with the fatigue and listlessness, and since it went away, I figured it is just a cold combined with some drama.  I do NOT need to sit in the waiting room and shell out a copay to be told to give him Dimatapp and Mucinex…I am quite capable of doing that all on my own, thanks!  If he does not shake it by Sunday, I will cart him off on Monday AM because at that point I think we can safely conclude he needs an antibiotic.

OK, off to take my ride-to-nowhere on my bike, and then head off to class.  Have a good day everyone!

Mary, so sorry to hear about your son.  Sorry your trip to Houston was cancelled, but your boy needs his mommy!  Hope he is feeling better.

Caya, Ally has said several times she wants her tongue pierced. I abosultely forbid it.  I told her when she is moved out of the house and on her own, she can do whatever she wants..but while she lives in my house, I get to make the rules.  I'm hoping by the time she is out of the house she will have grown out of the urge.  That was really good advice your friend gave you.

Joni, how scary they found a body.  Any news about it since?  Like Rebecca said, keep your Thor with you, he will protect you!  How's the hip?

Rebecca, glad Owen is feeling better.  Ally came down with a bad cold Sunday, she is sooo bummed to be sick on her vacation, especially since the same thing happened at Christmas vacation.  I'm practically force feeding her vitamins..what dontcha get..take vitamin - don't get sick...don't take vitamin - get sick.

I got my hair cut/colored today.  whew!  I am sooo happy with it..I had to cancel my last 2 appts so boy did I have roots. 

We're supposed to get snow tomorrow..argh!

Our parakeet Willie is sick.  He's been lulling around, all puffed up and sleeping alot.  George took him to the vet yesterday and it turns out he has a tumor.  Gee, I wasn't expecting that, just thought he was sick.  They could do an Xray that takes an hour and actually kills some birds just from the stress..no thanks.  They could do surgery, but with only a 50% chance it would work...no thanks.  He also has a respiratory infection.  The doc said there is a slight chance the mass is from the infection so Willie is on antibiotics for 10 days.  We'll get the culture back next week and if it's not good, we'll have to put him down.  I'm bummed, just wasn't expecting this. 

Skye, hope you got your chocolate!

love and hugs,

Lynn

Aw Lynn that sucks about Willie. I do hope the antibiotics help. Poor guy. Parakeets are such cool creatures.

I am doing OK. Still getting very tired by late afternoon. I can drive which is great.  

Oh, I meant to tell you, Dan set up a chair for me last nite, with all kinds of heated blankets, so I could watch the Lunar Eclipse.  It was so beautiful!! 

Joni

Melia, you do sound really good...in a much better place.  I'm glad.

Caya, hope your nausea subsides.  Nothing worse than that.

Tina - Thanks - the nausea subsided, and I managed to go to the mall shopping today with Cassie - love those Clinique Bonus Days -

Joni - I hope you have a better time with the AP tomorrow.  You are one brave woman - sending you lots of hugs.

Lynn - how is Willie? I hope he responds to the antibiotic.

Mary - Yes girl use that ticket for Vegas!!

Night gals.

Caya, your friend’s advice was spot on, and you were blessed to get it and wise to follow it!  I stand by my earlier comment…you are a great mom and you handled the situation PERFECTLY!  After all, screaming at a daughter who has just paid someone to drive a spike through her tongue is a given.  Glad you are feeling better…shopping always helps.

Mary, I am glad your son is feeling better! 

Tina, I can not wait to see the realtor photos…fingers crossed that you sell and get a good buyer.

Joni sorry you did not react well to the acupuncture.  If you continue to not like it, is it possible to discontinue?  I would probably give it a few more tries, but if it is supposed to help, and it is making you feel worse I would say STOP!  Oh, and I have to say that your Dan sounds like a total gem…what a sweetie to set up that chair for you.

Lynn, sending little birdie treats to poor Willie!  That is so upsetting…those little creatures are so cute and cheerful.  I hope he feels better soon. 

Melia good for you to donate those gowns!  Those things can be hard to let go of, but as you say they take up lots of room and lets face it, what is the probability of wearing your bridal gown again? LOL.  I have to sheepishly admit that MY wedding gown is at my mother’s house!  On the other hand, I have asked her to give it to me on many occasions, and she keeps forgetting.

Jan that sounds like an amazing activity you did with your girl.  I bet her teacher was blown away! I had made a note of it on our kitchen blackboard because I wanted to go look, but we wound up missing it anyway.  Glad that you are healing and feeling better every day.

Well today is a SNOW DAY here in Edison.  We all slept in, and the kids are still lolling around in their pjs eating hot pancakes while the snow drifts down outside.  It is lovely now…I am going to bundle them up and force them outside for a  while NOW because later it is going to turn to freezing rain, then rain, then BACK to freezing rain and snow tonight.  YECK Basically I am not planning on going anywhere today or tomorrow!  Oh, and my girls talked about doing those charms, but forgot.  They did add a new one to the list…apparently if you take some ice cubes and put them in a plastic baggie and leave them outside your back door this constitutes an offering to the snow-day deity. LOL so funny.

Owen is really on the mend now…my magic OTC cocktail (Dimetapp and Robitussin DM) has done the trick, and he is clearing out the gook and feeling MUCH better.  Going to continue to dose him through tonight and then take him off the meds.  He is still coughing, but not nearly as much, and he has perked up, and is not so crabby.

Viddie and Debbie hope you guys are still having a great time!

Cindy, Skye and everyone else in the great white north try to keep warm.

Nancy hope the reconstruction of your house is proceeding well…did you get industrial strength slippers yet to guard against cold concrete floors?

Have to deal with the kiddos now…Frances is stomping around because I will not let her put off studying for her science test until Sunday.  Sheesh!  She is so temperamental sometimes.

Son is feeling better but I woke up majorly depressed.  It didn't help that it snowed last night a couple of inches and I'm suppose to be in sunny Houston right now.  I hope we can do some fun stuff this weekend if my son is feeling up to it.  I get to go change his bandage and trim his drain in a minute. 

Joni, I hope the next acupuncture is better.  Nancy, sorry you are going through this, hope it is over soon.  Jan, I tried to see the solar eclipse as I was driving home from the hospital but decided not to get in a car accident so I missed it.  Melia, that is a great idea about donating the gowns, I wonder is that a national organization?  Caya, hope your nauseau is over, that is the worst.  Tina, good luck on your house.  Mel, hope you got the message that I'm stuck here. 

Hi gang!  I just spent a few days with my parents in Maine. I brought the girls and just told them to be careful when hugging Papa because his back hurts. I later told my older daughter that Papa is sick from smoking and that he has a hard time breathing. She seemed okay with that. I didn't mention the C word though. I just think she's had too much of that with my situation. We don't have a prognosis (or maybe we do but my dad hasn't said anything) so I think until we do, then the "sick and hurt back" will be fine.

I continue to enjoy my school vacation. Older dd and dh are skiing in Vermont. I could've gone but relaxing at home with my 5 year old has been nice.

I am still going back and forth about taking on the kiddo with brain cancer. I do not think she will be coming to my school for a while yet. She will need a pretty intensive life skills program for a while and I am not an expert on traumatic brain injury. That's a huge sub- specialty and I have little experience in that area. I am going to play it by ear for now. I think I was just so emotional from seeing my father the weekend before, that I overreacted. We shall see. Thanks for all the reassurance. It really helps to have folks who understand.

Okay, Tina, I am really waiting for my hair to get to the point where I can have it cut into a cute bob like you did. It is once again a big- time mullet. And it's getting a little less curly in spots now that it's growing out. It is a total mess at this point. I look like a poodle that's been caught in a rain storm. I blow dried it this morning and now look like someone from a bad 70's tv show. Think Starsky and Hutch...all puffed up and "feathered."  Just lovely.

It's snowing like the dickens here and I am depressed about that. They were having terrific sales in Maine while I was there and I managed to get a bunch of spring clothes for the girls and me. Looks like it will be winter boot weather for a while yet.

Alright gals, I will try to catch up with posts.

Toodles,

Amera

Lynn so sorry about Willie.  I had two parakeets, one died unexpectantly and the other flew away but I know how attached you can get to them.

Luckily we only got a couple of inches of snow, have fun by the fire.

I am trying to hang in there but I feel like it's going to be a long weekend. 

Amera, thanks for checking in.  It's got to be hard with your dad's situation.  Glad you are able to do some fun things.  I know what you say about your hair, I'd give anything to have my old hair back.

Hi girls,

Lynn, sorry Willie's not doing well.  I can't believe it takes a week for results.  Seems long.

Hanging in w/the kids today...  it was a snow day.  They each had a little time outside but it was cold and damp and crappy.  We spent the afternoon watching Discovery Channel's "A Haunting" and they were freaked.  Totally enjoyed it.  Meanwhile, I had the carpets cleaned and the place is ready to go.  Melia, send your daughter my way! 

Amera, I think you've come up w/the perfect solution about what to tell your kids.  I'd say the exact thing...a lung issue, etc.  Just not the C word.  It's too much for kids that age to handle.  In my sitch, it's the opposite.  My dad had PC and is doing so well, that it's inspirational...  anyway, I think you've got a good handle on things.

Had to laugh at your closing:  "Toodles'.  That is Jaclyn's nickname.  Not sure why.  I guess because people in New England would jokingly say "toodles' instead of saying goodbye and when Jaclyn was off and running in her crawling stage, we kind of got stuck on calling her Toodles and it stuck.  Anyway, "Toodles" says hello to you! 

Hi Gals,

Lynn, much sympathy for Willie, there is no harder decision than when to have a pet put down and the little guys are no less easy than dogs and cats. I cried for a week over a guinea pig. Hope you get thru the snowstorm ok. We actually have pleasant (for winter) weather for once.



Mary I hope you still can get out and have some fun too. So glad your son is better.



Amera I agree you said the perfect thing; it's enough for them to know he is sick right now and if the news gets worse they will be prepared.



Tina my SIL and her family have lived in Springfield VA for many years while her dh was a meterologist with the US Weather Service in DC. They have enjoyed it very much there and their boys received good educations. Houses are more expensive than many other places however. Their place is valued at at least twice of what it would be here. I think you will have a wide array of choices.



I have to go record radio shows both today and tomorrow since the studio techs lost one of the shows we did in their system so we are one behind. DS and DIL2B are coming tomorrow for an early supper though so I have that to look forward to. I may give her a sneak peek at my dress and see what she thinks. Happy weekend everyone - Skye

Melia, your description of going to donate your dresses made me cry!  What a beautiful idea someone had.  I wish I had a bridal gown to donate, but I do have a mother of groom dress I could happily donate.  I will check them out.

Mary, I am so sorry your son was sick, but glad things are looking up.  Really too bad that your trip was cancelled, and I did get your message.  I'm so disappointed that we won't be meeting tomorrow - I was looking forward to it, you can't imagine how much!  But we will meet in July, I hope, if not before.  You need to get down here before then, though - come down quick before your DS leaves. 

Tina, your home is beautiful, and I can see how much of yourself you put into decorating it.  I'm sure it'll sell - it's really a cream puff.

Skye, I'm going to listen to your radio show today - didn't have time this week but I've saved the links. 

Lynn, I'm so sorry about poor Willie.  I hope against hope with you that things will turn around - meanwhile, as I sit with my dear, sweet, dying Ted in my lap, I feel your pain.  Ted has done far better than we expected when we found out about his tumor in early December, but he can't go on forever.  Every day is precious, at this stage, and I think he feels it too.

I have to run - am having lunch with my friend Joyce, who had her stage 2 reconstruction on Wednesday.  I'll be back later.  Sorry I've been absent all week - I had a dreadful week, health- wise and work-wise, and some days I couldn't even manage to open the computer by the time I got home.  I think I've read all the posts now, but need to go back and review.  Most important, though - even when I don't post, I still love you all and think about you every day.  Don't forget me.

Mary, have to say it again...I am so bummed we aren't getting together. 

Viddie, I miss you.  Hope you're having fun.

Later girls,

Mary, your son and your family are in my prayers. I am so sorry he is sick, and sorry too that you are alone with him. I am sure your husband wishes he were there too. Stay strong, and feel all of us surrounding you and supporting you.

Mary, I'm so glad you are there with him.  Sounds like you're doing all the right things.  Sending positive thoughts your way.