A few updates!

Sorry it has been so long but there hasn't been really anything to write about. On November 3rd, we had another chemo appointment to have a check up and pick up the at home chemo medicine. Dr. Lemons says that she looks good and that things seem to be going really well. Caitlin has been continuing to do well on this at home treatment and her blood counts are not falling very low like with the other chemo. Which means that we still have to be careful with germs, but we usually don't make her wear a face mask when we run errands, which I think was making some people nervous. They thought that she had swine flu and her cute bald head doesn't always clue people into the fact that she has cancer. That the face mask was more for her protection than theirs. On November 10th, I had a meeting with up to 3 and the school district to decide if Caitlin qualifies for more help and preschool readiness when she turns three years old. Because of where that brain tumor was located she is a behind with some of her motors skills, unlike most toddlers Caitlin is still just learning to walk or stand up by herself. She now has braces and a walker to help her walk. Just recently she took her first steps on her own. She has gone through so much but she has made tons of improvement. We are getting excited for chemo treatments to end and then hopefully she will be accepted into the preschool program to continue to improve her social and motor skills. Anyway, for the rest of us, Allie seems to be doing pretty well in 1st grade, and is slowly becoming a good reader. She is totally a mini me, people say, except for her bad attitude which escapes sometimes. She always seems to relate more to boys in her class than girls, just like I did when I was little. Hopefully that won't cause us problems. Jake and I are doing good, but very tired of being woken up in the morning by the construction that they are doing on the road next to our house. Hopefully they will be done soon. Also a couple of Saturdays ago Jake and I were able to go out and get some Christmas shopping done. I hate leaving the shopping until the end! Surprisingly we found more stuff for Caitlin then we did for Allie, I hate buying things that the girls only play with once. But Allie loves craft stuff, so I guess our next Christmas shopping outing is to the craft store.

Big Thanks!

Big thanks go out to my Mom and Dad, who stood and sat in line in the cold weather, so my girls and I could receive our H1N1 vaccine. Since last Friday I have been calling everyone trying to find one for Caitlin. The flu had hit Allie's school, so this week I kept her home to stay away from germs. Anyway we were first in line and everything worked out just fine. So again thanks Mom and Dad for waiting in line for us, so I didn't have to entertain the girls and have them stand out in the cold. Hopefully we will have built up enough antibodies when it really hits our town.

One Year Ago

One year ago today I can truly say was the worst day of our lives. One year ago today Caitlin was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 18 months old. We had a MRI that morning at 5:30 am and then received a phone call from Dr. Armstrong around 11am, and told that Caitlin had a brain tumor and it was causing fluid to remain on her brain, so within a hour and a half we were packed and in the car driving down to Primary Children's for Caitlin to have surgery that night. Thank goodness, everything went well with her surgery and they were able to release the fluid on her brain as well. The brain tumor was about the size of a walnut. Also soon after we found out that the tumor was a medulloblastoma tumor, which is a type of cancer. So throughout this year Caitlin has undergone chemotherapy treatments and a round of radiation. She has been such a tough and brave girl through all of it. Our family has cried, been upset, and found strength through this hardship. I have learned a lot of cancer terms and treatments, my extended family thinks I should become a nurse, but I am not sure about that. We are thankful for the good Doctors and nurses at Primary Childrens. But I do have one thing to say to other families that may go through the same thing, you as a parent or family member need to be aware of the kinds of medicines that the cancer patients needs and what doses. I know that Doctors and nurses try not to make mistakes but sadly mistakes do happen. A few times I have had to stop the nurses from giving Caitlin the wrong medicine or wrong dose. I have never really been very hard-headed but when my child life is at stake you better watch out. Anyway, off my soapbox, our hearts go out to other families who are going through the same trials. Also a big thank for all our family and friends for all their prayers, support, and love. I do have some good news to report if Caitlin's next scan looks good, we will only have one more cycle of chemotherapy left, so we will hope to be finished with chemo sometime in January.

Three years and going strong

Today is Jake and my three year wedding anniversary. Wow time does fly some days! I remember we were both really nervous on our wedding day, since we both hate been up in front of lots of people. But it turned out pretty well, I think. Allie was upset since we had got her a flower headband to wear on her head, which she didn't want she wanted my bouquet. We decided not to have a reception because of the expense of weddings and that my parents had already paid for my first wedding. So after the ceremony and the picture taking we went and ate dinner at the Bluebird restaurant in Logan, it was so good. So all in all the day turned out pretty good, a lot better than my first marriage, since during the ceremony my ex-husband said his brother was his best friend instead of me. I should of saved me the heart ache and just let him marry his brother. Oh well!!! We are hoping that in the future we will have better luck in celebrating our anniversary. Last year we were planning on going to a hotel, enjoy a break from the girls and relax in a jetted tub. Unfortunately Caitlin was diagnosed with a brain tumor on the Thursday before, so instead we spent out anniversary and my birthday at Primary Children's Pediatric ICU. This year money has been really tight with only Jake's income and a few extra expenses to care for Caitlin, so we decided next year we will save up our money and go do something really fun for our anniversary.
I know that it sounds silly, but I really do believe that Jake and I are soul-mates. It has been three years and we still can find things to talk about, we still call each other on lunch breaks. We really never fight, we might get upset with each other but usually that is because one of us is really tired or being too OCD. We always enjoy spend time together, we love to snuggle on the couch and watch our favorite shows and movies. We love to play games together, and we love to spoil our girls. Jake is a great man and father, he always put his kids before himself. He has worked hard this year to make sure that our family has been provided for. He is always willing to help out, and give me back rubs and foot rubs. He is the greatest husband in the world and I would be lost without him. Happy Anniversary, Jake! I love you now, always, and forever.