Random Thoughts and Musings

(Please note, the links below will lead you to 3 different places where you can follow/track/admire the progress of Layers of Love. Check all three out, and follow the one most convenient to you!)

Our Girl Scouts have been active in community service this year, more than previous years. They have “adopted” a local retirement home, and go once a month to do arts and crafts activities with the residents. We love that the girls really enjoy this service, and look forward to it every month.

A few months ago, a friend of mine developed a foundation - Layers of Love - that donates fleece blankets to the Cooper Cancer Institute, where her father is receiving chemotherapy treatments. I knew, immediately, that this is something our girls would be excited about. I cannot think of anyone who hasn’t been close to someone who has been affected by cancer, at the very least. Most of the people I know have been affected directly, if not afflicted themselves.

In 2005, both my (step)Mother and Aunt died of cancer, just months apart.

In 2008, my best friends NEW BORN BABY was diagnosed with cancer.

In each of their fights, I agonized over not being able to do enough, ever, for the person fighting. Nor could I do enough for the family and friends, who were also affected by the pain.

I always wanted to do more, be more, give more … but I did not know how, or where to start, or what to give. I admire people like Adele, who not only WANT to do more, but also put that want into action. She’s incredibly proactive, and I admire her spirit, strength, and capacity to give everyone in her life exactly what they need. I don’t know how she does it, but she is the epitome of ROLE MODEL.

When Adele (my nickname for her) began spreading the word about her foundation, I brought it immediately to my daughter’s GS Troop Leader (who also happens to be my BFF). She was as excited as I, and we immediately began making plans to make blankets with the girls when she officially became Leader (and I, co-Leader).

I began go get a little worried about whether we would be able to make it happen or not, because we kept having to cancel GS meetings due to illnesses, scheduling conflicts, and interference with holidays (mainly, spring break). We became slightly frustrated, but kept the blanket idea at the top of our list. We were determined to not only make blankets for Layers of Love, but also to eventually make MORE blankets to donate to Sacred Heart in Pensacola, where Seralyn (Baby S) received her chemotherapy treatments (and spent the majority of her first year of life).

FINALLY, last week things all fell into place. We had a meeting set up, we needed a craft to complete during said meeting, and the no-sew fleece blanket kits were on sale at the fabric store! We excited made a short day trip down to the next town over, and purchased EIGHT kits. We walked down the aisles, seeing one pattern after another that caught our eye (cheerful, cheerful, cheerful!), picking up one blanket, replacing another, and picking up three more. We finally had to stop ourselves when we hit eight, because we knew we’d also have to budget in shipping, plus we wanted the girls to be able to complete the blankets in one meeting.

Friday, I spent the afternoon doing the prep work for the blankets - matching the two pieces of fabric up back-to-back, cutting the 7″ squares out of the corners, drawing lines for the girls to cut the strips (which they would then tie). I recruited my daughter (who is one of the Girl Scouts) and BFF’s teenage daycare charge to help me, and we managed to get the blanket kits prepped, folded, and packed for the meeting right on time!

The Girl Scouts were then in charge of cutting the strips and tying them together, being careful not to cut any of the strips off, and to match them up properly so the blankets didn’t end up twisted and short!

They all had such a blast with this project, it was a real joy for everyone involved. We were pleased the girls were able to complete all eight blankets, and the girls were pleased that the blankets were going to such a wonderful cause!

Thank you Adele and Layers of Love for providing a way that we can all help, one blanket at a time!

… or in this case, down. As in, Baby S is nearly 2 and will soon be moved into her own bedroom! Her bedroom is in the newest part of the house - the garage was renovated into two bedrooms, a laundry room, and a pantry a few years back. This bedroom used to be J’s -Christy’s oldest- but since he spends less time here, he’s agreed that it could be made over into Seralyn’s new room.

So, the red walls have been Kilz’d (and someone should ask Christy how she ended up with WHITE hair instead of blond!), and will soon be painted Tinkerbell green. We’re very excited about the renovation, and cannot wait until little Seralyn has a WHOLE BED to sleep in - instead of kicking Mom & Dad out of THEIR bed so she can spread out!

Tomorrow, the green will go down, and on Saturday we’ll be picking up the pretty purple/lavender for the trim. The room will be de-dragoned and completely Tinkerbelled! **happy dance**

I’m just excited that ONE of the kids will have green, darn it!

What kinds of home improvements have YOU been making lately?

xoxo

So, some of you may be wondering how Baby S is, and if things have been going well.

The answer is a resounding YES! She’s been in remission for one year, now. This is not an all-clear. It has to be 5 years to be considered a “permanent” state. I think it may even be longer for the type of cancer Baby S had, but I’ll consider 5 years a definite goalpost for now.

The rest of the family is doing well, too. Some of you know Lil C (Christian) went in for surgery last week to have shunts placed in his maxillary glands, and to have his adenoids removed. The surgery went well, as did his recovery. He got a stiff neck after a couple of days when he was playing, but the doctor said that is because his muscles are still adjusting. His follow up appointment is next week. So far, so good!

Even better is the news BFF got during the parent/teacher conference she had last week. Apparently, he’s in the highest group of readers in his class, and reads ALL the time at school. They’d like to have him tested for the gifted program. WOOT! Even if he doesn’t make it, we’re still super-duper proud of him!

Lil K (Kaitlyn) Is growing up and getting SASSY. She’s turning into a monster again. She is one of the best behaved children I know, when she WANTS to behave. The problem is, she’s starting to test her waters again. And she’s got that typical redhead stubborn streak! *grins* She’s very interest in “homework” lately, and has been doing the letters and matchups that her Mom has been giving her every day. She’s a smart cookie, but refuses to try unless she’s interested at that particular moment. Hopefully this interest lasts!

Lil B (Brooke) is doing well in school, though not as well as we think she CAN do. She’s also busy with softball and girl scouts. Recently she’s developed friendships with a new group of girls, so sleepovers have ensued! BFF made them a “Best Friends” cake for the one she hosted for the girls. They all had a blast doing makeovers and watching movies!

Anyway … that’s the quick catch-up on BFF & her family.

We can never thank all of you enough for your love and support (of EVERY kind) during Baby S’s chemotherapy. The strength we garnered from the outpouring of love from all over enabled us all to be stronger for Baby S and for the other children. My personal friendship with you all enabled ME to be stronger for my best friend and her family, and to not only take care of my own daughter, but to help take care of all of them too.

xoxoxox

First, a little Monday Meme (boredom brought this on):

What day of the week is today? uhm, Monday …

Spell it out with words that describe you: moody ornery nurturing devilish angelic yawning.

Name a musical artist for each letter of the day: McGraw, Tim; Offspring; NKOTB; Duran, Duran; Ace of Base; Yearwood, Trisha

(I just put the first musical artist that came to mind … that does not mean I actually *listen* to them!)

Second, a few wishes, a little earlier in the week than usual:

I wish for things to go well for Adelle’s dad (he has an appointment tomorrow, he’s fresh on my mind).

I wish for VelvetVoice to feel better soon … her back gave out earlier because she’s been overdoing it with the unpacking/organizing/etc.

I wish for BFF’s appointment to go well tomorrow … either she carries the gene that caused Baby S’s cancer, or else Baby S just had a mutated gene. The latter is the better option, all around.

Love to all.

This morning, Lil Lady and I headed to the local park that has a water-play area for the kids. BFF was already on her way with the daycare kids …

She called to ask if I could go by her house and get the diaper bag, because Baby S was busy making a mess. Sure, no problem. By the time I showed up, she had borrowed wipes from another mom and was *trying* to clean up the baby. Trying. It was EVERYWHERE! Up her back. On her legs. On her tummy. On her clothes. On the towel BFF had laid down before trying to clean up the mess. All over a half dozen wipes. On the baby’s hand, because she wouldn’t keep still for three seconds much less the five minutes they’d been trying to contain the mess. Ew! *shudders*

Yes, that *did* need to be shared, dammit!

I left Lil Lady with BFF and headed south ‘into town.’ This really means I was driving to the next town over, about 40 minutes away. I managed to finally change my address for a few of my bills (oops! I am only a couple few five months late!), which is good because I am sure that the post office is sick of sticking yellow change of address stickers on my mail. I drove into town right on time, and whipped into the parking lot of my favorite thai eatery: Bankgkok House. Last year, when I was trying the various Thai places around town, I was complaining to my Mom about this or that, and none of them being as good as Nida’s International Cuisine in N’ville, which closed down last year. I still have not found a single place that makes Pad Gra Pao like she does … I seriously need to track her butt down and pay her to just make me a huge batch from her home kitchen!

I digress. Mom and I were on the phone one day and she asks if I have tried Bangkok House yet. You mean the drycleaner? *Insert laughter from Mom* Apparently, there is a drycleaner on one corner, restaurant on the other. She and (step)Dad used to have date nights there, and they loved it. Ask for XXX (she gave the owner’s name, which I remembered the first time I ate there, but have since forgotten). I did, and I did, and I fell in love. THIS was what I had been searching for (tho, they still do not make Pad Gra Pao as good as Miss Nida). THIS was food worth paying for!

Don’t get me wrong - a few of the places in town have good this-or-that. This place? GOOD EVERYTHING (just not-as-good-as-Miss-Nida’s-Pad-Gra-Pao .. I forgive them … nobody is perfect). So, I had invited June Cleaver to lunch, and since she has this great new job that she loves, which happens to be right around the corner from her home, and her son’s school, and the Bangkok House, she agreed to meet me there and try it out.

I have to give her credit. She tried to sound like she was enjoying the food. Unfortunately, I do not think Thai is her thing. That’s okay - I pigged out (sue me - if I was paying for buffet, I was going to get as much into my tummy as I could without making it literally burst at the seams!). I was in Thai food heaven. Green curry. Red curry. Ginger chicken (except i kept biting into ginger slices, which was *not* good), spring rolls (purrrrrrrrrrr), steak and peppers, chicken this, chicken that, chicken the other. Yum. *sigh*

About halfway into our appetizer plate (doesn’t that sound more dainty than ‘first plate piled high with everything we could cram onto it’?), BossBro showed up to meet us. He was supposed to be bringing me money, but our check didn’t get in, so he was empty handed (damn!). However, he joined us for lunch, and we had fun. I was the only one satisfied at the end, I think. June Cleaver was not particularly impressed with the food. BossBro seemed to enjoy the food, but was shocked at the sticker price ($10.02 for buffet AND sweet tea - I think it is a fair price, myself). The company and conversation, though, was good for all of us. It was a great lunch, and the only thing that would have made it better is if BFF could have ALSO been their sans children. Us adult siblings (because I insert myself as a family member in their family) rarely get adult-conversation-time without being interrupted 500 billion-trillion times by children with questions, comments, and complaints.

Today is a good day. Thanks BossBro … I know you’ll probably read this eventually. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did (or, at least half as much!).

xo

I wish for B to have a speedy recovery, despite the fact he insisted on cooking dinner for C & I immediately after his surgery and before he rested; and despite the fact that he insists on going to work today, despite only having one evening/night of rest after surgery. Minor surgery (all is well!), but surgery none-the-less … there is a pain factor involved, and I worry about him.

I wish for a wonderful day with the triplets today, as I try to help my friends out while Momma heads off on a plane to travel across country and deliver her oldest son home to his dad. Daddy to the triplets works from home, and will be there to help if they all three despite to cause an uproar at the same time, but I hope to do most of the caring-for-them, since I haven’t been able to see them since my first day-visit a month or so ago!

I wish for a smooth transition for a friend of mine who has made a major life change and a physical move with her young son. She and her son have many good things coming to them, but it will not all be smooth sailing, as he is now farther away from his daddy and will have a few growing pains related to such.

I wish for strength, rest, and peace for a friend who’s father is ill and who is feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders.

I wish for continued improvement in health for another friend’s father, who has recently had an up-swing. I also wish for many happy tidings for her sister, who has a few big changes coming her way.

I wish for peace of mind and amazing success for a friend who is considering starting her own business in order to get away from the poisonous atmosphere at her current job.

I wish for peace of mind, continued marital bliss, and academic success for my friend who is completing her schooling and starting on the next phase of her chosen career path. She still has school work to do, but she will see less classroom and more real-world experiences. She has an amazing husband who she adores, and who adores her, and they both work incredibly hard to maintain a happy balance at home. They are an inspiration.

I wish for continued GOOD news with Baby S’s health. She had a minor (extremely minor, unless things continue to look worse next month) change in her numbers, which is worrying her daddy … but we are fairly certain it is just because she was sick with a sinus infection.

I wish for all of my blog readers to discover the many blessings in their lives, and cherish them.

xoxo

Today my BFF & her family are off to Disney for their annual trip. Ok, so they aren’t sailing … but they are driving across the state!

They had to put it off to a little later than normal this year (they usually go during spring break), because in the spring we really were not sure where Baby S’s health stood. However, now that she has started receiving her immunizati sons, she is in remission, and she is making strides in her development, they can (cautiously) go about their lives.

I miss my BFF already … but I know they are going to have the greatest 10 days EVER at Disney.

Love you C, B, Lil B, Lil C, Lil K, and Baby S!

xoxo

Last night was so great - Lil K had a blast with Lil Lady and I. As soon as we got home, I set up a tea party for them with hot tea, cheese and crackers, pickles, grapes, and carrots with ranch dressing. The girls put on some music and sat down to have their tea time.

Afterwards, they watched movies and relaxed and played with the kitties. I made spaghetti for dinner, because Lil K requested it, and we dined late in the evening. She did not once ask for either of her parents. I think she enjoyed the peace and quiet, which she doesn’t see very often at home!

C reported that Baby S slept in the bed with her last night, and did not press the nursing issue nearly as hard as we feared she night. She actually slept rather well.

Tonight, I plan to sleep for more than three hours. Wish me luck!

Baby S had a super-rough night last night - each time I settled down to sleep, she’d wake up screaming bloody murder. I walked around with her for hours on end, and then finally settled down onto the couch … but she wouldn’t let me sit still for more than 20 minutes without waking up crying again.

I think this may have been her last big fight, though. Tonight will be easier, I hope.

B’s mom was brought out of ICU yesterday. Today, though, she goes in for a scope. We hope they find she had bleeding ulcers: she’s already battled cancer and annyeurisms twice (on both counts). We do not want her to have to endure anything remotely similar. I’ll report back tomorrow with the word!

Tonight, Lil K is spending the night with Lil Lady and I. It will be Lil K’s first night away from home without Mom & Dad. She’s been reminding me for the last week that it is her turn next (her older siblings both already had turns spending the night at my house), and I am sure she is going to love every minute of it!

Have a wonderful day, all!!

Remember the Sesame Street song? That is what kept running through my head all day today:

Sunny day…
sweepin’ the clouds away,
on my way to where the air is sweet…
Can you tell me how to get,
how to get to Sesame Street?

We had a great day. Despite the fact that Baby S was a MONSTER all night long! We tried having her sleep in her crib last night … uhm, so NOT happening. Damn good thing she’s so cute. I love her despite her monster ways. I got a great nap yesterday afternoon/evening, which was good: I did NOT sleep well through the night. In fact, I slept a whole hour. WOOHOO! Baby Stinker Butt kept me on my toes the rest of the night.

Once C woke up, I was up for good. We chatted for a while, then we watched some of our shows together. We decided to take the kids for lunch (C’s treat ), and so we headed out. After lunch, we decided to take advantage of the pool at my apartment complex. We thought we’d stay for about an hour and head home again, but we ended up being out there for a few hours. Afterwards, we headed back to C’s house for night 3 of the weaning challenge. Here we sit, counting down the hours … Baby S and I are about to take a short nap, because she is as whiny as I feel!

xoxo

Baby S did beautifully last night. She woke up several times. The first two times, she cried. From there on out, she just woke up, fussed a little, then lay down when I moved towards her, and allowed me to stroke her back until she fell asleep.

C woke up feeling rested and ready to tackle her day, since it was the first night of uninterrupted sleep she’s had in over a year!

B’s Mom is in the hospital, in total kidney failure. She had an ulcer bleed out, or something, and didn’t go in to get it checked out when she should have. She ended up in ICU this weekend, and probably will not be released for a few days. We’re worried about her, so please keep her in your thoughts. B & C went to visit her today, so I had a little quiet time with the kids. Lil C, Lil K, and I put the “Toddler Tunes” and “Kidz Only” digital music channels on, and sang, danced, and partied for about half an hour. Baby S didn’t know what to make of us, and she was crawling around and bopping on her knees, til I picked her up to do the “Hokey Pokey.” She LOVED that, and so we did it a couple of more times, even though the song wasn’t on anymore.

After, I got a GREAT video of Lil C singing along to Alvin and the Chipmunks singing “Bad Day” and dancing around. It made B & C laugh, because Lil C is all OVER the place, and totally throws his entire body into the dance. He’s a trip to watch. If I could figure out how to upload a video, I’d share with you. He cracks us up.

I am not sure why, but I was wide awake through most of the day. It wasn’t until late in the afternoon that I felt that zone come on, when I needed to get to a bed so I could crash. I ate a bowl of the delicious curry that B made for us, and headed on down to my nephew’s room to crash.

Tonight, Baby S seems to be resting a little better. She got to sleep a little later, but hasn’t woken up hollering yet, despite the late hour. I’m quite proud of her. We’ll see how the night goes on!

xoxo

Baby S is just over a year old, now. She is slowly catching up with other children her age, since she no longer has to endure chemotherapy and constant doctor visits. She still has checkups, and her blood is drawn regularly to test her AFP scores (her last one was 8 - EIGHT!!! How friggin fabulous!!). However, her body is restoring to “normal,” and she has even begun receiving her immunizations now.

We have also been given the all-clear to feed her ANYTHING now - shellfish, peanuts, strawberries, honey … the works! I, in particular, and extremely excited about this. B & C are both great about giving her things to eat all the time, but I am usually the one pushing the envelope and introducing tastes that are new and different. Usually this is with fruit (C only eats a few fruits, but I like lots of different fruits) or vegetables (C doesn’t eat carrots, which are one of Baby S’s favorites, thanks to me ;))

Along with the two bits of good news (immunizations, free-for-all-foods), we received a third: it is okay to wean Baby S from nursing as long as she receives 12-16 oz dairy daily. This can be in the form of soy milk, yogurt, or formula for older babies - whatever she’ll take. C has been trying to wean her on-and-off for a month or two now, but Baby S wants NOTHING to do with milk. Tonight, we tried almond milk, which is what I drink. She isn’t in love with it, but at least Baby S drank some of it. We’ll continue to try different things, including putting a bit of chocolate syrup in her milk to get her to drink it.

Tonight is our first night attempting weaning. I took a nap this afternoon, so I’ll be able to stay awake most of the night (not like I don’t already, but stress makes me sleep more and I have been stressed this week). I will be getting Baby S when she cries, which will allow C to get a little rest. It also keeps C from nursing Baby S without realizing it - sometimes when she’s extremely tired, she nurses the baby without even waking up fully. This way, the break will be clean.

Baby S had her last round of nursing earlier this evening, and for the rest of the night, I’ll stay with her when she fusses, rock her and sing her to sleep, then lay her back down. If she wakes up more than I expect, or I get more tired than I expect, I’ll make a pallet for her on the floor of the living room and sleep beside her.

Wish us luck … she’s been a fighter her whole life, and I expect this to be nothing short of WWIII as far as she is concerned! I’ll report back on Sunday or Monday with our results. Saturday will be incredibly difficult, as B will be home and he doesn’t like hearing his kids cry: he’s always the first to say, “Here C, she’s hungry - nurse her,” whenever Baby S cries. He also picks her up as soon as she starts stirring, instead of letting her readjust and fuss a bit before putting herself back to sleep. On the one hand, it is incredibly sweet … on the other, we want to kick his ass sometimes.

Ok, I’m off to battle the nursing blues!

oxoxo

Yesterday, we had to be up at an absolutely insane (to me) hour. I had to be at BFF’s house by 6:45 so we could leave for Pensacola to accomplish three things: colonoscopy for her hubby, 1-yr appt for Baby S, and 4-yr checkup for Lil K.

As I posted the other day, Baby S tested positive for Gardner’s Syndrome. The colonoscopy was to determine if B had the gene for Gardner’s syndrome, to help narrow down the origin. We are hoping, of course, that neither B nor C has the gene, and that gene mutation is the cause in Baby S. Anyway, B’s doctor says everything looks great, and that he doesn’t have the problems he would have if he was a carrier of Gardner’s Syndrom. For this we are grateful. C has to determine if she wants to go through a colonoscopy, or the genetics tests. Either way, we’re fairly certain she’s not carrying the gene, because her family does not have a history of such symptoms.

So far, so good.

My heart and thoughts go out to all of those mentioned in my wishes yesterday, and to one of my closest friends who is having trouble with her parents being overprotective, despite the fact she is an adult. Some parents do not know when to step back … and sometimes we thank them later. I hope she never has reason to thank her parents, but I certainly understand their desire to protect her as much as possible in this situation. I hope that despite their meddling, everything works out for her. I love you, and you know who you are.

xoxo

I have so many wishes running through my head, I cannot keep track of them all … I will, however, place a few here as they come to mind.

1) I wish for tomorrow to go well. BFF’s hubby has a minor surgery that could turn into a major recovery if all does not go well.

2) I wish for Baby S’s diagnosis of Garnder’s Syndrome (I linked to Wikipedia’s pared-down definition on purpose - the detailed version is a little mind-spinning) to be a mutation and not the genetic version. She is not sick, so no worries there. But, if this is a genetic disorder, the whole family is at a much greater risk for cancer. Appoitnment with a geneticist next month for the rest of the kids & BFF & her hubby.

3) I wish my current situation were not so dire, and that things would work out. I would really like some happy days after the last few weeks of depression, darnit!

4) I wish for two of my friends’ fathers to beat the diseases attacking them. They are both in my daily prayers, whether or not they believe in prayer.

5) I wish for my family’s situation to be cleared up … I get sick to my stomach everytime I think of them.

6) I wish for Lil Lady to continue to grow into a beautiful young lady. Daily, I notice how wonderful of a person she is, and how lucky I am to be her mother.

Thursday, BFF & I took Baby S to Pensacola for some testing. One of the side effects of chemotherapy is loss of hearing, so Baby S was going into the sound booth (with Mom, of course) to see if she responded to different pitches, sounds, etc.

The testing turned out fabulously (as far as I am concerned), because she has some inner ear damage, and loss of high pitch hearing, but nothing major. She hears all the normal sounds, voices, and pitches. BFF & her hubby are quite upset at this loss (they of course only want the best for Baby S), but I think she’s quite lucky to have escaped with a few scars and mild hearing loss. I am grateful, every time I lay eyes on her, for the outpouring of support, prayers, and love from all of you.

After the hearing tests were over, we sought out the Big Easy Cajun Cafe (which is also the Big Easy Tavern in the evenings) for lunch. We got there just on time - a few minutes later, the place was PACKED full of ‘regulars.’ We perused the menu while we waited for our sweet teas to be delivered, and had a hard time deciding WHICH items to order!

We finally decided to start with the “small” order of Buffalo Hot Wings (8 pcs for $6.95) to start, and I ordered a cup of jambalaya. One of the two $4.95 lunch specials was red beans and rice, so that is the meal I ordered. BFF decided to order the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich ($5.95), which turned out to be HUGE. We ordered Baby S some Chicken Tenders ($3.95) off the “For the Lil’ Tigers” menu.

Everything we ordered was delicious, including the sweet tea (you all know how much I love my sweet tea). We decided we head out there, we’re going to order the Cajun Sampler Plate (one cup each of red beans and rice, jambalaya, chicken okra & sausage gumbo, and seafood gumbo) because we want to try the two gumbos.

Thursday night, Lil C got to spend the night with Lil Lady and I. He had a BLAST. He sat on the couch with me and cuddled a bit, he played wii with Lil Lady, he chased our kitten & cat around, and slept on the floor (he was offered a mattress, he preferred the floor) of Lil Lady’s room, after watching a movie & playing DS. Lil K officially put in her request several times already, so her turn will be next!

xoxo