Picture overload!!

Sorry but I just added a lot of pictures. Hope you enjoy them. I am still trying to figure out how to do the slide show thing.

Christmas!!

Well finally the day arrived. I am still like a little kid I get so excited for Christmas. Not because of what I am getting but because I love watching my girls open their presents and get so excited. So I hardly slept the night before. Christmas eve was pretty fun we just stayed home and watched Christmas movies all day. Debbie and Will stopped by to visit on their way to my Mom's house. Which was fun, but Allie was so hyper she was causing trouble. Suddenly the doorbell rang, I wasn't expecting anyone so I wondered who it could be. By the time we opened the door, there was no one there, just three bags full of gifts for our family. Someone must of been a Secret Santa to us. I still have no idea who it was, so whoever you are, thank you for thinking of our family during our struggles. Jake also had to go to work that night which we were really bummed about, but thankfully they let him come home early. Christmas morning was really fun, Caitlin was still not really sure about the opening presents thing, but about half way through she got the hang of it. Allie got the Disney sing it game, a Hannah Montana guitar, clothes, Pjs, and a bunch of other things. Caitlin got a crawl and cruise jungle toy, a baby stroller with a baby, a shopping cart, and clothes. Jake got his Iron Gym that he has been wanting and Gears of War 2. Erin got much needed Pjs and scrap booking stuff. Hopefully since I am not working now I will have time to actually work on them. Also Friends from my Mom's ward collected donations for us to help with Caitlin's medical bills. We are very thankful to all who have given us help, we couldn't do it without you.

And the next round of Chemo!

Well thankfully Caitlin's counts went up so we were able to start the next round of chemo. I am not really sure if that is good news or not, but the sooner we get through this, the sooner Caitlin will be cancer-free. On Friday my mom and I braved the stormy weather and slowly made our way down to Primary Childrens. We were about an hour late, but that was okay since we had to wait for a room. I think the people in it before us, were not excited about driving home in the snow. They set up Caitlin's IV , while we waited we sat and watched Jake's Dad's movie called Money Making Morons. It was pretty funny! She did good with the chemotherapy on the first day, but the next day she threw up as soon as she received the VP-16. But we think we did a no-no by letting her eat peanut M&Ms! So anyway that was a very long night. But the next morning she was doing very good, so we were able to come home on Sunday. Yeah, that means as long as everything goes well, we will for sure be home for Christmas. The nurses and doctors down there are so nice, Caitlin got a stocking full of Hello Kitty stuff and candy. I got Christmas socks and pjs for Allie. Also Caitlin got this really cute and soft teddy bear. Yesterday I must of been crazy but I had a little bit of Christmas shopping left to do. So I went out and almost got hit four times and was about ready to scream. I don't do well in crowds, hence I will probably never be part of the Black Friday crowd. Anyway I believe we are all done, except some things that we ordered online haven't showed up yet. But oh well hopefully the in-laws will understand.

Yeah, its almost Christmas!

Well, sorry it is so long between posts but there hasn't been much to really update. Caitlin seems to be doing really well. But her anc count went down again so we have to push back the next cycle of treatment. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we won't be stuck at a hospital on Christmas day. She is finally sleeping better which I am excited for, that means I actually get some sleep. Caitlin is so cute, we have been trying to teach her to say "I love you" she has the I and you part down pretty well, we are still working on the love part but it is still really cute. I think that we have most of our Christmas shopping done, some things we had to order online, so hopefully they will get here before then, oh well if not. I also hope that the girls like what we got for them, I think they will. But then last year I thought we did good, and Allie hardly played with what she got. Jake wants to open his presents now, but I laid down the law and told him, he has to wait like the rest of us. I was able to go to my friend's baby shower last Friday, and that was fun to be able to take a break from the kids, and visit with friends. Everyone wanted to know how Caitlin was doing. Also on Sunday we went to visit my family and go to Kenny's court of honor to receive his Eagle. That was really cool and I am proud of Kenny for working hard to receive it. Anyway the rest of the week has been spent cleaning the house, wrapping presents, and watching Christmas movies. Sorry no pictures right now, hopefully I should have some more soon.

Another update!!!

Well, more updates, this week has gone by so fast. This weekend was kind of long since I had to get up at 4 am to give Caitlin her antibiotic, so by Monday morning I was so exhausted. On Monday Caitlin's nurse came over to change the cap, dressing, and draw blood to see where her counts were at. Unfortunately we couldn't get any blood to draw from the line, Carol (our nurse) was pretty sure that it was because of the antibiotics. So we went up to the hospital to have her blood drawn from her arm. The results were pretty good, her WB was 2.3, Anc was 700, Hgt was 35.1 and her platelets were 1207. Since her Anc was above 250, we were able to stop giving her the antibiotics. Yeah, a full night of sleep!! That night Jake and I left the girls with his mom, and did some much needed Christmas shopping. I think we got most of what we needed, there are just a few extras that I need to still get. On Tuesday I had a dentist appointment, which I hated. I just hate the drilling and the tastes that get in your mouth. Of course, because of my bad luck I have to go back again. On Thursday we had a check up with Dr. Armstrong just to make sure that there was no side effects from the antibiotics. But he said that she looked good, then Carol came over to put in some medicine to help clean the line and then thankfully she was able to draw blood from the line instead of her having to get poked again. Her results were again really pretty good. Her Wb was 2.6, Anc was 900, Hgt was 35.0, and her platelets were 2225, which is pretty high but the oncologist thinks that her bone marrow is just reacting to the chemo. They are sending out a nurse today to check her platelets again. So hopefully they will start to come down. Also last night we went to watch Allie's Christmas concert at school. She sang so good. Unfortunately the place was packed so we were able to see her very good, or take any pictures. Next year I will make sure that I go to the assembly instead, this year I was stuck at the dentist so I couldn't go then.

I got tagged again!!

3 Joys
Jake, Allie, and Caitlin
My extended Family
When my girls are good

3 Fears
Not beating cancer's butt
Losing any of my family members
Money problems

3 Obsessions
Spending time with Jake (sometimes not very easy)
Cleaning
My Girls

Surprising Fact
I am still afraid of the dark.

Tagging.... anyone who wants to share more fun facts about themselves.

Sorry so long!

Wow, this Cancer thing is a lot to get use to, not that you ever get use to it or want it for that matter. Well on Wednesday evening Caitlin had a little fever. Well as far as I could tell. We bought one of those ear thermometers, (which was kind of costly) but I not sure if it was worth it. One ear was 101.2 f and then the other ear was 99.8. So I was totally confused but I wanted to be on the safe side so I called the oncology department at Primary Children's. They said I should take her to the local ER. Which I wasn't too happy about, but I will do anything I need to, to make sure my girl stays as healthy as she can. Nothing against Logan Regional but they are just not equipped to take care of Cancer with kids. They were really nice but I could tell that they went sure what they needed to do. They found out from Primary Children's that they needed to do a CBC (draw blood and test it) and an X-ray. Caitlin hated the X-ray but I didn't blame her since they had to put her in this straw type of thing, with her arms above her head. Also they had to draw blood from her arm, just to make sure that she didn't have an infection in her line. They then put her on antibiotics since her counts are still so low that she can't fight any germs. We were then put in a room for the night, they were really good about cleanliness, they made sure that Caitlin room was off from everyone else, and the nurse were good about wearing gloves and masks so not to infect her with anything. Caitlin doesn't like to sleep in the cribs at the hospitals so unfortunately we spend the night in the chair. The next day was so long, we spent half the day waiting for answers from Primary Children's. We finally found out the results of the blood work, it looked clear from infections but her counts were still really low. The good news was that were we able to come home but we had to take home an antibiotic with us. Carol our home nurse is so awesome she came over that night to show me how to work the pump and give the antibiotic. She always calls and makes sure that things are going well. The pump is really easy to use the only bad part is that the antibiotic has to be given every eight hours, which means I have to wake up at 4am to give it to her. But things seem to be going pretty good. Caitlin seems to be frustrated a lot easier but I am sure that is right the effects of chemotherapy and not feeling good. I know I sure get grouchy when I don't feel good.

On another note, I took another much needed break and one break I wasn't so excited about. I had to get my yearly exam at the OB-Gyn, but my doctor had moved out of town, so I unfortunately had to get a new one and only the male doctors were taking new patients. Its not a big deal, but I always feel more comfortable with a women doctor. But anyway the other thing was a friend from where I use to work, called and asked if I would be able to go out to lunch with her. Thanks to my wonderful husband who said he would watch the girls, I was able to enjoy a great time with Chris McCrabb. We went to Panda Express, and they actually had my orange chicken this time. I told Chris about the many new and scary experiences we have had to endure throughout this hardships. After lunch, Chris gave me an envelope from all my former co-workers at RR Donnelley. This wonderful friend had gone around work and gather donations from everyone. It was so nice of everyone to give, especially during this time of year and since money is tight for everyone right now. Jake and I are so thankful for the thoughts and help of others. We have been worried about how we were going to make it for Christmas and all the medical bills. Thank you so much to all who have lent a helping hand, and financial aid to us. Despite the hardship that we are going through we have been blessed many times over. Again thanks to all.

On a more sad note, Caitlin's hair has pretty much all fallen out. But she is a bald little cutie. Unfortunately she is not very fond of hats or headbands right now.

The never ending effects of Chemo!

Caitlin has been such a trooper, unfortunately when she had her blood counts done on Monday, the results weren't very good. Her ANC count was zero which means she is confined to our house and Primary Children's. Also her HGT was at 23, which are her red blood cells, 23 is low so we made a trip down to Primary Children's yesterday for a blood transfusion and for more chemo. She is always so good for the nurses and doctors. She is such an angel, she always knows how to bring a smile to my face when I feel so horrible about what she is going through. The clinic down at Primary Children's is really nice, they have comfortable chairs, movies, and game systems for kids to play while they are down there. We watched Cinderella and Care Bears while we waited for the blood to transfuse. Unfortunately we are now experiencing another side effect of the chemo, Caitlin hair is starting to fall out. I was trying to brush it out a little bit this morning and big chunks of hair fell out. So I stop brushing before I burst into tears since Caitlin has such beautiful hair.

More Updates!!!

Thanksgiving was actually a lot of fun. Caitlin's blood counts were a little low, but we were still able to go up to my grandparent's house for dinner. It was so good. Since Caitlin has started the chemotherapy she hates it when I leave the room or when she can see me, unless Jake is also around. I feel bad for family members who just want to give her loves. But at the same time I understand why she gets so upset since she been through so much already and she is not even two years old yet. Anyway dinner was very delicious, and it was fun being able to be with my family. After dinner we played the game cranium is was really fun but also very hard. If you have ever played it you know that sometimes you have to draw clues (like pictionary) but with your eyes closed. Which makes for very funny drawings. Unfortunately Jake and I didn't win but that's okay. I forgot to mention that I got up and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving parade which is kind of a tradition for me. On Friday Jake's family came to visit Caitlin and help fix Jake's car. Also that day I took a much needed break and went with my family to watch Twilight, which was really good. Jake is not much of a reader, so he wasn't really into the series, so he stayed home and babysat Caitlin for me. Allie went home with Jake's parents to play with her cousin Kenidee. On Saturday Jake and Allie went with his family to watch Bolt, they said it was really cute. I stayed home and rearranged the family room so we would have room for the Christmas tree. Later that day we went up to Jake's parents for dinner and visiting. Then we made a trip to my parents house to dig out the decorations for the Christmas tree. I wish our apartment had more storage space. Then we went to see the lights at the Hollingsworth house, for those who don't know the Hollingsworth have a big yard and they have cutouts of Disney characters that they put out and light up with lights. The girls really like it, but sadly this is the last year that they are decorating their house.
On another note, Caitlin seems to be doing pretty good, she had her blood drawn today, and the results were not very good. I know this might be hard to understand but her ANC is zero, and her HGT is 23, which unfortunately means that she is confined to this house and that she will need a blood transfusion. Which totally sucks!!! So we are headed down tomorrow for the blood transfusion and the chemotherapy. I am thankful that it is not something worse, but this disease is still a lot to take each day.