Round 6, Cycle 3

Today was my last chemo appointment for Gemzar. I have been on this particular chemo for 6 months. That is a very long time to have to get chemo, especially when you go three times a month! I do have scans at the end of May to see the status of my cancer. We are hoping that the scans show no cancer but realistically I know that it will find some. The question is how much and what is the next step. If there is enough of a decrease then I can go on hormones but if there is too much cancer then I will probably have to go on another chemo. I have to say I feel really good and don’t have the pain I had before I started chemo so hopefully the Gemzar has killed enough of it.

This week my numbers were all below normal but were an improvement from last week. The doctor decided to just give me 400 again. Hopefully I will not be as tired as last week.

 

I thought I would share some of the crafts we did this week.

This weekend was Mother’s Day but we didn’t celebrate because John was out of town. Instead we went to the park the weekend before. It was beautiful and we had such a good time. Thought I would share some of those pictures.

And of course I did some sewing this week. If you want to see more pictures you can go HERE.

Happy Mother’s Day

I wanted to wish everyone out there Happy Mother’s Day. I also wanted to give a special shout out to my mom. My mom has always been there for me. When I was first diagnosed she put her plans on the self and rushed to St. Louis to help any way she could. Then she came once a month to take care of me and my household without blinking an eye. She has been my researcher, spending hours searching the internet and reading huge books on cancer diets. She has been my personal chef, making me frozen meals to use after she goes home. She has spent countless hours praying , often in the middle of the night. Most importantly she has been a caring and loving mom when I struggle with this diagnosis. She listens when I need to vent about how unfair this all is and how awful the side effects are. I always say how much harder it would be if this were happening to one of my kids. Well this is happening to one of her girls so I can’t begin to imagine how hard this is for her. So on this special day I just want to say thank-you to my mom for everything she does. I love you mom.

Round 6, Cycle 2

So today is my second treatment this month. We didn’t get a good start though! My body decided it really didn’t want chemo today. It was stingy when it came time to give blood. I usually have to give several tubes of blood so they can test my white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets to see if what kind of dose I can get. The chemo I am on really attacks these and my dose is based on what these numbers are. In fact they can’t even start my chemo until they run these numbers. So once again I had to take several deep breaths, put my arm above my head, stand up, have a heat pack put on my port, and finally they gave my “liquid plumber.” When I finally gave enough blood to get it tested, I almost wish I hadn’t. My numbers were horrible! My dose this week is only 400, but I am glad just to get any chemo!

This last week was really hard on me. I was really tired all week long (which is a side effect of my low numbers). I still managed to do a few things with the kids.

Abby’s library school also had a tea party for the parents. It was lots of fun! I had the girls dress up in their Easter dresses and since I never posted them on my sewing blog I took some pictures and you can see those HERE.

I hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather! I love being able to be outside with the kids. I can’t wait for summer this year. We decided this year to get a pool pass to the pool in Columbia so that is where you will find us on any sunny day. Jett is excited because he won’t have to be bored and will get to play with his friends.

 

Round 6, Cycle 1

Today was the first week of my last round of chemo. I have been on Gemzar for almost 6 months now. It has seemed like much longer. This week my numbers were all in the normal range which is really good. My dose this week is 600. I think the thought is that my body is worn out and if I get a bigger dose I would probably not be able to get a dose next week. It would cause my numbers to be very low. I also had an appointment with the doctor. The plan is to go on hormone treatment the day after my last dose of chemo. I will also be having a bone scan and a CT scan to see what is going on in my bones. And I will still have a monthly Xgeva shot to help my bones grow. We had some drama today at chemo. A man stopped breathing. Never a dull moment!
Everyone always wants to know how I am feeling. I am doing really good. I had a week off chemo (chemocation as I call it) so I was able to enjoy the kids. We did a lot of crafts and played outside.

This weekend was also the “Big Party” for the kids birthday. We usually throw one big party for all three kid’s birthday (yes even Kaylee- her birthday is in November). For this birthday party I made the girls matching skirts. To see more pictures you can go HERE.

Here are some pictures of the birthday party.

Happy Birthday to my Son

Today is Jett’s 8th birthday. I thought I would share some pictures with you over the last 8 years. (Yes that was a lot of pictures to pick through!) For some reason I don’t have Jett as a newborn or as a one year old in my zip drive. I am sure there are pictures somewhere I just don’t know where right now. I think at the time I put all my digital pictures on CDs and those are in totes in the basement.

So this first picture is Jett at a couple of months old.

These are Jett at two years old. He dumped over a whole box of Cherrios and was very upset!

This is one of my favorites suits that Jett wore at Easter. No way he would be caught in a suit like this now!

 

I included this picture because my hair is so long! Someday I hope to have it that long again.

These pictures are Jett at 3. This is his third birthday party. I was full of energy that year and decorated the cake myself.

 

This is Jett at 4 years old. That year he got a new sister for his birthday. He loved holding her!

Here is Jett at 5 years old. This is a shirt I made for his birthday party. (now you see why I don’t sew for him!)

Here is Jett at 6 years old.  That year he got a skateboard for his birthday

Here is Jett at 7 years old.

Hope you enjoyed this little picture filled post. Happy birthday to my sweet little boy!

Round 5, Cycle 3

This is the third week in my cycle. Last week I didn’t get chemo because my white blood cells were too low. I was taking it really easy this last week in hopes that my counts would be better. It must have worked because my numbers are all in the normal range this week. My dose this week will be 600. I was promised that after my week off (next week is my chemocation) I will get slammed with a larger dose. Can’t wait!! This week I also don’t need any shots so it is a good day for a needle diva!!
This week I thought I would share some pictures we took from Easter. It turned out to be a beautiful day. I got to also spend some time with my aunt and uncle from California. They were visiting because my cousin just had a baby. It was good to see them again. Here are some pictures. (and of course I made their Easter dresses)

I have been doing lots of sewing this week as well. Here is a dress I made for Abby. If you want to see more pictures you can go HERE.

We also have been doing some spring crafts. We have been doing lots of painting!

 

I don’t know if you can see what the girls are holding but they are upside down umbrellas that the girls have decorated. I also don’t know why Kaylee always sticks up her chin whenever I have a camera. I tell her to look down because nobody wants to see up her nose and then she looks at her feet. This was the best picture and I took quite a few! The other funny thing is that this wall has been named “The Picture Wall.” Whenever I say “Let’s take a picture of our craft” the girls run to this wall.

This week I hope I have enough energy to get outside with the girls. It is going to be beautiful! Yesterday I went outside and played catch with Jett when he got home from school. My arm is really sore today. I always forget to take it easy with my right arm. That is my mastectomy side and I don’t have as much muscle on that side.

Next week is my chemocation so I am not sure if I will have time to post. Hope everyone is out enjoying the spring time weather!

Happy Birthday to My Baby Girl

Thursday, April 12 was Abby’s 4th birthday. I can’t believe she is already 4 years old! I am very blessed to be spending another year with my precious little girl! I thought I would share some pictures with you.

Abby was born with a whole head of hair! She was such a good baby!
Here is is 1 year old. I love the little piggy tails!

Here she is all smiles at 2.

Here she is at 3.

 

Here she is at 4.

Happy birthday to my beautiful baby girl.

Round 5, Cycle 2- No Go

Today was the second week in my chemo cycle. Well I didn’t actually get chemo today. My white blood cell count was lower than 1 so I wasn’t allowed to get chemo. Apparently it is a rule that your white blood cells have to be above 1 and mine were .6- too low. UGH!! I did however get two shots today. Yea me! I got my Xgeva shot which helps me rebuild bone and I go my Arenesp shot which helps make more red blood cells. As for increasing the white blood cells well that just takes time and rest.

To say I am concerned would be an understatement. My doctor didn’t seem fazed by this, but isn’t it the doctor’s job to be upbeat? I know in the big scheme of things this isn’t going to make or break me, but I can’t help but worry. My hope is that this week I can get some rest so that my numbers will be really good next week. If this happens I might be able to get a larger dose to make up for this skipped week. I feel like I did when I finished chemo the first time around. What is going to kill the cancer? Will it start to grow? Hopefully I will feel better about this by next week. I am very grateful for my kids because they always take my mind off of what I am going through!

Anyway I thought I would share some pictures with you.

The first is of the outfits I made for the girls. What sewing mama would let their girls go to the circus in just any outfit? Not this one! If you want to see more pictures you can go HERE

We also did some crafts this week. Being a teacher that no longer has to do lesson plans, I guess I must miss it! (Is that really possible??)  I decided to incorporate stories with our crafts. Before we do the craft we sit down and read a story the goes along with the craft. The girls love it! They constantly ask “Is it craft time yet?” or “What story are we reading today?” I say our house is starting to look like a little preschool.

We also decorated Easter eggs. Kaylee still doesn’t get the concept of letting her eggs soak. As soon as she would put them in she would say “All done.” Needless to say we have a lot of barely colored eggs.

I also had to share this picture. When we went to Disney on Ice, the girls wanted to buy some long hair. I wasn’t about to pay that much for some long hair. Then when I went to Dollar Tree I found almost the exact same thing for $1!! The girls were so excited about their princess hair! They wore the hair all day and it really made me laugh!

I have lots more pictures to show. I hope everyone had a great Easter. We had a great time! (More to come the next time I post.) I guess I am off to get some rest (if that is possible for me). I tend to just carry on even when I don’t feel well and I seldom complain. Please pray that my numbers will be really good next week.

 

Round 5, Cycle 1

This last week was my chemocation! I know you all were wondering why I didn’t post this last week, but I have been outside as much as possible! I was very lucky to have warm weather to enjoy so I took the kids outside to play every chance we got. So now I have a lot to catch up on. This post will probably be very long with lots of pictures!

Today is chemo day so I am hooked up to my pole, watching the chemo drip into my  body. UGH! My counts were really good today. I was scheduled to get my Arenesp shot (helps boost my red blood cells) but my numbers were too high. My dose this week is 1,000 so I should be a little tired this week. This will be the largest dose in this cycle. I am feeling really good. The aching in my back has gone away which the doctor is really happy with.

So I thought I would post some pictures of what we have been up to during my chemocation.

We have been busy decorating for Easter. We hung Easter eggs from the lights and from our balcony. The kids love it! (John not so much)

I also have been busy sewing. I am working on Easter outfits, birthday outfits, and Disney World outfits. Here is a top I made for the girls. You can see more pictures HERE.

Last Tuesday we went to the zoo with my sister. Here is a picture of Abby with a monkey (no it’s not Kaylee).

Of course we have been doing lots of crafts!  We painted suncatchers and hung them in the windows.

We did tissue paper Easter eggs.

We did handprint lambs with cotton balls for wool.

I also took the girls to Disney on Ice. For those of you who don’t already know, we are taking the kids to Disney World this summer. I thought it would be a good idea to introduce the girls to the princesses before we go. My girls have never seen any of the princess movies so I thought this would be a great way for them to get to know some of the stories. I am not a big fan of the princesses because they seem to promote outside beauty and they always seem to be a little too made up and grown up. I want my girls to stay innocent as long as possible.

 

I also wanted to post a picture of Jett. He is on a select team this year and he was in a tournament this weekend. The team did a great job and came in 3rd place! Very proud of Jett! I thought I would take a picture of his uniform before he started playing because those pants will never get that white again!

 

Can you guess why I included this picture?

This was a huge milestone in the re-growth of my hair. When it was boy-short I only had to towel it off and go. Now that it is longer I need to put it up in a towel. (The ladies know what I am talking about). The next milestone is getting it up into a ponytail. I am not far from that!

Whew! I think that is all. Now you are all caught up. Sorry for the picture overload. I wanted to add more but will wait until next time.

Round 4, Cycle 3

This week is my third or last week for chemo this month! My numbers were not very good (even though I feel really good!) so my dose was only 400. I am very glad that next week will be my chemocation! Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I can take the kids to the park and do other fun things with them.
This week I have lots of pictures to share so I want to warn everyone that this is a image full post. I am finding that I only seem to post when I am stuck at chemo. I haven’t posted a song in a while so I thought I would do that today (even though it isn’t Monday). I love this song because it reminds me that even when I think that God has abandoned me, he is right beside me and I know I couldn’t go through this without him.

The first thing I wanted to share was of course a new dress for Abby. This time I only made one dress because I didn’t have enough fabric to make two. You can see more pictures HERE.

I really want my kids to be crafty and I want my girls to learn to sew. So I have decided that I need to start being crafty with them at home. Who better than their mom to start to teach them the love for everything crafty? So this week we did two really fun St. Patrick’s day crafts. Jett even got in on all the fun.

This week Jett got to take home the class “pet” (really just a stuffed lion named Roary). He had to take pictures with the lion and then write in a journal everything he did with it. We had fun putting together a great journal entry. Jett wanted to do something different than the other students. (watching TV and playing Wii seemed to be the popular thing to do) So here is what Jett did with Roary:

And finally I wanted to post a picture of what the girls wore for St. Patrick’s day. These were the dresses they wore last year but this year the dresses actually fit! I love when the dresses I make actually see two years of wear. It makes it seem worth all the effort!

I hope everyone is enjoying the weather! I know the kids are loving spending as much time as they can outside.