Hooray

Here are some highlights of the last couple of weeks! I am getting so happy to know that the hard part is over soon!

Miles finished baseball, hit the ball well at his three bats in his last game, and came home with his trophy--very exciting.

Philip got his tiny electric blue soccer cleats in the mail (his dad is a terrific online shopper) in anticipation of starting soccer
"in the fall when I am three and a half. And all the kids will say, he is so smart and so fast." He frequently wears them so he can run super fast. The laces are so long we have to wrap them around the shoe.

Fiona has spent the last several months of her life removing many of the books from our hall book shelf. It dawned on me recently that while we read to the boys a lot, we haven't exactly been reading much to her....so now she has a new-found love of board books since her mother finally got a clue and started reading more to her. (I am thinking perhaps this is a common plight of the third child....) She especially enjoys any book that features dogs, or any animal really, as she refers to them all as dogs. She is also gaining more words and often repeating words that we say.

Improved weather has allowed Tom to bike to work more. Happy, happy.

Only 2 weeks left of chemo for Mandy (3 treatments.) At last week's treatment I was so excited to find out that I get to taper off of the Prednisone. That is fabulous because I have gained somewhere between 10 & 15 lbs. due to that drug making me hungry all the time. Lack of exercise has made it look worse than it is too. I've lost a lot of muscle. Anyway, I am thrilled that I will be done taking the Prednisone the day before my last chemo treatment. I also get to meet with the radiologist later this week to go over details of radiation, which will start at the end of June and go throughout most of July. The doctor has reassured me that radiation will be easier because the only side effect should be tiredness. This is fabulous news. I can't wait to be done with all the other crazy side effects the chemo has caused. Every week I get bone pain in new and interesting places, like my big toe or under my chin or in my neck. However, I have been told I can stay on the Aleve for the duration of chemotherapy, so it keeps the pain manageable. Anyone can tell you I am ten times more cheerful since about a week ago because I really feel like I am getting close to the end of the hard part! 8 days until the last day of chemotherapy.

At my treatment on Tuesday my favorite nurse, who usually does my infusions, was hilarious. They have to be very careful about verifying the patient's name and birthday before pumping a bunch of toxic chemicals into you. Two nurses have to stand there and read the info and ask the patient to repeat it. Every single time I say my name and birth date, she says, referring to me, "She was one year old when I finished college." I always tell whoever is with me that she is going to say it and then we laugh as she says it, word for word. This week the center was packed due to the holiday the day before. She and the other nurse gathered around me and she said, "Now we have to say this. It is good luck." Then she yelled in a loud voice, "Everybody, she was one year old when I finished college," to which I responded, "Thank you, thank you, I think I'm the youngest one in the room!"

Our friends and family continue to be incredible, and in the news there we have several friends far and near who have welcomed darling new babies this month and several more who are now expecting....so exciting! Our nephew also got word that he will be serving as a missionary in Orlando, FL leaving in August. We will miss him, especially Philip, as he likes to boss his cousin around while they both wear their soccer shoes.

Today we went to their congregation for our niece's missionary farewell and her aunt, her dad, Tom and I actually sang the musical number. I wore my wig for the first time, seeing as how I was up in front of a bunch of people who don't know me. It was an odd feeling being back in the position of it not being obvious to everyone who looked at me that I have this illness. I wasn't sure if I liked that feeling or not. It made me feel strangely vulnerable and maybe a little bit fake. The wig is pretty cute though, and not itchy at all as I had anticipated. It didn't make me any warmer than a hat or scarf does. I will probably wear it more often for those types of occasions.

We had a marvelous time all afternoon with extended family celebrating and saying goodbye to our niece. On the way home in the car this evening, I took off the wig and Philip said, "Mom, put your pretend hair back on." I told him I was getting hot and I would wear it another day. He looked at me and said, "I don't like your sickness."

Below is a great video of the boys last weekend running their own exercise show. If only we could bottle that energy! Tom and I are definitely feeling motivated to dive back into exercising with a vengeance come the fall.