Post-It Attack

Keri was able to make it out to church today for a little over an hour. Then while watching the U.S. vs Canada Olympic hockey game (silver is pretty too!), we had a ring at the door...

The young women of our church had decorated our front door with loving thoughts, gave us a poster signed by them, and a frozen dinner for a tough future evening! Thank you! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has blessed us throughout this medical trial. We have also received a lot of love from family and friends and truly appreciate the help and emotional support. We have felt your and our prayers answered in so many ways.

Gold Star!

Our home teachers rock! And their wives rock too!--even though J. is stalking us through our blog. :-)

Black Frosting

is disgusting!I am slowly improving. Instead of collapsing after 1 hour in the mornings, I can go two. Still fighting nausea. I have to get where I can take care of the kids again because my mom is getting cabin fever. She has been so great.

Rhys is babbling like crazy. He also mimics sticking your tongue in and out and kisses.

Sophie has the weirdest phobia. She freaks out every time the ice cream truck comes down our street. I mean running to mom, terrified! I hate that ice cream truck. Anyway, Grandma had her run out there and get an ice cream so maybe she won't cry when she hears him coming. Now she will cry because Mom is not buying her an ice cream.

Good News

We had a snow day where all chemo treatments were cancelled last week so we were going to have to extend my high dose treatment one extra day to make up for it. Well, today, my doctor strolls in and says "Let's make Friday your last day." Yippee! I still have to come in Monday to show them that I can give myself the shot. I saw the needle and it's tiny. Not fun but looks totally doable.

Know what else is great? Watching Neal run around the house with Sophie and then spinning her until she's dizzy and then rolling all over the playroom floor together. Remember when spinning until you were dizzy was fun? I take anti-nausea drugs to avoid that feeling.

After the Storm

As many of you well know, it's not the storm that's the dangerous part but what comes out after the storm has passed. It's not very often that one is able to see an AT-AT and live to tell about it.

Bad day to be a Rebel Soldier

We now return you to our normally scheduled programming.

Snowtastic!

It has been snowing all day and it is 8 pm and it still hasn't stopped! Neal says all he wanted to do all day is get home and play with Sophie in the snow and that's exactly what he did! He stepped in the front door and then out the back to go build a snowman with her. He lives for moments like that!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

This past weekend brought a turn for the worse for Keri. The runs, vomiting, and the like. Nothing like puking in a trash can while your mom drives through the rain to your next chemo treatment. Seriously Uhg!

So now I live on anti-nausea drugs and sleep even more. I get occasional shots to make my bones make more white blood cells because the counts are too low. They also gave me some meds for thrush in my digestive track because the chemo killed all my natural bacteria. And I'm also going in earlier so I can get IV treatments of phosphorus to prevent my heart from cramping (not that it has yet, but we don't want it to happen).

So things are getting bad but they are able to treat it all so far. Only 7 more high dose treatments!

Rhys is now getting up on his knees and rocking back and forth all on is own. He should be crawling in no time. Yikes!

Also, Neal just asked Rhys if he pooed because Rhys smelt unpleasant and Neal used the "dip stick" method to find out. Of course this did not fair well for Neal's finger. I thought that was funny. Better yet are the "OH MY GOSH!" and gag noises coming from Rhys' nursery now. He he he!

Half Way Done!

My high dose chemo treatments are half way done today! The weekends are good because they take the needles out of my port and I can shower without taping plastic bags over the site and I don't have to be as careful when I tussle with the kids.

About 20-30% of people taking my chemo get mild to moderate depression. The doctor decided this past Monday that I was one of those because I was bluesy and sleeping a ton. He said "up" people like me don't get "depressed" they get "tired." So we got started on an anti-depressant on Tuesday and today, Friday, all I can say is "WOW!" And I mean, "WOW!" Talk about being chemically altered! It's certainly doing it's job but I wouldn't want to be on these long term. It's weird.

That's all really. Just wanted to celebrate being 1/2 way done with the high dose portion of the chemo and wanted everyone to know that happy pills are amazingly powerful!

7 Down, 13 to Go!

I have been very lucky to not have all the crappy side effects this chemo can give me but I must say I am still of the opinion that chemo sucks! SO TIRED all the time and as of the weekend, mild nausea and a lovely metal taste in my mouth that won't leave. I am so glad my mom is taking care of the house and kids and that Neal is working so we can have his blessed medical insurance.

Monday was a particularly hard day, emotionally. Nurses took good care of me though and today they introduced me to two others that are in the bunch doing the same treatment right now and we all started on the same day so we are counting down together!

Today was much better. Talked to the other two patients, enjoyed the nurse's humor, and read through my little book of happy thoughts that was put together for me and it worked like a charm!

Thanks for the cards I am getting too! It's a nice pick-me-up!