Saturday, February 28, 2009

A Big Thank You

Thank you all so much for all of the prayers and encouraging words!! It is a good thing my mascara tube malfunctioned the other day, because just reading all of the things you wonderful people are saying makes the tears flow freely! I have such wonderful friends and family.

Last night, Bonnie and Caleb and Little Miss Diamond came over and brought with them the most wonderful dinner. Bonnie had worked hard (don't deny it, Bonnie, you know you did!) to make a super-yummy cream of broccoli/celery soup, a tasty dish with herbed rice, cabbage and vegan hot dogs that was a hit with all of the kids, a mixture of fruit that was just divine -- I think there were raspberries, strawberries, pineapple, and blueberries in there -- the fruit juice was Sammy's favorite!

She also used their new juicer to make three different kinds of juice blends. I liked the carrot/apple the best, but the carrot/beet/(???) was my favorite. There was also a mixture of spinach/celery/cabbage/cucumber/carrot/something else that had a very fresh, clean taste.

Thanks for the delicious meal, Bonnie and Caleb!!

Today, Bonnie was going to take me out to get a pedicure, but it is snowing buckets here! I don't think snow and a pedicure really go well together, so maybe she'll just come hang out for a while. It would be cheaper... and I have some episodes of the Food Network recorded. I love Everyday Italian with Giada de Laurentiis, and Home Cooking with Paula Deen. Sometimes I can even handle Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee. She makes decorating for a party seem so easy! And everything is color-coordinated... wow.

The boys and Mike are being wonderful. Any time Griffin or Sammy see me crying, they come up and give me hugs and little boy kisses and wrap their arms around my neck and tell me, "I love you, Mama," and make my world all better for that moment.

Mike is doing laundry and dishes galore, and has made dinner for himself and the boys many nights. I am usually tired by 7:30 or 8 and just want to sit in my designated spot on the couch with my blankets and a box of Kleenex. It is so hard to wait, and not know what is going on.

On a lighter note, Sammy and I had a conversation last night right before B, C and D came over.

I wanted to know if he had any grand plans for his life when he got older, so I asked him the age-old question,

"Sammy what do you want to be when you grow up?"

Now, apparently, Sammy has given this a lot of thought, because he had an immediate response for me.

He didn't have to think about it, or weight the possibilities.

He is a man of decision!

His response?

"Taller."

Thursday, February 26, 2009

A Setback

I like to post happy, fun things on my blog, but lately I have been going through somethings that are anything but happy and fun!

Last month, in January, I suffered through a tubal pregnancy and surgery to remove one of my fallopian tubes. It was a long process that involved 3 ER visits and multiple doctor's visits, all of which were anything but pleasant. But that experience is behind me, and I was looking forward to what God had in store for me next.

Until, that is, I found out that what He has for me next will take a lot more out of me than the previous experience did.

I found a lump in my neck a few days ago, and after a lot of tests, scans, etc. the doctors believe it is lymphoma. I have several other enlarged lymph nodes as well in my chest and neck area, which may explain the pain I have been in lately. I thought I needed a new purse, because it was too heavy for me! Turns out I can keep my purse. But I may want a new neck before too long.

We visited with the surgeon today, and he will be doing a biopsy of "the big lump" -- the one that I can feel from outside -- and also a bone marrow biopsy on Tuesday, March 3rd. Happy Birthday, Babe! It's an outpatient procedure, but they will put me to sleep, and I don't have a good history with anesthesia. So we'll see. I hope I can walk away from it after a few hours with some good pain meds and a smile on my face, but I have a feeling Mike is in for a loooooong birthday.

That's all I know right now! I have started a CarePage, which you can find the link to on the side of my blog. I will update it every time I find out something new, or any time something happens related to this journey I am going through. Thank you all, my friends and family, for your love and support as we go through this trying, emotional journey!