Radiation: Week 3!!!!!

14 treatments down.... 11 to go!!!! I am over half way and still alive and kicking! Best thing ever too, I still have most of my hair!!!!!

I have really learned a lot this week, 1. I have the best and most wonderful family anyone could every ask for, 2. I have the most amazing husband I could ever ask for! 3. Hair is awesome even if it doesn't cooperate, 4. Being a mother is basically the best thing EVER, and 5. Utah is super hot in the summer.....

Family

This week the most AMAZING family had a reunion in Bear Lake Utah. Luckily I was able to schedule my treatment at a different time on Tuesday, and our little family was able to share in the fun for a day and a night. We got up super early, loaded the car, and started on our grand adventure to Bear Lake. Carter absolutely loved the big body of water we decided to jump in. We were there for 6 hours and he hardly was out of the water. When he was out of the water however, he was busy getting sand all over himself. He loved building sand castles with his grandma too.

I was greeted with so many hugs and smiles. It was wonder to feel like nothing is wrong with me for a little while. I was able to visit with aunts, uncles, cousins, and just enjoy myself. The water was so warm and Jason went knee boarding for the first time. we really loved it, and by the end of the day we had a cranky little boy who wasn't very happy to leave his beloved water.

After going back to the lodge we were staying at, taking a shower, eating dinner and chasing after our little man... I was able to sit and look at the wonderful family that I am a part of. It is so happy to know that we will be together forever. Our loving Heavenly Father has given us the wonderful blessing to be together for all eternity. I am pretty sure I have one of the most wonderful families to be a part of.

The next day we stayed for the legendary Ballantyne Olympics! We played awesome games, laughed, ate lots of junk, and grew even closer as a family. If any one is wondering, I was a part of the winning team... go BIG RED!!! Even though it was a long drive, we loved every second of being with our family!

 

 

 

Husband

So... I have been extremely blessed! Not only do I have the most wonderful family, but my husband is a pretty awesome dude! He has been there every step of the way for me and has even taken on the burden of watching a very busy 15 month old. He needs breaks just as I do when I'm the full time mommy, but he has never complained. I don't mean to be mushy, but he is the greatest friend I could ask for and greatest companion I could ever have to help me through the hard times our family has been through recently. He always has a wonderful positive attitude to lift me up and keep me going.

Hair

As many of you might of heard, I have been in anticipation of losing my hair ever since this adventure began. It has been 3 weeks and guess what?! Only one little bald spot to report, thus far. I have decided I will never be angry at my hair again. It is such a wonderful thing to have hair, and being told I would lose it all has helped me to truly be thankful for it. Every day I lose so much hair, I smile when I see that I still have most of it. It might be unruly, crazy, disgusting, and in my face, but boy do I love that I still have hair!! Always be thankful for the things Heavenly Father has blessed you with!

Mom

I have loved every second of being a Mom. What a wonderful thing to have children!!!! Even though they stress you out, drive you a little crazy, and make you cry, they are totally fun and totally worth it! Carter has been a HUGE blessing and has been the source of much of our happiness lately. Jason had the wonderful idea of going camping Thursday night. We bought everything we needed, and even though I wasn't happy with the last receipt, that night will hold very fun memories for us. It was Carter's first time going camping!! I think firsts are so wonderful when your a Mom. I have been able to rejoice and share in each of Carter's firsts and it is truly wonderful! Carter had so much fun playing in the dirt, helping daddy with the fire, roasting hotdogs and marshmallows, and staying up late outside (his most favorite place)!!!! We will probably go many more times in the future.

Utah

Oh boy is it HOT! I am so thankful for AC. I think I would die if I had to live with out it. It is so nice to be here and have things to do everyday, but we are sure ready to be able to go back to our home in Nevada.

Next week we will be staying with my Aunt and Uncle. It's a bittersweet thing to say goodbye to my sister, but I'm sure she is ready to be rid of us for awhile!! Have a great week! Happy reading :)

 

 

 

Radiation: Week 2

My favorite sound ever, is Carter’s laugh while he and his daddy play basketball in the living room with a big bouncy ball and a laundry basket! Oh how very blessed I am to hear this sound so often.

It has been an eventful week, and I am happy to say… 9 treatments down only 16 more to go!!! There is so much to update you on!

The Fourth of July

We had a wonderful 4^th filled with lots and lots of FIREWORKS! For the first time ever we went all out, and ended up going to my brother-in-law’s sister’s house four a BBQ and awesome firework show. We all had many, many fireworks and took turns letting them fly. We were almost certain Carter and I would be watching all the fun from the window, but Carter surprised us all. After lots of crying and cringing from the loud fireworks days before, he loved watching the beautiful colors blast loudly in the sky on the 4^th of July. I think Jason was relieved he didn’t have a little son who was scared of such loud, big, things.

Carter with Daddy watching the fireworks!

Carter with Mommy watching the fireworks!

Our little family <3

Treatments

My treatments this week haven’t been too bad. Except for being a little nauseous with a head ache afterwards, I’ve been doing pretty well. I love that I go in to the cancer center at the same time every day, because I get to know so many wonderful people there. My therapists are so much fun and love to laugh and joke around with me. They always ask about cute little Carter, and laugh at all the fun little stories I get to share with them.

Tuesday we went to the zoo again, and discovered some new animals and new places. This time not only was the splash pad his favorite part, but Carter loved the small animal building. He laughed, yelled, and giggled at the muskrats that came right up to the window to peek at him. He thought the porcupines were oh so very interesting, and I think the thing he loved most is that they were all at his level. He ran to each window pointing and having a ball. Jason and I just loved to watch our little man get so very excited about the neat looking little creatures.

Daddy and Carter at the zoo (he wouldn't look at the camera)

Carter and mommy at the splash pad, it was so hot!!

Saturday our good friends from Logan UT invited us to their cute little girl’s birthday party at the zoo! We are so glad for our season pass, otherwise this trip to Utah would have been a lot more expensive than it already has been. After the zoo we went to a nearby park to celebrate and Carter got to hit his very first piñata!! We were so happy to not only see our friends and spend the day with them, but we were so happy to share such a special time with them and have another one of Carter’s firsts!

Carter's first pinata!

Blessings

It is so interesting that as we go through hard times, we are able to see the wonderful blessings that our Heavenly Father has given us. They didn’t seem to be so special until something drastic changed our lives forever. I am so very thankful that I have such a wonderful family to keep me smiling through this time. I am so thankful for a wonderful husband who has been so willing to take my place for a little bit to be Mr. Mom. I am also so very thankful for modern medicine, wonderful doctors, and that my experience has been so very pleasant. We have continued to be filled with love and concern from family, friends, and even complete strangers. I know our Father never leaves us while we are going through hard times, he is even closer than he has ever been to us. For all these things, I can never thank my Heavenly Father enough! Have a happy week! J

Carter with his cousin... they had a little play date

Radiation: week 1

I am happy to report that I have been through 1 week of radiation officially today!! 4 treatments down and only 21 more to go! Isn't life wonderful?!

So... how are things going? Well, let's just say I have grown a great appreciation for the wonderful things I did have in my life and will hopefully get back. Here are a couple I think are pretty amazing right now :)

1. Sleep

After having a baby, I was told I would never sleep again. Carter was a wonderful newborn and gave me 5 hour stretches of sleep at night. Then, at 6 weeks he was already sleeping through the night. It made me smile to think that this was sleep deprivation lol. Especially because I was always so happy to get up with him in the middle of the night, simply because I missed him.

After having the flu and starting to get all of the symptoms of my brain tumors, sleep wasn't as easy as it once was. I would have to get up at least 7 times during the night to go to the bathroom and drain my body of the 3 gallons of water I was drinking during the day. I must say I was rather annoyed. I had to get up for something I wasn't even excited for!

After brain surgery, I was given meds to help me with the bathroom thing and thought, YES! I will finally be able to sleep again! Yeah... I guess only lucky people are like that. 2:00 in the morning rolls around and I'm wide awake. After a couple of days of that though, at least one night every so often comes around where I sleep past 2.

My sweet little sleeper <3

2. Hair

My thick hair and I always had a love hate relationship. Some days I loved that it was thick and loved they way it looked when I put it up. Other days I would feel like pulling it all out because there was just too much and it was just too CRAZY! Well, I have come to miss my thick hair these past couple of weeks. Everyday it seems like I lose half my head of hair. I think I've brushed all that will come out that day until after treatments another couple of handful of hair decided they need liberation from my scalp. Even if your hair is not cooperating with you for that important meeting, hot date, or just to head out in public, always be thankful that you have hair to struggle with. Even though you might think being bald would be nice, it's really scary when you start to lose it all.

My thin short hair driving home from my last treatment of the week!

*** I should add vision to this list lol. I've never had to wear my glasses all the time, but now I can't see a thing with out them. A tumor is pressing on my optic nerve, so hopefully it will get better once the tumor is gone!

3. Having Jason home EVERY day!

This is going to be a hard one to let go of once my treatments are done. It is so nice to have him with Carter and I, and just to see him and hug and kiss him whenever I want! I love that he isn't away from us 14 hours a day, and even though our little family is going through a hard time right now... it is so awesome to be able to face things together! It makes me happy to think that Carter gets a little more time with his daddy each day :)

So far on this crazy adventure, we've been able to go to the park together, and we even spent some time at the zoo. Isn't it amazing that even if your life seems to be falling apart, there are still so many more things to be thankful for. We truly have a loving Heavenly Father looking out for us :)

Happy Independence Day tomorrow! Another thing to be thankful for, that we live in the USA!!!!

Carter with his daddy at the Zoo. He loved the zebras :)

He also loved touching the rocks!

A lion was laying by the window. Carter ate it up!

Carter flipped when he saw this giant elephant

Silly boy watching the monkeys :)

He always finds the perfect place for him to sit. Ledges and steps are his favorite!

Our cute little family playing ball at the park