Most of you know my mom is dealing with breast cancer. Well, the past few months she's been having pain and problems and we almost lost her the week of her birthday (2nd week of September) due to hypercalcemia (cancer was causing the blood to leech out of her bones and into her blood). She was very fatigued and depressed and my dad took her to his great doctor. He tried to get the calcium problem fixed with a basic approach that usually works but it didn't. He had her come in to check her levels a week later and while entering the clinic, she barely stubbed her toe on the door threshold and broke her femur! Yeah her bones were in bad shape!!! She said it was the most painful thing ever and childbirth is nothing compared to the pain. So they took her to the ER and she was in surgery the next day to get a rod put in her leg. Turns out there was cancer in the bone but the part that had cancer in it is what shattered and was removed, so as far as I understand, she doesn't have it in any other bones as of now. After a couple of days her calcium levels were still rising and I was so worried but was told to not come by her and everybody. "Take care of your kids. We'll keep you updated." Yeah right. It was miserable. Two days after she broke her leg, I couldn't take it anymore and Mom was getting worse. So I found sitters for my kids for the next several days (thank you so much Ben, Kelli, Kim, and Natalie!) and raced up to Kansas to see my mom. She looked pretty bad when I got there. She was so tired and the doctors were amazed she wasn't in a coma yet from the calcium issue. She was kind of telling people she was ready to go (I can imagine why after all that pain and worry of the last year) and I really thought that was the last time I'd see my mom. The next morning everything had changed. Some time after I left that night, the dr came in to try what I think is the 4th medication to try to fix the calcium problem. It worked! I came in to see my mom sitting up in bed and smiling while she ate her breakfast. She had color in her face again and she said she had slept great that night. WHAT??? It was such a miracle. I know that she has had a ton of people fasting and praying for her (and many friends of mine were fasting and praying as well for her and me) and the miracle was amazing. She has continued to get better. Exactly a week from that scary day that I drove up there, she went home from the hospital! She's doing great walking with her walker or scooting around in her wheelchair. My dad put new carpet in the room (needed it anyway but it's nice and flat to make it easy to maneuver) and rented a hospital bed and things that will make it easier to recover. One of her sisters came to help take care of her all this month and I was able to come home to my family but it's been hard to not make sure she's ok every day. I have had such an emotional roller coaster in this past few weeks. I know she still has cancer and she's not going to live forever but I am SO grateful for the extra time we've been granted together. She has been so excited to meet her grandson in December and that's a possibility now!
On to better news... baby boy is growing and as of last Monday, he weighs an estimated 2 lb. 1 oz. and is still very much a boy. He's always moving and flipping and I'm starting to feel body parts now, which is cool. I'm still doing water aerobics 3 or 4 mornings a week and that's been fun. I've only gained 12 lbs so far and everyone says I look tiny (not to me!). I'm definitely carrying different this time though.
Jill started school! She really enjoys 1st grade, loves her teacher and their class parrot Murphy, and already has a boy that picks on her or bugs her every day (I'm guessing because he thinks she's cute). She is loving being back in school and Miranda is SO ready to join her next year!
I turned 32! I'm liking this age too. My parents came down to see me that weekend and although my mom was in obvious pain and couldn't do much with us, it was just so nice to see them. Luckily Mom isn't in pain anymore. Yay pain meds!!! The Young Women from church got me a cake for our regular Wednesday night activity and there was a ton left to bring home, so I didn't even have to bake my own birthday cake! Yay! I ended up going to a 1st Grade Parent Forum on my actual birthday. Yay? :)
Labor Day weekend was fun. We went to the zoo and just hung out and had fun. No traveling! On the Monday, we did some much needed yardwork and although we don't enjoy that at all, we appreciated the fruits of our hard labor. :)
Jill turned 7! We went to Dallas for the weekend of Jill's birthday and spent the time with grandparents and cousins. Ben was able to go to a live UFC event in Dallas with two of his old friends and he thoroughly enjoyed it. The girls were well behaved for the most part but I've never heard them say, "Are we there yet? How much longer?" more than they did on this trip and it's not even as long as our Kansas trips!
Miranda is doing karate at the YMCA and Jill does a KidzFit class there. Natalie loves the nursery there ("The Playroom") and it's nice for mom to get a break! :) Jill is also doing Daisy Girl Scouts and piano lessons. Things have been busy lately but I'm not sure what to cut out because it's all good stuff, right? Miranda & Natalie are playing really well together with Jill in school. They fought a lot more when there was 3 of them here but I guess if they want someone to play with them, they have to be nice to the one that's here with them! :)
So as of now, life really is good. I worry about my mom and about having another baby (PPD nightmares!) but we are healthy and happy and I am trying to appreciate the good in every day (and downplay the bad). :)
