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Summer, summer, summertime!

2010-06-04T06:08:00.000-07:00

Well I can officially say our summer is here! Graham ended school on Thursday June 3rd, and I finished on Friday, June 4th. We have been busy, as usual, with lots going on!

My baby boy is now 8! Happy birthday, Graham! Graham had his birthday party on Friday at the pool. He finished his spring soccer season with CESA in April, and now has started Swim Team with Sugar Creek. He is enjoying that so far, and boy I tell you...those practices wear him out! He has done awesome, and placed very well. He may be able to compete in Classics and Championships...Yay!

Mallory Kate is done with her K2 Class and has been loving her tap and ballet classes! Her recital was Saturday at the Peace Center...adorable is all I can say! See the pictures for yourself!

I have finished another school year with my 3rd graders and am looking forward to the summer! I have still been running regularly and I love it! I have set a goal of running the Kiawah Half-Marathon in December- 13.1 miles! Whoo-hoo! I have some really good friends and my brother joining me in that awesome race! I also will be running/ walking in the Susan G. Komen 3-day in October in Atlanta. We have a team of 4 and will run/ walk a total of 60 miles over 3 days- 20 miles each day! I can't wait. More information to come on that later!

Greg is still looking for a job- so please let me know if you have connections or know of anything! He is enjoying his flag football league and plays regularly.

The dogs are great- Piper is getting HUGE! She is so smart, but annoys the fool out of Cody! But I am proud of Cody for standing up to her...well, sometimes!

My step-dad is doing fantastic! It has almost been a year since his stroke, which is so hard to believe! The wheelchair is gone and he is walking with a cane. He still doesn't have any feeling in his right arm or leg, and still no motion in his arm. But I am so proud of him and my mom for staying strong. He got a new recumbent bicycle and my mom and him have been riding on the Swamp Rabbit Trail several days a week! Keep up the good work, Dad!

We went to pick fresh strawberries on Mother's day in May. They were wonderful and so sweet his year! Enjoy your summer and thanks for checking in!

2010-04-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

Long time, no blog...
I had one major goal over spring break, and that was to get our blog updated. And wouldn't you know it, I'm finishing it in the last hours left of my break! It's back to work tomorrow, but it is downhill from here! We are all counting down the days until summer break!

We have been very busy around here lately. I have highlighted some of our happenings from the last few months. Enjoy the pictures!

Easter
We had a great Easter this year with the most perfect weather! We went to church with the kids and came home for a late Easter Lunch with our families. What would Easter be without an Egg Hunt? So of course, we hunted eggs and now have a ton of candy that we need to get out of the house! (My treasure box at school may soon be filled with lots of chocolate candy!)

What did the Easter Bunny bring?

Meet the newest member of the Stowe family...Piper!

On February 13th, the newest member of our family was born. Her name is Piper and she is a Goldendoodle. Her mom in a pure bred Golden Retriever and her dad is a Standard Poodle. Piper will be a large inside dog, about 60 pounds or so. She got to meet her new family last Friday, and has adjusted very well! Cody, our 11 year old shih-tzu, doesn't really pay her much attention. The kids love her already- she is absoltely ADORABLE! Hopefully one day Piper will be my running buddy!

Mallory Kate's 3rd Set of Tubes!

Hopefully the saying "Third time's a charm" hold true for this. On April 1, she had to get another set of ear tubes. She never complains of earaches or has any symptoms of having an ear infection, but every time we go to the doctor for a well-check or for something else, she has an ear infection. So...hopefully this will be the last set! She was a big girl and we are so proud of her for not being scared!

Cooper River Bridge Run 10K- March 27th

This was my first ever 10K (6.2 miles) run. This was the best race ever! I loved every minute of it, with exception of having to wait in the cold until the race started. However, once the race began, I was glad it was cool. I ran this race with Greg, my brother- Daryl, and Laura Leigh. Daryl and I stayed together the whole race, and ran it in 61 minutes. I really wanted to get under an hour, but the first mile was so slow due to the crowd. It was very hard to bob and weave amongst 38,000 people! After the race, we hung out in downtown Charleston. It was a blast, and I can't wait to do this again next year!

Greg and me

Daryl and Laura Leigh

Isle of Palms- Uncle Daryl and Graham

Mallory Kate

Kiawah- at The Ryder Cup Golf Course

Mom's Surprise 60th Birthday!

My mom turned the big 6-0 this year! I wanted to do something fun for her, so I planned a surprise party for her! We had it at Jim and Susan's house and a lot of family and friends came for food, drinks, karaoke, and dance. She was surprised, although she had a feeling something was up when my niece answered my telephone...oops! Oh-well! We all had a great time visiting with one another for such a great occasion! Happy Birthday, Mom!

Check out "The Supremes!"

My brother, Daryl, and I at the party!

Iceskating-

A first time for both Graham and Mallory Kate. Yes, they do make iceskates for Mallory Kate's size! Graham loved it, and Mallory Kate decided it was too much work and way too cold. So Mallory Kate and I ended up doing the jump castles in the next room. Graham had so much fun skating with his good buddy Will!

Snow Fun!
We actually got a few snowfalls this year, and enjoyed playing in it! Graham enjoyed snowball fights, when the snow would form them, and Mallory Kate enjoyed making "Snow Angels", until it made her too cold!

A close to 2009...

2009-12-29T17:56:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that 2009 is coming to a close! We have been very busy in the month of December. We have celebrated many different emotions, from the happiness of Mallory Kate's 3rd birthday, the joy of Christmas, and the sadness of losing a loved one. In many ways I am ready to close the 2009 book and open up to chapter 1 of 2010, and on the other hand, I feel like the year went by way too fast!
It is hard to believe that Mallory Kate is 3- where did the last 3 years go? She had a small birthday party at our house with some close family and friends. It was a "girly" party- of course- with dress-up, nails, and hair! She LOVED it!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Mallory Kate! Our family had a WONDERFUL Christmas with several family celebrations. Graham and Mallory Kate were so excited this year! Graham even got upset with Mallory Kate because she wasn't focusing on the real meaning of Christmas and she only wanted presents! I had to explain to him that she was only 3 and she didn't quite understand the meaning yet- although we will teach her. They both enjoyed making food for the reindeer and cookies for Santa too! It was a great Christmas!

...and Santa came!

And the sadness comes with the loss of Granny, at the age of 85. She was a precious lady who I so much admired for her kind and genuine spirit. I am so excited that she is now reunited with Grandaddy! Granny will be missed, but we will certainly hold tight to the fond memories we have with her.

Mom, me (with my REAL STRAIGHT hair), and Granny

Mallory Kate, Granny, and Graham- Halloween 2008

I hope you all have had a wonderful 2009! I can't wait to see what 2010 will hold!

A little of this, a little of that...

2009-12-01T07:48:00.001-08:00

Can you believe it is time to send out Christmas cards? This year has gone by so quickly! In reflecting back on this year, our family has gone through a lot, but with the support of our friends and family, we made it through. We have so much to be thankful for!

My last surgery was done almost 2 weeks ago. I had a complete hysterectomy, which wasn't bad at all! My oncologist thought it would be a wise decision to have this done since my cancer was fueled by estrogen. My doctor did the surgery laprascopically and vaginally, and the recovery hasn't been bad at all! I had a 2 night hospital stay. The pain meds and I didn't agree so much, but after I got off of all of those, I started to feel so much better! I go for my 2 week post-op appointment on Friday. Hopefully my doctor will release me to go back to work on Monday. So that should be the last of my "treatment"! Yay....now I'm just waiting on my hair to grow! It is still really curly, although it is getting longer! It has relaxed a bit, but nontheless, still incredibly curly!

I am posting random pictures from all of our "Fall Happenings!" Enjoy!

I ran in my 4th 5K race on November 7th. This was "Racheal's Run," which was a 5K run and a family 1 mile walk dedicated to the precious life of a 2 year old who lost her battle with cancer a year ago. Her mother is a chemo nurse at the Cancer Center where I go. The Gleason's are an incredible family with such strong faith, that I admire. This will become an annual event...will you run/ walk next year to support research on childhood cancers? I hope so!

Graham finished another soccer season with CESA. He has learned so much this year and is an awesome defender! He also played goalie a good bit. We will return to soccer in February for the spring season!

Fun with friends...We had a day of fall fun with the Columbia's, Will and Meredith!

Thanksgiving visit with Uncle Daryl, and his 4 month-old puppy, Major! Graham and Mallory Kate ADORE Uncle Daryl! We can't wait to see him and Liza and Kathryn in a few weeks for Christmas!

Pumkin Patch...

2009-10-18T17:33:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Pumpkin Patch to get our pumpkin. It has become a tradition to get ours from St. Giles Pumpkin Patch. Mallory Kate had so much fun finding the perfect "baby Pumpkin" as she called it. Graham helped find one that was perfect to carve. The kids are getting so excited about Halloween next week! Graham wants to be Harry Potter, again, and Mallory Kate wants to be Tinkerbell, again! Pictures to come later from trick-or-treating! Happy Fall to all!

One year later...

2009-08-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Is it bad that I couldn't remember my password to log-in to my own blog? It has been that long, huh? Or can I blame the "chemo brain" for that one? Well...let's see where to begin...I guess a recap of our busy summer! We enjoyed a short beach trip, several lake trips, a visit to Alabama to visit family, and a week-long anniversary cruise to the Western Caribbean (w/o kids)! Unfortunately, we came back from the cruise to hear my step-dad had a massive stroke. It is a slow road to recovery, but he has made lots of progress. Phew...what a busy, but very fun summer!

And then school started...Graham started 2nd grade and LOVES it! I have a great class this year as well. It is so nice being back at school with co-workers that I absolutely adore! Mallory Kate got moved to another 2's class with a new teacher. She is adjusting...still, but I am happy to report that we are in BIG GIRL PANTIES 24/7 now! She was potty trained in June and has done AWESOME! Yeah...saving more money!

Can you believe one year ago, I heard the dreaded the words, "You have stage III breast cancer." In some ways, it has been a really long year, but in others I feel like it is all a distant memory. The only constant reminder of BC is my hair...now VERY CURLY and short. I stopped wearing my wig at the beginning of June, but am still not digging the short-do style. Believe it or not, I get compliments on it all the time. "Is your hair naturally curly?" or "I wish I could wear my hair that short." And then I respond with, "Yes, my hair is NOW naturally curly, and yes, you COULD wear your that short if you had to!" It will grow- hopefully longer rather than out like an afro! I am thinking about going to buy some good hair product to tame it a bit! Last weekend I ran in Race for the Cure at ICAR. I attended all the "Survivor" activities and marched in the Survivor Parade. What a great experience to be in the midst of co-survivors! I hope to one day be able to march in the 30+ years out category! I had my 1 year breast MRI 2 weeks ago- and all was clear...PRAISE GOD! I see my oncologist in a week and get labs done as well. So far, so good! My doctors are keeping a close eye on me, and I see my oncologist every 3 months for now. I have my hysterectomy scheduled for November 19th. Hopefully the recovery won't be so bad...nothing can compare to chemo! So I feel good about it. I have kept up my running 5 days a week, so hopefully that will benefit me!

Enjoy the pictures from the summer and some from the Race for the Cure! And thank you for all the prayers that have gotten my family through to this one year mark! I love you all!

Happy 7th Birthday Graham!

2009-06-15T18:13:00.000-07:00

Graham had his 7th birthday on June 3rd! I can't believe it! Where has the time gone? He debated and debated over what kind of birthday party to have. He finally decided on a roller skating birthday party at Taylors Roller Sports- the same place where I once had a few birthdays of my own! He had a great turnout with family and a few school friends. He had a blast and has really enjoyed learning to roller skate! He even got a pair of in-line skates for his birthday from Mema and Papa- which he loves! Happy birthday Graham! We love you!

Awards Day at School...

Graham was recognized at school for several things including the "Music Star" in his class, meeting his AR Reading goal, and the Citizenship Award for his class! Then from his teacher, she recognized him as "Mr. Manners"! She told me that out of the 20-something years she has taught, that Graham has had the best manners of all of her students! What an amazing compliment! We are very proud of our son for sure!

A long update...

2009-05-10T04:59:00.000-07:00

Well...sorry it has been a while since my last post. Many things have kept me busy, including being back at school. Yes...I went back to school at the beginning of March and I am so thankful for that! That has been one of the best things for me- it just got us all back into "normal routines"! I will try to recap the last few months as best as possible! At the beginning of March we had some snow- ironically school was closed on the day I was supposed to return to work! The kids had a blast and Mallory Kate loved making snow angels!

Graham has been busy with Cub Scouts, soccer, and school. He had his first Pinewood Derby Race. Graham decided he wanted a Gamecock car- from Greg's influence! His car had a little "engine trouble" when his weights on the bottom dragged the track a little. But next year we'll know! Soccer just recently finished up! Graham scored 1 goal this season! He has a lot of speed and he really hustles on the field! He is finishing up his 1st grade year- so hard for me to believe! He is doing very well in school, but he is really looking forward to summer! (Aren't we all?)

Mallory Kate has really come out with her little personality in the last few months! She is very demanding and a daddy's girl, for sure! Funny story...the other night I was trying to put her to bed. She insisted for daddy to do it, and I said that I wanted to put her to bed. She started to pitch a fit and told me " I don't like you Mommy!" Greg heard her and he came to the rescue! So I went downstairs to get Graham ready for bed. He was so concerned and asked me if Mallory Kate had hurt my feelings! He had heard "our tiff" through the monitor! What a caring little boy! I explained that hopefully this is just a little stage she is in right now!

I finished up my 37 radiation treatments during Spring Break and celebrated with a well-deserved beach trip! Our family went with some of our friends, the Columbia's, and we had a great time! The weather was PERFECT and we had so much fun hanging out and doing nothing!

Last weekend I took the kids strawberry picking for the first time. Mallory Kate put 1 strawberry in the basket and ate the rest! I thought she was going to get sick from eating so many fresh strawberries! Graham enjoyed it too and made sure his little sister was picking the best ones!

I can officially now call myself a cancer SURVIVOR! It really hit home last week when I attended a Relay for Life Cancer Survivor dinner. It was an eye-opener to be surrounded by so many survivors! What an inspiration it was! Our Relay for Life is this Friday, May 15th at JL Mann High School. Come out if you can and support us!

I met with Dr. Gococo a few weeks ago for my first appointment post-treatments. My lab work looked good and I have started a daily medication called Tamoxifen. This is a hormone receptor blocker medication. I will have a mammogram and breast MRI in September and see my surgeon for a follow up appointment then. Dr. Gococo suggests a hysterectomy later in the year- I think maybe in December. This will stop the estrogen production, since my ovaries will be gone. I am completely at ease with this decision-the only concern I have with this is that I cannot take any hormone replacement therapy. I hope that I will not be too "moody"! So now on to more important things...hair! I have hair now- and my first appointment is May 26th for a cut and color. I still am wearing my wig right now, but my hair is about 1 inch long. It came back in all gray, so I thought I would fix that! Well...not such good results! I bought a wash-out hair dye at CVS that said it covers gray hair. Let me tell you...false advertising! It covered "some" of the gray hair and left my hair splotchy! Oh well, thank goodness for the wig still! My hairdresser will fix it in a few weeks! My goal is to be without a wig by June 5th- the last day of school. I just couldn't imagine going through the summer having to wear this hot wig! So, I'm not so excited about a short new doo, but I am ready to put the wig back into the box!

Oh, and one more thing, I have started running. I would have never thought I would say "me" and "running"together in the same sentence, but it is true! I have a great friend that I teach with who is "coaching" me and a few others. We have been running 2 miles, 3 times a week. I want to get up to 3 miles hopefully in the next month! I have decided I am going to run a 5K in November- Rachel's Run. A run dedicated to a precious little 2 year old who lost her battle with cancer. Graham has also decided to run in this race!

So that's what we have been up to in the last few months! Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there! What a blessing it is to be a mother! XOXOXO

Thankfulness...

2009-03-01T12:01:00.001-08:00

Sitting in the radiation waiting room last week, I had a conversation with a lady that really hit home. This lady was battling breast cancer and almost finished with her radiation treatments. We got to talking about our journeys and how the Lord has walked us though this step by step. She then made a comment that she thanks the Lord daily for giving her this cancer. Boy, those are strong words, and I kept thinking about those words all day. I had never said those words and I wasn't even sure I ever would. I firmly believe that God has the perfect plan and He has reasons for why He does certain things, although we may not understand them. I have seen God's work done though my cancer journey and many good things have come out of it...but I never actually "thanked" God for the cancer. The more I thought about this, the more I got to thinking how thankful I am that it is not my child affected by this cancer, or my husband, or my siblings, or my mom or (step)Dad. I am thankful that I have such a caring support group that has helped us tremendously in the last several months. I am thankful for the awesome doctors and nurses that have taken care of me. I am thankful for all of the prayers for myself and my family. We have so much to be thankful for! I pray daily for complete healing in my body, which God can do; but now I will add another prayer- I will thank God for this cancer.

Radiation...

2009-02-18T04:51:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow I will start the first of 35 radiation treatments. I met with Dr. Wilcox last Thursday and she thoroughly explained the process. I really think this will be a breeze- not a lot of side effects like the chemo. She said for me to expect a little tiredness and some skin irritation from the targeted areas. After I met with her, she did a scan of my upper body and decided what fields were going to be radiated. Then, get this...they took "Sharpie markers" (blue and black) and marked all over my body! I even asked if they were using surgical markers, but no- just Sharpie's from their desk drawers! I came out of there looking like Mallory Kate had used my body as her canvas for coloring! They then covered a lot of the marks with clear, circle stickers to prevent fading of the lines. These marks will stay on me for the 7 weeks. (And yes, Sharpie markers do rub off on your clothes if you were wondering!) Dr. Wilcox said that the radiation itself will take 1-2 minutes! It will take me longer to check in, get undressed, and dressed than the treatment itself. Amazing! Since I am going back to work in 1 1/2 weeks, I will have a late appointment each day- so I can go after school. I will be done by Spring Break- what a great time to celebrate!

On Monday, I met with Dr, Gococo for a follow up. I think it finally sunk in that I am done with chemo. That would have been the day that I needed another treatment, but thank God I made it through all 6 treatments! I feel better and better each day. Dr. Gococo did some lab work and things looked pretty good. My tumor markers from my last visit were high, but he seems to think it went to a different lab that uses a different scale or it was a fluke. He said he is keeping a very close eye on me and is not concerned at this point. He also felt a swollen lymph node under my right arm, but he said it wasn't hard which is a good thing. The doctors will continue to monitor every bump, pain, and ache that I feel to make sure I still have a clean bill of health. I will see Dr. Gococo again in 7 weeks, after radiation is completed. So, I am ready to get this ball rolling and to be done, just in time for the warm weather! :) Thanks for the continued prayers! XOXOXO

Here, there, and everywhere...

2009-02-11T05:25:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated my blog in a while...maybe because things are starting to return to normalcy and that means going here, there, and everywhere. So what have we been doing? Well, Graham has been involved in Tae Kwon Do and started soccer practice last night. That is all consuming in of itself. We have practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays and games on Saturdays and sometimes Sundays. Thank goodness Mallory Kate isn't old enough for all of this yet!

Daryl, my brother, and my nieces brought my grandmother up for this past weekend. We went to the circus and had a ball! Mallory Kate stayed home with "Honey", as we call my grandmother. I really didn't want to walk the halls of the Bi-lo Center with a 2 year old trying to distract her from all of the light-up toys that cost an arm and a leg! Maybe she'll be old enough next year to sit and enjoy it. On Sunday, I took Honey and Mallory Kate to Alabama to visit with my Aunt Mari. We had a great visit, but it is always good to get home and settled back in at your own house!

I have felt great lately! I guess I have forgotten how it feels to feel good. I have a lot of energy now and if it weren't for a constant reminder of my bald head, I wouldn't know that I was in a battle fighting cancer! And speaking of a bald head...I can now say I am growing hair! My head is now covered with blonde "peach fuzz" and you can even see my hair line! This is exciting and I hope it continues to grow this fast. Graham said that my head looks like Grandad's used to look! Haha! And let me tell you, I will be sporting a "new do" as soon as I have enough hair to cover my scalp! My eyelashes and eyebrows never came out, although they thinned a little- thank goodness for good mascara! Anyways, what's next? I meet tomorrow with the radiation oncologist, Dr. Wilcox. She'll have to "map" and "mark" me and see how much radiation I'll need. I believe I'll start radiation next week. I will go every day, Monday through Friday, for 7 weeks. The appointments are short, NOTHING like chemo! I am told I will be in and out in 30 minutes...yeah! The radiation itself takes less than 5 minutes. I am planning on returning to work on March 2nd....I am so ready! I want to return to routines and get back to "normal" as my family once knew it! I have had a wonderful substitute in my class which I'm sure the kids will miss. But hopefully it will be an easy transition back. My school is also doing a Relay for Life team in my name this year. Our team goal is $10,000...which I'm sure we will meet! The theme of our team is "100 Women for 1 Woman." We plan to get 100 people on our team, each raising $100+. You can check out our web page here and even donate through the website. I'd love to have your support, so if you're interested in joining our team, all of the information is located there. I will get to walk the "Survivor Lap"- that just gave me chills as I typed that! That will be a moving experience I'm sure that I am really looking forward to!

Thank you again for all the support and prayers...we still need it! We are getting closer and closer to closing this chapter of our lives in hopes to never have to go here again.

I crossed the finish line!

2009-01-26T13:03:00.000-08:00

Yes...I have officially crossed the finish line and got to ring the bell today! I told Greg after round #5 that I couldn't do it anymore. But with the support of all of you- friends and family- I made it! Thank you for all of the prayers- I couldn't have made it without God being on my side.

I met with Dr. Go today, and we talked for about an hour or so. I had many questions and he is so very thorough. We talked about what's next...7 weeks of radiation/ 5 days a week. (after 2-3 weeks of recovery from the chemo) The radiation should not be so bad- side effects like tiredness and a "sunburn" effect on the radiated sites. Dr. Wilcox will oversee the radiation, but Dr. Go still sees me throughout. We talked about tumor markers- which I really didn't know much about. That is done through a blood test and it measures a protein on the surface of cancer and non-cancer cells. He has been testing this all along, but I wasn't aware of it. All of my tumor markers are in the normal range as of now. If he sees them increasing steadily, then he will immediately scan me again. He is going to scan me again, but it will be after radiation some time. I will also be starting the medication Tamoxifen soon, which is a hormone receptor blocker. A big kudos goes out to my chemo nurse, Cassie! She was awesome- and got the IV in the first time today! I will miss seeing her every few weeks, but certainly will not miss the chemo room! I also have to thank my dear friend Julie for holding my hand through all of this! Take a look at the pictures below- she made me a finish line and was there to cheer me on when I rang the bell. So as I close this chapter in Lori"s breast cancer journey, I never want to talk about getting chemo again. I seriously start feeling "queasy" when I think about getting chemo or seeing things that remind me of it. It's so weird how our minds can cause a physical reaction to a thought- such as a popsicle! I hope to never again lay eyes on those triangular popsicles. When you take the chemo drug called Adriamyacin, you have to freeze your mouth to construct the blood vessels. So in order to not get these terrible mouth sores, I had to chomp away at a nasty popsicle! Anyways, it's over and I vow to never have to return to chemotherapy again! Thanks for the huge support...and please pray for Greg as he does the Mr. Mom thing this week and a prayer for a "not-so-bad" week for me. XOXOXO Lori

Terrible Two's...already?

2009-01-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

Well, people have advised me that girls are much more difficult than boys to raise, and I believe that is true! Mallory Kate just turned two before Christmas, and the two's are definitely here! Her vocabulary has grown tremendously in the last month and she wants you to hear it ALL! She makes me tired just listening to her, and most of it is understandable, even to a stranger. We are finding out she has a little "stubborn" side to her. She makes sure to tell us what she wants, and that she certainly doesn't want to "wait patiently" for it! She is sure to tell us that "I don't like that" when we ask her to try her veggies on her plate or that it is "Mallory Kate's turn" to watch a TV show- Dora of course. Last night was the topper of it all...I put her to bed and rubbed her back for about 2 minutes or so. (Like we do each night- sometimes longer than others!) I then went downstairs and started watching TV with Greg and Graham. We heard a thud- not too terribly loud, and at that point I knew...she has gotten out of her bed! I went upstairs to find her smiling so big in the middle of the hall. She proceeds to tell me, "Hey Mommy! I get out!" I couldn't help but laugh. Graham never once tried to get out of his bed at this age...this is all new! I tucked her back in and told her she's not allowed to get out. I figured I better play it safe this time and decided to watch TV upstairs in my room. About 3 minutes later, once again...thud! She came running in my room..."I do it again Mommy. I get out! I want to watch TV." This time I threatened her with timeout and Greg ended up laying down with her to get her settled. Phew...is there a life's instructions book on how to raise a girl? Please advise... One more funny side note, the other night my mom and I were playing with Mallory Kate and her Dora doll. Mallory Kate was talking about Dora's hair, Nana's hair, Daddy's hair, and then she got to Mommy's hair. She said, and I quote, "Mommy's hair in the bathroom!" Which it is- on the mannequin's head! I hope this doesn't scar her for life! :)

5 down, 1 to go!

2009-01-06T07:04:00.000-08:00

So there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is within viewing distance! Yesterday I went for my 5th chemo treatment. My fantastic Chemo Nurse, Cassie, got the IV in the first time....yippee! Yesterday was pretty good, but I think each time is getting harder and harder on my body. I feel the side effects much quicker each time. I took some pills to help me sleep last night and that seemed to help out. I do feel a little nauseated, but not too bad. I took my myriad of pills this morning~ my anti-nausea pill Emend, steroid pill, Ibuprofen, Claritin, and I think one more. Hopefully those will get going in my system. I went to get my Neulasta injection this morning, and let me tell you, another nurse at the Cancer Center I adore, Andrea. She gives it to me in my stomach and I don't really even feel it, like I did the first time in my arm. (I always request her now because she is just so good!) The Neulasta injection is to boost up my white blood count since the chemo pretty much wipes it out. By the way- the cost on the one shot is $7,000! Thank goodness for insurance- they do pay for that! My sweet friend Julie who also works at the Cancer Center was so sweet when I went in today. She had baked me some potatoes for this week. My appetite is very strange the week of chemo- all I crave is a plain baked potato and Cranberry-Grape juice. (Neither to which I have a lot of any other time!) I guess they help with the "dirty copper penny" taste in my mouth! Well, since it's so dismal and rainy today, I think I will retreat to the couch armed with the remote. Maybe Lifetime has a good movie on today! Thanks for checking in and I really appreciate all of the prayers and help with food and my children, too! Love to all...

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T07:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come and gone...it seems to pass so quickly! This year was the best one I can remember! Graham and Mallory Kate had a blast and we enjoyed them so much! We spent the Saturday before Christmas at my mom and dad's with all 4 of us children- Daryl, Rebekah, Adam, and myself and all of our children- 9 in all! Chaos...yes, especially when Uncle Daryl took all the kids downstairs for a game of Nerf tag. Boy did they have fun! Then on Christmas Eve we went to Greg's aunt's house for brunch- which was delicious! Then that night we went over to my in-laws for dinner and presents. So, Christmas Eve night...many of you with children the age of Graham will appreciate this one...I hear footsteps in my bedroom at 4:30 am! "Has Santa come yet?" Good gracious- I replied with, "I'm not sure, but I know you better get back in the bed just in case he hasn't yet!" Graham runs back to bed and wakes up at 6:30- still earlier than I wanted, but I thought that was a much more reasonable time. The kids came downstairs to find that Santa did come (despite several threats and the Elf on the Shelf watching for good behavior) and brought Graham a Wii and Mallory Kate a dollhouse. Both were ecstatic! Mallory Kate played with her dollhouse for a hour straight while I made pancakes. We had a ball! We also went to Greg's dad's house for lunch. So needless to say, we have been busy and we're glad to have this week to just chill out and play with all of our new toys!

I have felt so good these last 2 weeks, praise God for that! I have my 5th chemo on Monday. I am ready to be done! Just one more after #5...yeah! I have been going to physical therapy for my lymphodema in my hand, about twice a week. The PT is awesome, and my hand looks really good now. I still have to wear my "diva" compression sleeve and hand glove for about 3-4 months, 24 hrs a day. But if I am really good about it, then maybe I won't have to forever. I have gotten many strange looks and comments. The checkout girl at Publix asked me if I had a hand tattoo! Haha! Another good bit of news, my insurance finally paid on one of those "denied" claims! Yeah! So 2 more still pending and both in appeals, but hopefully good will come out of those too! I know I say this quite often, but honestly, thanks for the prayers! I know first hand the power of prayer. God is good...all the time, even when we don't understand his plan! :)

Here are a few pics of the kids at Christmas and a precious video of Mallory Kate! (She was in a wild mood, singing her little heart out to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star!" I hope she doesn't have a multiple personality! Haha! I just had to share this one!)

Happy New Year to all!

Video of Mallory Kate singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"

...Rock Style, then Little Miss Innocent Style...

Christmas Morning...

Graham at Mema & Papa's

Mallory Kate is obsessed with Dora the Explorer!

4 down, 2 to go!

2008-12-16T09:30:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was round #4, and I wish I was done! I have 2 more to go, both in January. All went well yesterday, with the exception of my veins not cooperating for the IV. After 1 needle stick for labs, and 3 from the nurses, they were finally able to get the IV going! Yeah...by the way, it wasn't them, it was me and my little veins- rolling nd tumbling around in there. I just pray my veins will cooperate 2 more times and I won't have to get a port. It was a long day yesterday...we got there at 8:15 and left at 2:30ish. I was exhausted! I was thinking I would be able to take Graham to his Cub Scouts Christmas Party, but I was not able to. A big Kudos goes out to my friend Shella who helps out with Graham tremendously during my chemo weeks. I love ya girl! It seems the more rounds I have, the quicker they hit me and the longer they last! Not so fun, but I can make it through! (Of course with the prayer and support from all of you! I'm counting on you all! :)

Good news...the genetic counselor called me yesterday with my BRCA1 and BRCA 2 results. My BRCA 1 gene was normal, but my BRCA 2 gene showed a "variant". This was explained by this- this same thing has been found in 78 other cases and can't yet be classified as "normal", although they suspect that it is not disease bearing and there is no mutation there. Down the road, I could get a letter from the testing center that gives me more detail saying that it is "normal" or that they have found other evidence of something. But for now, I feel peace about it! They also ran a 2nd test looking for additions and deletions of pieces in the DNA of those genes. They came out normal as well. So, the geneticist said she felt like this was "good news". Yeah- we needed that! That helps me with other decisions such as this- for right now we have decided to post-pone the bi-lateral mastectomy. I met with the plastic surgeon and our time lines weren't working out with summer and all and I left with an uneasy feeling about it all. This confirms my decision hold off for right now, and maybe revisit that option down the road if needed.

As for my lymphodema, it has it's good and bad days. My hands gets puffy like a marshmallow and then goes back down- not quite back tot normal yet. I am wearing a compression sleeve and hand glove- both highly unattractive garments! I can't tell you how many times shopping last week I have had to answer the question, "What is wrong with your hand?" By the end of the day, I just said it's hurt. (Which it is- from the lack of lymph nodes in that arm!) Anyways, I am going to Physical Therapy 2-3 times a week and that has worked very well. I ordered my "lymphediva" sleeve and glove that should be here on Friday- very stylish I might add! I'll take a picture and show you how trendy it is!

For fun things...Mallory Kate turned 2 this weekend and we had a great family birthday party here at the house. Most of you who know her, know her obsession with "fancy shoes"- so that was the theme! Her cake was adorable and she thoroughly enjoyed eating it! Enjoy the pictures! It is hard to believe that she is 2 and is a big girl! She is potty training and doing so well with it! She stays dry most days, but we're still working at it. She now sleeps in a "big girl" bed, too! Where has the last 2 years gone? We had her well check this morning- and NO SHOTS...yeah! She is in the 30%-ile in both height and weight. Her height to weight comparison was in the 55%-ile. She is doing very well developmentally- above average the doctor said. She is talking in sentences and can identify colors, shapes, and all of the body parts- even the hard ones like ankles and elbows! What a precious gift from God- both of our children!

The next few days will probably be a little rough, but please lift me and my family up in prayer. It is hard for Greg to get the kids up and out of here in the mornings and fed, bathed, and in the bed at night. I try to help out as much as I can, but some days are worse than others. I pray for an "easier round" like my 2nd cycle! Thanks for everything and I love you all!!!!!- Lori

Such a busy time of the year...

2008-12-09T08:38:00.000-08:00

Well, we have been so busy that I admit I have slacked off with the blog. Not too much new news on me as of right now, with the exception of a diagnosis of lymphodema. I noticed my hand swelling last Thursday and called the doctor about it. The nurse said it was probably lymphodema, which turns out to be right. Since I had 9 lymph nodes removed during surgery, that affects my lymph system. (The lymph nodes do not grow back- once they're gone, they're gone.) The lymph system is responsible for taking fluid throughout your body. The lymph system takes the fluid and either dumps it back into your bloodstream or into your kidneys to later come out in your urine. So, since some of my lymph nodes are gone, the nodes under my arm can't handle that process of taking away the fluid in my arm. That has led to some swelling in my hand- which can be common. Sometimes people with lymphodema can have swelling in their arm as well. I don't have that yet, and we hope that we can get this under control before that happens. I have started physical therapy which the PT will massage the fluid upward and I also have a real tacky compression sleeve on my arm with my hand wrapped. I look like a Halloween experiment gone bad! The wrapping on my hand is temporary and I will get it off on Wednesday. Tomorrow I will get fitted for a compression sleeve (which I might add do come in designer fashions) and will wear this for 3 months for 24 hours a day. The PT said if I was really good about wearing it, then I might can back off and see how my hand/ arm react. I guess this is just another little thing I have to deal with. Once you have lymphodema, you always have it. I guess it could be worse! For some good news...on my last post I mentioned some heart issues. Well, Dr. Go had me get another echo done. One of the chemos I'm on, Adrimyican, can cause heart damage and he wanted to check me for that. But, I had a great report and my heart was fine! Praise God for that, because the Dr. said if I had any damage, they would have to stop that chemo- which I really need. Those results were an answer to prayer! My heart now feels back to normal- I guess it was feeling funky from the chemos! And, I'm still awaiting my genetic test results. They should be in any day now.

Now to the fun things that have kept us so busy! First off, we went last Friday to the mall to see Santa! I wasn't sure how Mallory Kate was going to react this year. She LOVED him! She kept asking him for "candy" and "more candy". What a smart girl...she saw the basket beside him and could care less about toys or a beautiful dollhouse, she just wanted chocolate! (A girl after my own heart!) And Graham had a great time, too! He asked Santa for a Wii and he made sure to tell Santa that his little sister wanted a dollhouse. How sweet was that? He really loves Mallory Kate and always looks out for her...okay, maybe not always, but most of the time!

Secondly, this past Sunday Graham was in the Greer Parade with his cub scouts troop. Greg and Graham rode in the float while we bared the frigid weather with some friends. That was the kids first parade and they both had a great time. Mallory Kate loved waving at everyone in the floats and especially liked getting the candy thrown at her! I must admit, I totally missed Graham in the parade! We saw their float coming, but Graham and his buddy were on the other side and we couldn't even see him! Oh, well...next year we'll have to coordinate our seating better!
And finally, Graham was recognized as the 2nd place Reflections Contest winner. The theme this year was "Wow" and he drew a picture of a bunny coming out of a magician's hat. I guess that is "wow" to a 6 year old. When we were brainstorming things he could draw for this, I kept trying to get him to think of things like the election year, and things of that sort, but he wanted to do it himself! And I'm glad he did...he got a certificate, a free waffle cone from TCBY, and a gift card to the Open Book. We're proud of him!
I have been very busy trying to tie up loose ends for Christmas! Round #4 is Monday...please pray that this round will be much easier than last! I am really dreading it! I hope everyone has a great week and thanks for checking in. XOXOXO

I'm back and blogging...

2008-12-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

So I really can't sugar coat this one- this round of Chemo really stunk! I was really hoping for another round like my second, but unfortunately, it didn't work that way! It's been a week, and I am just now starting to feel better. This time I felt nauseated-which is terrible and I am so thankful for my $106 Emmend pills! (Luckily that feeling only lasted for one day!) And this time I had extreme fatigue and feeling crummy- through Thanksgiving, but we made it. I did have a cold that started last Wednesday- which I'm sure didn't help my situation- and my doctor has now put me on antibiotics since my blood counts are at their lowest. I still am feeling a "racey-heart", which I think I will call about tomorrow. (I'm sure that's all pure side effects from the toxins!) Anyways, I have to give a big Kudos out to Greg for being Mr. Mom, since the kids were home during all of this because of the holidays. Greg did an awesome job of keeping our household running and keeping the kids fed and bathed! Thanks honey! :)

Since I had a lot of thinking time- in the bed and on the couch- I really got to thinking about Thanksgiving and what I am truly thankful for. A friend of mine, who I met down this road of breast cancer, recently sent out an e-mail about what all she is thankful for. Of course she said friends and family, but the 3rd thing she mentioned was being thankful for her breast cancer. Now that's a hard one to chew...but really, God has shown her through this road many things including a great support group of people that love her. When I read her e-mail, I starting thinking, too, of my wonderful support group. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes something bad like cancer, to bring us closer to those who care and love us. God has already used my cancer to reveal relationships that have been neglected, and I am thankful for that. I truly am blessed to have my friends and family praying for me and who are with me on this journey. During my thinking time, I really have thought about how much God has blessed me- with a caring husband and 2 beautiful children, wonderful family, a great Sunday School, awesome friends, and a job that I love (although I'm not currently there). I am amazed in all of His good work and I can truly say that God is good in all things! Thanks for checking in, and I hope all is well with all of you! Happy Late- Thanksgiving!

50% done with Chemo! Yeah!!!

2008-11-25T05:11:00.000-08:00

I just finished my half-way point in my chemo treatments yesterday! I have 3 left and will be done with those in the end of January. The doctors will give me a 3 week or so rest and healing time, then go for about 7 weeks of daily radiation. We've done a lot of thinking lately, and have decided to go ahead with a bi-lateral (double) mastectomy with reconstruction after the radiation treatments. I meet with the plastic surgeon on December 1st about that process. I know my surgeon Dr. Rippon and the plastic surgeon will "tag team" during the surgery. It is a lengthy process to get from point A to point B, but I'll find out all of the specifics on December 1st. We really did a lot of thinking over this one, but I have come to the conclusion I will do anything it takes to fight this fight over breast cancer- and if taking my breasts off will help any, then that's what we'll do! We'll also be having a hysterectomy done in the future, but hopefully next year sometime. Too much surgery is too hard to recover from quickly. My oncologist will be putting me in "menopause" with an injection later on after treatment. I still haven't heard my results from the genetic testing. I hopefully will hear sometime in the next 2 weeks. So that's the plan for now! (Oh, and I feel okay today- I just was very tired last night and my stomach was feeling a little funky! So I took one of the many meds lined up on the counter, and drifted right off to sleep.) Let's pray for me to feel pretty good this week like I did on the last round! :)

Now I want to tell you all about my amazing weekend! First off, on Friday I had 2 things to attend. I went to a surprise 50th birthday party that was so much fun! I saw a lot of people I haven't seen in a while since I've been out of work. (And guess what...I didn't wear my wig! I'm totally over the wig and I don't think I've put in on in about 5 days or so! So, the new me is with a scarf or bandanna covering my bald head- which I might add does get pretty chilled in the weather we've had lately!) Anyways, after I left the party, I went to our Supper Club. When I got there, I noticed all 7 of the men had shaved their head in honor of me! They had set up a barber shop- with none other but "Barber Brad"- the one who shaved mine- and there was hair all over the floor. What good sports we had! Check out the pictures I attached.

Supper Club men went "bald" in my support!

So did my brother, Daryl! (before)

(after)

And for the most amazing thing through my breast cancer journey was the event on Saturday night. My step-sister Rebekah, and my step-brother Adam and my parents had planned this benefit BBQ to help us out. It was initially supposed to be a surprise, but with Facebook, I found out- and I'm so glad I did because those of you that know me well, know that I'm not one to be the center of attention or like surprises! But anyways, they all worked themselves so hard to get ready for this event. They had invitations mailed and passed out and Rebekah had almost 50 items donated for the Silent Auction- and big things, too! We held a raffle and had a BBQ kick-off between Adam and my dad. And there was an amazing DJ that donated his time for this event, too! The food was amazing, but what blew my mind was all of the support that came! We estimated about 175 people came that night! I was in awe! Everything was through donations and this is where God is really good- we raised $4, 111 that night and more is still coming in! I was blown away from the support of my friends, family, and even strangers that brought money or sent it through someone. God is good all the time! It was hard to get around to talk to everyone, but I am so thankful for all of you- even from supporters that couldn't come. I love you all and thank you tremendously for your support through this journey! Please continue praying for my whole family, and for others who are suffering during this holiday season.

Olivia, Mallory Kate, and Claire swinging in the cold!

Tests, tests, more tests...

2008-11-18T11:08:00.000-08:00

Today was yet another test on this breast cancer road we are traveling. This was our genetic testing, which took 4 weeks to get this appointment. Greg and I met with a genetic counselor for about an hour this morning. She went over my family background with me and we went from there. On my mother's side, we don't have any known cancer as far back as we could trace. However, on my father's side, there is quite a bit. My father died of bone cancer, that spread throughout his body, when he was 50. Then on my father's parents' sides, there are 7 breast cancer cases that trace through cousins, aunts, etc., that are pretty distant to me, and most were in there 70's+ age range. The statistics show that 1 in 8 women will eventually get breast cancer, so it is not all that alarming for breast cancer to appear in older women. But the genetic counselor was more concerned with my age and my father's age at the cancer diagnosis. This test is very expensive, but will hopefully yield more information about my cancer. What I learned this morning is that all people have the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene; it's whether there is a mutation in that gene. If so, that is where the hereditary breast caner/ and or ovarian cancer can stem from. (Both ovarian and breast cancer can come from a mutation in the BRCA genes.) So, they drew a tube of blood and sent it off for testing. I should hear the results in about 2 1/2 weeks. So what does this mean? Well, if the test comes back negative (which is my hopes and prayer) then my breast cancer was caused by another source- which is the million dollar question, and if you can answer that then please let doctors know! :) If the test comes back positive, then my cancer was caused by a mutation in that gene and there is a 50/50 chance my children could inherit my "bad gene." If positive, this also makes some decisions more clearer- such as a complete hysterectomy and bi-lateral mastectomy. So, with all of that said, we just have to do the wait and see game, which I have become really good at! I still feel really good! My next round of chemo will be Monday. Please pray for a quick recovery, like last time, and pray for Greg to have patience with the children when I can not help out so much! This will mark my half-way point...yippee! Oh, and yes...my eyelashes and eyebrows are still in tact! Let;s also pray that they will stay that way! :) Thanks for the prayers! And this week I have been made especially aware that we don't know why bad things happen to people, but we do know that God has the perfect plan and we have to have faith and trust in Him! (For those prayer warriors, please pray for the Gleason family. They have a 2 yr old who is loosing her battle with cancer as I type this. Please pray for comfort for the little girl, Rachael, and for peace for her family. If you want to know all the details, visit her Caringbridge site..http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rachelgleason.)

On another note, let me just tell you what I have gotten into lately...couponing! Since funds are tight, this is a great hobby for me to start! A friend of mine, Kelly, turned me onto this. If you want to know the whole scoop, check out these other blogs for exact info on how to get started.

(Fiddledeedee and Southern Savers) But let me tell you my success story- I did as the blogs told me to do and I went to Publix last week. My bill came to $107 before my savings and coupons. After the coupons and in-store savings, my bill came to $53! I saved a whopping $54...whohoo! Isn't that amazing? So, now every Wednesday, I'll print my coupons and check out the deals and save money! It's actually really fun!

Check out what I got for $53!
It wouldn't fit in one picture!

One last tidbit...Our house is returning to somewhat normal...Graham has finished his soccer season! He learned a lot and had a great time. Here are a few pics of his last game. (Needless to say, we had a great time, but I sure am glad to heave my Tuesday and Thursday nights back with my family!) :)

Graham is #9, in white!

Mallory Kate likes to "entertain!"
Check out her "frowny face", as she calls it!

Thanks for checking in! My love to all...Lori

Thoughts and feelings...

2008-11-11T07:54:00.000-08:00

Well, new week...new me! I feel great- back to life as I know it (without work, of course.) And that's weird. You know being home in the summers are different than now. In the summer, I have the kids home and we are going to the pool each day and playing around the yard, etc. Being home now is different...both kids gone and a quiet house. On my "feel good" days, I can get a lot accomplished! Although sometimes I should be doing more household chores than I do! Today I have spent most of my morning on the phone with my insurance company! Boy...that sure is draining work! So I thought I had pretty good insurance- Cigna an HMO plan. But they sure are stingy with their money, I am coming to find out. Right now they have denied $13,000 in claims for one thing or another! I have 2 claims in appeal and one claim the doctor has to call to do a peer-to-peer review with the medical director of Cigna! I have found out that I have to "study" the Explanation of Benefits that comes in the mail- and I get about 2 or more each day it seems! I should get graduate credit for all the work and I time I put into this! Then I call the member services number- which I have now memorized- and push all the options until I finally reach a human voice. (I learned a trick- just act like you don't have a touchtone phone and keep saying "associate" and eventually, they'll put you through!) Then, most days I call, it seems like I know more about my plan than the representative on the other end! That is so frustrating sometimes, actually all the time! So, since I'm on a venting spree, let me tell you how much I hate wigs! You would think they would simplify your life, no...trust me, they don't! They are uncomfortable, itchy, hot, and I can't stand it. When the wind blows, I have pieces of hair standing every which way, and it doesn't feel like my hair! I am constantly fidgeting with it- getting stray stands out of my face and trying to flatten it more on my head. I have already gone back to the wig store for them to thin it out some. So I have come to the conclusion, the bandanna "Harley Davidson" look is more suitable for me! I have been wearing my wig out in public so I don't get the strange stares, but I think I'm over that now. So, now I may get some strange stares, but my head will feel good. I have even gotten a collection of different scarves and bandannas in a lot of different colors and styles- thanks to friends! Speaking of friends, I want to tell you about a special gift my school did for me. They made a handmade quilt with all of their hand prints for me to take to my chemo treatments! It is absolutely beautiful! You know when you get chemo, you get chilly. I have been using the white blankets- that they provide- to cover up with. Now I can come "armed" with a beautiful quilt that means so much to me! I will have the support of all of my friends from school right in my lap! How special is that? I've attached a picture so you can see it! I think I've probably written too much today, sorry. Sometimes it's just great therapy to get my feelings out on the keyboard, rather than to Greg! Thanks for visiting my blog! :)

I LOVE it! :)

Not so bad...

2008-11-07T06:09:00.000-08:00

So, today is Friday and I feel pretty good. I really don't think this round hit me as hard as my first round. I am so glad about that, and hope this pattern continues. I still feel chest pressure and a little achiness, but not too terribly bad! Yeah! Answered prayers....Amen! I have had my aunt from Alabama with me since Wednesday. That has been awesome! She has helped out so much around the house with the kids, cooking meals, laundry, etc. How I would love to have someone "full time" like this all year round! I could get spoiled very easily, ya know? Haha! Maybe since she loves me and my family so much, she would work out a deal? You think? Seriously, it has been wonderful to have her help when I feel cruddy. Well, we are planning on eating lunch at Graham's (and my) school today- and he is so excited about that! His request- biscuits and gravy from Stax's. After lunch, I need to run a few errands- if I still feel up to it. Sometimes I think I feel better than what my body can handle. Like last night, after I gave Mallory Kate a bath, I felt like I had run a marathon. The energy takes a while to get back. But...as a whole, I feel pretty good- much better than last go round! And thanks again for everything- the meals have been wonderful! Keep the prayers going up...God answers them! :)

"Catch up"...

2008-11-04T11:20:00.001-08:00

This posting will include a little bit of things that we've done since Halloween up to my 2nd round of chemo. I guess I'll start there. Yes- I am 33.3% finished with my chemotherapy! I have 4 more rounds to go. Yesterday my mother went with me. First I had lab work done- which indicated that my potassium levels were low- so I will be eating some bananas to help with that! All other blood work was fine. I then met with Dr. Gococo. As I've said before, I adore him and his nurse Cassie. I feel that I am getting the best care with them! He said for the most part to expect the same thing from my last round, although each time I will be a little slower to recover. My brother had asked me a good question, that I hadn't thought of before...when it's all said and done, how does the doctor know the cancer is all gone? So, I asked Dr. Go that. He said that treating me with 6 rounds of "TAC" chemotherapy and then radiation, and then the Tamoxifen, that it should all be gone. He said that scans cannot detect little cancer cells, so scans really don't do any good so soon after treatment. He said I will be watched very closely, every 3 months for a while, then every 6 months, which he will be looking for any symptoms, etc. At any point in time he said, he could order some scans if we suspect or feel funny about something. After meeting with him, we went over for chemotherapy. I took a picture of my chemo nurse all dressed up in her "scary" clothes while she pushes the "Red Devil" as the Adrimyican is called, through my IV. She doesn't have to wear that for any of the other two chemos. Through the IV, I was given Benedryl, Decadron (a steroid), saline fluids, the 3 chemos, and 2 anti-nausea meds. A total of 8 bags! No wonder about all of the fluid weight I gain in 24 hours! I gained another 4 pounds in one day again! But by Thursday, the extra fluid weight should be gone. Having a computer and someone to talk to sure does pass the time- we were there in the office from 8:30- after 2:30- 6 hours. Long day, but not so bad. Last night I was very tired- and forgot to take a med to help me sleep. I woke up at 12:30 and realized I was wide awake- I went downstairs to find that medicine, along with all of the bottles lined up on the counter, and took it right away. The steroid I'm on has that insomnia effect. So, about an hour later, I think I drifted back off. This morning I went back for my Neulasta shot and flu shot- which everyone in my family has to have. Graham got his yesterday- and was not happy about that one! Mallory Kate is getting hers on Friday and Greg sometime in the next few weeks. I did go out to vote before my appointment, and the lines weren't really too bad- about 30 or so minutes. I am beginning to feel the same chest pressure I felt last time and the nasty copper penny taste is back, too! But now I can say, 2 down and 4 to go! Yeah! Here is a pic of my nurse and me getting the "Red Devil."

Halloween...

Boy, did the kids have a blast! We went to my cousin's neighborhood and trick-or-treated with them. They ran from house to house with so much excitement! Graham was dressed up as Harry Potter and Mallory Kate was Tinkerbell. She now knows what candy is all about! She even asks for "Chocolate Candy" first thing in the morning- that girl knows what tastes good! Claire was a snow princess and Riley was a pirate. Enjoy these pics- and this was the first picture taken of me with my wig- which I can officially say I HATE! It is itchy, hot, uncomfortable, and I am now opting for the Harley Girl look on most days!

Helen, Georgia...
Greg and I went down to Helen Georgia with Tamara and Mark, to surprise Pete. As many of you know, Pete just got back from Iraq and Tracy, his wife, had planned this trip. We went up on Saturday and came back on Sunday. We had a great time eating, walking around, relaxing, etc! We had a blast! (Take a look at Tamara trying on my wig- for all I care, she can HAVE IT! She looks much better in it that I do! Haha! :)

Tamara with my wig on! Looks great on her! :)

Graham at Camp Old Indian...

My dad took Graham to Camp Old Indian with his cub scout troop. Since Greg and I had already had the Helen trip planned, my dad so graciously agreed to take him. Graham had a ball- enjoying bee-bee guns (which he hit the target all 3 times), flash-light tag, campfires, etc. Thanks Dad for taking him- that will be a memory to last him for a lifetime! He really enjoys the cub scouts. (And you ask what about Mallory Kate? She stayed with my mom and had a great time eating homemade mac-n-cheese, one of her favorites, and playing outside with Nana. Thanks Mom for keeping her! Oh, and she is potty training- we're on week #2 and she is doing fabulous! Hopefully by Christmas we can say bye-bye to diapers!)

Thank you so much for all the prayers, card, e-mails, phone calls, etc. That means so much to us! I couldn't get through this terrible disease without prayer and support from all of you! I love you all!

The deed is done...

2008-10-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

Well...it's officially done! My head is bald and white. My hair started coming out more yesterday, and I was really disgusted by it. So, I called my friend Julie to ask if her husband would come over and shave my head. (He shaves his own head and is an expert with the blade.) He very willingly accepted, so we made a night out of it. We ate dinner, carved pumpkins with the kids, and then headed to the bathroom for the final farewell to the mane. I was glad to have Julie and Brad there for support as well! They are both good encouragers and great friends! Greg started off by taking our scissors and cutting it down. Now that was a sight- it looked like I had gotten attacked by a 3 year old with crayola scissors! Then Greg took his clippers and buzzed it down- like Shanade O'Connor. (Not an attractive look on me!) Brad then took over, "Barber Brad" as I referred to him- and lathered my head up and went to it! It's gone- all of it- and I feel okay. No, it's not something I would ever voluntarily do again, but this comes with the territory of kicking breast cancer's butt! I was nervous about having some strange birth mark or knots on my head, but I didn't thank goodness! However, you can see where my part was- it's the only thing with "color" on my bald head. It's actually kinda funny seeing a little tan stripe running down the top of my head! So how did the kids react? Well, Graham came in the bathroom in the middle of it all and was totally shocked and I could tell it bothered him. I shed a few tears because I didn't want to scare him. During his prayers last night he said, "Lord, please help my mom's hair grow back really fast!" So hopefully he'll get adjusted to it and I do hope God answers Graham's prayer! :) As for Mallory Kate, she was already in the bed last night so I put a pink bandanna on this morning. When she saw me come downstairs she said, "Mommy's pink hat." She's not even 2 years old yet, so of course I can't really explain all of this to her like I can to Graham. All of this will soon be a distant memory! Showering was very different this morning- do I use shampoo or body wash on my head? I went for the shampoo this morning and boy did that feel weird! I never really knew how cold bald people must feel. Even in the shower, I got chilly from my head. I've always heard that you lose most of your body heat through your head, but now I can attest that yes, that is true! I needed to run a few errands this morning, so I put on my wig for the first time. I am definitely not used to that either. I'm not a big fan of it so far...I think I will opt for the Harley Davidson Do-rag look most days, especially around the house! I am not that brave to post a picture of my bald head yet- maybe I can soon. Please help me pray that I will not lose my eyelashes and eyebrows. I know that sounds silly to ask of you to do, but some people do keep theirs- and I hope I do! :) Here are some pics of us carving pumpkins...

Brad, Cooper, and Julie

The dreaded time has come...

2008-10-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

Yes- it's here. The day has come when my hair has started to fall out. I noticed my head "hurting", more like tenderness, yesterday. This morning, after my shower, I was drying my hair- with my fingers because it's so short- and I looked at the palms of my hands...and it was confirmed...the chemo was working. You know, I'm not sure if I mentioned this in an earlier post or not, but the reason for hair falling out during some chemos (not all chemotherapy makes people lose their hair- but mine does) is that the chemos "attack" the most rapidly dividing cells in your body. Cancer cells and hair follicle cells are the most rapidly dividing cells...meaning the loss of hair. So, yes, it really stinks to lose my hair, but on the other hand I know that the chemo drugs are doing their thing! Well...I knew this day was coming, I just didn't know when. I had to drop off some paperwork this morning at my surgeon's office and I was talking to the nurse there. She said by the end of the weekend, I probably wouldn't have any hair left. So...it's a good thing I wasn't too terribly crazy about my new short-do (although many people have said they loved it...and I'm not so sure if they were just saying that to make me feel better or if they really did like it! Haha!) You know the funny thing is, I have just gotten used to passing by a mirror and knowing that the image looking back was me and not a man! Funny how these things work out. Anyways, I'll post a closer up picture of my short hair do, although it will soon be gone!

And here are some more pictures to enjoy...our trip to the Pumpkin Patch! We had a blast and Mallory Kate especially loved the "Baby Pumpkins!" (as she called them!) :)

Like it or not...

2008-10-24T17:14:00.000-07:00

So I did it...cut off about 9 inches. I have to say, I did shed a few tears. I sat down in the chair, and my hairdresser asked if I had a style in mind. That's when I bust into tears and told her it really didn't matter what she did because I wouldn't have the "new do" but for a few days. I can't believe I cried over this, especially in front of this sweet little old lady also getting her hair done. The little lady even tried to make me feel better by showing me the "lack of hair" on top of her head. You know, your hair makes you who you are, and it is hard to come to terms of not having any. I feel like I am losing a part of me- my femininity. I have never had really short hair, and ironically, I had been growing my hair out for some time now. So, the longest part of my hair now is 3 inches on top. And it is super short- and in my opinion, very boyish looking. I hate it...matter of fact, I called Greg on the way home from getting it cut and told him I wanted him to shave it off for me. And from what the doctor told me, I will be losing it probably at the beginning of the week. Now, for the not so fun part of all of this...when people lose their hair from chemo it doesn't just gradually thin out. It comes out in clumps and patches! So, Greg will have the "honor" of shaving my head when this happens. All of this is really hard for me- the whole losing your hair thing. So I have tried to think about the positive things about not having hair: less time getting ready, not having to blow dry my hair, saving money on shampoo and conditioner (which Greg always complains about), not having anymore "bad hair days", and getting to wear funky, cute scarves that I've never worn before! See...that makes me feel better already! PS- if anyone knows where to find some funky, cute scarves, please let me know! Here is a picture (after all the tears) of my hairdresser and me...I warned you, not very cute! (And yes, she has purple in her hair!) :)

Hawthorne Inn Breast Cancer Walk...

2008-10-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

Mom, me, and Granny- 3 Generations

My very dear Granny lives at an Assisted Living here in Greenville- The Hawthorne Inn. Today The Hawthorne Inn held a Breast Cancer Walk in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. They honored 2 breast cancer survivors, one being a resident and the other is the director of the center. They also showed their support to me battling breast cancer now. Everyone was armed in pink and the breast cancer ribbons- even their dog, Pippy! We all met in front of the building at 1:30 and walked in the beautiful weather around their facility, carrying balloons. When we reached the front of the building, we released the balloons and cheered in support of all who have been and will be effected by this terrible disease! We went inside and enjoyed a cookie cake and pink punch! Thanks for the support Granny and the employees and residents of the Hawthorne Inn! :) PS...Take one last look at my long hair in the pictures...it's getting cut off in the morning!

Employees of The Hawthorne Inn

"I feel good, da-na-na-na-na-na..."

2008-10-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

Can you hear me signing..."I feel good!" Yes- back to myself again! I had such a wonderful day today. I kinda forgot how it feels to feel "normal". I have a new appreciation for what I always took for granted- feeling well. I will forever thank God in my daily prayers for feeling well each day- what a blessing that really is! I saw Dr. Go this morning and they drew some labs. He said my white blood counts were good- which is really why I went today. He wanted to make sure they didn't drop too low because my body wouldn't be able to fight off any kind of infection. I will not go back until November 3rd, round #2- yeah! I had a wonderful weekend with my friend, Kristen, from Texas! She was such a blessing to have around and she helped out so much. I miss her already! I will post some pics from our visit together later when she e-mails them to me. :)

Days 6 & 7...

2008-10-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

I woke up Saturday morning feeling so much better than the previous 2 days. But let me tell you, the energy I did have quickly faded after a trip out to lunch. My friend, Kristen, is visiting from Dallas and we have had so much fun together catching up- and her help has been tremendous! (Seriously, I can't thank her enough!) I thought we would all go downtown to eat and do some walking around, since our downtown has really grown! But...my body did not agree on that plan. We ate at Brick Street Cafe- which was great- and by the time I walked back to the car, I was exhausted. So, we came home and she went to visit some other friends and I rested a while. We then went to dinner at another friend's house and had such a great time! Until...(you know things always have a way of happening at the wrong time for me) Mallory Kate woke up crying at about 11:00pm. I went in to check on her and she had thrown up in her crib! Ugh!!! Kristen and Greg were such a help in getting her cleaned up and sheets and all changed. She was pretty puny all last night, and woke up this morning still tired. As the day has gone on, she's feeling much better and almost back to her little perky self. I have Lysoled the house down- hoping that no one else will catch this. I feel very tired today- not sleepy tired, but non-energetic tired (if that makes sense!) I hope I'll feel even better by tomorrow. I think I can almost safely say, "Ive made it through round 1!" Yeah- it honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was really thinking I would feel nauseated and sick, but thanks to the expensive meds and prayers- I didn't! I will post some pics of our visit this weekend later. Thanks again for all the prayer (and continue on...God answers them!) :)

Day 5...

2008-10-17T05:43:00.000-07:00

Today I actually made it downstairs before 8:00! I was able to help get Mallory Kate dressed- although I did forgo the "dirty diaper" and lovingly asked Greg to change it! (You know, I have the Breast Cancer card in my back pocket and can use it at will! Haha- I'm only kidding!) So how am I feeling today? Well...I do say a little better than yesterday- but I have TERRIBLE jaw pain! I called the nurse about it already, and she said to take some Alieve or Ibuprofen- which I already did. She said that some people feel joint pain in their hips or lower back, but I guess mine ended up in my jaw. As far as energy goes, I do feel a little better in that department. I had to cancel my "short-do" haircut for yesterday, and had it rescheduled for next Thursday. (Hopefully I'll still have some hair for her to cut by then!) I really need to pick up the house today- I am having a friend from Dallas fly in tonight and stay until Tuesday! I am thrilled about her coming- although my house is not all in order at this time! It's unreal what a 6 year old and almost 2 year old can do to a "semi-clean" house in under 5 minutes! If only they could pick it up that quick as well! I am going to try to do a little cleaning this morning- we'll see how far I get with that. Greg told me today that I was not to shower until he gets home for lunch- due to what happened yesterday. I truly thank you all for the meals you have done for my family, all the cards, and prayers! (I am a little behind on the thank you notes, and will catch up soon- I promise!) Love to all!

Day 4...

2008-10-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I made it downstairs today- at 11:30. I tried to take a shower this morning, but ended up almost "blacking out"- you know when you start to see stars and all fades? So, I sat in the shower until I could get back up. Boy...chemo is rough stuff! I guess this is a sign that the "poisons" are doing their job! I pretty much have laid in the bed all morning- doing nothing. Although I did talk to a fellow BC patient on the phone who gave me lots of encouragement today! (On a day that I needed it most! :) I think things will get better- hopefully soon! I do not feel nauseated- just kinda achy and very weak. All I feel like eating is a starchy baked potato! Weird, huh? I'm going to call Greg at work and ask him to bring me one for lunch- I love you, honey! Thanks for the prayers!

Day 3...

2008-10-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

Well, the Dr. said days 3-7 would be the toughest, and I believe that he is right. I had a horrible time sleeping last night- I laid awake for over 3 hours, due to the steroid I think. Last night's dose was the last of that, thank goodness! I will try to help myself tonight by taking a prescription the Dr. gave me to help with sleep. It was hard to get out of bed this morning, I tried to help get the kids ready for the day, but I don't think I was too much help- sorry Greg! I felt this pressure on my chest- which I called the nurse about- and she said it is probably heartburn from some of the chemo drugs. I took some of Greg's Zantac, and it may of helped a little, but not so much. I managed to get in the shower when Greg came home for lunch- and that did make me feel a little better, too. I have been mainly reading today- I'm not so into the TV at this point. I do have to say that I am pretty impressed with the anti-nausea drugs though. I really don't feel that queasy- although I really don't have much of an appetite either yet. I'm sure this will all pass- hopefully sooner than later! Thanks for the prayers!

Day 2 continued...

2008-10-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the doctor. I gained 4 pounds- what's that all about? Dr. Go said that it is common for you to gain anywhere from 2-7 pounds after chemo due to fluid retention. He said I didn't need a diuretic and that it would go away in a few days- great! I also got the Neulasta injection...phew...I think that hurt more than my spinal when having my children! She offered it to me in the back of my arm or in the stomach. I chose the arm today, but next time will be the stomach! She said there is less nerves in the stomach. Anyways, I also talked with Dr. Go about my Oncotype test- the results came in. My score was a "46". This takes into account treatment vs recurrence rate. Basically, the higher the score, the more benefit from chemo. So, he was on the right path- that means I will benefit more in taking the chemo and radiation and Tamoxifen. Based on this test, I have about a 37% recurrence rate of cancer within the next 5 years. Now like I said in an earlier post, I don't have to be a statistic! I will fight this and I have the Big Man upstairs in my corner! :) Anyways- I'm off to go take a nap- I'm feeling a little tired, but otherwise, pretty good. Oh, and all of the side effects I mentioned earlier this morning are completely normal- like I thought! Thanks for the continued prayers! Love to all!

Day 2...

2008-10-14T05:56:00.000-07:00

I would have slept great last night, but I kept waking up thinking about when to take which pills! I'm not much of a medicine person, and I think I want to make sure I take everything when I'm supposed to! So, when I got up this morning I went downstairs- and noticed my legs were a little shaky. I had to have something on my stomach- so I ate a delicious piece of banana bread that someone from my school had baked! (I didn't have that nasty "dirty penny" taste this morning so I actually enjoyed it!) Then I laid all the meds out on the counter, and took 1 steroid pill, 1 anti-nausea pill, 1 Claritin, and 1 IB Profrin. The last 2 pills are to help with the side effects from the Neulasta shot I'm getting this morning at 11:00. I have to take another steroid tonight too- to make sure I don't have allergic reactions. The site on my arm where I had the IV yesterday is bruised and a little swollen today. My cheeks are very pink this morning, and I also feel a little pressure on my heart. I'll talk to the nurse about these side effects this morning. (I think it's all normal though.)

On another note, I did go see Graham in his performance at PTA last night. They were adorable, although Greg and I had Mallory Kate to contend with! I guess the terrible 2's are approaching us quickly! I took a few shots, not the best ones, but he is the second boy in blue from the left.

Graham looking intently for his parents!

One down, five to go...

2008-10-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it- round 1 checked off the calendar! We arrived at 9am and left a little after 2pm. It really wasn't that bad. I decided to get a "private room" rather than to sit in the open infusion room. I had a TV and my mother-in-law's laptop w/ Internet connection! Yeah! That passed the time for sure. (I even looked on e-bay for some cute scarves or "do rags" as they call them!) The nurse did about 30 minutes of teaching me the ins and outs on the 3 chemo drugs- and all the side effects! Wow! There was a tons of possible side effects- of course, since these drugs are poisonous! My nurse, Cassie- who I adore, started me off with some heavy anti-nausea meds called Emend, followed by Benedryl (in case of an allergic reaction). She then had to push the bright red Adrimyican through the IV, and watch that it didn't leak from the vein causing serious damage. You know I had to laugh when she walked in to give me this one. Cassie had on full body armor and gloves to protect herself! It was quite a sight I must say- and to know something that dangerous is going into my body. Well, I hope it does a great job of killing those bad cancer cells! Then she gave me the Taxotere- which she watched for a little bit for allergic reactions, and the last one was the Cytoxin. During all of these meds, they kept saline going in as well. This will be the same plan for each of my chemo visits. Greg was there with me today and that helped. Right now I still feel pretty good- although I have a terrible "dirty penny" taste in my mouth- and no I've never tasted one, but that's what I imagine it would taste like! I go back in the morning for the Neulasta injection- which can be painful the days following. Thanks so much for the prayers! I wasn't the bit nervous today- I had Perfect Peace! I pray this continues through it all! And with the support of family and friends like you, I'm sure it will! Oh, and I picked up my wig today and got Greg's approval! :) Graham has a PTA performance tonight that I hope I feel well enough to go! I'm going to take a quick nap so I can be there!

Here are some pics I took when we were out in the yard playing at the end of last week. As you can see, Graham loves to climb trees! (And he scares the heck out of me doing it!) But boys will be boys! And for Mallory Kate, well...she's ALL girl! We also took Graham and his buddy to Fall for Greenville- they had a blast! Enjoy!

Grahm loves to climb!

Mallory Kate loves her babies!

Graham and Conner at Fall for Greenville

Ready, Set, CHEMO...

2008-10-10T05:54:00.000-07:00

Here we go...Chemo starts on Monday! I met with Dr. Go yesterday (which I absolutely LOVE)! If anyone ever needs an oncologist, I highly recommend him. When I told him that I am going to make one ugly bald lady, he told me I could never be ugly, even with a bald head! Boy, he knows how to win the ladies over, doesn't he? Haha!) He is incredibly knowledgeable, and puts things in terms that I can actually understand- and he seems to genuinely care for me, too! So yesterday's appointment was basically a question/ answer appointment and I had some labs drawn, too. He went over my PET scan- which was good- and I actually got to see the computer images of it. It was so cool! It was in 3D and he could manipulate my body around- just like on TV shows I've seen before. I could see all the "hot spots"- which were my brain- that means it's working properly (of course!) and around the surgery site, which was normal he said. He also said my echo was great- no problems there. Dr. Go went over the plan for the road ahead- 6 cycles of chemo, one every 3 weeks; then radiation for 37 straight days (minus weekends); and then Tamoxifen for 5+ years (a pill). The chemo medicines I am taking are known as "TAC"(forgive me for the spelling here)- Taxotere, Adriamyican, and Cytoxin. He went over the side effects- not so fun! Of course they include nausea/ vomiting, allergic reactions, low blood pressure, tingles in hands and feet, fluid retention, irritable bladder, burns to the skin (if the Adriamyican leaks from the vein- Great!). He prescribed some heavy duty anti-nausea meds called Emend- which I might add is $106 per pill! Yikes! (Thank God for insurance- I just had to pay $25 for 2 pills.) He also prescribed other nausea meds like Phenagren and some others I haven't heard of. He said I can basically get whatever I want as far as meds go- but I hate taking medicine! We'll see how my body adjusts to all of this and I might decide I need to stock my medicine cabinet up with all kinds of goodies! He also is putting me on a steroid the day before chemo and the day after to prevent allergic reactions. The day after chemo, I go back into the office to get an injection of Neulasta- this injection helps your body produce more white blood cells by expanding your bone marrow. I'm not looking forward to this b/c from what I've read and heard, this makes your bones feel extremely achy, like the flu, but worse! So what to expect? Well, on Monday I start at 9:00. The nurse will do some teaching for about 30 min then I'm off to the infusion room. (It's kinda scary, honestly. It's a huge room with lots of recliners and people are just sitting there with IV's getting their treatments. When I went, I didn't see anyone under the age of 70- no offense, but I am in the minority big time! But hopefully, I'll have a companion keep me company on my treatment days.) They told me to expect to be there anywhere from 4-6 hours! (PS- there is no wi-fi connection! Bummer, they need to get that installed b/c I need to find something to pass the time! There's only so much time I can look out of a window and admire the garden and birds.) Then on Tuesday, I'll go back for the Neulasta injection. Dr. Go said the worst feeling days would be days 3-7. Then I'll slowly feel better as each day passes. I'll go back 1 week after chemo to check my blood count. They say days 7-10, your blood count levels drop extremely low. This is where we have to be careful about germs. So, if you want to visit me, great- I'd love you to, but no offense- don't come if you're sick! Dr. Go said make hand washing a must around the house at all times. That's what is ahead of us right now. Down the road after chemo and radiation, we will discuss mastectomy and hysterectomy options, if needed based on the genetic testing- which is in November. That's about it! I am ready to get going and get this over. What's really bothering me now is the fact that loosing my hair is inevitable with the chemo I'm on! Dr. Go said it happens about 12-17 days after the first round of chemo! YIKES! This scares me and I don't have enough guts to go ahead and shave my head! I scheduled an appointment with my wonderful hairdresser to give me a short-do next Thursday. I don't want to go short, but I figured it would be easier on me emotionally to find clumps of short hair on my pillow than long clumps of hair! So, Greg, get the vacuum ready! I'm going today to order my wig and see if I can find some decent scarves. If anyone has some cute, trendy scarves, I'd love to borrow them for a while! :) (I'm not much of a hat person though.) I'm also going to check on some support groups today. I think it would be nice to talk to others having gone through the same kinds of things as me. I know I say this a lot, but I really do thank each of you for your prayers and awesome support! You all mean so much to me and my family. We love you all! :) And a little reminder- I know that God is in control and I see this every day! I feel peace about all of this and I know He will take good care of me! God is good- ALL the time, regardless if this looks bad to us. He has the PERFECT PLAN!

Good news...

2008-10-07T06:08:00.001-07:00

First of all, before I begin, let me apologize for the length of my posts! Greg says i write too much, but I had to explain to him that this is therapy for me and it's hard to get all of this into one little paragraph. (He's not much of a reader anyways, and if it's not in Sports Illustrated, he doesn't read it!) So...on to my good news...I needed this so much! Dr. Gococo's nurse called me yesterday to tell me that my PET Scan came back clear from other cancer! What an answer to prayer! They saw some activity around the surgery site, but that was expected due to the surgery- not that there is more cancer there. When the nurse called me, I was driving on the road, and I think I almost ran a red light because I was so excited and not paying attention to the road (ooops)! I'm sure that has never happened to you, right?
Anyways, Greenwood Genetics called me this morning to set up my genetics testing appointment for November 18th. I asked to be on the cancellation list to see if I could get in earlier if possible. The genetics testing is to see if I am a carrier of the BRCA1 & BRCA2 gene- the breast cancer gene. Forgive me if I already wrote this in an earlier post, but if I am a carrier, then I have a 70% chance of getting BC again and a 40% chance of getting ovarian cancer. So, knowing if I carry that gene, that will help me make decisions about having a double mastectomy and a hysterectomy. And not to mention, knowing this for Mallory Kate's future. Let's pray that I am not a carrier of those genes!
Also, I am waiting the results of another test that I haven't talked about. It's called the oncotype test. This test is run from my biopsy from surgery and will yield results of how effective chemotherapy is for my cancer. Dr. Go already said that he probably wouldn't change his course of recommended treatment based on these results, but it is still good information. You get a "score" from 1-100. They look at your tumor cells and assess the risk of recurrence you have and assign it a number. The higher the risk of recurrence, the greater the benefit from chemo. A score of 0-11 means little benefit from chemo; 12-30 means medium benefit from chemo; and above 30 means definite benefit from chemo. So, I'm really not sure if you "want" a high number or low number- I guess it is what it is! But Dr. Go said that since I had lymph node involvement, and that it's a stage III aggressive cancer, chemo followed by radiation, followed by Tamoxifen is the best plan of treatment for me. So, I meet with Dr. Go again on Thursday and we'll go from there. At this point, I still think (and hope) chemo will start on Monday, Oct. 13th. I decided I would rather get chemo treatments on a Monday, to give myself the week to recover- while the kids are at school/ daycare. Then hopefully, I'll be feeling better by the weekend and can spend time with my family!
I've had the question, "How are you really feeling?" Well, after surgery, I have to admit, I was very discouraged about the lymph node involvement, and then to find out last week it was moved to a "Stage IIIa" was a downer for me. I got on the Internet and read horrible things about survival rates with my stage. But I prayed and have been prayed for by tons of people! And I think that is why I feel so much better this week! I am not going to let BC take me down without a fight- and I will do whatever it takes for a victory! The road ahead is bumpy, and I need the prayer to roll me smoothly over it! I'm in God's hands and He has the perfect plan. (Although I'm not so sure God has pictured me bald, ...I don't think it's going to be a pretty sight! Haha)
Side note...Someone (who I don't even know) mailed me the most precious package with a handmade beanie hat and a "Faith" bag to take to all my appointments. I pulled all of my hair up in the beanie hat and turned to Greg. He laughed and said, "Don't do that yet!" So, I know I will look funny, but it is temporary...Thank God for that! Well, off to cleaning the house!

Much needed R&R...

2008-10-04T07:13:00.000-07:00

Graham LOVES the beach! (But don't we all???)

Diva, diva, diva...

Rest and relaxation...yes! The beach is the place for that indeed! The last month has been a whirlwind and there's no better place, in my opinion, than to refresh at the beach. We had planned on coming down on Thursday, but that day seemed way too rushed with 3 doctor's appointments starting at 8:45. My first appointment was to see Dr. Rippon about the fluid under my arm and breast. I thought she was going to have to drain it- yuck, but she said it looked good and that my body would absorb the excess fluid in a few days- and that was normal. Yeah...one less needle stick! I went straight to St. Francis Hospital for my echo cardiogram after seeing Dr. Rippon. That appointment was fine- as far as I know (you know they can't really tell you anything about the results). They were just looking at my heart to make sure I can handle one of the meds in my chemo treatment. Then I headed across the street to my third and last appointment of the day. This was the PET scan and lasted FOREVER! I got there at 11:15 and left after 2:00! (I had to fast for this so by the time I left, I was starving!) I went by myself because no one is allowed back with me with the radiation. They started an IV and pushed a radioactive tracer through it. Then I had to drink about 32oz of this nasty drink- basically water with a bleach taste. I sat in that room for almost 1 1/2 hours or more- in the dark with nothing to do! No TV, music, NOTHING! They say that you need to be still so that your muscles aren't active. Thank God for texting- because I chatted with a teacher friend of mine for a few minutes until she had to get back to her class! After that, I had the scan, which wasn't bad at all, that took about 30 minutes. So, like I said earlier in a post, I have learned a lot through this road I'm traveling. So how does this test work? It's pretty cool...the drink and the IV med contain a high level of sugar. The cells in your body metabolize that- cancer cells will metabolize the sugar at a much higher rate than the good cells. So after the cancer cells metabolize the sugar, the radioactive tracer is left behind and will be viewed as a hot spot on the PET scan. So, hopefully they won't see any hot spots, but we'll find out on Monday or Tuesday. Phew...what a day. Needless to say, I was exhausted and could not bear the thought of traveling with 2 kids (and my husband- which is really like a 3rd kid) to the beach in the car for 4 hours. That's why we left Friday morning instead! When I get home tomorrow, I'll post some pics from the beach. We're having a blast and the weather is PERFECT! We played on the beach all afternoon and will head out there again after lunch today. :)

Mema, Papa, and Mallory Kate walking at Broadway at the Beach.

How precious is this?

Update...

2008-10-01T15:49:00.000-07:00

Okay...so let me think where I need to continue from the last post. Oh, yes...the drain is out! Yeah! I went to the surgeon on Tuesday to get that uncomfortable, nasty thing out. Dr. Rippon went over what all was found during surgery- most of which I already knew from her report to Greg. When I first saw Dr. Rippon after my mammogram and ultrasound, she staged me as Stage I based on the tumor size (figured from the ultrasound). Unfortunately, after the path report from surgery, I am now a Stage IIIa. (I was very disappointed to hear that, but I have to keep in mind that being a Stage III will just mean more aggressive treatment- which is what I want to be cancer-free!) My tumor actually measured 2.1 cm and I had 5 of the 9 lymph nodes test positive for cancer. Something new I learned yesterday, since she had to do the lymph node dissection and remove 9 of my nodes, they will not be growing back. Big deal, huh? Not really...Little did I know that for the rest of my life, I can not get shots, blood drawn, IV's, or other needle sticks, blood pressure taken, or for that matter- anything that would cause fluid retention. Since the nodes are gone, my body can't correctly take the fluid out of those areas on or around my arm. (Even to fly, I must wear a compression sleeve!) So those of you that know me well know that if there's a chance something can happen, it will happen to me. That's just my luck! With that being said, I was told yesterday to watch out for extra fluid pooling up around my incision sites and around my arm. If you have a weak stomach, you may want to skip this next little tid-bit and check out the pics below. Read on if you dare...(haha) I was walking up the stairs last night and I heard a sound like a bunch of water on an empty stomach- the sound of fluid sloshing around. But, it was not coming from my stomach; it was coming from under my arm and around my breast- yuck! So, I tried to call the doctor, but there was no answering service for some reason! (My luck!) So first thing this morning, I called the nurse and she saw me- Yes, I have some fluid retention in that area. She said there is no infection- thank God- and she said my body would eventually absorb it. But, since she knew it was bothersome to me, I am going in the morning to see Dr. Rippon, again, and she will needle aspirate the area...gross! And after that, I will go for the eckocardiogram and right after that, I get the PET scan. I will not know results from the PET until Monday or Tuesday- this will show if there are other "hot spots" in my body. Let's keep those prayers going for no other areas to show up! But I have great news...after those 3 appointments tomorrow, my family is going to the beach for a much-needed long weekend! Yeah! And for laughs, check out the pics from the wig trip. If there's any fun in loosing your hair, it has to be the trip to the wig store! The lady was very helpful and we made light of the situation. :)

Tamara, Tracy, me, and Liz

A striking blonde?

Liz had to have some fun, too!

Race for the Cure...

2008-09-27T14:01:00.001-07:00

What an experience! This morning we went to Race for the Cure at the ICAR campus here in Greenville. There were so many people in support of breast cancer! There was a sea of pink shirts (all BC survivors) which was such an inspiration for me. I felt really good- I still have the drain in, but that didn't stop me! We did the 5K untimed race- which we walked. (I might add we really walked more than that because we had to walk about 1 mile to get to the race and another back to the car!) I appreciated all of my friends and family that came out in support of me and also another BC suvivor at my school, Karen Aiken. We had a wonderful time...check out our pics! PS- Thank God for no rain this morning! The weather was perfect! :)

Mallory Kate...an artist in the future?

At snack time today, I had to run to get the camera! Mallory Kate is now at the age that she wants to be independent and long gone are the days of me feeding her. While I was chatting on the phone, she decided the yogurt was a great medium to finger paint with. I watched her squeezing it between her fingers and making a masterpiece on her tray! She had a blast and then said, "Mommy, mess?" I just shook my head...

1st Oncologist Appointment...

2008-09-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

Today Greg and I went to see Dr. Gococo, the chemo oncologist. I have great faith in him- he is so knowledgeable and puts things in "simple" terms to understand. (Although he asked me if I was a nurse because all of my great questions using "their" lingo...haha!) He had my path report from surgery and he didn't like delivering the news. My good friend Julie works at the Cancer Center and told Dr. Go to treat me well because I was a good friend of hers. Dr. Go told Julie that he was afraid he didn't have the best news to share with me. I'm not much of a mathematician, but the statistics were kinda overwhelming! Let me back up a minute...I knew from surgery that there was cancer in one if not more lymph nodes. So today, Dr. Go told me there was 5 cancerous nodes out of 9. That was disturbing to him, as well as us, with me being only 31 years old. So back to the stat sheet he had...basically, he plugged in all my info and the program spits out numbers for recurrence rates based on different treatment methods. I guess I was expecting lower numbers, but based on those stats, with chemo and hormone therapy (which I am a candidate for) I have a 40% recurrence rate. Wow- I thought that was awfully high still, but, as my friend Shella said, we have to look at the 60% that don't have recurrence. And in reality, those are only numbers and God has the final count dealing with recurrence! So, once again, I need to turn it all over to Him to place in His massive hands. We also discussed the fact that my cancer is hormone receptive. They have a drug out called Tamoxifen, which aides as a hormone blocker. But the problem is, I am premenopausal and my ovaries are producing estrogen, which is fueling the cancer cells to grow and split. Dr. Gococo talked about "putting me in menopause" with an injection. Now, boy...I hope Greg is ready for this one because I remember my mother going through menopause...watch out! I'm not exactly sure when that would take place, but it was discussed. As far as a timeline goes- which all of you that know me know how much I like to have a plan of action- I am having a PET scan next Thursday along with an eckocardiogram. The PET scan is from skull to mid-thigh and is another radioactive test that looks for other "hot-spots" of cancer. Dr. Gococo hopes to see none. The eckocardiogram is being done to make sure my heart is in good condition because 1-2% of cancer patients have a heart reaction due to the chemo. I then have an appointment to see Dr. Go again on October 9th and start chemo either the 10th or the next week. He plans to be very aggressive and do 6 cycles every 21 days. Meantime, I also will meet with Dr. Wilcox- the radiation oncologist- on October 7th. We also are going for genetic testing to see if I carry the BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 gene. (I really don't know too much about that yet.) Is your head spinning yet, because mine is! I have a lot of decisions to make in the near future and need guidance from God with them. Please continue the prayers- and people have asked if they can put me on their prayer requests at church and the answer is ABSOLUTELY! The more people praying, the better! :)

Feeling better...

2008-09-25T05:20:00.000-07:00

Well...the surgery is over and done with- hip, hip, hooray! And I feel so much better this morning. Yesterday after we came home, I was feeling quite nauseated and had an enormous headache from the anesthesia. I slept pretty good last night, which was great! So about yesterday...Greg and I went to the hospital at 6 am and moved pretty quickly through all the paperwork, preregistration, etc. (You would think they could mail you this stuff prior so you could fill it out and bring it in with you, but they didn't ask me for my opinion!) Anyways, I was taken back for surgery a little before 8 am. I remember scooting over to the OR table, and that's it. Then I remember waking up in recovery- which is a terrible feeling. The first question out of my mouth, which I thought I was asking clearly, was if the doctor found any cancer in my lymph nodes. The nurse had to ask me 2 or 3 times what I was saying- I guess I was slurring my words or either she was hard of hearing! Haha! But the nurse couldn't answer me because she didn't have a report. So, she brought Greg back and Dr. Rippon had already talked to him. Yes, she did find cancer in my nodes- which is a bummer. I was praying for a clean report there, but we'll get through this. She also told Greg that after she took out the cancerous mass, they tested part of the marginal area that was around it. She did have to go back in to get some more tissue because there was still traces of cancer. Hopefully she got it all- I trust she did. Dr. Rippon is a fabulous surgeon and I wish I had half as much energy as she had! Since she found that some of my nodes were cancerous, that means I will go the chemo/ radiation treatment route. Another bummer...but we will get through this with help and support from all of you and the Man upstairs! Dr. Rippon had to put a drain in from where she had to go farther up for the lymph nodes. I will be getting that out on Tuesday at my post-op appointment. The next step, as far as appointments go, is to see Dr. Wilcox (the radiation doctor) on October 7th and then I'll see Dr. Gococo (the chemo doctor) on October 10th. Phew....I'm ready to get going and get all of this behind me. It's a little inconvenience, but in the big picture we'll look back and say, "Do you remember having to go through this?" It will pass!

Race for the Cure...
This Saturday, a bunch of teachers at my school and friends and family will be running/ walking in Race for the Cure. I hope to attend as well- I think I'll be ready for it. We have a team name- "Mustangs R.O.C." (Mustangs being our school mascot and R.O.C.- Racing over cancer) I am looking forward to this event- I'm sure it will be a moving experience! And then the next weekend, my family is going to the beach with Greg's parents. This is a family tradition to go to the beach every October for a long weekend. I think I need this vacation more than ever- just to get away from the hustle and bustle here. I again can't thank you enough for the support you all have given me and my family! You all are the best and we love you!

Nuclear Mapping Test...

2008-09-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

Today's appointment was the radioactive nuclear lymph node mapping. This test doesn't yield "results" of any type- it's basically a "road map" for tomorrow's surgery. They injected dye (which burned like crazy) and took pictures every 2-3 minutes- for over an hour. What happens here, is that the dye is absorbed by the lymph nodes and the surgeon will pull the sentinel node and a few more around it during surgery. From what I understand, and I may be totally wrong in explaining this, the sentinel node is the first lymph node which would have cancerous cells, if they have any at all. The cancer spreads upward- going from the sentinel node and then up the chain. The surgeon will use a "mini geiger counter" during the surgery to find that first node, take it and a few more around it out, and then test it right then to see if the cancer has spread to the nodes. If it has, she will take more out until she gets a clean margin of nodes. Whew...I hope this makes sense- because it really doesn't even make too much sense to me! Haha! Tomorrow morning is surgery- yeah- I'm ready to get this nasty cancer out! Greg and I have to be at the hospital at 6am for an 8am surgery time. The kids are taken care of and are in great hands- as well as myself- because I am sitting in God's hands now. The surgery itself takes around 2 &1/2 hours and then I'll be in recovery. And if all goes well, I go home! Keep the prayers going- God is in control here! :)

MRI...Great news!

2008-09-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Anderson Radiology (the only place in the Upstate that has MRI's for the breast) and after the MRI , Dr. Sears came in with great news..she saw no other areas that looked suspicious for cancer! Yeah!!! What a blessing! So, tomorrow is a long appointment at the hospital. I am having the radioactive lymph node mapping done- where they will inject the breast with radioactive dye and take lots of pictures- for 1 1/2 hours! That will be my longest photo shoot yet! Haha! Keep the prayers going...God answers them! :)

This month has been crazy...

2008-09-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't posted in a while, mainly because I feel as if I have been trying to keep my head above the water the past 3-4 weeks. Let me begin by saying that God is good- and I truly believe that! On August 28th, I found a lump in my breast, by total "accident" (but this was really God's doing). I really didn't think too much of it- I have had lots of friends and even my mother that had to get lumps checked out. Well, I called my gynecologist to check it out. I saw Dr. Keller- which I have really grown to love. She sent me for a mammogram and ultrasound on September 4th. Greg offered to go with me, but I told him it was no big deal and everything would be fine. I had the mammogram and ultrasound done and the radiologist came in to discuss the films. I could tell right away that something wasn't right. He told me that the films didn't look good and that this was possibly cancer. This totally caught me off guard- did I hear him correctly? I don't even remember hearing much more of his conversation- other than the dreaded "C" word. I immediately went to Greg's office and broke down. (Thank goodness I had the day off to think about things.) I had a biopsy done the following Monday, September 8th and got the news on Wednesday, September 10th that I had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Things have moved very quickly- I saw the surgeon Dr. Mary Rippon on that Friday, September 12th. I was in her office for 3 hours. She is absolutely WONDERFUL and her nurse Jo is just as precious as can be! I feel very confident in them both! That day, I left with a zillion appointments- an MRI (which is tomorrow), I have radioactive lymph node mapping on Tuesday, and the surgery on Wednesday. As of right now, they are planning to do just a lumpectomy, but we'll see what the MRI shows tomorrow. After surgery (and some results) we'll know the exact path to take for treatment- either chemo then radiation, or go straight to radiation. I am in good spirits- and Greg has been helpful with that. Quick story...we were at Crossway buying Graham a new Bible yesterday and they have the family stick figures to put on your car windshield. I have been wanting those, so Greg was checking them out while I was paying for Graham's bible. I asked Greg if he saw one that could be "me", and his reply was, "They don't have a bald mom here!" I laughed, as I can do now! :) If I didn't have his humor, I could get down very easily I'm sure! I have the best support group I could ever wish to have! I have the BEST friends and family that are praying and cheering us on! We will beat this terrible disease- it is going down!!!! As Greg has said, "We have our boxing gloves on and we're ready to fight!" I will try to post our progress as often as I can. Thanks so much for all of the encouragement, prayers, cards, e-mails, phone calls, etc. You all mean so much to us and I thank you for that!

Grilling, fishing, and naked buns...

2008-09-01T16:35:00.001-07:00

Our family celebrated Labor Day with the Howard and Nix family at Silvia and John's house. We grilled out, fished in their backyard pond, and had fun with a slip-n-slide and baby pool! Needless to say, the kids are exhausted and we all had a fabulous time! (Mallory Kate insisted on swimming in the "buff"!) Take a look...I just can't get enough of her cute little buns!!!!!

First Haircut for Mallory Kate!

2008-08-26T15:11:00.001-07:00

Today we had Mallory Kate's first haircut. We went to Jelly Beans and had her penny haircut! Mallory Kate was well behaved...she was just a little curious as to what was going on! The lady cut almost 2 inches off...and I was holding my breath the whole time, wondering what was going to happen to her curls! AND THE CURLS STAYED...YEAH! They bounced right back up! Enjoy the pics and check out Mallory Kate's facial expressions! :)

Before...

Getting ready...

"I'm not so sure about this!"

After...(with a little chocolate milk stain!)

First Day of 1st Grade...

2008-08-26T15:03:00.001-07:00

Graham started first grade last week. Mrs. Saunders, a good friend of mine, is his teacher this year. But let me tell you what Graham had to say when his daddy asked how his first day of school went. When Greg asked if he stayed on green card, Graham replies..."Well, I had to flip to yellow today because my teacher wrestled me up against the lamp, but it wasn't my fault." Of course, we both fell in the floor rolling with laughter! Graham then busts out with laughter, too and said "I was just kidding!" (I see Greg's sense of humor coming out more and more in Graham!) We are really looking forward to a great first grade year!

Supper Club Lake Trip

2008-08-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

Our Supper Club went to the Poe's Lake House (on Keowee) this weekend...no kids allowed this time! What fun! We went out on the boats, tubed, skied, relaxed on floats, and a few of the men, including Greg, jumped from the rock! We had a great dinner Saturday night- Low Country Boil..mmmmm...good! I can't wait to do this again next year! :)

Last minute summer flings...

2008-08-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

Lake Trip

We went last Sunday to the lake for the day with the Columbias'- Shella, Scott, Meredith, and Will. We rode on the boat and even grilled hamburgers the old-fashion way over an open fire in foil (b/c someone forgot the propane)! But actually, those were the best burgers I've had in a long time! We went tubing on this monsterous tube- which I might add Shella and I almost went overboard! The boys especially liked tubing.

Braves Game

This past weekend, we went to Atlanta to see a Braves Game. Our family (minus Mallory Kate- she stayed with my sister-in-law) went with Daryl and the girls on Friday night. It was blazing hot until the sun went down- but we had a fantastic time! Can I just say ball parks have the best junk food ever? I love it!! Well, the Braves didn't do so hot against the Brewers, but we enjoyed the major league atmosphere!

Melissa's Wedding

2008-07-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Melissa and Spencer got married at Holly Tree Country Club. The wedding was beautiful- and everything was perfect! Melissa looked gorgeous and her dress was so pretty. We had a blast at the reception...I haven't danced that much in years! :)

Me and Shella

MRE Family...Chappell, Shella, Kelly, and me

Yes, that's a hole in Greg's pants from a "Grand Entrance" on the dance floor!

Trip to Alabama

2008-07-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

Cool in the pool...Graham and Zoe!

Last weekend I took the kids to Alabama to visit Aunt Mari and Uncle Ralph. We left Thursday morning and stopped in Atlanta to have lunch with Daryl. We ate at a good restaurant in downtown Atlanta called The Spaghetti Factory. The stop was nice to visit with Daryl and to stretch our legs! Then we headed on to Alabama- the kids were great in the car! We had a great weekend with Aunt Mari, Uncle Ralph, and of course...Zoe the dog! The kids swam in the pool- along with Zoe I might add! Mari is a fantastic cook so we ate super good- hats off to you Auntie! We can't wait for them to come our way in December! Check out our pics of our trip...

4th of July

2008-07-07T15:19:00.001-07:00

Our family enjoyed the 4th of July with the Teagues. The kids played in a blow up pool in their backyard and threw water balloons at one another. Then Mark dumped the container filled with water on Riley, but the overflow soaked Mallory Kate...whoops! She survived, and actually it probably cooled her off some! How could we have a holiday and no accidents or sickness? Well, we didn't get quite that lucky...Mallory Kate took a tumble down 5 wooden deck stairs! She had a few bruises, but she can't keep that porcelain doll face for more than one day! Graham had a great time and stayed up late to watch the fireworks and ended up spending the night. We enjoyed celebrating the 4th with family! Enjoy the pics!

Fun with Cousins...

2008-07-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

Our cousins, Claire and Riley, came over to play with us today. We played inside, outside, and even watched some of the movie because of Winn Dixie- which by the way, is a precious movie if you haven't seen it. One of the highlights of this playdate was conversation I overheard between Claire and Graham. It started off like this- Claire is telling (or reminding) Graham that she is going to marry him when she grows up. Graham responds with, "Claire, I want to marry Hannah first, then you, and then my sister." Then he scratches his head and says, "But the rules are you can't marry someone you are related to, right mom?" So I had to explain that technically, Graham and Claire are not blood related cousins- and so in reality, yes, the two of them could get married- but he and Mallory Kate could not. Then, I see both 6 year old minds churning. Then Graham asked, "Well Mom, then why are me and Claire cousins if we aren't really related?" So then I had to proceed into the conversation of real versus step family, etc. Boy, that was a rough one to tackle! We'll see their thoughts on this in 20 or so years! Haha! Anyways, here are a few snapshots of the kids playing outside!

Claire pushing Mallory Kate

Riley and Mallory Kate

Graham chillin' out!

This girl LOVES cheese!

"Little Momma"

2008-06-28T04:57:00.000-07:00

Mallory Kate's daycare teacher, Miss Dee, has given her a nickname of "Momma". Being home these last few weeks, I can now see how she has gotten this nickname! Maybe it's innate for little girls to be so loving and nurturing, I don't know. But I'll tell you one thing, Mallory Kate is one little momma! She has been carrying around her baby dolls, patting their backs, putting them to sleep, rocking the babies, feeding the babies...it is so darn cute! So last night we went to Target to get a few things. I was in the toy aisle and she immediately spotted the baby dolls...uh-oh! She was so excited! Her face lit up and her feet started going 90 miles per minute and all you could hear is, "baby, baby, baby!" I have been wanting to get her a stroller or high chair for her babies, so I found a baby doll that came with a little stroller...just her size. Of course, Mallory Kate doesn't understand the concept of paying for things before you open them and I almost ignored that rule myself, just to avoid the battle. So, she attempted to carry this huge box around the store by herself, and of course all shoppers stopped to ooh and awe at her. She thought she was a big girl! So, we get home and this is all she has been doing...went to bed strolling the baby, woke up this morning strolling the baby...enjoy the pics!

Well Checks...

2008-06-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

This week we had Graham's 6 year check-up and Mallory Kate's 18 months check up. On Monday, I took Graham to his appointment. I told him from the get-go that he would not be getting shots at his 6 year visit. Well, I lied, as Graham told me. Dr. Washburn informed me that since there has been quite a few breakouts of the chicken pox, there is a new booster. Graham freaked out, ran out of the room, and I had to go chase him! I have never ever seen this kind of reaction from him. He went crazy...held on the the frame of the door, went limp as a noodle when I picked him up, and was screaming so loud...I couldn't help but laugh. The nurse and I finally got hold of him, she gave him his shot, and Graham said, "That didn't even hurt!" All of that drama over nothing. But, the doctor was very pleased with Graham...he weighed 44 pounds (40%-ile) and was 45 inches tall (50%-ile). All was great, besides me lying to him about his shot! Ooops! (And I did feel terrible about it, too!) But Monday, Graham started running a fever on and off. He still played and ate normal, but by Wednesday afternoon I was beginning to get unnerved by this fever. I took a flashlight and looked in his throat, and sure enough I saw little white dots...aka- strep throat! So, went back to the doctor to confirm, and got a prescription for an antibiotic! Whew! Now for Mallory Kate's 18 month check-up. I took her this morning at 8:30. Dr. Washburn was also very pleased with her! She weighed almost 22 pounds (25%-ile) and was 30 in long (25%-ile). Her height to weight body mass ration was at the 50%-ile- so she is a little perfect princess! Dr. Washburn said her vocabulary is above normal for her age. (I think an older brother contributed to that one...or maybe it's just a girl thing. Haha!) Anyways, the little diva had to get 3 shots- :( and her mommy had tears running down her face! I hate it more than my kids do! Mallory Kate was very funny at the doctor's office...she kept telling the doctor "no" as he was looking in her ears. And after she gained composure after her shots she said, "Mommy... keys". So I gave her the keys and she said "Go! Go!" Could you blame her? So I think we have to get shots again at her 2 year visit- let's see what she'll say then! I took this picture this morning, and let me tell you, it's almost impossible to get a good shot of the moving targets!

Nothing like brotherly & sisterly love!

We survived...

2008-06-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

Well...our time is ending here at the beach. We have had such a wonderful time! We survived "Supper Club Beach Trip '08"! Most nights we cooked in the house, each couple took turns making dinner and the meals were great! We went out to eat one night at a place called Horry Restaurant, which was pretty good. Mallory Kate and Graham have enjoyed being on the beach each day. It took MK a while to adjust to the sand and water. The first day she hated her feet to be dirty with sand! (She had to get over that real quick!) The next day, she finally took of her Crocs and went for the water. She ended up loving it! Graham has really enjoyed playing with his buddy, Drew this week. They have been swimming each day and have played so much on the beach. Graham has gotten really good at riding the boggie board in the waves. Well, 19 people... 1 house...we made it! (I guess I can return my prescription of Prozac- I didn't even need it! Haha!) Here are some pics to enjoy...

Mallory Kate enjoying an ice cream cone!

Graham digging in the sand.

Strolling at Broadway at the Beach

Look at his "Little Princess!"

Is there anything more precious than this?

vacation, here we come!

2008-06-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

Yeah...I am packing as we speak! We will be heading down to North Myrtle Beach with our Supper Club group in the morning. There will be 10 adults and 9 children, am I insane or what? I am sure it will be pure chaos, but that is okay, because that is what I am expecting! I will post some pics from the beach when we get back! :)

such a fun age...

2008-06-12T03:59:00.000-07:00

Mallory Kate will be 18 months later in the week, and let me tell you...I adore this age! She is so much fun- she now understands most things I say and can go get a diaper if I ask her to! She is quite the drama queen, though. (Much different from her older brother at this age!) She loves to get her toenails painted, bows in her hair, and has an incredible shoe fetish! I'm not kidding! The girl loves shoes. I took a quick snapshot and a video clip this morning so you can see the little princess in action! :)

First Lost Tooth...

2008-06-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

YES! Graham has finally lost his first tooth! We have been waiting on this wiggly-little-thing to finally fall out! (Actually, Mommy pulled it out with one quick tug!) Now we have to see what the tooth fairy will bring...by the way, anyone know the going rate?

Summer, here we come...

2008-06-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

This is the first full week out of school (do you feel the excitement)? We were all ready for that day to finally come. I am really looking forward to spending the summer with my 2 beautiful children, Graham- 6, and Mallory Kate- almost 18 months. We kicked off the summer by having Graham's 6th birthday party at the pool. We had a blast and the weather couldn't have been better for a cool pool party! Graham got lots of cool things for his birthday, like a Nintendo DS Lite from us. We chilled out over the weekend and tried to beat the heat! Yesterday, Monday, was the first real day of the summer break. We had a busy day, which I like! We went to the library in the morning and signed up for the summer reading program. And let me tell you...Graham was everything but excited about that! However, he was excited to finally get his own library card. Then we met Jennifer and the girls at Chick-fil-a for some lunch. They came back to our house and played while Mallory Kate took her nap. After she woke up, I took the kids to the pool...by myself, and it wasn't bad at all! Graham is such a good swimmer now, so I just have to convince Mallory Kate to stay in the water! Hopefully she'll get used to it more and more as we go. We came home after an hour and a half and they were ready for dinner! Busy day...yes...but I loved every minute of it!