Mom to the rescue!

Isn't family wonderful?

I have a particularly close family. There are ten kids (I'm third) and two awesome parents. I talk to each of my three sisters at least weekly. I communicate with my brothers (IM, email, phone calls) about that often. I talk to my parents multiple times each week.

When things got pretty tough yesterday the family machine went into overdrive. The result? My brothers took the suggestion of my sisters and contacted my parents and made it possible for my mom to come to our rescue. She arrives this Sunday. She will be here to spend time with Eden while Phil and I spend a few days doing medical stuff. She will be here when we receive the news of the MRI (scheduled for Tuesday, results on Thursday) which may show what is causing the headaches (we so hope it doesn't and that the headaches are the result of blood sugar fluctuations or something). She will be here to fill our home with that special, unique brand of calm, order, and love that she has.

We are so very grateful for those who made this happen.

Yup, family IS wonderful!

Another Update

Phil and I just got home from the ER. Phil has been having sporadic migraine-type headaches with nausea over the past month. He had one yesterday and then another one hit this afternoon. He had been feeling pretty well this morning and then BOOM, it hit. This was the worst yet and so we headed to the ER. We are so grateful for so many good friends. Our friends who expected to be eating turkey with us tomorrow were just as kind as could be when we canceled on them.  I called one of my laurels (actually she just got her medallion and "graduated" into RS a week ago) and although she was at work she made arrangements for her twelve year old sister to come sit with Eden until she could get here. Their parents showed up too (he is the YM president) and were so loving and supportive. Of course Corrie and Brian were also willing to do anything.

Eden is usually so very willing to be abandoned by me and is such a social little girl. Tonight, however, she was very upset when I told her I was taking daddy to the hospital. She said, "no, I go to the hospital too!" I tried to explain to her that little girls couldn't go to the hospital unless they were hurt (I couldn't say sick because she does have a cold, you know). I went in the other room to answer my phone and then I heard her screaming. She had mashed her little hand in the closet door. She said, "now I'm hurt." She thought she could go with now. It broke my heart!!!

Fortunately, when the family came to help she was very excited to show them the towers she's been building all day. She had a fun evening and went to bed peacefully (that is the report). When I got home, the mess in the kitchen (I had been working on T'giving preparations) was all cleaned up. What awesome friends!

Now, Eden is resting and Phil is so drugged up he is quite entertaining. Just a moment ago he said, "I promise to be a good eater next year." Well then, a promise is a promise and I'm holding him to it!

With that funny note,  I'm going to go get some sleep.

Results

Will it surprise you to read that the CT scan showed things as "stable, with slight growth?" That seems to be the deal whether on chemo, doing nothing, or on this trial. Not really disappointed though. Definitely grateful it hasn't gone crazy and taken over. Wasn't really expecting it be gone.

He is going to have a PET scan in the next week. Dr. Infante (whom we LOVE btw) thinks that we'll learn a bit more from the PET (won't go into details because although I think it is fascinating, you, probably not so much). Until those results (probably next Thursday), Phil will be off meds.

In the meantime, we are going to have a fabulous Thanksgiving, with much for which to be grateful.

Cancer-daddy

The other night, Phil was at the church when it was time for Eden to get ready for bed. She looked up at me and asked, "where's my cancer-daddy?" It was adorable with a twinge of sad (because really, what two year old should have "cancer" in her vocabulary?)

Friday was Phil's CT scan. We will get the results in Nashville tomorrow. I don't really have a feeling about this one. As Phil and I were discussing last night, we really have three options: 1) it has grown/spread; 2) it has stayed the same; 3) it is reducing. We've dealt with the first two options already and would be thrilled at the last one. My prayers have been that whatever the results, we will know how to deal with it and how to proceed. I'll post more after tomorrow.

Here is a problem, both Eden and I have some kind of cold. We stayed home from church yesterday because her face was dripping snot (eyes, nose, mouth). No fever, just lots and lots of snot. Today it seems to be my turn (not that her turn is over, mind you). I'm sure I'll be wearing a mask at the clinic tomorrow. I'm just hoping I feel well enough to go and that Eden is well enough to be left.

In the meantime, we are excitedly getting ready for Thanksgiving. I love all the cooking and baking that goes with sharing a meal with friends. I actually find it exciting to figure out the menu and then work out the schedule so that everything gets done at the same time. I'm a weirdo, I know.

This weirdo is going to try to take a nap and see if she feels better upon waking.

*just to ease your discomfort, I haven't actually started cooking yet and if the drippies from my face don't improve by Wednesday (when the cooking is to commence), well then we may be ordering pizza.

Just So's You Know...

It is

Thanksgiving Time

over at

Simply Better at Home

Check it out for helpful hints, instructions, links, and recipes or just to read how we will be celebrating this year.

Have computer, will blog

Phil bought this yesterday. He got a great deal on it - yeah, Craigslist!

I'm connected to the world again! Yippee!

More later...

Crackin' me up!

Last night Eden was wearing blue jammies with cupcakes on them (I suppose the cupcakes might look like ice cream cones). This was her prayer:

"... please help to get to sleep [for which we are all grateful] and thank you that I could be a ... um ... a ... blue ... um ... a ice cream girl."

***

Today at the park I informed Eden that it would be time to go in about ten minutes. She was having a blast climbing up the ladder, spinning the play steering wheel, and then sliding down the tube-slide. She got to the bottom of the slide and looked up at me imploringly and said,

"one more time? 'cause my body has one more time in it."

We repeated this ten times (since her cycle only took about one minute). It just cracked me up that "her body" was telling her "more, more!"

Earlier, she was on a different play structure (the one for the 8-10 year olds) and climbing up the twisty, funny ladder. She exclaimed,

"I love ladders! Heavenly Father made them for us!"

***

In related news, she "pumped" her legs on the big-girl swing today. It wasn't very effective, but she had the timing down pretty well.

Might I just add that while I really hate the weather around here in the summer, it is pretty remarkable that we were playing at the park in mid-November! It was 76 degrees with blue skies today. I need to remember this in July. As I was pushing her on the swing I thought, this is crazy. In just two short months our "winter" will have come and gone and we will have daffodils. I'm so glad we get to spend some time in Utah next month though. I seriously miss the snow (but I'll admit that I am glad I don't have it four months out of the year).

***

In unrelated news, Phil's CT scan is a week from today. We are anxious to see the results of this new treatment. I'm on the roller coaster and I can tell we are headed for something, I just don't know if it is another high or another low. Hang on!