Our Life in Texas

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T22:14:00.000-06:00

It has been a very Merry Christmas in the Doornik house. I hope the same is true for everyone else. I can't count how many dozen cookies we've made in the last 2 weeks. We've shopped, decorated, listened to Christmas music (Glee was our preferred this year), and watched Christmas movies whenever possible. It's been very nice.

Visiting Santa!

Our church is big, really big! The main auditorium holds 4400 people. This year, the 4 campuses held 20 identical services over 3 days. We went to service on Thursday afternoon and enjoyed the Winter Wonderland they set up for the kids. The service theme was Silent Night and was such a great message. It was perfect for the season. Jason and the girls always volunteer on Christmas Eve for 2 services as greeters. I usually can't because we have Hayden. This year, he was okay to leave home with Mom, so I served as an usher. It was nice to go as a family to volunteer and give back to the church. I can see us doing this more often. The girls helped hand out candles for the candlelight caroling we have at the end of service. It's a very magical time.

Christmas Morning

The kids sure did have a great time this morning discovering that Santa was indeed here. He left presents under the tree, stockings were filled and the cookies and milk were all gone. No doubt he made a stop at our house! Anna and Sydney couldn't wait to jump in and unwrap everything. Hayden on the other hand, decided he wanted to play with his toys in his room. It was very overwhelming to see the tree with all the presents and everyone crowded together to open gifts and see what each person got. In the end, though, he did join us some. We spent the rest of the day playing with all the goodies. Well, the kids did. I spent my time into the early afternoon putting everything together. We had a nice late lunch and just spent the day with each other.

The kids each had their favorite gifts. Anna & Sydney got Paper Jamz guitar & drums from Santa. They loved that! Luckily, it's music that Mommy & Daddy like too. Anna loves her Epic Mickey game for the Wii and Sydney is now hooked up with the Furry Frenzies City. Hayden likes his super heroes play set, Cars legos from his grandparents, and his Cars scooter. Too bad it was too cold to take it outside for a spin, but the living room worked just fine.

I have a ton of pictures to post, but for a start, here are 2. I'll do more before the end of the year. I know I've been terrible about updating the blog, but that's a good thing! I don't have cancer updates or cochlear implant news to tell everyone about. It's just our life moving forward. We are very blessed to be where we are in our lives and Jason and I are enjoying every minute we can with our family. The kids are healthy and strong, succeeding in the things they do. It's just fun to be together.

Long time, no update

2010-10-30T20:53:00.007-05:00

I talked to my Grandma Mary last week and felt bad I haven't updated in forever! I can't believe it's been 2 months since the last one. Tomorrow is Halloween and I'm just amazed how busy we've been this school year so far.

Let's recap the last 10 weeks. The kids started school at the end of August. Anna had some struggles moving on to the intermediate school. That's the 5th/6th grade school designed to help transition to junior high. The kids have 4 teachers they rotate thru along with lockers, band, orchestra, or art/music. The 100+ kids stay together for 2 years with the same teachers. They have more accountability and that's been the struggle for Anna. Her grades were suffering some, but she turned it around and ended the first 9 weeks on a positive note. She's also in choir which added to the pressure. Good thing she didn't do sports this season. She will now that we have the schedule all under control.

Sydney has been doing well all things considered. She has dyslexia tutoring before school 4 days a week and just started another tutoring program for reading comprehension. She's showing progress across the board. Her only struggle has been getting all her ARD guidelines in place with new teachers. We had some kinks to work thru but she's on her way. And she is finishing her second season of volleyball and LOVES it! Third grade is going well.

Hayden is a 4 year old! He's a hoot! He likes school and is doing well. He's starting to tell me more about things he's done at school which is a huge thing for him to do. And can I just tell you, that boy is developing quite the sense of humor. He loves to play with rocks and sticks, loves his mommy, has moments of sister worship, and his daddy gives the best tickles. Life is good. He's been going thru his annual testing, post-cochlear implant. So far, so good. He's still behind, but showing progress.

As the parents of these 3 children, Jason and I are on the move all the time. We are exhausted! Happy, but exhausted. I've never had a hard time getting up in the morning, but now it's a chore. It doesn't help that Jason works late each day and I have PTO work to do after the kids go to bed. But, we're young, healthy and able.

Health update: all good! Just saw my oncologist this week and I'm doing fine. I go back in 4 months. I also saw my cardiologist a couple of weeks ago. Great news! I'm off my heart meds! I just have to take my tamoxifen for the next million years. Okay, just over 4 years. On another cancer note, I'd like to ask for your prayers, well wishes, good karma, etc for my friend Jo. She starts her first round of chemo next week and needs strength to get her thru this. She's in great hands medically. All of her doctors are or were mine. It's just nerve racking the first time.

Summer is Gone!

2010-08-25T20:43:00.006-05:00

WOW! Were did the summer go? I can't believe it's been 2 months since I last posted. It just doesn't feel like it.

Well, the Doornik family has been doing pretty good since June. We took another enjoyable trip to Dallas to visit friends for the 4th of July. The kids got to shoot fireworks, something we can't do here. There is something to be said about living outside of city limits in an unincorporated area. Anna and Sydney also did a week at the YMCA camp. They had a fun time and wanted to do another week, but we didn't have time to do one. We'll try to fit more in next summer. The set up there is really cool for little campers.

Our last little trip was to San Antonio a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't seen the weather in our neck of the woods, it's been HOT! Like 100+, 110+ heat index. Yuck. Of course, the best thing to do is go to San Antonio, TX and visit outside attractions each day. Not our best planning, but Jason and I promised the kids we'd go to Sea World this summer so off we went. Our first stop was the Alamo and River Walk. We didn't actually get to the River Walk. Sydney was so overwhelmed by the heat, she threw up at the Alamo very soon after getting there. Later that afternoon, Anna passed out in the shower as a result of the heat and no food. The next day, we lost Hayden at Sea World for 10-15 minutes. His implants were off since we were on our way to the pool. Gotta tell you, I've never been so scared! Anna found him at the little kid pool, just having a ball. In fact, he got mad at me when I made him get out to put on sunscreen. That little stinker! Our last full day was spent in Fredericksburg. It was pleasant, hot and uneventful. Good times.

Once August hit, so did my new job as PTO president. What was I thinking of when I said yes? I said no for 5 months, then they catch me 1 month before our big spring fundraiser. I wasn't sleeping and was running on adrenaline for the longest time. I had no more strength to fight the growing campaign to get me to say yes. So I succumbed to the pressure. And now I'm paying for it. Well, it's just one year and Sydney is so proud her mommy is PTO President. I can't do as much at Anna's or Hayden's schools, but I'll still find time to fit them in.

School started on Monday. It was a little stressful trying to get everyone to 3 different schools, but we did it and the kids love it so far! Anna prays each night to God that she is so happy at Mitchell, her intermediate 5th & 6th grade school. Sydney loves that she's the first one home and has 20 minutes with me by herself. Hayden doesn't say he likes school, but his "bye Mom" as he gets on the bus is enough for me to know he's happy. Let's see how long the magic lasts!

Jason is up for a promotion at work. We are all very happy that he's gainfully employed. :)

My annual imaging happened in the last 2 weeks. I had an MRI 2 weeks ago and a mammogram on Monday. Apparently, the MRI should something that they needed to follow up on. Wasn't happy to hear that, but it ended up being fat necrosis, which isn't uncommon following the surgeries I've had. No action needs to be taken and I'm still cancer free.

Summer is Here!

2010-06-20T21:54:00.004-05:00

It's been about 6 weeks since my last post. I've allowed myself to shut down a little after a very busy beginning to 2010. With surgeries, fundraisers, parenting, being a wife, and providing care to the entire Western World (okay, slight exaggeration), I needed a break.

Jason and I have had 2 little vacations with the kids since Memorial Day. We celebrated Sydney's birthday in Dallas with friends of ours. Our kids are all close in age and get along well. The girls do at least. Our boys aren't quite there yet at 3 years old and 16 months old. Give us another year or 2 and they will be best buds. Hayden actually learned to fake cry so I'd pick him up, or that's what he thought should happen. It did for Baby AJ.

Our last trip was to Panama City, FL to visit Jason's sister. We had such a great time. They have friends that were so nice to take us out on their motor boat one day and sail boat another. The girls were born to be sailors. Hayden was fine once we were off the boat. He hated to wear his life jacket. The water was so clear, the sand so white, and the sky so blue. And we were fortunate to not have any oil hit the beach. We saw hermit crabs, sea urchins, water snails, fiddler crabs, living sand dollars and a sting ray. Jason and I couldn't have planned a better trip. Thanks to Admiral Ken and Captain Monica!

The weeks preceding our trips, Jason had to be in Peru. He's going again in a week, getting back the day before we have house guests for 4th of July. We go to San Antonio in August. Want to bet he's in Peru again before we go? :)

VBS starts tomorrow. The girls always love this week during the summer. Anna's a little bummed though. All her friends that usually go are on vacation, so she doesn't have a friend in her group. She'll make some though. Sydney is with one of her best friends so she's all set! They have a week of day camp with the YMCA in July. Hayden starts his own camp on Wednesday for 7 weeks. He goes on Wednesdays to a hearing camp set up by his former AV therapist and deaf ed teacher. Once he sees them both, he's going to be so happy.

So, we are off to a great start on our summer vacation.

Done!

2010-05-02T20:27:00.002-05:00

I am done! Yep, that's right. Known surgeries are done, chemo is done, radiation is done. I am so happy to celebrate my 2 year anniversary as a breast cancer survivor and be done with it all. I still have follow up appointments and medicine to take daily, but I'm cancer free so who cares!

The last reconstruction surgery wasn't as bad as the other 2. It was outpatient, but still a long day. I'm symmetrical and happy! The one thing I've got to still adjust too over the last 18 months is the amount of scars I've got. Each surgery adds to the existing scars. I really wasn't prepared for that, but in the years to come, they should fade and just be faint reminders.

The kids are gearing up for the last month of school. Anna finished TAKS testing last week and I'm sure she did great. Sydney had a wonderful field day on Thursday and Anna will have hers on Tuesday. Hayden's is next Friday. We are preparing for a busy month at school. We have field trips, book fair, teacher appreciation week, science week, and year end testing. Hayden has his ARD for school next year. This is were his teachers, therapist, counselor, and school administration all agree on what our goals are for him. Can't wait. He should be going 5 days a week, up from 3. This will be great.

Jason's birthday is tomorrow. To bad he has to work. We did get to celebrate a little today. We had lunch, did some planting and he got a game and a few books he really wanted. My hope for him tomorrow is to be home before dark!

Welcome Spring

2010-04-19T22:22:00.004-05:00

Much has happened since my last post. We recovered from the flu, enjoyed a very relaxing spring break and then spent 3 weeks finalizing details for our spring fundraiser at school. The kids and Jason were very understanding as I neglected them for Camp Springetti. But it was worth it. We netted $71,000. Not too bad for a K-4 elementary school, post-recession by about a week! I won't do it on my birthday again though. My fellow parent volunteers surprised me with a birthday cake and gift. I was totally caught off guard. But I worked so much, I actually forgot it was my birthday the first half hour I was up.

During all that craziness, I was also nominated and elected as next year's PTO president. Don't know what I was thinking! They caught me at a moment of weakness and I had no more energy to fight it. I'm already getting roped into decision making and prep for next school year.

The kids are doing great! Report cards came home a few weeks ago and Anna is on honor roll and Sydney is doing fantastic since getting help for dyslexia. Hayden's speech is exploding. His bus driver says "Girl, he never stops talking!" Too funny!

Easter weekend was beautiful. The kids had a great time at our church egg hunt and the hunt at home. The service was very nice and Jason volunteered with the girls again as greeters. It was just nice to be together for a few days.

Wednesday, I will have what I hope is my last surgery for breast cancer. There is a small chance I may need more, but this is the last known surgery I'll need. It's out-patient and I should be able to drive by Monday. This is the "fixer uper" surgery to make everything aesthetically correct. I'll try to update soon after to let everyone know how it goes.

2010-03-11T22:20:00.003-06:00

This image shows an antibiotic for double ear infections and Tamiflu for 3 sick kids. That's been our week. Hayden was confirmed to have the flu on Monday along with the ear infections. This was 3 days after I started experiencing the same symptoms. Monday night, Sydney started throwing up. Tuesday morning, Anna came home from school with a fever and headache. Wednesday, Jason stayed home with the same symptoms. Thankfully, with just Hayden's confirmed case, our doctors were able to call in Tamiflu for all of us.

I've never handled all 3 kids sick at the same time. I've had 2 out of 3, but not the full set, and then throw Jason in the mix, well, that was fun. Thankfully, he rested a lot and was able to go back to work today. The kids though will still be home tomorrow. Spring break starts this weekend for us. At least they shouldn't be sick at all!

Score!

2010-02-17T21:47:00.002-06:00

This is maybe an odd thing to be super excited about, but I am! After 3 years, we finally have a formal dyslexia diagnosis for Sydney!!! I knew she had it before she started school, but our district doesn't test until 2nd grade to allow for normal development and growth.

We kept in contact with her Kindergarten and first grade teachers about her progress. She's been getting tutoring at school for reading since Kindergarten which as really helped. Once I met her 2nd grade teacher in August, I let her know our concerns and our wishes: get through benchmarks as soon as possible then start the testing process. By the late fall, her teacher nominated her for testing. Having gone through the initial screening, she clearly qualified for the formal testing which was done last month.

I got all the results today. She took 6 different tests and the results show she struggles with reading fluency (rate and accuracy) and rapid naming. The other areas she is within normal range. Her dyslexia teacher said that her form can be difficult to overcome, but she was confident that Sydney would be able to do just that. She is very bright and loves to learn.

We hope that she starts sometime next week with her dyslexia teacher. She'll meet 4 days a week for 30-40 minutes a day. We also mapped out things to help her in class and at home. This will guide her instruction into 3rd grade which includes TAKS testing. I think the items we have in place will really help and having all of us on board, Sydney can only improve.

First Week Solo

2010-02-13T10:13:00.002-06:00

It's been just over 4 weeks since my surgery and life is looking bright. Jason's dad went home last Sunday morning, so it's just been me to take care of the kids and house. We made it! I've done laundry, cleaned floors, done the shopping, continued my volunteer work at school and managed a sick boy. It feels good to be getting back to myself.

In 2 more weeks, I can resume all my normal activities. The thing I want to do the most is hold Hayden. He's been great knowing I can't hold him yet, but he really wants me too. My stomach doesn't hurt as much as it did, nor are the muscles as tight, but the incision site is still healing and can be uncomfortable at times. Have I mentioned the incision? It's huge, like 18+ inches, from hip bone to hip bone. It'll take a lot of time, but it is supposed to fade and be less angry looking.

To make my first solo week challenging, Hayden has been sick with a nasty cold. He's been home from school most of the week. Jason, Anna and I have managed to get variations of his cold, and little Miss Syd Syd has escaped. I don't know how she does it, but she doesn't seem to get sick as much as we do.

My work at school is picking up too. I'm VP of Fundraising this year. We just finished our 1st ever cookie dough sale. Distribution was challenging with a 15 pound weight limit! I had a couple of people to help me which was nice. Now we are moving on to CAMP SPRINGETTI! This is our spring fundraiser which is on my birthday this year, April 9th. It's a great family event with auctions, raffles, store, bingo, children's tent and dinner. I'm really excited about it. We've been working on it since October. I've been working on solicitation since December and we've already had 75 items donated. It takes hundreds of donations to make this work, so we still have a way to go.

I want to thank everyone for their support and prayers over the last month. Our family is getting back to normal which is wonderful.

Recovery

2010-01-20T20:12:00.003-06:00

DISCLAIMER: I am talking a little more candidly about the reconstruction surgery. Use caution if you don't want to hear about the details!

Ouch! That's my saying this go around.

First, I want to thank everyone for their prayers, well wishes, good karma, etc. It is definitely being felt here. We all appreciate it.

I had my first reconstruction surgery last Tuesday. This one was the DIEP flap procedure that takes tissue from my stomach and is used to rebuild the left breast. The stomach is then closed similar to that of a tummy tuck. My plastic surgeon is one of the best in Houston and really knows his thing so everything is going to look great once I'm all healed. Right now though, not so much.

I have a huge incision from hip bone to hip bone. It's supposed to heal and fade in the next 9-12 months, but it'll always be there. I'll have another surgery in a few months to finish the reconstruction. I'll have an implant on the right breast and my surgeon will make everything even and symmetrical.

To be honest, I hate how I look right now, but I know as everything heals, it'll look better. No one said fighting cancer looks good. But, the happy news is that we are near the end. For me, surgery is the end of the road. I should be done this spring. Starting Feb. 1, I do start taking the maintenance drug, Tamoxifen. This is a pill I'll take daily for 5 years. Tamoxifen helps prevent estrogen from binding to cells which should prevent the return of cancer. I just hope I can remember to take it every day. That's not one of my strong points.

Again, Jason and I want to thank everyone for their concern for our family and all the prayers. Though we are far away from most of you, we feel your presence and love.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T22:34:00.004-06:00

I hope you enjoy this little look back on 2009. It was a rough year for many, but there were some good times as well. Happy New Year!

Party Time

2009-12-23T20:23:00.008-06:00

The last week of school before winter break was party time! We started with Sydney's class party on Thursday. The 2nd graders had a lot of fun decorating cookies, making ornaments, playing games and having their book exchange. I had to leave early to go across the parking lot to Hayden's school.

His preschool put on a neat production with the 3s, 4s and 5s. The boys were shepherds and the girls were angels. They replayed the birth of Jesus and sang songs. It was so cute. Hayden looked like many of the other 3 year olds and was bored, but he only called out to me 4 or 5 times! We then enjoyed a wonderful lunch hosted by the school.

Friday, Anna and the rest of the 4th grade had their round robin party. Our room was the story room. The kids had fun that morning playing games, reading, doing crafts and a community project. The project benefited the senior citizens of our community and was such a nice gesture by our students.

Friday evening, Jason and I got all dressed up and headed into Houston to the Museum of Natural Sciences for his company party. There were about 100 guests for dinner and dancing along with a private showing of the Museum's Faberge exhibit. It was stunning! We so enjoyed being out with the kids and had a nice evening.

Right now, we are just enjoying our time together before Christmas. Unfortunately, Anna and I have strep throat and are quite uncomfortable. Honestly, Anna is miserable and I'm getting by as mommies do. Jason's been great taking care of the other 2.

Oh, I almost forgot! I ended my cancer treatment today! Nineteen months and 1 day after starting chemo, I'm finally done with all my infusion treatments. I did it! Yippee! Now, I have surgery in January then on to the maintenance drugs that I take at home. Just 10 more years and then I'm done with it all.

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. I'll update again soon.

SURPRISE!

2009-12-12T08:32:00.003-06:00

Yep, I’m finally updating the blog. It’s been over a month and I intended to do this many times since then, but just never had the time or energy. The Doornik household is a busy household!

The kids are doing great. Anna finished soccer and has enjoyed having a little more after school time with her friends. She loves to talk with one friend in particular on the phone while they play the same online games. I do need to refocus both kids back a little to homework. We’ve slacked off some in the last 2 weeks.

Sydney also finished cheerleading last month. She really liked it, but has decided she wants to play tennis in the spring. I played varsity in high school, so I’m pretty excited to see her play. We are still working on her reading and math at school. Currently, she’s undergoing in class intervention for dyslexia and it does seem to help some. I’m going to try to push it more after the winter break.

Hayden has really blossomed. His language is improving. He just started using “and” in his sentences. It’s a huge thing for me to hear. This morning he told me he wanted “butter and syrup” on his waffles. In the past he would say “butter syrup.” His regular preschool teacher has been very impressed by his increased language. He’s actually loving Christmas right now. They’ve been working on that in his auditory class. The only problem we are having is potty training. That’s my goal during winter break. He will be potty trained. I hope…

Jason’s been working hard. He just go back from a conference in Washington DC. All of us wish we could have gone, but maybe next time. Once in a while, Jason does get to squeeze in some golf, but not as much as he’d like.

As for me, well, I’m doing great. I have 2 more Herceptin treatments, then I’m done!!! Yippee!! Ring the bell, ding the gong! Celebrate! My last treatment is December 23rd. What a great Christmas this is going to be. Yesterday, I saw my plastic surgeon for my pre-op stuff. Everything looks good for January 12. That’s the big reconstruction day. It’s the first of 2-3 surgeries and this is the big one. I’ll be in the OR for about 5 hours, then ICU for 24 hours. The hospital stay will be 3-5 days. The best part of the whole thing is that I get a tummy tuck out of it. Three kids, boy do I deserve it. See, there’s a bright spot to everything, even cancer.

Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving. Our friends from Dallas came down as is our families' tradition. We just love seeing them with their 2 kids. In a couple of years, I can't wait for Hayden and AJ to play like Anna, Sydney and Rowan do. Being thankful for friends and family are just a part of Thanksgiving and we certainly had that.

Now on to Christmas! More to follow. And I promise it will be before the end of the year!

Happenings...

2009-11-07T11:54:00.003-06:00

I love this time of year! The weather this week has been so nice. Cool mornings, comfortable days, and blue skies from horizon to horizon.

Last weekend we enjoyed Halloween around the neighborhood and then Wings Over Texas Air Show. The kids brought home so much candy, it was crazy! Some friends down the street turn their garage into a haunted house. It was neat watching them set up that day and then having the kids go through at night. They loved it! We enjoyed the evening with our neighbor and his daughters and then grabbed a friend of Sydney's to finish. It's so neat we don't even need to leave our little pond area. The street circles the pond with 4 cul-de-sac off-shoots. It's all we need for a grand-ole time!

The air show was fun. We joined three families from Jason's men's group from church. The kids thought it was really loud but they did enjoy seeing the Blue Angels at the end. Poor Hayden didn't have a good time. He developed another ear infection. So, 2 weekends, 2 events, 2 trips to the on-sight first aid tent. This weekend is going to be quiet!

My dear, sweet, darling, daughter, Anna, turned 10 years old on Wednesday. She spent the afternoon in a makeup soccer game, then we celebrated with cheesecake and presents. Her party with friends is on Sunday. I just can't believe she's in double digits! She's a decade! Wow!

Fun, Fun, Fun

2009-10-25T21:37:00.005-05:00

Soccer, Cheerleading and Renaissance Festival, oh my! What a fun weekend we had. The weather was beautiful and we just had great family fun.

First, Saturday was sports day. Anna had a soccer game and pictures early on Saturday. It was really cold, so Jason took her while I stayed with the other kids. She played a good game, really strong on offense. She usually likes to play defense so it was great to have her break out a little.

Next, Sydney had her game. She cheers with the YMCA at their flag football games. This was her first game and she seemed to have fun. We noticed she was kind of quiet, but she still had a good time. We'll see how the rest of the season goes.

Today, Jason and I took the kids to the Texas Renaissance Festival. This has become an annual event for us and we all have a good time. This weekend, we enjoyed the Pirate theme along with the great weather. The kids got to ride ponies, giant swings, and other rides. We ate good food, listened to great music, watched jousting, and enjoyed several shows. Our favorite show is the Mud Show. Sydney actually hates this one, so Jason took her and Hayden off to play while Anna and I watched it.

We were really proud of the girls. They both decided they wanted to try the bungee ride. Bungee cords are attached to harnesses they wear and they get to fly in the air. Sydney even did a back flip!

Hayden loved riding the ponies the most. Our day ended when little man got stung by a bee. He was in a lot of pain, but is doing better now. Thankfully I had some Benadryl on me. The folks at First Aid where helpful too. With the exception of the bee incident, we had a beautiful weekend. I love this time of year and really enjoy spending it with my family.

It's Fall!

2009-10-10T21:08:00.003-05:00

Well, it is officially fall here in The Woodlands. Both girls were cold enough last night to sleep under their covers and all 3 kids wore jeans for the first time here since April. It's wonderful!

I've been super busy this past week. Our fall fundraiser ended yesterday. I, along with 10-15 volunteers, spent hours processing orders. We do most of our PTO business online to stay within compliance with the state, but this is one event we have to process checks and cash. It takes a lot of hours to do that. Our goal was $30,000 in sales. At the end of the day Friday, we were sitting around $40,000. I'd be surprised if we didn't get another thousand or 2 before the end of next week with all the stragglers. Not to bad for my first time doing fundraising. My chairperson has done a great job handling this project and its been a pleasure working with her and the other volunteers.

The kids have been busy too. Anna is in soccer again this season. She had her first game last weekend. Her team lost, but they played well. The other team has played together for several seasons. We were rained out today. Sydney opted to try cheer leading instead of soccer. She's been having fun learning the cheers with one of her best friends. The parents have had a few issues with the YMCA, but hopefully we will get those worked out by next week. I don't want to pull her out since she is having so much fun, but if some safety issues aren't corrected soon, then I may not have a choice. Her 2 coaches are doing a great job, but their supervisors aren't and as a result unsafe situations are occurring for the girls.

Hayden missed 3 days of school last week due to an ear infection. He kept getting a fever but always responded to Motrin. I knew it wasn't the flu but still had to take him in. The pediatricians office was full of sick kids. The nurse practitioner was so excited to write a prescription for an antibiotic. It was only the 3rd one in 2 days. The evening we took him in, his eardrum burst and all the fluid was draining. That's why he didn't go to school; it was just one more orifice for little germs to get into his body. Hayden can't get the flu shot because he is allergic to eggs. He's had it the last 2 years, but since he had a documented reaction to eggs, he can't get the shot now. We hope he'll outgrow this in a few years and then can get protected.

Yesterday, when I was going thru Sydney's school folder, I was so excited to see the initial paperwork for Sydney's dyslexia testing. Her reading level is in the bottom range of normal, but her fluency is very low. As a result, she'll get tutoring at school for that and she will be tested for learning disabilities. I've found that there are several types of dyslexia and I know Syd has some variation of it. For example, she tries to read "almost" as "mlast". She does this quite often. She also has the classic symptoms of reversing numbers and letters when she writes and reads. We've known she had dyslexia since before she started Kindergarten and now we are finally moving forward.

To end, here is a picture of my sweethearts from yesterday morning. They are all wearing their spirit wear for school. So cute! Also, these are the before and after pictures of our powder room. It's been done now for a couple of weeks, but I just haven't loaded any pictures.

Anna's Teacher Needs Help

2009-09-29T09:32:00.000-05:00

Please vote for Anna's teacher! He's trying to win a grant for the 4th grade students. Go to http://www.weareteachers.com/web/512963/ise and look for Clinton Dulworth. Voting ends October 12. Thanks!!

Fundraiser time!

2009-09-22T13:15:00.003-05:00

Okay, I'm going to be shameless and use this post to plug our fall fundraiser. As the PTO vice-president of fundraising, I do need to do my best to get sales in. This year, we are partnering with Sally Foster. They have a great reputation for the quality of their products and our teachers are so excited to be using them again. Galatas Elementary will get 50% back from purchases which is a great deal!

In addition to the traditional prizes kids get for selling items, we are rewarding the top seller, the top selling class and having a drawing for those that sell 5 items of more. The drawing winner and top seller will have the choice of a Nintendo DSi or $150 gift card to Toys R Us. The top class gets a pizza party and the teacher gets $100 school supply voucher. For parents that don't want want items, but want their children to participate, we are putting together a wish list from our teachers.

So, if you'd like to help, click the link below and have fun shopping. Items should be received in time for Christmas. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me. Thanks so much for every one's support!

Use the seller number below after clicking on the link. You may need to change the seller.
https://www.sallyfoster.com/sally/credit/sellerGroupCredit.cmd

Last name between A and L, use Anna: 429546

Last name between M and Z, use Sydney: 429547

Just another weekend

2009-09-13T21:01:00.005-05:00

The kids have finished their 3rd week of school and I think we are all doing well adjusting so far. All 3 kids love their teachers. Anna is really doing well in Mr. D's class. He's very much into technology and uses it when ever possible in class. This works well with Anna. Sydney still needs a nurturer and Mrs. B is just that person. She loves each child as her own and wants to see them grow in her class. Hayden has 3 teachers at 2 schools. He's already figured out he goes to Mrs. K's class when he gets to ride the bus. Mrs. J and Mrs. S have done a good job so far in his regular preschool. I really hope the rest of the school year continues like these last few weeks.

Jason and I have been watching Sydney since she was 4. We believe she has some type of learning disability. Our school district doesn't do formal testing until 2nd grade to allow for normal development. Well, she's in 2nd grade and her teacher does see reading fluency isn't where she should be. I'm waiting for her to finish benchmark testing before Sydney can move forward. Last week she complained about seeing double while reading. So, off to the pediatrician we went. After failing the vision screening, we visited our optometrist yesterday and ordered Syd's first pair of glasses. They are really cute, even if they are Sponge Bob frames. Syd tests slightly farsighted with astigmatism. She also has some muscle weakness which could be contributing to her poor reading. Her lenses will have special prisms which are supposed to help. A couple of weeks after getting her glasses, she'll go back to see how things are going. I hope this helps. Sydney still has a love of school and a desire to read. If she has strain on her eyes and continues to struggle, we can lose all that.

Jason complained that I haven't posted any pictures in awhile. So, here is the only one I've taken in a couple of weeks. I need to get the camera out. We were in Dallas last weekend and the kids enjoyed dinner outside with friend Rowan. This is Rowan's little brother, AJ. Can you say happy baby?

Hayden's Activation Day!

2009-08-31T21:31:00.002-05:00

Hayden was finally activated this afternoon. It's been 6 weeks since his cochlear implant surgery. After school, we had lunch and he had a little quiet time. Actually, his time wasn't quiet, but at least I tried. At 2:00, we made our way downtown for his activation appointment. Thankfully, Hayden fell asleep on the drive in. I wanted him to be rested so that he might be easier to work with. Recently, his visits with his audiologist has been hit or miss. Sometimes he will be good during mappings, others he screams and fights.

Going into the mapping room, Hayden was pretty good. He did try to lock and unlock all the doors around so he didn't want to sit. After getting caught up with our team, we began the process. When it came time to have Hayden wear his new implant, oh boy, he was not going to have it. He screamed and fought every time I tried to put it on. Luckily, we got just enough time to see that everything was looking good. Dr. Ross had to guess at a low setting and seemed to be happy with the small response that Hayden gave him. Our job this week is to get Hayden used to wearing the implant so that on Friday, Dr. Ross can do a better adjustment with a true response from Hayden.

After we got home and had dinner, I tried to get Hayden to put on his ear. Initially, I tried bribery with a lollipop and then ice cream. He kept saying no, so into timeout he went. This worked last year with the first one, so I thought I'd try it again. Nope. He willingly walked himself to his timeout spot and sat down. After a few minutes, he got out. I was talking to the girls and turned around to see his implant was gone! I thought I lost it. I started to get really upset and angry, asking the girls to help me find it. Hayden realized I was getting angry and walked into the living room with a guilty smile on his face. He walks to one of his trains on the coffee table, then to another one on the floor by the couch. Inside of each is a part of the implant. The little stinker took his implant from behind my back, took it apart, then hid the 2 pieces in 2 different places. No one can tell me my child isn't smart.

Finally, I had to tell him if he wouldn't wear the implant it was time for bed and took his shoes off. This is what finally did it. He didn't want his shoes off or go to bed. So, I was able to get him to wear it. He spent the rest of the evening almost happily wearing his implant. He even asked me to put it back on when it fell off. Let's see if we have better luck tomorrow.

Trip Video

2009-08-26T08:31:00.002-05:00

Here are some memories from our trip. I hope you enjoy it.

First Days

2009-08-25T20:57:00.006-05:00

School started yesterday. We were prepared to go Monday morning. Backpacks were ready, lunches packed, clothes picked out, supplies at school. Everything was a go. The morning was fast, but smooth considering we haven't had to do this in 3 months. The girls were great going to their classes. No tears or anything, though I was waiting for it with Sydney. Nope, she's a big 2nd grader now. Anna has the school's new, only male teacher, Mr. Dulworth. We think he's great so far. He has high energy and loves to challenge the mind. Sydney is with Mrs. Bickley. She's a fabulous teacher and is a good match for our little Syd Syd. This will be a great year for our girls.

Then we were off to Hayden's school. He goes to another elementary school, Bush, which has the only deaf ed/auditory class in The Woodlands. His teacher, Mrs. Kehlenbeck, is wonderful. She is really going to help Hayden. I think there are 5 kids in his class and he will have so many opportunities to expand on his language skills. Hayden will go MWF for 3 hours.

The other 2 days, he goes to a regular preschool. I was very anxious about that today. I can't explain it, but I actually wondered if it was a good decision. Since he still isn't potty trained and has a few other issues we are still working on, I didn't know if he could handle being in the class. Today went well, so I just need to see how things go. Time will tell. His teachers are very nice so that will help.

This year is going to be an interesting year. Three kids, three schools, PTO obligations, household obligations, surgery and cancer treatment, a husband. Life is not dull in the Doornik family.

What a trip!

2009-08-13T22:11:00.005-05:00

The kids and I rolled into our driveway last night at 10 pm. That ended our 22 day trip across the western half of the USA. I'm really amazed that 1) we made it, 2) I drove every single one of the 5947 miles, and 3) my kids had a great time. One of my favorite quotes from Anna was "Mom, why is America so beautiful?" We saw such a variety of countryside from the deserts of Arizona to the California Redwoods to the plains of Kansas and everything in between. The scenery was great to see in between the family visits.

We didn't make many stops along the way home. I think we all were ready to be home. Hayden was a little car sick on Monday afternoon. This is the one and only time on the trip that any of the kids was sick. Not to bad. We also had a little bit of traffic right before entering Texas. Two miles to the state line and we had to stop. It was torture to be so close and yet so far. Once in the state, it almost felt like we were home, even though we still had another 5 hours to drive. We do the Dallas/Houston drive enough that it's not travel.

This trip meant a lot to me. First, I missed my family a lot. I mean, a lot! It's been a long time since I've seen most of them. Second, most of the family hasn't met Hayden yet. I really needed him to have a chance to get those early memories of the people I love. Third, there were so many places I used to go as a kid that were special to me. I wanted the chance to share that with my children. I know they got different things out of this trip than what I got, but that's okay. That's the joy of trip like this. Finally, I wanted to end the past year on a bang. Last summer was terrible. With chemo, we were so limited on our family fun. This summer, I just wanted to do something that we could talk about for years to come and have a smile on our faces. I think we did that.

Thank you to everyone that hosted us. My grandparents and dad were amazing to put up with us. The Ryans, Stiblings, Hoys and Granholms fed us and kept us entertained. The cousins were an absolute hit with my 3. Seeing my brothers and sister-in-law not once, but twice was great. And having my Uncle Steve and Aunt Holly along the way was very special. I even considered adding to our family by adopting a kitty and a puppy. I rethought that though when I considered our drive home!

Next trip though, Jason will be there. That was the only thing that could have made this any better. The kids and I missed him so much. I really wished that he could have flown out for part of the time. I guess we will have to do it all again so he can come. ;)

WWRT - Days 14 - 19

2009-08-10T00:04:00.002-05:00

As of 6:30 pm today, our vacation was unofficially over. I say that because I'm still in a hotel room with my kids, roughly 2200 miles from home. I'm hoping we can make it in 3 days, but I have 4 days set aside to get there.

Tuesday, we spent a wonderful day with my cousin Heather and her kids. We all just talked and played the day away. Heather was so sweet and made an appointment for me to get my hair cut. She knew I wanted to do that when we got home. It was fun to watch our 6 kids just be kids and play with their cousins.

Wednesday, we left Seattle and headed to Yakima. I originally planned on going through Mt. Rainier, but the cloud cover was so low, I didn't think we'd see anything. Instead, we went to Snoqualmie Falls and on through the pass. That afternoon, the kids were swimming at my grandparents' pool with more cousins.

Thursday was sightseeing day! We drove around Yakima and saw the number of houses and schools I spent my childhood in. We had another great afternoon with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. I love my family!

Friday, we went down into the valley and visited with my Great Uncle Dave and his daughter Donna. Our visit included my Uncle Steve and Aunt Holly. I was lucky to have them along most of our trip. Then, back to the Ryans for more family bonding.

This was party weekend! My cousins had us over for an anniversary barbecue on Saturday. The kids played all over the hill, dogs & cats tried to get in or stay out of the way, and I tried to keep Hayden corralled to the playhouse. The kids found a pretty little kitty that I seriously thought about taking home with us. Today was the 40th annual Paradise Picnic to celebrate the Ryan's 65th anniversary. They aren't my biological grandparents, but they have been in my heart since I was a baby. I'm glad the kids and I could make it. I saw family and friends I haven't seen in 15 years. I also really enjoyed seeing my children play with their cousins the way I did at their age.

I hope the girls remember this trip. It's been long, but worth it. We saw a lot and we aren't even done yet. I wish we lived closer to everyone. Maybe someday.

Pictures

2009-08-04T15:54:00.004-05:00

These are the promised pictures so far. Enjoy.

WWRT - Days 8 - 13

2009-08-04T00:23:00.002-05:00

Wow! We've been on the road for 13 days! It doesn't seem that long at times, then I think it seems longer. This has been such a fun trip so far and I'm so glad we did it. The kids are doing so well and have complained very little. And you know what? I don't think I've heard "Are we there yet?" once. Thank goodness for DVD players.

Well, July 29th we headed up to the Redwoods. We had such a nice drive up 101. It took a little longer than I thought, but by early afternoon we were driving through a huge tree! The kids thought that was so cool. Thanks to the kindness of a guy in the group ahead of us, I actually managed to do it without scraping my car. After that, we stopped at a few side of the road places to see neat wonders in the redwoods. Our last real stop was the Avenue of the Giants visitor center where the kids got to do some exploring and see the various sites they have there. We ended the evening in Crescent City, CA, spending the night near the ocean. The kids actually needed their warm pjs that night.

At the last minute, I changed the route to Corvallis, OR, by going up the coast. I've never driven along the southern coast before and, considering the heat wave inland, decided the cool weather would be nice. We didn't see much because of fog, but we still had a good drive. The foliage and mountains and ocean all together are just lovely. Finally, I had to cut across the mountains to get to my brother, Cory's, house. There, the kids and I had a nice visit with Cory and Meg and their latest addition, Linus. He's one of the biggest 5 month old puppies I've seen in awhile.

The next morning we were driving up to my dad's house in Seattle. We stopped at the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center along the way. I was living in Yakima when it blew and wanted to show the girls what happened. We couldn't see the mountain due to haze, but the kids all enjoyed the walk through the nature trail around the marshes. Hayden walked most of it himself as well. That evening we were in Seattle with my dad and Aunt Holly and Uncle Steve.

The next 2 days, Saturday and Sunday, were spent in party mode. Dad and Hayden share the same birthday. Dad's 60th party was Saturday with his friends. It was so much fun. Great food, music and people. The kids also got to ride horses. Hayden's 3rd birthday party was Sunday with more aunts and uncles and cousins. All of us enjoyed just visiting and playing. The kids especially had a good time getting to see each other again.

Today, was just a nice quiet, relaxing day. The birthday boys just took it easy and had fun. We took a nice walk by the lake and again enjoyed each others company. I love Seattle so much when we have weather like this. It really makes my want to move here. Yes, Jason, we will be talking more about that!

I'll post pictures tomorrow. We are going to have another relaxing day with the Stribling cousins. Then we are off to Yakima, WA. The last leg is coming up!

WWRT - Days 2 -7

2009-07-30T00:11:00.005-05:00

Yes, it's been a week now since we left Texas. And yes, I'm still alive and not resenting my road trip idea. The kids have been relatively good and we haven't had any issues along the way. One week down, 2 more to go.

After leaving Texas, the kids and I drove into New Mexico, staying in Albuquerque for the night. The next day was spent driving into Arizona and seeing the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. The girls thought that was beautiful. That night, we stayed in Needles, CA. This is the home of Snoopy's brother, Spike. After staying the night, I can say that is the only neat thing about Needles, CA.

Day 3 brought us to my grandparents house in Mountain View. There is something so comforting about stepping foot in your grandparent's house. And when those people are 2 of the most amazing people around, you feel even better. The kids really got to visit with them and get to know them a little better, Hayden especially. They all played games and read, just like I did at their ages. The rest of the visit was spent at Shoreline Park, visiting Mount Diablo and Vallejo, a lunch with my brother Joel, exploring the new Academy of Sciences and seeing the Pacific Ocean near the Cliff House. All in all, we had a great time.

Today was our day to explore the Redwoods. After breakfast, I packed the car up again and off we went. We got to the Avenue of the Giants around 2 pm and enjoyed the drive through the redwoods. The kids thought driving through an actual tree was so cool. The rest of the trip up to Crescent City was beautiful. It was really worth the drive. We even got to see a big herd of elk along the way. The girls couldn't believe they were wild and weren't afraid of the people watching them. It was such a cool experience to share with them.

Wild West Road Trip - Day 1

2009-07-22T21:21:00.005-05:00

Ah, I'm relaxing in our lovely hotel room after our first day of driving. My sweet angels are all fast asleep and I'm able to plan tomorrow's trip.

We started the day not knowing whether we'd leave today or tomorrow. Hayden was either sad because he's realizing he can't hear without his implant on or he wasn't feeling good. I still don't know. We made a solid attempt to give him his pain meds, but I'd be surprised if any actually stayed in his body. The Tylenol with codeine really tastes nasty. Jason and I agreed that if he felt better by mid-morning, we'd go. Well, he was back to normal within 30 minutes. So, we loaded up the car, made sure we had everything, and pulled out of the driveway at 11:05 am. A quick stop to the store, then gas, and we were on our way.

The kids and I haven't been to Jason's new office yet, so we decided that would be our first adventure of the trip. We stopped by, saw his office, and went to have lunch. We got to say our last goodbyes to Jason and finally, we were officially on the road at 2 pm. I planned the first day to be an easy drive, only 5 hours. Junction, TX is between San Antonio and El Paso on I10. The drive is a nice one, going through part of the Texas Hill Country. Plus, we can see most of the sites while going 80 mph! Gotta love that!

We only stopped twice between Houston and Junction. The 1st was to console Hayden after his short nap and then a potty break at a rest stop before San Antonio. I love that some rest stops are putting in play areas for kids. The only problem we had was that it was 105 so it was really to hot to play on. The kids got to run around for a minute then back to the car and AC.

All 3 kids did pretty well today. I'm hoping our drive tomorrow will go as well. The plan is to be in Albuquerque by 7ish tomorrow night. It should be doable. I've just got to have lots of opportunities for the kids to run around. Wish us luck.

Hayden is bilateral!

2009-07-20T21:22:00.003-05:00

Today was Hayden's big surgery day. It actually started last night when we took the girls to their friends' house for a sleepover. Hayden asked for and got to have ice cream before going to bed. A real treat! We were hoping that he would sleep late, but no, he was awake and playful at 7 am. I let him play as long as I could to avoid having to say no to waffles. He couldn't eat past midnight. We were able to avoid feeding him, got dressed, and were off to the hospital a little before 9 am.

Hayden's surgery was scheduled for 12:30 and we had to be there at 10:30. We were told to be at the main hospital, but then were moved to the Clinical Care Center. That's where he had surgery last year so we were happy to move. For the next 2 hours, Hayden played and just enjoyed himself. He even decided that this was the best time to go sit on the potty. What a big boy!

The surgery was a little late, starting at 1. Right before he went back to the OR, Dr. Vrabec and Jody came back to answer any questions we had and see our little guy. He was loving on his Grover and wanted to him to get his picture taken too. Hayden told us he loved us and went with the teddy bear of an orderly back to the OR with some tears, but he was a good boy. Jason and I spent the next 2 hours reading and talking about our kiddos. Hayden's doctors came out at 2:20 to tell us he was done and everything went well. Yeah!! I was nearly in tears I was so happy!

Soon after that, we went back to recovery. Hayden was already stirring and didn't want the bandage on his head. We quickly got him in my lap and he calmed down. I knew he was uncomfortable, but he did so well. After drinking an apple juice and his entire sippy cup of water, he threw up...on me. Fortunately, I brought an extra shirt! He was just so good, I don't think Jason and I could have been more proud. It was a long day and he made it.

We all left the hospital at 5 and were home an hour later. Hayden threw up one more time in the car, but he was ready to eat when we got home. I got him changed and cleaned up while Jason made his waffle. I ran to the store and Hayden ate 2 more waffles. When the girls got home, Hayden did have moments of playful behavior. After that, he just wanted to rest with me and has been sleeping since.

It's been a long day, one we have worked towards for months now. I'm so thankful to Hayden's team of doctors for doing this surgery for him. His future is just a little brighter now that he's bilateral. He needs to heal over the next 4 weeks then will get activated. That's when the external part is turned on. He can then move on with therapy and improve his speech even more than it has already, hopefully. It's an exciting time for him!

Summer

2009-07-17T10:08:00.003-05:00

Summer is half over and it's been busy. I feel I say that a lot, but really, we are very busy folks. The girls are finishing up the last day of VBS at church. They have had so much fun. Both girls are with friends in their groups and the message, science and water slides have been great. I hope to volunteer next year.

Since Monday of last week, at least one person in the house has seen a doctor each day. The trend continues into next week. Hayden has his Cochlear implant surgery on Monday. We have to be there at 10:30 with surgery at 12:30. He should be done between 3:30 and 4:30. An hour or so in recovery, and barring any issues, we should be able to go home after that. The girls will be with my friend Julie. She watched them last year. Her 2 oldest girls are the same age as mine and they are all good friends. For a refresher on the surgery, go here. For the surgery day pictures from last year, go here.

The next day, while Hayden is recovering, I have treatment and Sydney is getting sealants on her molars. We are supposed to leave for vacation on Wednesday, so I'm trying to get as much in before we go. If Hayden needs another day to heal, we will leave on Thursday. That's one of the perks of a road trip.

Speaking of road trips, it's going to be quite the adventure. Three weeks, 12 states, ~5700 miles, and lots of family and pictures. Three kids, 1 adult. Wait, what am I thinking! Well, I'll just say the chemo messed with my logic and reasoning. Yes, that will work. Anyway, we are going to have so much fun. I've had to cut some of my side trips out. I've got to have us home by 8/13 so I can have treatment the next day. I don't think the kids will mind though. I'll try to update along the way so everyone can see how we are doing. Jason, mom and the dogs will still be home. The kids haven't been away from Jason that long before. I think everyone will be happy once we get back.

Look for an update on Hayden on Monday night/Tuesday morning.

It's a Date!

2009-07-02T21:05:00.005-05:00

After several calls to our implant coordinator and with the OR scheduler, we finally have a date for Hayden's cochlear implant surgery! Our original date was for July 30th, but since we are scheduled to be in the N. California Redwoods that day, we had to have it changed. There was a cancellation and now we are on for July 20th. The neat thing is this is 1 day shy of Hayden's 1st surgery last year. I'm so anxious. He just started wearing the CI behind his ear (aka BTE) and this has proven to be so much better than the body worn. It stays on better this way so he hears more.

Anna and Sydney are both done with summer camps. Anna had so much fun with the YMCA camp. I think we will try to do it again next year. Sydney will tell you she didn't like hers but she really did. They had hands on science experiments. Now, we can have a week off to do what ever we want to, then VBS the week after. Then, ROAD TRIP! Right now, we are supposed to leave on July 22nd, but I may leave the next day if Hayden needs another day to recuperate. He was great last year, but I don't want to push it to much.

Tomorrow, I'm taking the girls to see Demi Lovato in concert. It will be their first real concert and they love Demi. For those of you out of the Disney loop, she's one of the latest things and one of the few stars that can actually sing. We should have a blast.

Here are a couple of pictures from our Vegas weekend. Jason's sister, Jene, and her husband, Dan, stayed with the kids. They all had a great time as did we. Thanks guys! The meal below is the escargot that Jason and his other sister Shielah shared. I passed.

Busy is the word

2009-06-17T22:43:00.003-05:00

I can't believe that I haven't written anything this month. We have certainly been busy! School is over and summer is in full swing.

The girls ended the school year with great report cards. Each had 3 A's and 3 B's. Sydney is struggling some with her reading so she is in a new program through our ISD called SLAM'N (Science, Language Arts, Math, Naturally). She's doing really well so far.

Anna went to day camp through the YMCA last week and goes again next week. She has forgiven me for not signing her up this week. She got to try archery, horseback riding, and bbs. They swim every day and she's gone all day!

Jason got some excellent tickets for an Astros game a couple of weeks ago. The girls had so much fun. We were 24 rows behind home plate, we saw a Grand Slam during the 6th inning and watched the Friday night fireworks. It was great. I don't usually like baseball, but we will definitely try to go again. We may try to bring Hayden too.

I also started back on Herceptin this month. I don't like going weekly, but it's nice to get started again so I can finish. I had an echo last week and everything is good. My heart is still ticking quite nicely.

We have family coming in tonight. Jason's sister is watching the kids for us so we can go to Las Vegas on Friday. We are so excited to get away without the kids. We've never been this far for this long. The day after Jene leaves, Jason's mom flies in for 11 days. So, we will continue to be busy, busy, busy!

Wonderful Weekend

2009-05-31T22:54:00.002-05:00

This weekend was wonderful! Miss Sydney turned 7 on Friday. We had a girls only movie night to see "Up". It was so well done. Then we had birthday cookies afterward. Saturday was spent at the pool and playing golf with Jason. Then today we had Syd's pool party. The girls all had a great time. Hayden did well as the only boy and Anna had a good friend there to play with. The weather was great and I enjoyed talking to the moms and dads that stayed. I just love weekends like this. I have a ton of house stuff to catch up on, but it's worth it after having spent a good time with my family.

School is over next week. Thursday is the last day. Our school is being renovated over the summer and so the building has to be empty by 4 pm on Friday. Our teachers and staff have been packing for weeks. I volunteered to help Sydney's teacher on Saturday and I hope to be able to help both girls' teachers tomorrow. They all have so much to do with normal year end things, but to gut your room as well, it's almost impossible to think of. But they are doing it and the school is going to look fabulous when it's all done.

I start back on Herceptin on Wednesday. I'm glad to get going on this again. Hopefully my cardiologist won't have any bad news for me on Tuesday. I'm starting to peel from the radiation, but the redness is getting better. I only have a few areas that are still bright red. Lots of vitamin E lotion and Aquaphor help.

10 Year Anniversary

2009-05-23T07:17:00.001-05:00

Almost there

2009-05-21T14:46:00.004-05:00

Chemo...done. Mastectomy...done. Radiation...almost done!!!! Tomorrow is my last radiation treatment. I'm so excited. In 2 weeks, I start back on Herceptin. In 6 months, I'll be able to have reconstruction surgery. With luck, this time next year, I'll be done with everything and just be on my long term drugs. Ten years after that, I'll be completely done. Yeah!

School is almost over. Just 2 more weeks, and the kids are off for the summer. Sydney is signed up for a program through the school district called SLAM'N (Science, Language Arts, Math, Naturally). She's not quite were she needs to be with her reading, so this should be a fun way to work on that for another month. Anna will have 2 weeks of summer day camp through the Y. I think she's going to have a blast. Then, in July, they both have VBS through the church. After that, we are going on our western USA road trip. This summer is going to be so much better than last summer. I can't wait!

Here's a little something from the kids. Anna and Sydney were repeating a scene from the Night at the Museum trailer. Hayden thought it was neat and started doing it too. So here it is.

My Kids

2009-05-10T16:36:00.001-05:00

One year later...

2009-05-02T16:50:00.002-05:00

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of my journey to survive cancer. I got my diagnosis on May 1, 2008. The past year has been challenging, trying, difficult, rewarding and normal all at the same time.

While treatment has been tough, I have also become tough. I can handle most anything thrown at me. I think the years leading up to my diagnosis were to prepare me for this adventure. We had issues with Hayden's birth and first year of life, then mom's illness. This doesn't even count the years that Jason and I lived apart during the week. Basically, my move to Texas 14 years ago started it all. I'm just happy to be able to look back and know that I did it.

Actually, we did it. My kids and husband, large extended family, and the most amazing friends ever did it. Thank you to all of you for being with me while I went through this. While I'm not over, I can see the end. My hope is that this time next year, I will have completed all my treatment, healed from my last surgery and getting ready to enjoy a summer without anything to worry about. I can't wait.

Quick Update

2009-04-29T16:11:00.002-05:00

For those of you following our little family and watching the news, we haven't drowned nor do we have swine flu. All is well with us so far.

We did have a lot of rain and our area was badly flooded, but we escaped that. Jason's office building didn't though. The basement flooded, destroying stored documents. The building is also without power and the backup generator isn't working. Their IT guy was able to get their servers so they can get some work done. They have a filing due tomorrow. I don't know if they'll make it.

I had a friend who's daughter developed a fever overnight. The doctor did test her for swine flu, but she just has a virus. Scary times for some, but we are not overreacting here. I hope that's the same for you.

Radiation is going

2009-04-21T22:30:00.003-05:00

I've got 10 radiation therapies under my belt! Just 23 more to go. I saw my doctor today after treatment and all is going well so far. I haven't burned yet and am only tired from time to time. Apparently after 17 treatments, they will change things some to allow the skin to heal. I'm not entirely sure of everything they are doing, but really I don't care. I just want to get through it and move on. The technicians are really nice and thorough. I'm in and out in 25 minutes each day. The x-ray days take a little longer. The x-rays ensure that my arm placement is correct.

On a lighter note, we are trying to figure out what to do with the kids this summer. There are so many summer camps to choose from. Jason and I want to give the girls some fun. We don't want them booked all summer, just a week here and a week there. And we haven't decided whether to keep Hayden in school one day a week or not. What to do, what to do?

Just for fun

2009-04-15T20:06:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures to share. A couple are from Easter at church.

These are just a few goofy pictures of the 3 of us in my wig. Aren't we glamorous?

Hayden gets out of his bed every night and falls asleep on the floor. This time, he went under his bed. The bed skirt was down and everything. Yes, Grover is always with him at bedtime.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T22:31:00.005-05:00

Today turned out to be a pretty nice Easter, despite a morning of hard rain. The kids did get to have an Easter egg hunt this afternoon. They went to a friend's house for a little while and we found out the Easter Bunny came to our house while I was there to pick them up. ;) Hayden finally started to get the idea of collecting eggs, especially when Anna and Sydney showed him the chocolate candy inside.

We enjoyed Easter service on Friday along with an egg hunt. The kids had a great time as did we. We rounded out the weekend with time with friends and a sleepover. Oh, one of the highlights for the girls was going to see the Hannah Montana movie on Friday. The theater was packed with hundreds of little girls. It was moderately bearable.

I officially started radiation on Wednesday. I had a fine tune planning session on Tuesday where my doctor did some adjustments to the treatment plan. The first session on Wed. took a long time to set up. I have to be in the same position each time, with my torso lined up just so and my hands over my head. By Friday, it didn't take as long. Radiation itself is not that long, about 15 minutes. The technicians are really nice and get the job done. So, with 3 done, I have 33 more to go.

Fatigue is the main side effect. I've been really tired this weekend but I'm not sure if it's the radiation or me. We did some more gardening on Saturday and cleaned out the garage. That was after a couple of hours of shopping with just me and the kids. Let's hope its just my activity level.

Time flies

2009-04-05T21:50:00.003-05:00

The weeks are so busy this spring. I mean to update every couple of days and just am exhausted at the end of the day. I can't promise it will get any better before school is out.

This was another beautiful weekend. Anna had a soccer game on Saturday. They didn't win, but the girls played really well. Several of us parents were commenting on how much these girls have improved this season. Next week, weather permitting, we will end the season. Anna has her last game on Wednesday and Sydney's is on Thursday.

Report cards came home on Friday. Both girls were High Achievers. We are very proud of them. We also had our school's spring fundraiser, Springett"sea". It was so much fun. The girls ran around with their friends playing games and dancing to the music. Anna won 2 raffle items and I won 2 items in the silent auction. I helped a little with the set up and clean up because next year I'll be the VP of Fundraising. After watching what these parents and teachers do to have this function, I'm completely intimidated. Luckily, I've learned to delegate in past jobs, so the key to success next year will be to find a committee chair to run it. Easy!

Hayden goes in for another mapping tomorrow. If he's willing to cooperate, we will do some more testing than we usually do. I'm pushing to get a second implant. Then on Tuesday he has his pre-evaluation to see what services he needs to be tested for for school in the fall. I'm excited about both days, but they are long appointments for a little boy so I hope we make it through to the end.

Tuesday I start radiation. I'm a little nervous, but I'm sure I'll be fine. My biggest concern is finding a consistent time each day for the next seven weeks to do this.

And finally, my sweet hubby, Jason, is in Peru tonight. He flew out this afternoon on a long flight for a business trip in Lima. He comes home on the red eye on Thursday morning. The girls are having a sleepover in my room tonight since he's gone. We used to do that when we lived in Austin. We sure do miss Jason.

Many things to update

2009-03-27T22:51:00.002-05:00

I've wanted to post since early in the week, but I just haven't had time. Sorry. There has been a lot going on in our neck of the woods, so let me see if I can remember everything.

We finished spring break last weekend. It was such a nice time off from school. We all had so much fun enjoying life and each others company. The girls had a few playdates and sleepovers, we rode to the park, and played outside a lot.

Last Friday, I drove to Fort Worth to attend a conference on Saturday for parents with children who have hearing loss. It was such a great conference. The speakers are wonderful. I attended a class on auditory neuropathy and another one on emerging literacy. Both really were helpful. After the AN class, I am motivated to get the ball rolling on getting a second implant for Hayden.

I met with Dr. Hart last week regarding radiation. She had me come in on Tuesday to do planning. They do a ct scan and plan how I'll need to lie on the table to see what can be done. It was uncomfortable only because I had to have my arms up over my head for a long time. I still have some discomfort in my left arm from surgery. To make sure I'm in the same position each time, they take pictures of my arm placement, use a molded head rest, and tatoo (yes, tatoo) 7 dots on my torso. These are used to line up the lasers to make sure radiation is going to the right place. I'll find out next week if it's a go.

Anna developed strep throat on Wednesday and had to miss school. She was such a trooper even though she was in a lot of pain. Sydney rode the bus for the first time by herself and she took her first ride on her bike without training wheels. She's getting to be such a big girl. Anna went back to school today and we also found out that she passed the TAKS reading test. We are so proud of them!

Lastly, I had another echo today. I won't know the results until next week, but I do know that my heart was still skipping beats. They are looking to see if my EF rate is above 50%. If it's below, as it has been, I wonder what they'll decide to do about finishing my treatment.

Radiation may be on

2009-03-19T22:12:00.004-05:00

I saw Dr. Hart today. She's my radiation oncologist. After talking with Dr. Casimir, they agreed that I can go ahead with the planning stage. Dr. Hart is going to see if we can do radiation and avoid hitting my heart. That's the big concern right now. With my heart compromised, both doctors don't want to further stress it with radiation. They won't know until after I go through planning. I may have to be there longer each day, but I'd still be done in 7 weeks. If they can avoid hitting my heart, then I can do radiation at the same time as Herceptin. This would be great because then reconstruction moves up and I'll be done sooner.

Had I not been Her2+, I may have been able to avoid this altogether, but that just isn't going to happen.

Many moments of great

2009-03-10T19:35:00.007-05:00

We had such a wonderful weekend. Jason got up early Saturday to hit golf balls while the girls and I had a lazy morning. Then we spent several hours watching some great soccer from our girls. Sydney has improved each week and Anna just is becoming this little powerhouse. She was all over that ball! Then Jason and I got a last minute invitation to sit in the GE box at the Houston Rodeo. Trace Adkins was playing at the end of the rodeo events and even though we aren't country music fans, it was great! Jason's friend and his wife were good company.

Sunday, after church, Jason took the girls to play golf with him. His friend also brought his son and all the kids got to drive the golf cart. I was able to get some things done at home with no one to bother me. We tried to see some wildflowers, but the kids really weren't in the mood.

Now, we are looking forward to spring break next week. We have friends in Dallas to visit, a few play dates lined up and the rodeo to see if we can. Life is busy, but delightful.

And we wait...

2009-03-04T19:32:00.003-06:00

I went to see my oncologist today. I was hoping to hear "lets start back up again" but I didn't hear that at all. She wants me to wait another month. Towards the end of March, I'll have another echo and then see my oncologist on April 1st. I hope to get the okay to start the Herceptin so I can finish it. I still don't know about radiation. I'm going to try to get in to speak to Dr. Hart about that. So, once again, I wait.

Some good news though: Hayden started school today! I found a Mother's Day Out program at the church next to the girls' school. He goes Wednesday and Friday from 9-2. He did great! He went straight to the toys and played. No problems when I left. He napped and ate lunch and played with the others kids. The only issue was he kept wanting to exchange toys. The kids didn't know what to make of that. At least he offered another toy and didn't just take the one he wanted. We have a to work on this a little.

Anna took the TAKS test yesterday. The portion she took was reading. Math is in April. She was really nervous, but felt she did well. I'm sure she did. For non-Texans, this is the assessment test to see if kids are on track.

Sydney and Anna are still doing soccer and having a blast. Both girls did great in their games on Saturday. Sydney actually had 2 games and we were proud of those girls and how they handled it. They were tired by the second game, but they didn't complain much. We all took a nap after lunch that day!

No News is Good Right?

2009-02-26T21:33:00.003-06:00

Everything has been pretty quiet recently. Anna and Sydney have been doing great in school and soccer. We've been able to balance school, homework, sports, friends, and relaxation pretty well. They haven't complained at all and are actually having a good time.

I registered Hayden for Mother's Day Out starting next week. He'll go Wednesdays and Fridays for 5 hours a day. I'm so excited!! He'll get to play with other kids his age and I'll be able to do my treatments weekly and know he's in good hands. His school is next door to the girls which is nice. I know he'll go through May, but I may keep him in through the summer. We'll decide later.

The health front is pretty quiet too. I talked to my oncologist's nurse yesterday. I was scheduled to have Herceptin today, but we all agreed not to do it until I see my doctor next week. I'm hoping to get started again soon so I can be done soon. I'm not sure what they will want me to do first: start the Herceptin or do another echo. Either way, I want to get it going. I should be patient and grateful that I do feel so good, but I just want this over.

Here are a couple of pictures of the kids. The one of Hayden has a story behind it. He's been falling asleep in his closet the last 5 nights while holding his Grover. The other night, he was in there all the way. It was too cute.

Oh, what a wonderful day!

2009-02-18T17:19:00.005-06:00

Well, it didn't start out wonderful, but it is ending that way. After rain and a longer than needed wait for Comcast to fix our Internet this morning, it is such a beautiful afternoon. It's 80 degrees, sunny with a light breeze, and the kids are out playing with their friends in the yard. We just came back from the park where the kids played soccer and tag. Oh, to be young!

No news on the cancer front. I'll go in to see my oncologist in March and will hopefully resume the Herceptin. I'm trying to remember to take the heart meds with some success. Right now, we are just trying to be a regular family.

The girls started soccer last week. They have the same coaches who we really like. Anna's team is the Black Widows and Sydney's is the Wildcats. The season ends the first week of April. Hayden is enjoying playing in the yard on nice days and would stay out there for hours if I let him.

Here are some pictures from today of the kids. Enjoy.

Sweet kids

2009-02-10T19:59:00.002-06:00

I wanted to share a quick sweet moment my children had tonight. Part of Hayden's bedtime routine is to say goodnight to Anna and Sydney. He usually says "night night, Anna" and "I love you, Sydney". He did the usual tonight, but wanted to add hugs. He loves a group hug with his sisters and giving them kisses. It's so sweet. I love to see my little ones show each other how much they love one another.

Surviving a 2 year old

2009-02-05T21:03:00.004-06:00

So, for any of you that have had the joy of raising a 2 year old, you know that there really is a lot of joy involved, but there is an equal amount of stress. Today, nay, this week, has been full of stress mixed in with a little joy. Hayden is quickly becoming the divo (is that male for diva?) of the house. Today was a topper.

He doesn't nap anymore. He might once a week, but generally he gets 2 hours in his room, alone. He needs a nap, but I haven't figured out how to actually make him sleep. I had to take the little tyke with me to karate this afternoon. Normally, we are there for 2 hours, but I put Anna in Sydney's class to consolidate our time. Hayden and I went to the park to play while we waited. With the class nearing an end, we had to go back. Hayden didn't like that and proceeded to voice his absolute disgust with me for the next 50 minutes. Yes, nearly an hour of screaming (some of you have heard his shrill voice, you know) and hitting and kicking and the latest, biting. Thankfully, that only happens when he's physically restrained in my arms.

I knew he was tired, but it took forever to get him ready for bed during his temper tantrum. Finally, he was in his pjs and cuddling on our bed. I went to feed Anna and Sydney before their open house tonight. I came back in and there he was, fast a sleep. As I'm writing this, he is still laying as he was 2 hours ago when I put him in his bed.

With karate once a week and soccer starting next week, twice a week, I told Jason that I would have to cancel everything if I have another episode like I did tonight. I just can't do it. I can go through chemo, I can handle a major surgery, but it will be a 2 year old boy with dimples and brown eyes that takes me down. How sad is that?

A Declaration

2009-01-27T20:30:00.002-06:00

To make myself accountable for this most recent endeavor, I am announcing it to all my friends and family. I plan to start training this week to do the Breast Cancer 3 Day walk in Dallas in November. This is with the caveat that my doctors okay it and I'm not doing radiation. That said, I am going to start walking on the treadmill and with a couple of friends. I've got a schedule that will hopefully help me get stronger and healthier. So, I'll update on that progress as well as everything else. Here's the site if you want to learn more. There are several walks this year around the country. http://www.the3day.org/site/PageServer.

The HEART of the Matter

2009-01-23T20:24:00.002-06:00

I'm sorry, I know, it's silly. I went to the cardiologist today to discuss this heart issue. I have cardiomyopathy as a result of the Herceptin treatments. I was told it was reversible, but it may not be. It depends on a number of factors. My cardiologist put me on Coreg, a beta-blocker, and Lisinopril, an ACE inhibitor. I'll go back in a couple of weeks to check my blood pressure and then again in 3 months for another echo or MUGA. Dr. Kantis says that I will be on these drugs for the duration of my treatment, but will most likely be on them for life. That's a long time when you are only 35.

The good news is that I should be able to resume treatment once my oncologist says it's okay. It's going to be weird not going to the doctor as often as normal over the next 6 weeks. I have to go in to flush my port before then, but it looks like it will be relatively calm on the medical front for me. This is good I guess. Anna and Sydney start soccer practice in a couple of weeks. Now I'll have the strength to keep up with that. See, there is always something positive to everything.

Today was also report card day. Both girls were High Achievers on their report cards. We are so proud of each of them.

I don't like cancer

2009-01-21T18:44:00.004-06:00

This is not a surprise, I just want to reiterate that I hate having cancer. I feel great and want this whole entire ordeal put behind me so my family and I can move on.

I posted earlier that I had a MUGA scan on Monday. I got the results at my oncologist visit today. The results and the visit were not good. The MUGA confirmed that my ejection fraction (EF) was 45%. The echos showed the same thing. What this means is that my heart is being affected by the Herceptin. It isn't pumping enough blood out of my left ventricle. As a result, I am now on a break from treatment for at least the next 6 weeks. I see a cardiologist on Friday. The damage caused is reversible so I'm hoping that with some time and treatment from the cardiologist, I'll be able to resume the Herceptin and finish this thing. Once I do resume, it won't be the same as before. I was going every 3 weeks for 90 minutes. I'll now go every week for 30 minutes. The idea is my heart won't have the huge rollercoaster effect each time I go in.

This wasn't the only bad news. Now, I will have to confirm some of this with my radiation oncologist, but my regular oncologist said that I can't do radiation at the same time as the Herceptin. Since my tumor was on the left side, this is where the radiation will be. It can clip the heart which is already weakened. So, if I do still need radiation, I'll have to wait until I'm done with the Herceptin, which may not be until September or October. I'll have radiation some time after that, then I will have to wait 6 months after that to do reconstruction.

My timeline has changed completely now. I was hoping to be done with all of this by the end of the year. Now it looks like it won't be until year from this summer. Ten months changed to eighteen in a very short visit. And all of this could still change more. I just want to be done.

President Obama

2009-01-20T16:13:00.002-06:00

Wow, what a day! It was so nice to be able to watch today's historical events. I was truly in awe of what occurred in D.C. and am excited for the future of our nation. Even if you didn't vote for President Obama, you have to feel the joy and excitement that he brings to politics and our country. There is a confidence that he has that is contagious. You can't help but think that good things are going to happen over the next 4 years. I hope and pray that he has the capability to bring our nation out of the funk we are in.

Hayden had speech therapy at 11 am, right when President Obama was being sworn in. He didn't get much therapy done! Instead of sitting at the table, we sat on the floor in the living room watching history. Two year olds, as many may guess, don't care about history! He was not happy that we changed things around. I was also very pleased that the girls' school allowed the children to watch the events on TV. One of Anna's former teachers, according to her, was invited, but didn't attend. What an honor though!

If you missed the inauguration and speeches, please watch them online. It is worth your time to witness these events.

Pictures

2009-01-17T22:05:00.006-06:00

I promised to post some pictures, so here goes. Anna and I went for a short hike today. Sydney was sick with an upset tummy, and Hayden is currently possessed and is fully into TERRIBLE TWOs. Jason tried to work from home. What a day!

Success

2009-01-15T23:06:00.003-06:00

I was able to get my Herceptin treatment today and Hayden had physical therapy. The insurance issue is taken care of and we are moving forward.

I won't call this a set back, but more a precaution. Because of the heart issues I've been having as a reaction to the Herceptin, they did cut my dose by 20% today. And instead of another echo, they want me to get a MUGA scan. This is, in simple terms, a scan that can provide moving images of my heart. It allows the doctors to measure the ejection fraction of the left ventricle, which has been lower than normal on the echos. Doctors can visually see what is happening in a very noninvasive manner. I'm all for that. I hate to have to get off this drug, but I also hate to have heart failure. Which is the lesser of 2 evils? Apparently, there are other drugs that I can take instead of the Herceptin, but that's the one I know that really works. I have the MUGA scan on Monday and will hopefully have the results before I see my oncologist next Wednesday. Wish me luck.

The girls are off from school for the next 4 days. Yeah! Sydney is having a sleepover at her friend's house and will go see a movie tomorrow with her. Anna is going to an ice skating party with one of her friends. Now, if I can only find a friend for Hayden, I can be child free for awhile...just kidding! I love spending time with those little munchkins. I'll have to post some pictures again soon. I've slacked off for a few weeks. Maybe this weekend.

Finally!

2009-01-14T19:51:00.003-06:00

I've been dealing with this Cobra mess for the last 2 weeks. It has been a terrible ordeal, but I think I've finally succeeded. The issues ranged from being put on the wrong plan, including Jason instead of dropping him, not getting papers to us in time to try to correct mistakes, charging us the wrong amount, etc. I've been calling everyday since Friday to get things corrected. I had to postpone treatment from Friday to tomorrow and if this wasn't corrected so I can be pre-approved for treatment, then it wasn't going to happen.

I saw that my check cleared our account, so I called and had to walk yet one more person through the problems. He told me he would manually push things through, but that we wouldn't show under the insurance plan until tomorrow, at the exact time that my appointment was scheduled. He called me back this afternoon and it was done! I confirmed it with the insurance company and we were there! Yeah!!

So, I'm all set for treatment tomorrow. I'm getting Herceptin again right after Hayden's physical therapy. I've never been so happy to go to a doctor!

Asking for a favor

2009-01-13T12:13:00.002-06:00

Jason sent me an email today regarding the daughter of one of his company's investment bankers. She's applying for a travel internship to help encourage college students to travel abroad as part of their education. I'd like to help her if at all possible. Melissa had to make a video as part of the application because her travels will be aired. Here's the link for the application: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=LZpH6t4W9t0. She's currently a sophomore at LSU.

She needs to get as many hits as possible. I would have loved to do something like this when I was her age and I hope my kids get this kind of opportunity when they are older. Many of you reading this, especially my family, had the opportunity to interact with exchange students over the years. Most experiences are positive, yet we all know of a few that haven't been. If the good programs were publicized more, participation may increase. I wish her luck. Thanks for taking the time to help her out.

Going (almost) solo

2009-01-12T22:17:00.002-06:00

Today was the first almost completely normal post-surgery day. It was very nearly like being me again. Jason's dad went home on Saturday morning and Jason went to work today. Hayden did play with my mom a couple of times, but other than that, it was just me and the kids in all our glory.

We started with the dentist, followed by school, cleaning floors, dishes, 6 loads of laundry, stripping kids beds, lunch, nap, shopping, homework, homemade veggie soup with dumplings, baths/showers and bed. Yeah! I'm happy and tired. It feels good to get back to my life a little.

I'm still dealing with Cobra issues, but I'm hopeful they will be cleared up this week. The only question is will it be in time to get my Herceptin on Thursday. Hayden needs to get new AFOs (ankle foot orthotics), but we have to wait until this mess is taken care of.

Let's hope tomorrow is just as successful as today.

Cobra, Radiation and Babies

2009-01-08T20:36:00.005-06:00

Today was a busy day. I was at school doing light manual labor this morning. Don't worry, I didn't overdo it. It was nice to be back there and feel a little like me again. Then I was on the phone all day trying to take care of Cobra issues. There were so many issues to deal with. I really hate Cobra but if everything works out it will be worth it. The coverage is so much better than what we will have with Jason's new company. I think I talked to 5 or 6 different people today to get things resolved. While most of them have, I had to move my next Herceptin treatment from tomorrow to later next week. Because of the type of drug it is, it has to be pre-approved to be covered. It is not an inexpensive drug, so I wait.

One of my doctors suggested that I ask that my case be reviewed by the radiation review board. My general surgeon is on the board and my radiation oncologist heads it. My surgeon originally told me he couldn't get my case on the docket for this week, but I'd be on it next week. Well, he called this afternoon and told me it was the last case they discussed today. Yippee! Then he told me that due to the nature of my cancer and the fact that I have responded so well to treatment, there isn't really a clear cut answer to whether I can avoid radiation. So, I'll have another one on one discussion with my radiation oncologist to discuss what to do next. Having already talked to her, I know that I'll probably need to do it. As she put it to me, I should use every tool I have to fight this disease. My cancer has a higher recurrence rate than some other breast cancers, so I need to do everything I can to make sure it doesn't come back. No need to twist my arm.

Lastly, I want to congratulate our dear friends, Lance, Heather and Rowan, on their new addition. Baby AJ arrived yesterday morning and is so cute! Finally, Rowan has her baby brother. And now, Hayden won't be the only boy when we get together. We hope to meet him this spring. Congratulations, guys!

Off to a good start...

2009-01-05T21:01:00.002-06:00

Five days into the New Year and I'm so happy! Hayden has been getting ready for potty training for some time now. Well, today he really wanted to sit on the potty. Off came the diaper, down dropped the pants and then he sat. He sat well over 5 minutes, then I heard something. It was raining outside so I had to strain to hear...but he did it! He actually peed in the potty. Anna came in and we both just clapped and told him what a good boy he was. He was so proud of himself. We got his pants back up, dumped everything in the big potty, flushed, then washed hands. He was so happy. Then he did it again about an hour later. He spent the rest of the afternoon in a pull up so we had easy access. What a great way to start the year.

Tomorrow the girls go back to school. I think the anxieties that Sydney had the 2 weeks following my surgery are nearly gone. She spent many days with the school counselor, but I think those will be fewer now that she knows that I'm okay. Anna also is doing great. She had her first sleepover since May. That's a huge step for her. I'm really proud of all my kids. I loved having them home during winter break, but I can't wait for school tomorrow! Pray for all the teachers!

2008: The Good and the Bad

2008-12-31T21:49:00.002-06:00

Many of us take a few moments and reflect on the past year and then look forward to what we hope will be a better year. I’ve been thinking all week, what do I think of 2008? I guess I have many reasons to hate this year, and justifiably so. But there are many reasons I like the events of 2008. Let’s recap.

January saw Sydney start karate with Anna. Both girls were half way through 2nd grade and Kindergarten. Anna had sleepovers for 4 of the first 5 weekends. Hayden stopped nursing, finally, and was sleeping in his room. Life was good!

February and March were busy with Hayden's cochlear candidacy at Texas Children's. He and I spent many days downtown over 5 weeks. The decision was to wait another 3 months. At the same time, we were waiting for the change over for Jason's company which was acquired in December. The deal was final in April and he was fortunate to have been kept on.

It was during this time, that I noticed the lump. I dismissed it as nothing, just my body readjusting to not nursing. I was so involved with Hayden’s tests and keeping the girls lives normal with school, that I moved it to the back of my mind. By the beginning of April, I couldn’t ignore it any more. It wasn’t normal. I went to my doctor who wanted me to get an ultrasound and mammogram. The doctor wanted to do a needle biopsy that day. Two days later on May 1, our lives changed. I had breast cancer.

May was a whirlwind of activity. Jason's birthday and our anniversary were anticlimactic. I saw a number of doctors, had lots of imaging done, and started chemo. By the end of May, I was tired, sick and thinking what a summer we were going to have. We were able to celebrate Sydney's birthday and make that special though.

June started with hair loss. The girls got out of school on June 5th and I let them cut my hair short on the 4th. I was doing chemo every 3 weeks, with one sick week and 2 kind of normal weeks. Hayden was finally approved for his implant in the middle of the month.

July was more of the same. Hayden was implanted on July 21st and I was able to be there to help him during a good week. He did great!

August saw a little change with chemo. The worst part was over. I started on 2 different drugs and was just tired. My hair started to grow back, slowly. The girls went back to school and Hayden's implant was turned on. Life was kind of normal.

That continued into September and October. Then Hurricane Ike hit. I don't like hurricanes and don't recommend being in one. We recovered from that. I was volunteering a lot at school and with the PTO. Anna and Sydney started soccer for the first time and had a lot of fun with that. My last chemo was on October 17.

November was another month of change. Jason started a new job with a new company. This was a hard decision to make considering all we'd been through during the year. In the end, with some negotiation, he decided it was a good opportunity. Let's hope so!

December is a month I'd almost like to forget. My mastectomy surgery went well, though it was, and is, still painful at times. I'm doing better each day as are the kids and Jason. More time is needed until I am back to my old self, but it will happen. The kids are doing well and are having as normal a life as we can give them, all things considered.

So, as I'm writing this, I've decided that I don't want to forget lots of things that happened this year. We made a lot of hard decisions for our family that we hope will be good in the end. We discovered a deeper faith in God and that has brought us all closer. We found out that we have the best group of people in the world to call family and friends. And we discovered strengths in ourselves that we didn't fully realize were there.

I could hate this year for so many reasons, but in the end, life is short. I don't have time to dwell on all the bad. From past experience, I know I'll not forget it, but it will be overshadowed by all the great times we had this year.

Many people have commented this year on my positive attitude. I have times that I don't feel great about life, just like everyone else, but really, my life is pretty good. Cancer aside, I'm pretty healthy, I have great kids and a wonderful husband. We're happy and 2008 didn't change that. Let's hope that 2009 holds the same happiness for our family and yours.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T13:18:00.004-06:00

What a great Christmas! The kids had a great time opening presents. They loved what Santa and all their family sent them. The are still playing hours after opening everything. And the family room has piles of gifts all over. It's wonderful!

I hope that everyone had a joyful day. Being with family and friends is one of the best parts of Christmas.

Christmas Cheer

2008-12-22T22:30:00.002-06:00

Jason and I took some friends to Christmas Eve service at Fellowship. We love our church and wanted to share with others. It was a great service and I think our friends enjoyed it. It's one of the few times the girls go with us into the main auditorium. At the end, we sing carols by candlelight and the girls love it. It's a special time to share with them. We'll go again on Wednesday when Jason and the girls volunteer as greeters during two of the service times. Fellowship has grown so much since we moved here. They had 8 services 3 years ago and now have 17 at the 3 campuses. I'm usually in the children's side, but have to skip this year.

For all our friends and family that are forced inside due to weather, cuddle close to your loved ones and remember that Christmas is almost here. Yeah!

Long day

2008-12-20T08:44:00.003-06:00

Today, I went in for my Herceptin. Remember, I couldn't get it 3 weeks ago because of an abnormal echo. I reminded the nurse of that and then the 1 1/2 hour journey began. My echo was again showing my EF (can't remember what that stands for) was at 45-50%. Normal is 50-60%. My doctor said I could get it, but at a 20% lower dose. As I was getting my vitals taken, my heart started skipping again. The nurse had to talk to my doctor again. She then was in discussion with the cardiologist. Finally, I was approved for the full dose. The Herceptin can cause heart damage which is why they are very cautious about what the echo is saying.

After all that, Dad and I went to lunch. It was my first time going to a restaurant post-surgery. I felt good, tired, but good. It was nice to be able to talk with him all day. We then went home to relax a little before my next appointment.

I saw my plastic surgeon in the afternoon. After waiting an hour, I finally got in. He took out the 3rd drain and added more fluid to the tissue expanders. I have to wait until Wednesday to get the last drain out and I'll go every 2 weeks to add to the expanders. Adding fluid can be painful, since it is pushing the muscle out. I'm going to try to not take pain meds as long as I can. I don't want to spend the weekend sick again.

Dr. Basu did give me some hopeful news. Since my pathology came back negative for cancer (yippee!!) he thinks I may not need to have radiation. He thinks it needs to go before the review board to make the decision. I'll discuss it more with my oncologist and radiation oncologist in January and February. If I don't have to have radiation, it changes all of 2009 for me. I can do reconstruction sooner, my options are better for reconstruction and I'll also be done with everything sooner. Oh, I hope so, but if I have to do radiation, then that's what I'll do.

Amazingly talented 2 year old

2008-12-16T18:00:00.002-06:00

I may be biased because I gave birth to him, but Hayden is the smartest 2 year old. He learned to play my iPod today. He can play the music and listen to the ear buds in his non-implanted ear. I'm really curious to learn when he's older if he can hear anything in the implanted ear. He's supposed to be deaf, but could have some residual hearing. He will truly be the smartest kid when he asks for his own!

Heart update

2008-12-15T13:13:00.003-06:00

This isn't the official update, that will come later in the week. I had another echo today to see if my heart has improved. The technician was great. She did my last one and was very cautious today since I just had surgery 11 days ago. I had very little pain or discomfort. My heart rate did improve. Last time I had skipped beats which resulted in an EKG. That wasn't a problem today. So, cross your fingers that we have good news on Friday. I'm not sure what will happen if I can't have the Herceptin. I'll discuss that with my doctor later.

Love my kids!

2008-12-13T10:57:00.002-06:00

It's Saturday morning and I have to share: I LOVE MY KIDS! Yep, it's true. They are the best kids anyone can ask for. Hayden hasn't been able to hold on to me for over a week now and he's handled it very well. He'll come into my room and do the "I love you" sign and say "I love you, mama" which is the best thing in the world to hear. The girls also came in asking for paper. I asked what they needed it for. They were writing a Christmas book. They were so excited to share their idea with me. I love their creativity! It would actually be a great idea for a children's book. Anyway, the joy they each had is so intoxicating. I could just hug them forever! Being the mother of these 3 is just the best thing in the world.

Great news!

2008-12-09T16:37:00.003-06:00

My general surgeon, Dr. Hubbard, called with great news! He had the pathology back on my tumor and there was no sign of cancer. None! He took out the tumor and 18 lymph nodes and there was no cancer left. I'm so excited!! I don't think this changes the radiation based on the aggressive nature of the cancer and high recurrence rate, but I'm just glad to say I'm cancer free. I'm going to celebrate after the pain and nausea goes away.

Alive!

2008-12-09T13:19:00.002-06:00

Well, I survived the surgery. It doesn't always feel like it, though.

Jason and I arrived at the hospital at 6 am on Thursday. I went in around 6:30 to get preped. At 7, Jason came back and we met with the anesthesiologist. He recommended an epidural to help with the pain after surgery. I was all for that! He got started shortly after that. I was up on the table, Jason sitting in front of me and then the worst pain I have felt in a long, long time! I remember crying about how much it hurt. I think I was leaning into the nurse and then nothing. The next thing I remember was being in my room after recovery and Jason was there. I really don't remember much of that either. The anesthesiologist said my reaction was normal and meant that the drugs were working. Both doctors said everything went well. All in all, a success!

Jason and Adriaan have been doing a great job taking care of things around the house. The kids look good too. I'm pleased by how everyone has worked together. It's helped with my healing.

I've got pain meds, anti-nausea meds, and an antibiotic to take for the next week. There are drainage bags that Jason helps me with. I won't get into too much details, but I really feel icky and hate that I have to have Jason help me. He's been wonderful though. He's definitely outside his comfort zone, but is my hero for all he's doing.

The kids have adjusted as well as can be expected. The girls understand they can't hug me, but we have been able to spend a little time together. Hayden is leaving me alone altogether. He seems to know that I'm not able to hold him and be with him the way I did before. It's hard to see him like that, but it's for the best. We had a nice night last night watching A Charlie Brown Christmas. I hope to have more of those as I heal.

Twelve Hours and counting

2008-12-03T18:47:00.002-06:00

I have just over twelve hours before my surgery. I wrote out this list of things to do on Sunday and have crossed off so little of it. I feel unprepared and anxious about tomorrow. Hayden has an ear infection and has been running a fever off and on since Saturday afternoon. He spent most of the day in my arms. It was nice to cuddle with him knowing that I won't be able to for a while. While I wish that I could have gotten more done, clearly, my time was needed elsewhere.

The girls are almost ready for bed, homework is done, clothes will be put out and backpacks ready for tomorrow. I won't be able to get them to school like I usually do. My father-in-law, Adriaan will be doing that. Adriaan and my mom will be in charge of Hayden. I hope he'll be okay.

Jason will take me to the hospital and stay with me until I'm wheeled away. He should be back before the surgery is over and will stay with me in recovery. I still have to make a list of people he needs to email or call when it's over. Thanks to those that will help spread the word for him!

Well, I need to get the kids ready for bed. I have another hour to get some hugs and kisses in before tomorrow. Wish us luck. I really, really need it...

Change of plans

2008-11-26T13:16:00.002-06:00

I went in today to have my Herceptin. After I got set up, I asked the nurse if they had my results from the echo and EKG. They weren't in my file so she called the hospital to have them sent over again. After getting them, she talked to one of the other doctors (mine is off this week). Apparently, one part of the function of my heart is operating at a low rate. I don't remember the specifics, but whatever it is, it's only in the 45-50% range. The other doctor doesn't give Herceptin to his patients that come in below 50%, but my doctor has. He didn't want to okay it since he's not seen me before. So, I have to wait until next week to see what we do from here. Most likely, I'll have an echo done again in 2-3 weeks to see if this function has improved, then they'll decide what to do. The last thing they want is to damage my heart, but I need this to get better. Oh what a quandary!

Yesterday, I dropped Hayden off with a friend of mine so I could volunteer with Anna's Thanksgiving feast. On my way, I had a jolt realizing what was happening next week. I talk about my surgery with everyone. My feeling is that if I talk about it, it's not a big deal. It's just something I'm going to do and move on. For whatever reason, it hit me that I'm going in to have a mastectomy and I hate that! I've been doing a lot at school and getting ready for Christmas. I still don't feel sick. People are always saying how good I look and how positive I am. That's how I feel, yet reality isn't to far away. I realize the limitations I'll be under for several weeks. Friends are lining up to help with meals, the kids, laundry and I'm very grateful. But at the same time, I don't like letting go of those things. That's mine to do.

Well, we are going to not think about it to much for the rest of the week. Either today or tomorrow, we are going up to Dallas for Thanksgiving. It will be a nice break. We wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. Eat lots!

Enjoying the Ren Fest

2008-11-16T21:49:00.004-06:00

We had a great day. It was cold most of the day, but clear blue skies and low wind. Almost perfect. The kids had a great time playing together and seeing all the sights. We went with our friends Heath, Zuli, and Wes. I couldn't believe that we spent 7 hours there with very little problems with the little ones. Hayden only had a couple of mini meltdowns. It was a great day.

Yippee, Skippee, Hooray...hmm...

2008-11-14T23:04:00.003-06:00

I had an exciting fun=filled morning visiting doctors and hospitals today.

First up, I had an ultrasound to see if my tumor shrunk. For those of you who have had ultrasounds while pregnant, you know they do a lot of measurements. This is no different. They move the Doppler around to get the best views and click to get sizes. That's how it has always been for me, except today. The technician can't comment on what they see, only the doctor can. So, my technician moves the Doppler around for about 5 minutes then says the doctor will be in to take a look. Carol, the nurse that counsels patients, came in and I told her "no measurements." We talked for a few more minutes and then the doctor came in and did her thing. She said that there wasn't anything to measure. Yep, that's right, the tumor is nearly gone! She could see the clip that was put in during the needle biopsy to show the place of the tumor, but there wasn't any measurable tumor there. She could see a little spot that was probably remnants, but that was it. How cool is that?!

Now, don't get too excited. This doesn't change anything as far as treatment or surgery. All it means is that chemo and herceptin have/are working. I almost didn't get this done, but I told my oncologist that I needed to have concrete numbers to make myself feel good. And you know what, I feel GREAT!!!

Next was the pre-surgical consult with my surgeon. Everything is still on for 12/4. Surgery is at 7:30 am central time, so be sure to send good karma, energy, prayers, well wishes, etc. my way that day. I'm going to need them. Surgery is about 5 hours with recovery 3-5 days in the hospital. And there will be a lot of pain. I love a doctor that tells it to you straight. No sugar coating here. Luckily, I will also get a lot of "dope" to quote my surgeon. I don't like that to much either, but it's got to be better than pain.

Lastly, I had an echo cardiogram. The herceptin can cause heart problems, so I'll be monitored over the next several months while I'm on that. While they did the echo, the technician asked if I noticed the skipped heart beats. I did. She wanted me to mention this to my oncologist and they would probably do an EKG. After she was done, she suggested calling the doctor and see if they wanted it done now, since I was already at the hospital. They did and so I had that done too. I'll get the results next week. I was told not to worry too much about the skipped beats. A lot of people have them and I may have always had it and not ever had a problem. I think she called them PVS. If you know about this, email me.

So, all in all, I'm doing great. We are going to enjoy this cold front coming through this weekend. Sunday, we all head to the Renaissance Festival 45 minutes north of here. It's the biggest one in Texas and we do big well. It's always fun. I'll post pictures when we get back.

So much to tell you!

2008-11-06T21:32:00.006-06:00

I apologize for not updating in some time. Two weeks ago Hayden got a cold and was lovely enough to share with me. Unfortunately, that was at the same time that my white blood cell count was on a natural decline due to my chemo and I got sick myself last week. The part of the white blood cells that actually fight infection was below 1000 which is bad. So, the options were go to the hospital or get a shot, IV antibiotics and finish those in pills for a week. I went with option #2. After a day or 2, I was back up, but more cautious than I have been. I cancelled a couple of school events so I could limit my exposure to germs, but not to worry, I'm back to my normal self.

Halloween was fun. Anna was a green monster bride, Sydney was a cheerleader, and Hayden was a ninja. My friend Odessa and I took the kids to a local shopping center that has trick or treating. There were a lot of families enjoying a great evening and lots of candy. Odessa then took the girls to a friend's neighborhood where the kids got even more candy. All in all, the kids had fun.

This past weekend was just lovely. Anna & Sydney had their last soccer games for the season. Each had a lot of fun and made new friends. They want to play again next season so we will have to see how that works out. They got their first trophies and were quite proud of themselves.

We also celebrated Anna's 9th birthday on Sunday. She and 9 girls had rock star makeovers at Justice Just for Girls. They had a blast. It was the right size party for the right length of time. Her actual birthday was also Election Day. We had a quiet evening. The girls played with a friend in the back yard, we then had a quick dinner, opened presents and had cheesecake for dessert. This is her last year in single digits! My little baby!

Report cards came home yesterday. Both girls made honor roll. We are so proud of how hard they are working at school. They are working just as hard in karate. Anna earned her blue belt and Sydney earned her orange. We are so proud of them.

Hayden, not to be left out, is doing great too. He had a mapping for his implant last week and they did a behavioral booth test. With the implant on, he tested at 20 decibels with voice and almost 60 with tones. Twenty dbs is normal hearing. Tones are harder for little ones to respond too because they aren't interesting. Its harder to turn to a beep or ding. He's very much a 2 year old boy. Today he learned to make the choo choo sound when playing with his trains. Thanks to Miss Jessica, one of his speech therapists, for that. It's so cute seeing him pretend play.

I'll have more to update in the next few weeks. I'll meet with my surgeons again soon for my pre-op visits. Surgery is still on for December 4th. I'll get to enjoy Thanksgiving, take care of a lot of school business, then be down for several weeks. Watch for updates!

Chemo officially over!

2008-10-22T11:57:00.002-05:00

Yep, my actual chemotherapy is over as of Friday. I still have 9 months of Herceptin which is administered the same way and place as chemo, but the chemo drugs are done with! Yippee!! My hair is growing back and I'm feeling better. In fact, I've been so busy since my last chemo, that I haven't had time to sit and write since then.

One phase down and now moving to the next: surgery. I have my mastectomy scheduled for December 4th. It's one week after Thanksgiving and as most of you know, that's my favorite holiday. The heal time is 6-8 weeks post surgery, but I'll be home from the hospital after 5 or 6 days. That should give me time to decorate the house and get ready for Christmas and have a few weeks recovery so I can enjoy Christmas with the kids. The hardest part for me will not being able to drive and hold Hayden. I still don't know how that's going to work. We are trying to figure out help for the time I'm down. Jason will be able to take a couple of weeks off, but has to work after that. I have a number of friends waiting in the wings to help with the kids and shopping, etc. I think we will be able to manage some how.

I also have confirmed with my radiation oncologist that I will have radiation. That will start a couple of months after my surgery and will last 7 weeks, going 5 days a week. I should be able to have the Herceptin at the same time. If any of you saw the Lifetime movie last weekend called Living Proof, then you have heard of Herceptin. Apparently, if I had this cancer 15 years ago, I probably wouldn't survive. Herceptin is a drug that stops the growth of the Her2+ gene. My cancer is very aggressive and can spread quickly. Herceptin can stop the growth, but can also reverse it. I'll go in a few weeks to have another ultrasound to see if the tumor has shrunk. I've been told it should shrink a lot. Let's hope!!

In other news, the kids are great. Soccer season is nearing the end. The girls have had a lot of fun playing and making new friends. I never thought I'd enjoy spending my time going to practice and games, but it is a lot of fun. The first quarter of school is almost over and both girls have done a great job. Hayden is a typical 2 year old and is into everything. We have safety covers on all the bathroom doors and a couple of the bedrooms to keep him out of trouble. And if the back doors aren't locked, he often escapes into the yard with the dogs.

Life is good!

Busy Week

2008-10-12T15:07:00.006-05:00

Last Sunday was a wonderful day. Our large debris was picked up. Those of us with kids were sitting out and watching the big trucks take trees and brush away. It was pretty neat. Our lawn bags were picked up last week too, so now there is no evidence of Hurricane Ike around our house. Yeah!

Sydney and I were playing around and taking pictures. I let Sydney take a rare picture of me, so enjoy!

Last week was reading week at school. I love this week! The school and PTO really make it a lot of fun with a different theme each day. We also collected food to restock our local food pantry. Here are a few pictures. Anna, Sydney and friend Sarah are with Smokey on Walk to School Day. The girls had Storybook Parade on Friday. Hayden had fun entertaining parents before the parade.

Chemo #7 and soccer

2008-09-29T06:23:00.004-05:00

Well, I am almost done! I had my 7th chemo on Friday. It wasn't too bad. I still feel tired and a bit cranky, but not sick. My last one is in mid-October.

The girls had their 1st soccer games on Saturday. Anna is in the 8-9 girls league and her team, The Texas Crushers, won 3-2. Sydney is in the 6-7 girls league and her team, The Shooting Stars, tied 1-1. They each had a lot of fun and ran hard. We are so proud of them!

Hayden was so cute too on Saturday. He played hard too, but had a hard time taking a nap. He actually fell asleep on Daddy. It's been a long time since he's done this.

After Ike

2008-09-19T09:27:00.004-05:00

It's been 7 days since Ike hit. The Woodlands is starting to bounce back, but there are so many other places in the Houston metro area that are far from normal. Many communities are still without power, phone and water. A day or 2 without these things is manageable for most, but to go a week and more is just so difficult.

We have power, cable, Internet and phone service now. We never lost our water. The stores and some restaurants are open. Medical facilities outside the hospital are opening. The lines for gas are nearly gone in our area. Even though we have these things, life is still not normal. Schools are still closed with some opening on Monday. There are brush piles everywhere along with downed trees that have yet to be cleared. The reminders will be with us for some time, longer for others who have rebuilding and major repairs to deal with.

The pictures above are our house and street. We loaded 25 lawn bags full of debris and then ran out. The brush pile is very long and high along the driveway.

We have a few friends and neighbors that suffered damage. Others are still without power even now. What's been great is the sense of community. Everyone has been checking on their neighbors. Several have helped remove trees and shrubs. The trees in the picture on the left above are from a neighbor out of town. Their neighbors cleaned the trees out of the street and those good Samaritans had their own damage to deal with. I'm proud of everyone here in Houston!

On our way back from Dallas, I noticed that even in such tragedy Houston's gas prices are still lower than other parts of the state. Dallas gas was $3.69 in most stations while I saw $3.49 to $3.59 here.

Our school opens next week. Sports practice starts up again. Jason is working and we still have medical appointments. Life is moving on just as it should. I hope it happens for all in South East Texas soon.

Interesting "Ike" site

2008-09-12T07:49:00.002-05:00

This is an interactive site that you can use to see where Ike's path is predicted to go and how close we are to it: http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/feature?section=weather/hurricane&id=6381857.

If you start to zoom in and stay north of Houston, you will see the cities of Conroe and Spring. The Woodlands is between these 2 cities. The pink path line is just to the east of us.

I know the media is stating "certain death" for residents that don't flee. Rest assured that we are not one of those. Yes, we are facing a strong hurricane and we will see some kind of damage, but we are not in the low lying areas that are going to get hit with the high storm surge.

I'll keep this updated daily as long as we have power. Wish us luck!

Here comes Ike!

2008-09-11T14:47:00.002-05:00

I know many of you are aware that Hurricane Ike is in the Gulf of Mexico and headed our way. Jason left work early today when his office closed for the weekend. The girls' school district is also closed tomorrow. I spent some time in the grocery store with another several hundred of my neighbors taking care of last minute shopping. We've cleared the back yard of all plants, bird feeders and other objects. We also have nearly full gas tanks. I think we are set for this storm.

Several coastal areas are under mandatory evacuation as of this morning. Luckily, we don't have to do that. We are about 80 miles north of Galveston Island. We are expecting all the wind and rain that comes with hurricanes along with a high likelihood of damage, but hopefully we shouldn't have flooding. The local media and authorities are advising areas north of Houston to "hunker down" and that's our plan.

We'll keep everyone posted after the storm passes to let you know that we survived.

Chemo #6 and Echo

2008-09-06T15:57:00.002-05:00

I forgot (and how wonderful that I could!) that my sixth chemo was over. It went well. I was able to take the girls to karate that evening and still make it to our 1st PTO meeting on Friday. These ones are so much better than the 1st 4. I have 2 more before I'm done so I think I can function as a normal human being.

My echo results were also good. I'll have those done periodically for the year that I'm on Herceptin. Cross your fingers that everything stays this good!

Reflections

2008-09-05T20:03:00.002-05:00

Well, the last few days have been full of ups and downs. First, we left Dallas on Sunday afternoon to be home should Hurricane Gustav hit. We were very fortunate. All we had was a little wind and sprinkles. The girls started their second week of school without any problems. Anna was the first star of the week in her class and Sydney was line leader all week. Hayden has been doing great with his processor. Life is good.

Then I met with the first of 2 plastic surgeons. I met one on Wednesday and the other today. While they each had different thoughts and opinions on my options for reconstruction, both had similar time tables. It looks like I won't be through with this awful situation as soon as I hoped. With radiation still an unknown, but likely, my reconstruction probably won't happen until towards the end of 2009. I'm at least a year away. So, my mood and spirits are a little down right now. I'm not feeling too good about the next year, but I know it will past and I'll go back to my usual good spirited self. Right now, though, I'm taking a little self-indulgence and allowing myself to be blue. And to back me up, my dad says its okay. Thanks, DAD!

I watched the Stand Up To Cancer program tonight on ABC, NBC, and CBS. I hope they raise a lot of money to fight cancer. I know most everyone reading this right now, besides knowing me, knows someone that has been affected by cancer. I have a hard time counting all the family that I loved and lost to many types of cancer. While I watched with my sweet Anna, I was encouraged to think that she, or her siblings or cousins, may find a cure so that future generations don't have to go through this. Please go to http://su2c.standup2cancer.org/ to find out more.

To Dallas & Gustav

2008-08-29T13:17:00.002-05:00

We are preparing to drive to Dallas for the weekend to see our dear friends Lance & Heather. We leave soon after the girls get out of school. As we are packing, I'm keeping an eye on TS Gustav. As of now, the projected path leads to Louisiana, but the tracking area covers Houston and we are preparing for that as well. We planned on coming home on Monday, but may have to do that on Sunday. If Gustav becomes a hurricane, comes to Houston, and Houston orders evacuations as it did with Rita, then we won't be able to come home at all. The main freeway, Highway 45, that goes north from Houston to Dallas will become a contraflow freeway. That means they open up all lanes of traffic to go north to accommodate 4 million people leaving the city.

Mom is staying here to watch the house and dogs for us. Should evacuations be needed, I have a friend that will get Mom and the dogs and come to Dallas. While I hate for Louisiana and Mississippi to have more destruction so soon after Katrina, I don't want the storm here either. Wish us luck and everyone have a great, safe weekend!

Firsts

2008-08-25T14:58:00.004-05:00

Today was the first day of school for Anna & Sydney. Sydney was teary eyed when we left her in her class, but I know she'll be fine. Her teacher, Miss Branch, was Anna's 1st grade teacher too. Anna was also a little nervous when we left but had her friend Richard sitting next to her in class. She has 2 teachers, Mrs. Valicevic for homeroom and Language Arts and Mrs. Kelley for Math and Science. Both teachers seem really nice. I think this is going to be a great school year.

Hayden had his first mapping session today. This was where he got the external part of the implant, the processor, and it was turned on for the first time. He did great! He kept it on for a good part of the session and has been wearing it since we got home. It's on a very low volume right now, but we are going to try to turn it up several levels before we see the audiologist tomorrow morning. This pictures shows one of the body worn styles. He can also wear this behind the ear when we think he's ready.

Chemo #5 is over

2008-08-15T16:38:00.002-05:00

That one wasn't so bad! I actually ate a little bit yesterday and today. I'm not sick, a little tired, but doing okay. I even went shopping this morning with the girls for back to school clothes. If the next 3 treatments are like this, then I think I might actually do okay. Yippee!!!

I have my echo scheduled for 8/29 so wish me luck. Jason is off next week. We plan on cramming in an entire summer of activities into the next week along with some well child check ups and therapy. We end the week with meeting the girls' teachers for next year. It should be a fun week.

Countdown

2008-08-14T07:33:00.002-05:00

I'll leave in 2 hours to go to chemo #5. By the end of the day, I'll be closer to the end than the beginning. What a great feeling! I'm very anxious about this one only because I don't know how I'll feel when it's done. I shouldn't be sick, but that is a possible side effect. Most likely, I'll be tired for a few days.

There are 2 drugs that I'll be taking. I'll take Taxotere until October. The other drug I'll take is called Herceptin. I'll continue Herceptin for 12 months with a break for surgery. My tumor is HER2+, which is found in about 25% of breast cancer patients. It is an aggressive tumor that grows and spreads more quickly and requires different treatments. Herceptin is not a chemo drug, but rather a monoclonal antibody. These antibodies are more targeted than chemo and attach directly to the proteins that are increasing the cancer cell production. Only patients that are HER2+ take Herceptin. A big risk is recurrence. Herceptin has been found to lower the chance of cancer coming back versus patients that didn't take it.

One of the serious side effects of Herceptin is heart problems. With heart disease on my mom's side of the family (my grandfather and both great-grandfathers died from heart attacks), I'm following orders closely on this one. I'll have an echo cardiogram scheduled soon to see how my heart is tolerating the drug. My friend Odessa who is also my nutritionist has me on supplements that are supposed to improve heart health. I'm determined that if I can fight cancer, then I can fight the byproducts of the drugs as well. The only thing I can't fight is the hair loss. I thought my hair would start to grow back after this last round, but no. What's another 3 months, right?

Radiation still hasn't been completely ruled out. I need to meet with my radiologist to see what she thinks. She's also the doctor that did my genetics testing. Over the next month or so, I'll also be meeting with plastic surgeons to see the direction I want to go in for surgery. I have many options and, being so young, I have a long life ahead of me. I want to be happy with my decision for years to come.

Tidbits

2008-08-09T13:51:00.005-05:00

Today's topics: Hayden's birthday, TS Edouard, our new roof and the alphabet.

First, Hayden turned 2 on Sunday! That's also Grandpa Dean's birthday. (Happy birthday, Dad!) We had a nice day. We decided to take the kids to Chuck E Cheese for lunch which all the kids enjoyed. Hayden actually spent more time eating than running amok, his usual MO. Lunch was followed by a nice nap then his cake and presents. His 2 favorites were the tool set from us and tunnel/tent from the girls.

Next, Tropical Storm Edouard came right through our neck of the woods on Tuesday morning. Everyone spent the day before preparing for the worst, but luckily it wasn't bad at all. We've had worse thunderstorms since living here. There were some downed trees and several thousands of people near the area of landfall lost power, but we just got rain. I'm so glad we live north of Houston and not south. Jason did go into work, but stayed in the local Woodlands office which is about 10-15 minutes away.

Third, we are getting a new roof today. It was supposed to be Wednesday, but Edouard caused a few delays. The house is 18 years old and really needed a new roof. There has been enough hail damage over the years that we easily were able to have the claims adjuster approve everything. The guys started late yesterday and have been working today since 7 am. The house should be done today and the garage tomorrow. This was something that our inspector said needed to be replaced soon and, 2 years later, we are getting it done.

Finally, I've been trying to tape Hayden singing his ABCs for a few weeks now. He doesn't just sing, he belts it out! It's really cute, but we are also trying to get a before and after of him singing. Hopefully, this will sound a lot better once he's activated and has had some speech therapy. I hope you enjoy and I apologize for my singing.

Chemo #4 is over

2008-07-31T16:11:00.002-05:00

Finally, I am half way thru my chemo treatments!! Number 4 was bad. I get a shot of Neulasta on day 2 after fluids. This is supposed to support production of white blood cells. A common side-effect is bone pain, which until this weekend, I had not had. Well, that's all I had on Saturday. I was achy, similar to body aches from the flu. It was gone by Sunday, thankfully. I was tired as usual all weekend and then my day 5 delayed nausea hit. I have some special compound medicine for that so I thought everything was okay. By Tuesday, I was up taking care of a few things and was tired, which is normal. Then, Tuesday night, it hit. I was so sick and miserable Tuesday night and Wednesday morning that I ended up going in for fluids on Wednesday. I was still sick when I left, but by last night was doing better. This morning, while still fatigued, I'm not sick and I've been out and about. So, I'm back to where I should be.

One of my trips out today was for another ultrasound. More great news: my tumor is down another 0.6 cm to 2.2 cm. Remember I started at 3.4 cm. So I'm pleased. I think I'll go in again in September after 2 rounds on the new drugs, Herceptin and Taxotere. I'm happy with the progress we're making. Of course, I'd like to see it smaller, but at least we know things are working.

In related news, my oncologist is taking a leave of absence starting August 1st. She'll be out until December, so I'm pretty bummed about that. The doctor taking her place, Dr. Kleinbaum, seems nice. I only talked with him a few minutes, but Dr. Crow is confident he'll take good care of me. Let's hope!

Today, we also took off the steri-strips on Hayden's wound and the incision looks great. A lot of the swelling is down, but the poor kid has a lot of bruising on the right side of his face, including a black eye. You can see the implant under the skin, but it may not be as noticeable once the swelling is gone. He seems to notice the lack of hearing in his right ear, but he's adjusted so nicely. We are proud of our little guy.

Hayden survived!

2008-07-23T06:50:00.009-05:00

Of course our little one came through his surgery with flying colors! We got to the hospital a little before 10 am on Monday. He was able to play along with all the other children who were having surgery that day. Despite not having eaten since the night before and having no water for a few hours, Hayden was in great spirits. He played and cuddled all morning.

The surgery was scheduled for noon, but Hayden didn't go into the OR until close to 1 pm. All the doctors came out to talk with us and explain again what was going to happen. He had a great team of doctors and nurses to care for him. The surgery was over at 3:30 and he was taken into recovery. Jason and I waited with him for close to an hour before he woke up. When he finally did, boy was he mad! He didn't like being hooked up to all the wires and iv and he didn't like the big cup he had on his ear. Once I was able to hold him and he could drink some apple juice, he calmed down. After another apple juice, popsicle and water, we all agreed that he would be okay to go home. They had a room ready for him and we prepared to stay the night, but his vitals were great and he was keeping liquids down, so there wasn't much reason to keep him.

Hayden slept off and on during rush hour traffic home, but was never sick, thank goodness! He slept for several more hours at home as well. He did have a rough night, but I think he was much more comfortable at home than he would have been at the hospital. Finally at 5 am, he had some applesauce and was able to go to sleep again.

We were so proud of Hayden. He was such a trooper and dealt with this so much better than either of us would have. He even kept his bandages on all day yesterday. That actually is a good sign that we won't have a lot of trouble keeping his processor on. Activation day is August 25th which is also the first day of school for Anna and Sydney.

The girls stayed with a friend of ours, Julie, who is also an audiologist with Texas Children's. Anna and Sydney are the same ages as her 2 oldest girls and they all go to school together. It was nice to know they were having fun during this whole experience and we didn't have to worry about them.

Now we face a new set of challenges. Hayden is now, essentially, deaf in his right ear. There is a small chance for some residual hearing, but we won't know that until the swelling goes down and his ear heals. Physical and speech therapy will also change some. He'll also have to learn to keep his processor on all day and relearn to listen and understand sound. He's a smart kid and had hearing prior to this so he's already got a head start. Wish us luck!

Hayden is getting implanted!

2008-07-18T14:35:00.004-05:00

Jason and I got an email late on Wednesday letting us know that Hayden has a surgery date for his cochlear implant. The surgery is for Monday, July 21st. Yep, Monday. We are so excited. We've waited for a long time to get this for Hayden and now it's finally here. The surgery is set for noon and is about 3 hours long with an hour in recovery. I'm insisting that he spend the night. His surgeon, Dr. Vrabec, does this surgery as outpatient, but his partner has the kids spend the night for observation. Most of the kids bounce back from surgery very quickly so I'm not expecting any problems, but just being cautious.

Before surgery, Hayden will have a small area behind his right ear shaved. A small incision is made and part of the skull is opened to create a nesting place for the internal device. There is also a coil that is fed into the cochlea. Then he's sewn up. That's the nutshell version, but you get the idea. After he's had time to heal (3-4 weeks), we'll go in and he will have the external component put on. The 2 devices are connected by a magnet, so it is easy to put on and take off. This first picture shows the behind the ear version. Hayden will grow into that, but for now he'll have the body worn.

The second picture shows how sound is normally received.
1. Ear canal: Sound moves through the ear canal and strikes the eardrum.
2. Eardrum and bones: Sound waves cause the eardrum to vibrate, sending the bones in the middle ear into motion.
3. Inner ear: This motion causes the fluid inside the inner ear (cochlea) to move the hair cells.
4. Hearing nerve: Hair cells change the movement into electric impulses, which are sent to the hearing nerve into the brain; you hear sound.

The third picture shows sound being processed with the cochlear implant.
1. Sound processor: External sound processor captures sound and converts it into digital signals.
2. Digital signals: Processor sends digital signals to internal implant.
3. Electrode array: Internal implant converts signals into electrical energy, sending it to an electrode array inside the cochlea.
4. Hearing nerve: Electrodes stimulate hearing nerve, bypassing damaged hair cells, and the brain perceives signals as sound

All of these pictures are from http://www.cochlear.com/. Here is a site that shows how AN kids hear and what the implant will sound like http://www.ucihs.uci.edu/hesp/Simulations/simulationsmain.htm.

Genetic Testing

2008-07-12T06:41:00.002-05:00

I completely forgot to post the results of my genetic testing. There are 2 genes, BRCA-1 and BRCA-2, that are inherited alterations of genes that may increase a woman's chance of developing breast and ovarian cancer. These mutated genes are the only 2 that are known at this time, I believe, yet doctors know there are others.

Though I have no immediate family history of breast cancer, I am young to have it and it is aggressive. My doctors strongly encouraged me to be tested. I didn't think twice about it. It takes about 3 weeks to get the results. On June 10th I went in to get me results and finally had one great medical report to put in my folder. I was negative for both genes! Now, this doesn't mean I am free and clear. I could still have one of the unidentified genes, but I'm not too worried about that.

Had I tested positive, I would have been encouraged to have a double mastectomy as well as remove my ovaries. My doctor doesn't think I need to take such radical steps at this time. I still can choose to do that and I've meet some women who did because they didn't want to risk a recurrence. I haven't decided yet how far I'm going to go with my surgery in the fall. I still need to consult with my surgeons. I do have time before I need to make that decision, though.

Overwlemed...and loved

2008-07-10T11:23:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a rather uneventful day. I took the girls to see the $1 movie our theatre does over the summer for kids. We saw Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was better than I thought it would be. I was still feeling sick and couldn't wait to go home, but I haven't done much with the girls in a week so I stuck it out. Hayden had speech therapy later in the afternoon, but with no nap, he wasn't in the mood to talk much. We then had sign ins at church for the girls' vacation bible camp next week. Pretty usual day, all in all.

Jason surprised me by getting home before us. This is a busy month for him and he usually doesn't leave work before six and he was home at 5:30. I was telling him about the events at church during sign in when I noticed a tower of boxes in the living room that were not there when I left. He said they were from Washington and I knew immediately who sent them (thank you, Striblings!) My sweet cousin, Heather, is one of my major uplifting spirits in life, but more so now than ever. She helped organized our large family who wanted to help us during this rather challenging time in our lives.

All I can say is that Jason and I were, and still are, completely overwhelmed by the care packages that were sent. There was a box for Jason, one for me and one for the kids. The letters, thoughts, treats, and gifts were so much more than generous. They expressed the love we already felt from our widespread family. Knowing that everyone is thinking about us, sharing our story with others and offering prayers and well wishes is so wonderful, how can a person be down? I already had my kids and husband to live for, I also have this huge family to live for. Cancer sucks, but my family rocks! Thank you to everyone! I already new we were blessed, but you all just reaffirmed it. I can't wait to see all of you and thank you in person.

Chemo #3 is done

2008-07-07T06:48:00.003-05:00

Well, this one is over! Overall, I think I felt better than last time, but still sick and tired, literally and figuratively. Usually, I am just tired and sleep on and off for a couple of days. This time, I was able to read, which was nice. I still felt sick through yesterday, and very tired. This morning, I feel better but I don't want to go out and eat a feast then run a marathon. I think I'll be happy if I can get the kids their breakfast and sit down on the couch for a few hours! The worst part today is the metal taste in my mouth. I haven't found anything that is appetizing when I have this. I just need to work through it as it should be gone by the end of the week.

Well, I have one more round on this set. My next chemo days are July 24th and 25th. That will be the end of these yucky side effects, I hope. The next cycle is supposed to be better. The biggest symptom is fatigue. My hair should start to grow back, but some people lose their eyebrows and eyelashes. I'm hoping that doesn't happen to me. The hair on my head was bad enough!

We did get one nice piece of news from my oncologist. I never got the measurement for the enlarged lymph nodes so I didn't know if they shrunk or not. The radiologist report said they shrunk from 4.2 cm to 3.1 cm! Yippee!! Again, this doesn't mean I'll escape surgery, but at least the chemo is working.

It shrunk!

2008-06-26T12:50:00.003-05:00

I had my second ultrasound today to see if the tumor is responding to the chemo drugs and it is!! My tumor was 3.4 cm and today it measured 2.8 cm. I was hoping for more, but it's still over 1/2 cm smaller so I'm still happy. The lymph nodes haven't changed much, but I was told that was normal. So, cancer is still there, but it's going away some. I still won't be able to avoid surgery, but at least the drugs are working.

In other good news, Hayden was approved for his cochlear implant last week. We are now waiting to get our surgery date. Our counselor, Jody Haymond, is trying to make sure we can get a date that works around my chemo. She's been great. I'll post more about the procedure at a later time. It's actually very interesting how the whole process works. So, good news all around.

Bald is beautiful!

2008-06-19T09:46:00.006-05:00

Okay, I can officially say I survived round 2 of chemo, barely! Dr. Crow, my oncologist, added fluids on the day of chemo as well as the next day which helped me through the weekend. But then on Monday, the nausea hit big time. I was sick all day long. We finally got it under control and, though still fatigued, I am up and starting to do more. I've even started to eat a little.

Well, as many know, chemo can cause one to lose their hair. I am no exception. My hair started to come out 2 weeks after my first treatment. I decided that day to let the girls cut my hair and have Jason shave it down to stubble. So here are some pictures of that wonderful evening.

The second treatment has kicked in the hair loss a bit more. It's more like molting than anything else. I did shave it down a lot more a few days after these pictures were taken. Sydney was the one that didn't like the idea of a "bald mommy", but she's gotten used to it. I thought Hayden would have the hardest time. He used to calm himself when tired or sad by digging his hands in my hair. He will do that sometimes with the wig on, but I don't wear it often. He's used to his bald mommy now. As soon as chemo is done, my hair will start to come back in. Just what it will look like is going to be a mystery!

Chemo #2 is done!

2008-06-12T15:47:00.010-05:00

This is going to be short because I already feel it coming on. I wanted to share a couple of pictures from the first treatment. One of my dearest friends, Odessa, came with me and helped distract me for 3 hours! She took these for me. Thanks, O!

The second picture is the Adriamycin. It's reddish-orange. Very weird having that go in. I get about 4-5 different bags of fluids on chemo day. Fluid day is only 2-3 bags. The oncology nurses are great and they really care about their patients.

Okay, time to lie down. Actually, I'm going to rest on the couch and watch Shrek the 3rd with the girls. Enjoy the weekend.

Life's Curve Balls

2008-06-11T06:30:00.001-05:00

Many of you know that I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer on May 1st. The formal diagnosis is invasive ductal carcinoma and ductal carcinoma in situ. The tumor is 3.4 cm and the cancer has spread to my lymph nodes. The prognosis is good and I have a great team of doctors here in The Woodlands all working to make me better.

Our treatment plan includes 6 months of chemo, followed by surgery, then more chemo. Chemo is broken into 2 main sections. I'll get Adriamycin and Cytoxan (AC) every 3 weeks for 4 cycles. Then I'll get Herceptin and Taxotere (HT) every 3 weeks for another 4 cycles. After surgery sometime in October or November, I'll continue the Herceptin, and possibly add Tamoxifen, to complete 12 months. Radiation hasn't been formally ruled out, but does look unlikely.

I had my first treatment on May 22 and get the next one tomorrow. Chemo is rough! I actually had surgery the day before my 1st treatment to get the port-a-cath which is how the drugs are administered into my body. My chemo only takes a couple of hours, but it sure does hit hard. I felt very light-headed and nauseous 2 hours afterwards. I was also very tired. The next day I went in for fluids and an injection of Neulasta which helps increase by white blood cell count. Despite the 4 different anti-nausea drugs in my system, I was sick from Thursday thru Sunday. I also was very tired and fatigued. That lasted well into the following week.

Our little family unit has been great. Anna and Sydney know what's going on and we can even joke about it. "Cancer" is not a bad word in our house and we have control of it, not the other way around. They are able to talk to me about how sad they are and scared that I'm going to die. We just tell them that we are sad too and that the doctors are doing everything they can to make sure that I live for a long time. Hayden doesn't understand anything, but knows something has changed. He's become much more affectionate with everyone, which has been wonderful!! He still pinches, kicks and pulls hair, but not like he used to.

We have had so much support from friends and family, near and far, as well as our church. Our friends have helped with the girls and travel. Our church has delivered meals and prayed for us. Everyone has been great. I love hearing about all the stories of friends and family that have had breast cancer and are doing great now. Keep those coming!

Over the next several months, I'll keep everyone posted on the updates as we go through this unexpected adventure we are facing. So check back and see our progress as we kick cancer's butt and just live life one day at a time!

The Perfect Morning

2008-01-09T10:09:00.001-06:00

Well, I was never one for writing, but after the caotic first 1 hour of the day, I feel compelled to share with the world. I'll fill in the family bio in detail later, but first have to share my normal attempt to get ready for school when everything fell apart.

I was changing my son's diaper (thankfully on my husband's side of the bed!) when my oldest daughter started screaming. At this point we have 20 mintues before we leave for school and we are already behind schedule. Anna's tooth came out while she was brushing her teeth. This tooth could have been pulled 2 days ago, but she wasn't ready yet. So, she's screaming and I run to the bathroom to get her tooth, calm her down, and get a towel for her since she is bleeding a little bit. My youngest daughter is in the mix trying to help her sister (she's my doctor in training) and we finally get Anna calmed down and excited about the tooth fairy coming tonight.

I return to finish changing my son only to realize that he had peed all over the bed and is sitting naked in urine. So, I strip the bed, put him in the tub to clean him up and finally my loving husband realizes that I may need help. We now have 10 minutes before we leave for school. I still haven't made lunches, I have oatmeal on the stove that was probably burning, and I haven't gotten Jason's snacks for work ready. I know what you are thinking: he's a grown man and this isn't 1955. We are trying a new lifestyle change at church and if I don't pack his snacks he won't eat right. We are in this together.

So, Jason dresses Hayden, the girls get their sweaters on, I quickly make lunches, and we are out the door a few minutes late. All ends well, but it was just one of those snowball effects this morning. We couldn't have only one little bit of commotion. We needed several diversions just to get the blood pumping. Considering what's planned for the rest of my day, this was the high point of excitement for me.