My sister has two little girls. My sister is not, and has never been, a very girlie girl, so her husband does the girls hair. So this if for you Beau....
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Managing little girl's hair
Ella has super long hair. We are always trying new ways to keep in nice an neat. And untangled!
My sister has two little girls. My sister is not, and has never been, a very girlie girl, so her husband does the girls hair. So this if for you Beau....
My sister has two little girls. My sister is not, and has never been, a very girlie girl, so her husband does the girls hair. So this if for you Beau....
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Horses and Penguins
A story about Horses and Penguins.....as told by Ella
Hi Mr. Penguin. What are you doing Mr. Horse?
Most creatures live in water and snow. Some live in grass or barns. Farmers live in houses.
Independent penguins live underground. Independent horses protect their babies from other creatures.
This is a penguins fin. This is a horses hoof. They are very strong. One is used for swimming. One is used for running.
Bye Mr. Penguin. Bye Mr. Horse.
Hi Mr. Penguin. What are you doing Mr. Horse?
Most creatures live in water and snow. Some live in grass or barns. Farmers live in houses.
Independent penguins live underground. Independent horses protect their babies from other creatures.
This is a penguins fin. This is a horses hoof. They are very strong. One is used for swimming. One is used for running.
Bye Mr. Penguin. Bye Mr. Horse.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Ugh! and Oooh!
Finally ventured out the house today.
Started out normalish. Woke up at the crack of dawn with Riley. I had a splitting headache which I attribute to lack of sleep and sinus problems. Riley got off to school, and it was time to get the girls ready. I am NOT a morning person, and today I couldn't have my usual breakfast of a can of coke cause I had to fast for a blood test.
Started driving towards to the mall and after a few minutes noticed that my arm was really hurting. Then I started feeling dizzy and nauseous. Perhaps from the blood draw? Or the massive influx of sugar from my "breakfast"? Whatever was causing it, I was convinced I might toss my cookies in my car and I started to feel rather panicked. Next thing you know someone is laying on the horn because I am driving like an idiot and almost got myself into a car accident. Nothing like a little adrenaline to help with that projectile vomiting feeling!
Once again, I sat in my car for a little while till my heart beat calmed down a little, and then headed into Joann's Fabric store. Let me just say, I have never seen a fabric store this big in my whole life!! It was like a mega fabric store combined with a Michaels. I was wondering around aimlessly not even knowing what to do with myself. Talk about kid in a candy store! And......they apparently love coupons. And they let you stack coupons. And they even take coupons from Michaels and Hobby Lobby. The cashier literally had my phone in her hand downloading competitors apps so I could use their coupons too!!!
Went into Old Navy cause it was next door. Wondered around aimlessly until one of the staff there came and asked me if I needed anything.
Went over to Costco. We have a Sam's membership, but it is a 45 minute drive from our house and not next to a magical multi coupon stacking fabric store. Wondered around in there for a while to see what kind of stuff they have and is it worth springing for a membership. $55 to join. Still have six months on Sam's membership :(
Decided to head back towards home with a quick detour to the grocery store for necessities. Wondered around there aimlessly wondering what to feed my family.
Came home. Ate some real food frozen pizza. Noticed hard drive I ordered arrived, so decided to swap it out. Installed it, laptop reads it just fine. Success! Or so I thought. Operating system doesn't want to install properly and Laptop appears to be overheating and shutting itself down. Probably fried the first hard drive! Looked up a possible fix online. One guy said he was having the same problem so he placed his laptop in the fridge while the install finished. Well the Laptop is still not fixed but I at least I got a laugh out of the fridge guy.
So now I am sitting here, aimlessly typing. Boring anyone who might possibly be reading.
I think an early night is in order. Nope.....Riley needs help with homework. Last minute of course. Oh well, tomorrow is a new day!
Monday, August 27, 2012
1st Day of School
The kids started their new schools last week. We were all feeling a little anxious. Since we had lived in our previous house for 12 years, this is the first time the kids have ever gone to a new school outside of their familiar school district.
Riley is now in 8th grade. His last year of middle school :(
Which means next year, he will go to a new school again.
Ciara is in 5th grade which is the last year of Elementary School here.
(So new school next year for her too!)
Ella started 1st grade.
The girls are riding the bus to school for the first time.
Check out the insane amount of school supplies Riley has!
This doesn't even include the workbooks that we had to buy and pick up the weekend before school started. All of this, as well as his textbooks has to fit in a half size locker!
All in all they had a great first week!
Ella loves riding the bus to school and adores her teacher Ms. D
She is going to be starting ballet in a few weeks.
Ciara is adjusting well to being in such a large school. Her teacher Mr. R is very nice.
She is working on the Yearbook Staff and will soon be starting a Pottery Class. She is wonderful at taking care of Ella, making sure she gets off the bus and to class okay. It's very comforting to me to know that they have each other.
Riley always seems to go with the flow. He has a pretty full workload at school. He is taking three AP classes, a Technical class that will earn him a Microsoft certification and an Honors Math class. He is working to finish up his Eagle Scout.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Memorial Day
Mom has actually been feeling a little better the past two weeks. She has been driving a little - a quick trip to the store and back. She hardly ever coughs or wheezes. She has a little more energy and her color looks good.
I invited her to come out to our Church picnic and she and Charles met us at the park.
She looked super cute in her hat don't you think?
Check out my girlies...
Ella's summer fare. Fruit with fruit on the side.
Usually not much of a meatasauros, but who can pass up a delicious burger
cooked by your bishop who just happens to work for Hardees?
Chemo - Cycle 3
This week, mom started Cycle 3 of Chemotherapy. We didn't start on a Monday as usual because it was a holiday here (Memorial Day) Tuesday was her long day. We got to the center at 9am and didn't leave till about 2 pm.
Tuesday was the first time using the new access Port. It looks great and seems to be healing just fine, but it had not been quite two weeks from the surgery and as you can probably imagine, still a little tender. Mom was a little nervous to be jabbed with a needle in the chest. The nurse showed up with her medications that they give her before chemo (fluids, steroids etc) and a massive looking needle. Because there is still some swelling, she was having some trouble locating where the entry point to the port was. She stuck her twice without success.
At this point, mom started getting even more anxious. Especially since one of the main "selling points" of the Port was that she wasn't going to have to be repeatedly jabbed over and over again. She started to look a little pale and sick to her stomach, so the nurse reclined her chair and gave her a minute to relax.
A second nurse came over. This one is apparently very experienced with Access Ports. She got the needle in with the first attempt. She did mention that she thought next time, they should use a longer needle. A one and half inch. (Gasp! Those suckers are pretty thick too)
So sigh of relief and the drugs start dripping. Next thing you know, the nurse walks by and says "Oh oh. Looks like you stopped dripping. I was worried that needle wasn't quite long enough" The look on poor mom's face!! She thought she was going to have to be jabbed again! The nurse started checking the connection and the lines and realized there was a kink in the line that was stopping the flow of fluids. Yea! No need to stick her again!
A sweet older man sitting in the chair next to her's, was very quiet the whole time. He was very pleasant, and smiled and at everyone, but he pretty much kept to himself. He leaned over to mom and said "I was praying to Jesus that there would be an easy fix, and they wouldn't have to stick you again" I replied to him "Thank you. Obviously he was listening to you"
Mom was thumbing through some magazines and was looking at different recipes. This made her hungry for soup. So I ran over to Olive Garden which is a few minutes away from the hospital and got her soup and breadsticks and a sandwich for me. Even though we are at Chemotherapy - it was still fun for us to hang out and eat lunch together and chat for hours. Maybe mom is getting tired of my constant chattering though - she said she was envious of all the people who could just lay back and sleep the whole time!!
Wednesday morning, mom convinced me take out her stitches for her. The nurse at chemo said they were ready to come out, but the doctor couldn't see her till next Tuesday. The stitches were driving her crazy, itching and pulling. The nurse couldn't do it for her because of liability issues since she doesn't work for the doctor, but told me exactly how to do it. No biggie. Cut the knots and pull them out with tweezers. I'm not a doctor, but I play one at home!!
Chemo Wednesday and Thursday went smoothly. She actually seemed to have less side effects this round. Other than extreme sleepiness - she could barely keep her eyes open in the car on the way home.
Friday, I picked her up and she said she was feeling out of sorts. I told her she was entitled to. She had her Neulasta shot. All the nurses came up and hugged her and told her they would miss her and good look in Las Vegas. So round three is officially over. Halfway done!
Tuesday was the first time using the new access Port. It looks great and seems to be healing just fine, but it had not been quite two weeks from the surgery and as you can probably imagine, still a little tender. Mom was a little nervous to be jabbed with a needle in the chest. The nurse showed up with her medications that they give her before chemo (fluids, steroids etc) and a massive looking needle. Because there is still some swelling, she was having some trouble locating where the entry point to the port was. She stuck her twice without success.
At this point, mom started getting even more anxious. Especially since one of the main "selling points" of the Port was that she wasn't going to have to be repeatedly jabbed over and over again. She started to look a little pale and sick to her stomach, so the nurse reclined her chair and gave her a minute to relax.
A second nurse came over. This one is apparently very experienced with Access Ports. She got the needle in with the first attempt. She did mention that she thought next time, they should use a longer needle. A one and half inch. (Gasp! Those suckers are pretty thick too)
So sigh of relief and the drugs start dripping. Next thing you know, the nurse walks by and says "Oh oh. Looks like you stopped dripping. I was worried that needle wasn't quite long enough" The look on poor mom's face!! She thought she was going to have to be jabbed again! The nurse started checking the connection and the lines and realized there was a kink in the line that was stopping the flow of fluids. Yea! No need to stick her again!
A sweet older man sitting in the chair next to her's, was very quiet the whole time. He was very pleasant, and smiled and at everyone, but he pretty much kept to himself. He leaned over to mom and said "I was praying to Jesus that there would be an easy fix, and they wouldn't have to stick you again" I replied to him "Thank you. Obviously he was listening to you"
Mom was thumbing through some magazines and was looking at different recipes. This made her hungry for soup. So I ran over to Olive Garden which is a few minutes away from the hospital and got her soup and breadsticks and a sandwich for me. Even though we are at Chemotherapy - it was still fun for us to hang out and eat lunch together and chat for hours. Maybe mom is getting tired of my constant chattering though - she said she was envious of all the people who could just lay back and sleep the whole time!!
Wednesday morning, mom convinced me take out her stitches for her. The nurse at chemo said they were ready to come out, but the doctor couldn't see her till next Tuesday. The stitches were driving her crazy, itching and pulling. The nurse couldn't do it for her because of liability issues since she doesn't work for the doctor, but told me exactly how to do it. No biggie. Cut the knots and pull them out with tweezers. I'm not a doctor, but I play one at home!!
Chemo Wednesday and Thursday went smoothly. She actually seemed to have less side effects this round. Other than extreme sleepiness - she could barely keep her eyes open in the car on the way home.
Friday, I picked her up and she said she was feeling out of sorts. I told her she was entitled to. She had her Neulasta shot. All the nurses came up and hugged her and told her they would miss her and good look in Las Vegas. So round three is officially over. Halfway done!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Brain Radiation is done!
Yesterday was mom's last day of radiation on her brain. Yea! 16 treatments completed. A little break and then Cycle 3 of Chemo starts next Tuesday.
We were sitting in the waiting room after she was done, waiting for some medical records we had ordered. We were talking about smoking and how you would think the cost of the darn things would be enough of an incentive for people to quit. I was trying to figure out what an average pack of cigarettes would cost if purchased everyday for a year. Mom provided the answer while I was still doing a mental calculation. Then she joked that they must not have fried all her brain cells cause she could still do multiplication!!!
She has been feeling pretty good the last couple of days. She is still extremely fatigued but it's nice when it's not coupled with a slew of other symptoms like nausea, heartburn, stomach problems etc. On Sunday, she went out to a Buffet and to Grafton to have a walk around. She had fun being out of the house, but it tends to wear her out and she is really tired the next day.
I have to say she has been looking especially pretty the last few days. She has been wearing some of those cute summer dresses and looks just adorable. Even some of the patients that come and go at the radiation center commented to me how pretty she is and what great skin she has. That's my mama!
So in our "down" time, we are now getting things ready for the big move to Vegas. We have found a doctor in Las Vegas and made an appointment and are working on getting medical records transferred. Charlotte took mom's dog Oscar, to North Caroline with her. The plan is, that after a week or so to recoup from Cycle 3, Mom and Charles will fly out to Vegas and live with Danielle and her family for the time being. Danielle is flying out here to St Louis, we will load up the moving truck and Chris will be helping her drive to Las Vegas. It's 25 hours of driving so it will take them about three days to make the trip. Let's just say we have bought a lot of one way plane tickets!!
Chris will fly home from Las Vegas and have a few days before we have to hit the road ourselves and make the two day drive to Florida.
So that's it for now. The kids are out of school tomorrow, summer will officially start for us and we all keep plugging away one day at a time.
Thank you again to everyone who continues to pray and send positive thoughts this way. We really do appreciate everyone's support. Love to you all.
We were sitting in the waiting room after she was done, waiting for some medical records we had ordered. We were talking about smoking and how you would think the cost of the darn things would be enough of an incentive for people to quit. I was trying to figure out what an average pack of cigarettes would cost if purchased everyday for a year. Mom provided the answer while I was still doing a mental calculation. Then she joked that they must not have fried all her brain cells cause she could still do multiplication!!!
She has been feeling pretty good the last couple of days. She is still extremely fatigued but it's nice when it's not coupled with a slew of other symptoms like nausea, heartburn, stomach problems etc. On Sunday, she went out to a Buffet and to Grafton to have a walk around. She had fun being out of the house, but it tends to wear her out and she is really tired the next day.
I have to say she has been looking especially pretty the last few days. She has been wearing some of those cute summer dresses and looks just adorable. Even some of the patients that come and go at the radiation center commented to me how pretty she is and what great skin she has. That's my mama!
So in our "down" time, we are now getting things ready for the big move to Vegas. We have found a doctor in Las Vegas and made an appointment and are working on getting medical records transferred. Charlotte took mom's dog Oscar, to North Caroline with her. The plan is, that after a week or so to recoup from Cycle 3, Mom and Charles will fly out to Vegas and live with Danielle and her family for the time being. Danielle is flying out here to St Louis, we will load up the moving truck and Chris will be helping her drive to Las Vegas. It's 25 hours of driving so it will take them about three days to make the trip. Let's just say we have bought a lot of one way plane tickets!!
Chris will fly home from Las Vegas and have a few days before we have to hit the road ourselves and make the two day drive to Florida.
So that's it for now. The kids are out of school tomorrow, summer will officially start for us and we all keep plugging away one day at a time.
Thank you again to everyone who continues to pray and send positive thoughts this way. We really do appreciate everyone's support. Love to you all.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Life is just crazy busy!
Sorry I haven't updated in a while. It has literally been crazy around here. And busy. Crazy busy!!
In case you haven't checked in for a while, I'll try and give you a quick recap.
April 24th - Mom was supposed to get a port inserted today but was feeling way too sick. She will decide later if she wants to reschedule or continue having IV's inserted each time she has treatment.
April 28th - Danielle and Kenzi arrived from Las Vegas and Charlotte arrived from North Carolina. She knew Charlotte was coming, but Danielle and Kenzi were a total surprise. Thanks Dad for flying them in!
May 2nd - After a few days of radiation, mom's hair started falling out in big clumps. Strangely enough, it apparently hurts when your hair falls out. So Danielle, Charlotte and I went with mom to a wig shop. She bought a real hair wig similar in style to her own hair. The next day she decided to cut off all her hair. Although it it obviously a very big change, she at least felt like she had some control over the situation.
May 7th - She started her second round of Chemo. This round really kicked her butt. Maybe because she was also having radiation at the same time? Or maybe because they say each round of chemo hits you harder. She has had a very hard time staying hydrated. Her taste buds are definitely changing and she has an aversion to drinking water now. Her poor veins are pretty shot and getting a port is becoming a necessity.
May 11th - Made it through the week of Chemo but she is exhausted. We saw the radiation doctor today. Dr D. They decided to give her Monday and Tuesday off from radiation to give her a little rest. On Tuesday she will be having her port inserted.
May 15th - A long day at the hospital for a half hour procedure but the port is inserted! All went well and thankfully the pain is not too bad. (Easy for me to say right?) They used sedation rather than general anesthesia and that was much easier on her. The staff at the surgery center took wonderful care of her. Her primary nurse was a breast cancer survivor and was super attentive and compassionate. The radiation nurse called us and told us to come in on Thursday and that would give mom an extra day to recover from the surgery.
May 16th - Mom called me at 10 o'clock to see where I was. We are so used to going up to the hospital every single day, that she forgot she had the day off!
May 17th - She resumed radiation today. Her radiation up to this point has been a more broad type of radiation that targets a perimeter around the existing cancer cells. The idea is, that is will prevent any more cancer from forming and killing off anything that is too small for them to see. Today they switched her to Tomotherapy. This is a more targeted form of the radiation. The has three more days of this, so there is an end in sight as far as brain radiation goes.
Next cycle of chemo is May 29th. She is very much dreading it as the second cycle hit her so hard. Thankfully she does have the port now so it won't require multiple sticks to get an IV in. After the third cycle is complete she will have an MRI and PET Scan to see how she is responding.
She is doing a great job of trying to take this all day by day. Forgive her if you call and she doesn't answer. The fatigue is pretty overwhelming right now. If you would like to send a card or a message (she really appreciates hearing from everyone) just send me a message and I will send you her address.
So that's it for today - and we'll do it all over again tomorrow!
In case you haven't checked in for a while, I'll try and give you a quick recap.
- Chris' company was bought out by Web.com, a company based out of Jacksonville. They have closed the St Louis area office. We have to relocate to Jacksonville no later than June 31st.
- We went to Jacksonville over spring break. After an exhaustive online search, being outbid on an offer on a house and seeing six million houses in person, we went with a new build. Our house should be finished this week.
- We got back from Jacksonville and Mom had to go in for a biopsy. We feared Lymphoma. Two days later she was diagnosed with Small Cell Lung Cancer. Just when we got over our initial shock, we found out that her cancer has spread to her brain. We go to the hospital every single day. Either for Chemotherapy or Radiation.
- Mom is moving to Las Vegas to live with Danielle. Danielle came out here two weeks ago, and in a marathon session we packed almost the entire house. We somehow have to coordinate the move with her treatment schedule.
- Chris is out of town, more than he is home at the moment. As much as I am panicked about moving in 30 days, I am looking forward to him actually living with us again, instead of dropping in for clean laundry on the weekends.
- Did I mention that our current home is practically unsellable in this market? Can't wait to have 2 mortgage payments! (*sarcasm*)
So here's whats going on with mom.
April 24th - Mom was supposed to get a port inserted today but was feeling way too sick. She will decide later if she wants to reschedule or continue having IV's inserted each time she has treatment.
April 28th - Danielle and Kenzi arrived from Las Vegas and Charlotte arrived from North Carolina. She knew Charlotte was coming, but Danielle and Kenzi were a total surprise. Thanks Dad for flying them in!
May 2nd - After a few days of radiation, mom's hair started falling out in big clumps. Strangely enough, it apparently hurts when your hair falls out. So Danielle, Charlotte and I went with mom to a wig shop. She bought a real hair wig similar in style to her own hair. The next day she decided to cut off all her hair. Although it it obviously a very big change, she at least felt like she had some control over the situation.
May 7th - She started her second round of Chemo. This round really kicked her butt. Maybe because she was also having radiation at the same time? Or maybe because they say each round of chemo hits you harder. She has had a very hard time staying hydrated. Her taste buds are definitely changing and she has an aversion to drinking water now. Her poor veins are pretty shot and getting a port is becoming a necessity.
May 11th - Made it through the week of Chemo but she is exhausted. We saw the radiation doctor today. Dr D. They decided to give her Monday and Tuesday off from radiation to give her a little rest. On Tuesday she will be having her port inserted.
May 15th - A long day at the hospital for a half hour procedure but the port is inserted! All went well and thankfully the pain is not too bad. (Easy for me to say right?) They used sedation rather than general anesthesia and that was much easier on her. The staff at the surgery center took wonderful care of her. Her primary nurse was a breast cancer survivor and was super attentive and compassionate. The radiation nurse called us and told us to come in on Thursday and that would give mom an extra day to recover from the surgery.
May 16th - Mom called me at 10 o'clock to see where I was. We are so used to going up to the hospital every single day, that she forgot she had the day off!
May 17th - She resumed radiation today. Her radiation up to this point has been a more broad type of radiation that targets a perimeter around the existing cancer cells. The idea is, that is will prevent any more cancer from forming and killing off anything that is too small for them to see. Today they switched her to Tomotherapy. This is a more targeted form of the radiation. The has three more days of this, so there is an end in sight as far as brain radiation goes.
Next cycle of chemo is May 29th. She is very much dreading it as the second cycle hit her so hard. Thankfully she does have the port now so it won't require multiple sticks to get an IV in. After the third cycle is complete she will have an MRI and PET Scan to see how she is responding.
She is doing a great job of trying to take this all day by day. Forgive her if you call and she doesn't answer. The fatigue is pretty overwhelming right now. If you would like to send a card or a message (she really appreciates hearing from everyone) just send me a message and I will send you her address.
So that's it for today - and we'll do it all over again tomorrow!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Finally - a lost tooth....and another!
Ella was starting to think she would never lose a tooth. I think she was the only kid in her kindergarten class that didn't have her name up on the "Lost Tooth" chart.
She finally got a wiggly tooth and that thing was just holding on for dear life. Today she came home from school and was super excited to show us a little baggy holding the tiniest baby tooth.
Ten minutes later, Ciara showed up from school and wouldn't you know it, she lost a molar!
She finally got a wiggly tooth and that thing was just holding on for dear life. Today she came home from school and was super excited to show us a little baggy holding the tiniest baby tooth.
Ten minutes later, Ciara showed up from school and wouldn't you know it, she lost a molar!
Sure hope the tooth fairy has some cash handy!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Radiation - Day One
The radiation center actually called us last night and asked us to come in this morning for mom's first treatment. I just want to say how incredible the staff there are. Everyone is always so kind, they greet the patients by their name when they walk in and always have a nice smile and kind word. They have a great system set up in the office. Patients have a swipe card, similar to a credit card. When you arrive in the office, you swipe the card and it alerts the radiation tech that you are there. That way if the receptionist is busy helping someone else or away from her desk, you don't have to wait to check in.
The treatment was pretty uneventful. We were in and out of the office in 20 minutes. From now on, she has a set appointment at 9:45am every day Monday through Friday.
No glowing, super powers or spidey sense to report so far.
One treatment down, Fifteen to go!
The treatment was pretty uneventful. We were in and out of the office in 20 minutes. From now on, she has a set appointment at 9:45am every day Monday through Friday.
No glowing, super powers or spidey sense to report so far.
One treatment down, Fifteen to go!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Consult with Radiation Doc
Unfortunately the weekend wasn't great. It started on Friday. We found out that the cancer has spread to mom's brain. Once again, we knew this was a strong possibility but it's still very shocking and disappointing to hear the actual words. We were hoping and praying that the results would show that the cancer hadn't spread. I think we were all feeling a little negative, it just kinda felt like we aren't catching any breaks here!
Saturday, Sunday and Monday, mom was not feeling well at all. Low blood pressure, extreme fatigue and nausea. She felt so bad that she cancelled the procedure to have the access port put in.
On Monday night she started to feel better and developed a craving for Chinese Food. On Tuesday she felt a little better still. Her blood pressure came back up and she was able to be up and about a little more. Tuesday night she had a hankering for Taco Bell. I'm sensing I might be making a few food runs in the near future! The thing with Chemo is, that some days you might not be able to eat at all and other days you will want to eat everything in sight. You have to make the best of the good days after all!
Today, we met with Dr. D., the radiation doc. Obviously the news that the cancer has spread to the news is not good but he still feels optimistic that the cancer will respond to treatment. There is not really a cure for this type of cancer - treatment is meant as a way to prolong life. He did not want to go into specifics as far as expected life expectancy because he said that every patient responds differently. He said the average is about 18 months.
Although we all know that anything can happen at anytime, it's very shocking to hear a time limit put on someone's life. Especially someone you love. Mom has handled the news with a lot of dignity and grace. She is amazingly strong.
So the plan at the moment is to continue chemotherapy as scheduled. She will start radiation to the brain in the next day or two. They don't like to do radiation on two areas at once, so since the chemo is treating her lungs, they are postponing radiation to the lungs for the time being. This course of radiation will be approximately three weeks.
Our day ended on a good note though. It was a beautiful day today! Mom had mentioned that she thought her nails looked bad because she hadn't filed or painted them in a while. I drove her to a local nail salon and treated her to a manicure and pedicure. She had never had a pedicure before and LOVED it! This particular salon has massage chairs, so she got a nice back massage while she got her feet done. ( I may have created a monster with this whole pedicure thing!)
So keep praying and keep sending those positive thoughts her way. And if you would like to drop her a card in the mail, that would totally make her day!
Saturday, Sunday and Monday, mom was not feeling well at all. Low blood pressure, extreme fatigue and nausea. She felt so bad that she cancelled the procedure to have the access port put in.
On Monday night she started to feel better and developed a craving for Chinese Food. On Tuesday she felt a little better still. Her blood pressure came back up and she was able to be up and about a little more. Tuesday night she had a hankering for Taco Bell. I'm sensing I might be making a few food runs in the near future! The thing with Chemo is, that some days you might not be able to eat at all and other days you will want to eat everything in sight. You have to make the best of the good days after all!
Today, we met with Dr. D., the radiation doc. Obviously the news that the cancer has spread to the news is not good but he still feels optimistic that the cancer will respond to treatment. There is not really a cure for this type of cancer - treatment is meant as a way to prolong life. He did not want to go into specifics as far as expected life expectancy because he said that every patient responds differently. He said the average is about 18 months.
Although we all know that anything can happen at anytime, it's very shocking to hear a time limit put on someone's life. Especially someone you love. Mom has handled the news with a lot of dignity and grace. She is amazingly strong.
So the plan at the moment is to continue chemotherapy as scheduled. She will start radiation to the brain in the next day or two. They don't like to do radiation on two areas at once, so since the chemo is treating her lungs, they are postponing radiation to the lungs for the time being. This course of radiation will be approximately three weeks.
Our day ended on a good note though. It was a beautiful day today! Mom had mentioned that she thought her nails looked bad because she hadn't filed or painted them in a while. I drove her to a local nail salon and treated her to a manicure and pedicure. She had never had a pedicure before and LOVED it! This particular salon has massage chairs, so she got a nice back massage while she got her feet done. ( I may have created a monster with this whole pedicure thing!)
So keep praying and keep sending those positive thoughts her way. And if you would like to drop her a card in the mail, that would totally make her day!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Chemo - Day 3
On today's menu - a short chemo day and a pet scan.
I picked mom up around 10 am. Not feeling great today. Very tired and nauseous and coughing a little more than she has been the past two days. We got to the infusion center and it was crazy busy. It took them about 10 minutes to finally get to her and hook her up. Just fluid and Etopside today. Everything went along smoothly. She read for a little while and dozed a little bit.
Kinda funny story I'll share here. Now keep in mind, even though the infusion center is really busy, and there are patients and family members, and nurse's constantly moving around, it is fairly quiet. A lot of the patients sleep while getting their treatment and everyone is pretty respectful of the fact that some patients don't feel well.
In the chair to the right of mom was this really old lady. Apparently she had been brought in by a home aide nurse who was sitting in the chairs in the center of the room. As I already mentioned, she was old. She didn't have any teeth or dentures and her mouth was so sunken in, you could barely see her lips. Anyways, she was eating a sack lunch. Sandwich and some cheese puffs or something. She was chewing in this huge motion like a cow masticating, and food crumbs kept spilling out of her mouth. Mom and I did our best not to look at her while she was eating. As soon as she was done, she let out this huge burp. Super loud. But she didn't even seem fazed and didn't try to excuse herself or anything. Mom and I just looked at each other and tried not to laugh. She seemed to settle down quietly after that. Mom was kinda dozing in her chair and I was reading my book when all of a sudden we hear this blood curdling yell "Nurse!!!" I'm telling you, I almost fell out of my chair, she startled me so much. Her home aide nurse came running and the lady started pointing at her IV bag. It was empty. (Which either means you are done, or ready for your next bag of whatever cocktail you happen to be receiving.) In any event it's not a big deal, cause the nurses constantly walk around checking on everyone. So that was our little drama for the day!!
So chemo was done about 12:15p and she had an appointment for the PET scan at 1pm. When went outside and sat in the sunshine for a few minutes and then went back inside and registered on the off chance that they could take her early. They were able to take her early and we left the hospital about 2:15 pm. Mom was starving so we stopped at Taco Bell and got a Burrito. Guess it's a good sign that she was hungry. (Wanting Taco Bell when you don't feel good comes from Danielle. Ciara is the same way!)
So tomorrow, she just has her Nuelasta shot which is supposed to help her create healthy new blood cells.and boost her blood counts.
Assuming nothing else happens between now and then, her next appointment is on Tuesday with the surgeon to get her Access Port put in. Yea! No more needle sticks!
I picked mom up around 10 am. Not feeling great today. Very tired and nauseous and coughing a little more than she has been the past two days. We got to the infusion center and it was crazy busy. It took them about 10 minutes to finally get to her and hook her up. Just fluid and Etopside today. Everything went along smoothly. She read for a little while and dozed a little bit.
Kinda funny story I'll share here. Now keep in mind, even though the infusion center is really busy, and there are patients and family members, and nurse's constantly moving around, it is fairly quiet. A lot of the patients sleep while getting their treatment and everyone is pretty respectful of the fact that some patients don't feel well.
In the chair to the right of mom was this really old lady. Apparently she had been brought in by a home aide nurse who was sitting in the chairs in the center of the room. As I already mentioned, she was old. She didn't have any teeth or dentures and her mouth was so sunken in, you could barely see her lips. Anyways, she was eating a sack lunch. Sandwich and some cheese puffs or something. She was chewing in this huge motion like a cow masticating, and food crumbs kept spilling out of her mouth. Mom and I did our best not to look at her while she was eating. As soon as she was done, she let out this huge burp. Super loud. But she didn't even seem fazed and didn't try to excuse herself or anything. Mom and I just looked at each other and tried not to laugh. She seemed to settle down quietly after that. Mom was kinda dozing in her chair and I was reading my book when all of a sudden we hear this blood curdling yell "Nurse!!!" I'm telling you, I almost fell out of my chair, she startled me so much. Her home aide nurse came running and the lady started pointing at her IV bag. It was empty. (Which either means you are done, or ready for your next bag of whatever cocktail you happen to be receiving.) In any event it's not a big deal, cause the nurses constantly walk around checking on everyone. So that was our little drama for the day!!
So chemo was done about 12:15p and she had an appointment for the PET scan at 1pm. When went outside and sat in the sunshine for a few minutes and then went back inside and registered on the off chance that they could take her early. They were able to take her early and we left the hospital about 2:15 pm. Mom was starving so we stopped at Taco Bell and got a Burrito. Guess it's a good sign that she was hungry. (Wanting Taco Bell when you don't feel good comes from Danielle. Ciara is the same way!)
So tomorrow, she just has her Nuelasta shot which is supposed to help her create healthy new blood cells.and boost her blood counts.
Assuming nothing else happens between now and then, her next appointment is on Tuesday with the surgeon to get her Access Port put in. Yea! No more needle sticks!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Little Rudolph napping
Ella got a cold last week. Her nose constantly streamed. So she constantly wiped it with a tissue. Her poor little nose and lips were beet red.
Of course this didn't seem to keep her down at all. She still managed to run around with what seemed to be the combined energy of three children.
Until all of a sudden..................
Of course this didn't seem to keep her down at all. She still managed to run around with what seemed to be the combined energy of three children.
Until all of a sudden..................
I can't remember the last time she had a nap. Ahh...so cute when they are sleeping!
Chemo - Day 2
I went to pick up mom about 9:30am and to my surprise she was sitting on the couch dressed and ready to go. Looking all cute with makeup on and everything. She was even eating a salad! (Weird breakfast I know, but I was just happy she wasn't horribly nauseous)
So we headed up to the hospital. It was a beautiful day today, so she decided to have a little walk from the back of the parking lot to the hospital. She definitely got winded but made it all the way. First on today's to do list was an MRI. We went to the registration desk and were told that her MRI was scheduled at the imaging center not at the hospital. So I went and got the car and then we drove next door to the Imaging Center.
Everything went fine with the MRI. They left her IV in, so that they wouldn't have to put another one in for her Chemotherapy which we were heading to next. We went back to the hospital, to the Infusion Center. It wasn't very full today so they got her started right away. A little bit of saline and then her Etopside followed by some more saline. They didn't give her both at the same time cause her veins are so narrow, but it was still much quicker than yesterday and we were out of their in an hour and a half.
We talked more with the nurse about having a port implanted. Mom decided to go ahead and get that done so the nurse contacted Dr F. to start that process. She will more than likely get that done right before Cycle 2 of her Chemo.
So all in all a pretty good day. The nurse cautioned her that the further she got into the treatments the more they would affect her but she is trying to enjoy the good days. You can't ask for more than that!
Tomorrow: Pet Scan and day three of Chemo.
So we headed up to the hospital. It was a beautiful day today, so she decided to have a little walk from the back of the parking lot to the hospital. She definitely got winded but made it all the way. First on today's to do list was an MRI. We went to the registration desk and were told that her MRI was scheduled at the imaging center not at the hospital. So I went and got the car and then we drove next door to the Imaging Center.
Everything went fine with the MRI. They left her IV in, so that they wouldn't have to put another one in for her Chemotherapy which we were heading to next. We went back to the hospital, to the Infusion Center. It wasn't very full today so they got her started right away. A little bit of saline and then her Etopside followed by some more saline. They didn't give her both at the same time cause her veins are so narrow, but it was still much quicker than yesterday and we were out of their in an hour and a half.
We talked more with the nurse about having a port implanted. Mom decided to go ahead and get that done so the nurse contacted Dr F. to start that process. She will more than likely get that done right before Cycle 2 of her Chemo.
So all in all a pretty good day. The nurse cautioned her that the further she got into the treatments the more they would affect her but she is trying to enjoy the good days. You can't ask for more than that!
Tomorrow: Pet Scan and day three of Chemo.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Chemotherapy - Day 1
Phew! Long day today!
I picked mom up early this morning. She was not feeling great. Tired and nauseous.
We were at the Infusion Center by 8:30am. They immediately got her IV hooked up, but her veins weren't great because she was a little dehydrated, so they had to put it right in the crook of her arm. Which meant she had to keep her arm straight the entire time. They started out by taking her blood and then giving her some Saline, Steroids and Anti-Nausea medicine.
A nurse came to speak to her about participating in a clinical trial. This trial is more of a research trial. It will help them determine how different therapies work for different people and the effects it has on them. Hopefully they can use this research to come up with better, more effective treatments. Pretty much the only thing she has to do to participate in the trial is give a few vials of blood at the beginning of each Chemo cycle. She decided to participate, in the hopes that better treatments can be developed.
Next they gave her a drug called Carboplantin. She will get this once each cycle. Everything was going along great at this point. No adverse reactions and she actually had perked up quite a bit and ate some lunch. Next, they switched her to a drug called Etopside. She will get this everyday she has chemo. After a few minutes, she noticed that her arm hurt a little and we noticed that it was quite swollen. Turns out that her vein blew, therefore fluid was leaking directly into her arm.
They quickly took the IV out of that arm, placed it in the other arm and hooked her back up to the Etopside. They elevated her poor swollen arm and thankfully the swelling subsided quickly and there wasn't any residual pain. The nurses did discuss with her getting a port. Her veins are pretty narrow and Chemotherapy has the tendency to make them worse. The downside is that she would have to have general anesthesia again to have it implanted. It's a quick surgical procedure (about half an hour) done outpatient. The upside is that she wouldn't have to be stuck repeatedly for IV's and blood draws. It would also allow her to have both her arms free while she receives treatment.
So finally about 2:30pm, six hours after we got there, chemo was done for the day! They gave her some anti nausea drugs to take home with her and we headed home.
She was a trooper the entire time and actually looked great. She had some color in her face and felt pretty good and was not coughing the entire time. When we left the hospital she actually commented that she was starving. My sweet friend Elaine brought her (and my family too) a spaghetti dinner and she had two helpings of that. So Day One ended pretty well.
Everyone at the Infusion Center was so nice. The staff were incredible and attentive. I swear they never stopped moving - checking on the patients, checking IV bags, checking blood work and answering questions.
The other patients all seemed to have the routine down and would say hello and check up on each other. The chairs for the patients in the Infusion Center are recliners and many patients get comfy and go to sleep. A blanket is a must there - it's freezing in there! I had a scarf and a cardigan on and was still a little chilly!
To sum it all up, Mom said "That was not bad at all. Nothing like I thought it would be!"
Tomorrow MRI and Chemo again.
I picked mom up early this morning. She was not feeling great. Tired and nauseous.
We were at the Infusion Center by 8:30am. They immediately got her IV hooked up, but her veins weren't great because she was a little dehydrated, so they had to put it right in the crook of her arm. Which meant she had to keep her arm straight the entire time. They started out by taking her blood and then giving her some Saline, Steroids and Anti-Nausea medicine.
A nurse came to speak to her about participating in a clinical trial. This trial is more of a research trial. It will help them determine how different therapies work for different people and the effects it has on them. Hopefully they can use this research to come up with better, more effective treatments. Pretty much the only thing she has to do to participate in the trial is give a few vials of blood at the beginning of each Chemo cycle. She decided to participate, in the hopes that better treatments can be developed.
Next they gave her a drug called Carboplantin. She will get this once each cycle. Everything was going along great at this point. No adverse reactions and she actually had perked up quite a bit and ate some lunch. Next, they switched her to a drug called Etopside. She will get this everyday she has chemo. After a few minutes, she noticed that her arm hurt a little and we noticed that it was quite swollen. Turns out that her vein blew, therefore fluid was leaking directly into her arm.
They quickly took the IV out of that arm, placed it in the other arm and hooked her back up to the Etopside. They elevated her poor swollen arm and thankfully the swelling subsided quickly and there wasn't any residual pain. The nurses did discuss with her getting a port. Her veins are pretty narrow and Chemotherapy has the tendency to make them worse. The downside is that she would have to have general anesthesia again to have it implanted. It's a quick surgical procedure (about half an hour) done outpatient. The upside is that she wouldn't have to be stuck repeatedly for IV's and blood draws. It would also allow her to have both her arms free while she receives treatment.
So finally about 2:30pm, six hours after we got there, chemo was done for the day! They gave her some anti nausea drugs to take home with her and we headed home.
She was a trooper the entire time and actually looked great. She had some color in her face and felt pretty good and was not coughing the entire time. When we left the hospital she actually commented that she was starving. My sweet friend Elaine brought her (and my family too) a spaghetti dinner and she had two helpings of that. So Day One ended pretty well.
Everyone at the Infusion Center was so nice. The staff were incredible and attentive. I swear they never stopped moving - checking on the patients, checking IV bags, checking blood work and answering questions.
The other patients all seemed to have the routine down and would say hello and check up on each other. The chairs for the patients in the Infusion Center are recliners and many patients get comfy and go to sleep. A blanket is a must there - it's freezing in there! I had a scarf and a cardigan on and was still a little chilly!
To sum it all up, Mom said "That was not bad at all. Nothing like I thought it would be!"
Tomorrow MRI and Chemo again.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Meeting the Doctors
Today was a busy day, with lots of information to digest.
(A lot of technical info in this post so I don't have to repeat all the info 50 times for the family)
We started out by meeting mom's oncologist Dr C. We immediately liked him. He has a very warm personality, is very patient and explained everything. We especially liked that he was very familiar with her medical record and already had a plan in place.
He described the cancer as a soft tissue mass of the mediastinum. It it mostly wrapped around her windpipe. He said that 99% of the time, this cancer comes from smoking. Ironic since she quit smoking about 25 years ago!
They are in the process of scheduling a few more tests, a PET scan and an MRI of the brain. But while we are waiting for the tests, they are going to go ahead and start her Chemotherapy treatments on Monday.
Chemo will consist of Carboplantin and Etopside along with IV fluids to keep her hydrated and anti nausea medicine. Each cycle will consist of Chemo on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday will be a long day. Approximately 5 hours. Tuesday and Wednesday will be about an hour and a half. On Thursday she will go in for a shot of Neulasta. This helps stimulate the growth of healthy white blood cells in the bone marrow. Then she gets two weeks off, and repeat the cycle again. She will more than likely do six cycles.
Expected side effects are hair loss (usually starting around the third week), nausea, loss of appetite, and weight loss. There are a slew of other side effects that are possible, but these are the ones that he most commonly sees in his patients. She will be donating a lot of blood to infusion center nurses who will be testing it all the time to see what might be cropping up.
Next we saw the Radiologist Dr. D. Just like Dr C, we liked him immediately also. He showed mom the MRI of her throat and lungs. It seems amazing she can breathe at all when you look at the film. The mass is approximately 7cm from front to back and 6 1/2 cm from side to side.
Radiation will start after her first cycle of Chemo. She has an appointment set up to go back in, and go over her treatment plan and do mapping. This is where they decide exactly where the radiation is going to go. Radiation is a very targeted treatment vs chemo that goes through the entire body. Then she will have the first treatment at the end of the month. Radiation treatments will be Monday through Friday for six weeks in a row. This will only take about half an hour in the office. Approximately 10 minutes of low dose radiation. This is supposed to help her tolerate the treatment better than if she just received one great big dose. He doesn't expect too many side effects right away other than a sunburn like reaction on her skin. The further along the treatment gets, she may have trouble swallowing and a sore throat. Usually all side effects go away approximately two weeks after treatment is completed.
The treatment may change if the MRI of the brain shows that the cancer has spread there. If the MRI of the brain is clear, she will have radiation to her brain approximately a month after all her cycles of chemotherapy are done. This is done as a preventative measure.
So, I think that's everything. Obviously it was a lot of information to take in, but it's nice to have a plan in place. She actually said she was excited to start the chemotherapy so that she can hopefully get some relief from the coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing.
I will try and update here as much as possible, as it is hard for her to talk on the phone a lot. If I left anything out, feel free to email me and ask.
If you google this type of cancer you will find a lot of negative information. Her doctors are being very optimistic and we are choosing to focus on the positive. I would ask all of you to please do the same.
Keep the prayers, good karma and positive thoughts coming our way!
Clair
(A lot of technical info in this post so I don't have to repeat all the info 50 times for the family)
We started out by meeting mom's oncologist Dr C. We immediately liked him. He has a very warm personality, is very patient and explained everything. We especially liked that he was very familiar with her medical record and already had a plan in place.
He described the cancer as a soft tissue mass of the mediastinum. It it mostly wrapped around her windpipe. He said that 99% of the time, this cancer comes from smoking. Ironic since she quit smoking about 25 years ago!
They are in the process of scheduling a few more tests, a PET scan and an MRI of the brain. But while we are waiting for the tests, they are going to go ahead and start her Chemotherapy treatments on Monday.
Chemo will consist of Carboplantin and Etopside along with IV fluids to keep her hydrated and anti nausea medicine. Each cycle will consist of Chemo on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday will be a long day. Approximately 5 hours. Tuesday and Wednesday will be about an hour and a half. On Thursday she will go in for a shot of Neulasta. This helps stimulate the growth of healthy white blood cells in the bone marrow. Then she gets two weeks off, and repeat the cycle again. She will more than likely do six cycles.
Expected side effects are hair loss (usually starting around the third week), nausea, loss of appetite, and weight loss. There are a slew of other side effects that are possible, but these are the ones that he most commonly sees in his patients. She will be donating a lot of blood to infusion center nurses who will be testing it all the time to see what might be cropping up.
Next we saw the Radiologist Dr. D. Just like Dr C, we liked him immediately also. He showed mom the MRI of her throat and lungs. It seems amazing she can breathe at all when you look at the film. The mass is approximately 7cm from front to back and 6 1/2 cm from side to side.
Radiation will start after her first cycle of Chemo. She has an appointment set up to go back in, and go over her treatment plan and do mapping. This is where they decide exactly where the radiation is going to go. Radiation is a very targeted treatment vs chemo that goes through the entire body. Then she will have the first treatment at the end of the month. Radiation treatments will be Monday through Friday for six weeks in a row. This will only take about half an hour in the office. Approximately 10 minutes of low dose radiation. This is supposed to help her tolerate the treatment better than if she just received one great big dose. He doesn't expect too many side effects right away other than a sunburn like reaction on her skin. The further along the treatment gets, she may have trouble swallowing and a sore throat. Usually all side effects go away approximately two weeks after treatment is completed.
The treatment may change if the MRI of the brain shows that the cancer has spread there. If the MRI of the brain is clear, she will have radiation to her brain approximately a month after all her cycles of chemotherapy are done. This is done as a preventative measure.
So, I think that's everything. Obviously it was a lot of information to take in, but it's nice to have a plan in place. She actually said she was excited to start the chemotherapy so that she can hopefully get some relief from the coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing.
I will try and update here as much as possible, as it is hard for her to talk on the phone a lot. If I left anything out, feel free to email me and ask.
If you google this type of cancer you will find a lot of negative information. Her doctors are being very optimistic and we are choosing to focus on the positive. I would ask all of you to please do the same.
Keep the prayers, good karma and positive thoughts coming our way!
Clair
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The "C" Word
Unfortunately I don't have a witty way to start this post. I have been sitting here for 5 minutes starring at the blinking cursor and I really need to get to bed soon, so I guess I had just better dive in.
Mom has been sick with a horrendous cough since Thanksgiving. At first we thought she had the same crud everyone else seemed to have. But she got worse. The doctor thought she had severe asthma. She had asthma as a child so this explanation seemed to make sense. Asthma treatments weren't working so then the doctor started investigating more. At this point she could barely walk or talk without wheezing and is constantly exhausted. After an MRI detected some swollen lymph nodes in her throat and some nodules behind her breastbone, she had a biopsy. The word Lymphoma was tossed around.
Last Thursday, April 5th, she spoke with the doctor over the phone. He told her the pathology result showed small cell lung cancer. Even though we knew cancer was a possibility, I can't describe what a shock hearing those results was. The doctor didn't give much information at that point and said he would see her on Tuesday for a post op appointment.
Yesterday we went to the doctor. He confirmed what he had already told her over the phone and let her know that the next steps would be to see an Oncologist and a Radiologist. Surgery is not an option for this type of cancer and Chemotherapy is that standard course of treatment. It will most likely be coupled with radiation. She will also have some other diagnostic tests to see if the cancer has spread anywhere else. The doctor said he is hopeful that the chemotherapy will shrink the tumors that are pressing against her trachea and then she will be able to breathe a lot better.
So tomorrow we are off to the radiologist and oncologist to see what the plan is. Prayers, positive thoughts and any good karma you can throw our way are greatly appreciated!
Mom has been sick with a horrendous cough since Thanksgiving. At first we thought she had the same crud everyone else seemed to have. But she got worse. The doctor thought she had severe asthma. She had asthma as a child so this explanation seemed to make sense. Asthma treatments weren't working so then the doctor started investigating more. At this point she could barely walk or talk without wheezing and is constantly exhausted. After an MRI detected some swollen lymph nodes in her throat and some nodules behind her breastbone, she had a biopsy. The word Lymphoma was tossed around.
Last Thursday, April 5th, she spoke with the doctor over the phone. He told her the pathology result showed small cell lung cancer. Even though we knew cancer was a possibility, I can't describe what a shock hearing those results was. The doctor didn't give much information at that point and said he would see her on Tuesday for a post op appointment.
Yesterday we went to the doctor. He confirmed what he had already told her over the phone and let her know that the next steps would be to see an Oncologist and a Radiologist. Surgery is not an option for this type of cancer and Chemotherapy is that standard course of treatment. It will most likely be coupled with radiation. She will also have some other diagnostic tests to see if the cancer has spread anywhere else. The doctor said he is hopeful that the chemotherapy will shrink the tumors that are pressing against her trachea and then she will be able to breathe a lot better.
So tomorrow we are off to the radiologist and oncologist to see what the plan is. Prayers, positive thoughts and any good karma you can throw our way are greatly appreciated!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Our house is nearly done!
Chris was in Jacksonville last week so he swung by the house for a little peek.
It's fun to see the changes that have been made in the week since we've been gone!
Chris will be back in Jacksonville again at the end of the month. Hopefully they will have installed the kitchen and he can take some more pictures of the inside.
It's fun to see the changes that have been made in the week since we've been gone!
Sold! To us! (Well sorta, we haven't closed or anything yet)
The sod is down!
They added the Ledgestone to the bottom of the house. Love the color and the way it looks.
The staircase has been put in and the carpet laid down. Love the staircase! Much better than the temporary pipe railing they rigged up.
Chris will be back in Jacksonville again at the end of the month. Hopefully they will have installed the kitchen and he can take some more pictures of the inside.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
House Hunting
So, several months ago, Chris' company Network Solutions was bought out by Web.com Unfortunately the company decided to shut down the offices here in the St Louis area. Fortunately, they offered Chris a promotion. However, this also meant we would need to relocate our family to Jacksonville. So, when the kids finish the school year, we're off to sunny Florida.
We looked at six gazillion homes on the internet. We even put in an offer on a great house in a great location that we hadn't even seen. There was multiple offers and ours wasn't accepted. It seemed like no sooner did I let the agent know we were interested in a house, that house would be under contract. We weren't gelling with our agent. I was started to thing we were going to have to live in a tent.
With a new agent, and a list of homes to go see, off we all went to Florida in search of a new home.
Wow! I never knew house hunting could be so completely exhausting!
We looked at so many houses I could barely keep them straight. One house was great but it was a short sale and we need a firm move in date. Another great house, this one a bank foreclosure, had horrible stains all over the carpet, another home didn't have enough natural light, the next house smelled like dog. We considered new builds but the first one we looked at had tiny bedrooms. The second one was out of our price range.
We finally checked out a different community that was still in the school district we want the kids to attend. Immediately all of us loved the house but at this point we still had some other houses to look at. The next day we spend most of the day looking at houses that were beautiful but we weren't getting the same vibe as we did before. We went back to the house again to get a second look and we immediately felt like this was the right choice. So we went in and signed the papers. Our fabulous agent got the builder to throw in a whole bunch of extras too. We didn't have enough time to have our home built from scratch so we opted for a home that was already in the process of being built. It should be ready at the end of April.
So even though it was exhausting, we did it! We have a home to move to now.
Thank goodness. I am not a camper!
We looked at six gazillion homes on the internet. We even put in an offer on a great house in a great location that we hadn't even seen. There was multiple offers and ours wasn't accepted. It seemed like no sooner did I let the agent know we were interested in a house, that house would be under contract. We weren't gelling with our agent. I was started to thing we were going to have to live in a tent.
With a new agent, and a list of homes to go see, off we all went to Florida in search of a new home.
Wow! I never knew house hunting could be so completely exhausting!
We looked at so many houses I could barely keep them straight. One house was great but it was a short sale and we need a firm move in date. Another great house, this one a bank foreclosure, had horrible stains all over the carpet, another home didn't have enough natural light, the next house smelled like dog. We considered new builds but the first one we looked at had tiny bedrooms. The second one was out of our price range.
We finally checked out a different community that was still in the school district we want the kids to attend. Immediately all of us loved the house but at this point we still had some other houses to look at. The next day we spend most of the day looking at houses that were beautiful but we weren't getting the same vibe as we did before. We went back to the house again to get a second look and we immediately felt like this was the right choice. So we went in and signed the papers. Our fabulous agent got the builder to throw in a whole bunch of extras too. We didn't have enough time to have our home built from scratch so we opted for a home that was already in the process of being built. It should be ready at the end of April.
So even though it was exhausting, we did it! We have a home to move to now.
Thank goodness. I am not a camper!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Not a kitten anymore!
When Sarafina was just a little baby kitty, she discovered she could jump onto the stool, then onto the counter, then up onto the fridge and then on the top of the upper cabinets. One of the vents for the heater is up there, and whenever she would get cold, she would make her way up there and settle into the wicker basket by the vent.
Despite how much bigger she has gotten, she still likes to squeeze into that little basket.
Despite how much bigger she has gotten, she still likes to squeeze into that little basket.
She's a kitten at heart. Especially when there is heat involved!
Baby Alive
Aunt Cheryl gave Ella this Baby Alive doll for Christmas. You feed her baby food, and she drinks water from a little bottle. Than she pees and poos in her diaper.
We have been going through a lot of diapers around here. (A stage I thought we were done with!) I guess this one was a little stinky!
We have been going through a lot of diapers around here. (A stage I thought we were done with!) I guess this one was a little stinky!
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