Eleven Months

Can you count the fingers?

 I couldn't do my 11 month selfie alone (I don't have enough fingers) so I had the boys help me out.  Add up the fingers....tonight I finish my ELEVENTH month of chemo.  Only ONE more month to go!!!  How could a year possibly zip by so quickly!

I feel like I have turned a corner, that positive things are headed our way.  The feeling really started last week.  I had a MRI and doctor appointment last week Thursday.  Wednesday night I received a phone call from a relative with some pretty exciting and unexpected news.  My mom's cousin called to let me know that both he and his wife wanted to help us take a vacation this spring.  I was in shock and so extremely grateful.  Within five days of receiving that phone call, the four of us had airfare booked to Orlando and a Disney villa reserved for us.  I still can't believe it.  We will be spending just over a week at Disney World!!!!  The boys have no idea and are literally going to FREAK out!  I can't thank Bruce and Peggy enough for their unbelievable generosity.

 For some reason I feel like this trip will be like a reset button for us.  It's been a trying last 15 months and I can't even believe we will be getting to get away and spend time at Disney as a family.  May can't come soon enough! Thanks AGAIN to Bruce and Peggy!

Thursday the 12th was my MRI and doctor appointment.  My mom came along, she hasn't had the opportunity to see what my doctor's appointments involve so she was happy to be able to tag along.  I was a little worried she would stare at me like I was a sad little puppy or ask too many questions but she was very well behaved.  :)  Thanks Mom for coming along and hopefully we weren't too hard on you.  The best news of the day was that my tumor has DEFINITELY shrunk!  We had thought all along that it was shrinking every so slowly but we compared the MRI from that day to the MRI from the ones from December of 2014 and it's NOTICEABLY smaller.  It's hard to get exact measurements now as there is a bit of brain damage from my radiation treatments so it's hard to see where the tumor ends and where brain damage begins BUT it's smaller!  SMALLER!  We were told to just hope it would stay stable so knowing it has shrunk was pretty much the most amazing news EVER!  

In other great news... my hair continues to grow and a few times a week I am even able to style it so it looks half way decent. I feel like such a dork because I always work so hard to get a good angle on my selfies but it's for good reason.  The hair on the right side of my head that I don't show is SUPER thin and has missing patches from surgery.  Oh well, I will just keep the world on my left side.  :) Still trying to get Jamie to switch sides of the couch with me so he sees my good side but we've had the same seats for 11 years, we've tried sitting in each other spots and it just feels weird.  (or maybe we are weird)

I am really looking forward to finishing up chemo and getting on with life.  I can't wait to get energy back so I can really start giving my all to Owen again.  For those of you that know me, he has been my main focus since he was born.  This past year has been really hard for me because he started kindergarten and I really had to take a small step back from him and focus on getting myself healthy.  I know I was still a great mom but I also know there are a million things that I could be doing with him at home to help him but I just haven't had the energy to do much this school year.  I am so lucky his school is so amazing and he has an INCREDIBLE team working with him each and everyday.  We just had our big meeting with the school to discuss his new IEP and make plans for how we can help him thrive at school.  He also has some big evaluations coming up in March at Froedtert that might shed a little more light on ways to help him.  Owen just amazes us each and every day.  People don't realize how much he has overcome and all the obstacles he faces everyday.  He goes to school everyday and works his butt off and is SO happy to be there and so proud of his accomplishments.  School work is not coming easy to him but he never gives up and never stops smiling.  

And then we have our "spirited" Jacob.  Jacob very possibly could be the main reason I am so exhausted, it may be him and not the chemo!  Jacob and Owen are complete opposites.  Jamie and I just have to laugh sometimes.  I know my mom and dad laugh all the time because Jacob is so ME as a child.  I should have known I had it coming.  He's loud, sassy, stubborn, angry, silly.... he's Jacob and we love him to the moon and back.  I am also looking forward to having more energy for him!  This is a child that NEEDS to run and be crazy and have fun dance parties.  He is going to have a blast this summer being outside all day everyday and I can already picture him running around with his bleach blonde hair, dirty hands, scabbed over knees and that amazing tacky skin they get from the perfect combination of sunblock and sweat.  

Man I got lucky with two great kids!  I had to fight them both tonight to sleep in pjs so I could wash their superhero costumes. 

Well that's it for tonight.  Jacob is still awake in his bed for some reason, it's 9:40.  Need to go address that.  

We hope everyone has a great week.  Wish me luck as I start my training for the half marathon tomorrow.  I haven't run at all in like 4 years!  Thankfully my friend Liz is driving up from IL to run with me tomorrow!  Can't wait to see you Liz, drive safe!