Santa!

We took the boys to see Santa last Saturday. The mall was packed with people doing their Christmas shopping. Luckily, the line to see Santa was relatively short this year and we didn't have to wait too long for it to be Peyton and Hunter's turn to sit on his lap. Peyton understands a lot more about Christmas this year. He knows that he needs to be good and that Santa will bring him presents. He was pretty excited to get to visit Santa.

We dressed the boys in their cute Christmas shirts that Kim gave them. Peyton's says "Santa's Little Helper" and Hunter's says "Baby's 1st Christmas." Hunter's also came with the cutest little reindeer hat. Here's the picture of the boys with Santa, which everyone has already seen because it was on our Christmas card.

Peyton chatted with Santa like they were old pals. When Santa asked Peyton what he wants for Christmas, Peyton simply said, "Toys." It was pretty cute. Santa also told Peyton that he needs to be good and listen to Mommy and Daddy. Hunter was laid back and didn't mind Santa holding him.

Radiation and Chemotherapy Finished!

I have finally completed my radiation treatments and my oral chemotherapy regimen. I took my last chemo pill Sunday night. My last radiation treatment was Monday, December 20. I don't think that I've been counting down to any day so anxiously in a long time.

I took the girls at the radiation office some of my homemade Christmas cookies as a thank you for the wonderful care that they gave me. Everyone there (the radiation therapists, my nurse, and my doctor) were all so kind and caring. I felt that they really got to know me and I got to know them too. Each morning as I was getting ready for my treatment we'd chat about various things, but mostly the important things like our kids and Christmas.

After my last treatment, I got to take my mask home with me. How exciting!? As I was leaving the office, each and every person that was a part of my treatment team stopped what they were doing to wish me well and give me a hug. Two of the girls even chased me down to stop me so that they could say goodbye. Everyone told me that they would continue to think about me and pray that I would stay healthy. While everyone was so friendly, I hope that I never have to see those people again!

On Monday evening, Kyle, Peyton, Hunter, my parents, Jeremy, and I went out to dinner to celebrate the end of my treatment. It was an entertaining evening, as Hunter peed on my mom when she changed his diaper, then Hunter spit up on her after she fed him his bottle, and my brother knocked over an entire soda onto my dad's lap.

I want everyone to know how much their support has meant to me during this ordeal. And now that it is over, bring on Christmas!

Decorating for Christmas

We decorated for Christmas about two weeks ago. We decided to let Peyton help us with the decorations this year. Previously, we had always decorated in the evening after he was asleep. However this year, we figured he was old enough to help us out. While Kyle put together our fabulously fake Christmas tree, Peyton and I got out some of the other decorations. We hung the stockings on the fireplace mantle. Grandmom made Hunter's stocking. She also made Peyton's back when he was born.

Next, we got out Mr. and Mrs. Snowman. Here's Peyton with Mrs. Snowman.

Once the tree was put together, we worked on decorating it. Peyton started out by putting the angel on top of the tree. This took many attempts, but he and Kyle finally got it positioned correctly.

Next Peyton put the candy canes on the tree.

Finally, it was time to hang the ornaments. Peyton mostly put the non-breakable ones on the tree. Kyle and I took care of the more delicate ornaments.

Hunter even got to hang his special Baby's 1st Christmas ornament on the tree.

Here is our decorated Christmas tree.

Even though Peyton helped us with the decorations this year, as soon as he came downstairs the next morning, he ran right over to the tree. He yelled, "Oooh pretty!" It was hilariously cute, because it was as if he was seeing the tree for the first time. He then had to walk around the house and check out all of the other decorations that we put up after he was asleep.

Advent Calendar

One of Peyton's favorite things about December is getting to eat the chocolate from his Advent calendar each night after dinner. These pictures are from December 1, so it was the first day of candy for the month. Can you sense the excitement?

Here are Peyton and I finding the number 1 candy.

Peyton opened the door and removed the candy.

I think he liked it!

More Birthday Gifts

Mr. Spoiled AKA Peyton, got even more birthday gifts a few days ago. He received a gift card to Toys R Us from Grandma Moreau. I know he can't wait to go spend it at the store, but we will wait until after Christmas for a shopping spree. Here are the pictures of him opening his gift.

His card sings the Hot Dog song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so it was a big hit.

Thanks Grandma!

Thanksgiving 2010

I'm not going to lie - this was not the best Thanksgiving that I've ever had. I was having quite the bad week emotionally. I was pretty bummed out the whole week, but Thanksgiving was especially bad for some reason. I know that I have a ton to be thankful for this year (and every year) but I just couldn't really get into a good mood. There was lots of crying and some yelling by me. I would like to officially apologize to everyone for being a crazy person on Thursday and I'd like to thank everyone for putting up with me!

However, it was Hunter's very first Thanksgiving, so that was exciting. I got up with the boys on Thanksgiving, while Kyle enjoyed a sleep-in day. The three of us played for a while, and then we all sat down to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade together. Peyton especially liked the big Mickey Mouse balloon, the Spiderman balloon, the Sesame Street float, and the Dora float. He sat pretty still throughout the parade and was super excited to see Santa Clause at the end of the parade.

Peyton ate a light, early lunch and then we tried to put him down for a little nap before heading to Nadean's house for dinner. He stayed in his room for about 15 minutes and then decided he was finished sleeping, even though he never even quieted down while he was in his room. We fought with him for a while and he finally ended up falling asleep for about a half-hour. He was grumpy when I woke him up to get ready for dinner since he was tired, but he was also super excited for the huge dinner that was awaiting him. He eventually calmed down and cheered up.

Here's Hunter is his special Thanksgiving outfit. It had turkeys and pumpkins on it and says "I'm Stuffed."

My two cuties. We really need a new pose for the two of them, haha.

Dinner was at Nadean's at 3:00. Prior to dinner, Peyton entertained us all by playing (umm, banging on) the piano. Everyone was there for dinner. Even Jeremy and Jill made it in time to eat with us. Yay!

Dinner was delicious. I think we all enjoyed everything, including the turkey, dressing, cracker corn, bread and butter, cranberry sauce, and sweet potatoes. Peyton ate pretty well. He'd been looking forward to that meal all month. He chose a variety of foods, even things that he'd never tried before. He surprised me by liking the cranberry sauce. He also ate tons of sausage, which seems to be one of his favorite foods lately.

After dinner we did our drawing of names for the Christmas gift exchange. Then Kim, Bo, and Dougie gave Peyton and Hunter their Halloween gifts. Peyton got some treats like cheese curls, cookies, and candy, as well as a Halloween coloring/sticker book.

I didn't get any pictures of Hunter's gifts, but he got a new rattle and a hat and glove set. Thanks for the gifts! Aunt Bev also hooked Peyton and Hunter up with their Advent calendars. I know Peyton is excited for December to get here so that he can start to eat his chocolates each day to count down to Christmas.

We left dinner early to head down to Kate and Dave's house for dessert. They hosted dinner at their house for themselves, and Dave's brother, his family, and his parents. Kate made three pies, including a pumpkin, coconut cream, and apple crunch. I made a double chocolate cheesecake. Peyton chose to eat the apple crunch pie, which tasted really good. Peyton had a good time playing with Noah and Kate and Dave's nephews, who are 4 and 2 years old. Hunter was up way past his bedtime and was super tired, but thankfully wasn't fussy. We changed him into his pajamas and he did eventually fall asleep. Peyton was also pretty tired from not taking a good nap, and he fell asleep on the way home from Virginia.

I'll end with this picture of our family on Thanksgiving.

More Firsts for Hunter

Hunter has been a busy boy since he's turned 4 months. We've started putting him in the high chair some nights while we eat dinner. It is nice to not have to hold him all of the time while we try to eat. This was his first night in the high chair. He and Mr. Bee didn't quite get along. Hunter wanted that bee in his mouth, but couldn't reach it, so he decided to just stare it down instead. So cute though.

Hunter also gets to play in this bouncy toy now. This was the first time that we put him in the jumper. He wasn't too impressed with it the first time, but he seems to like it more each time we put him in there as he's learning what he can play with on the toy.

Finally, we tried to give Hunter some rice cereal. He just spit it out though, so we're going to hold off on it for a few more weeks, and then we'll try again. But here was his first taste.

More Halloween Gifts

My kids are quite spoiled by everyone in my family. They got some Halloween gifts from Aunt Bev and Nadean, Vester, and Austin. Since everyone has been a little busy lately, the boys just got the gifts a few weeks ago. First, Hunter opened his gifts from Aunt Bev. He got some yummy baby food.

He also got some money, which I think was his favorite part, since he wouldn't let it go.

Next, Hunter opened his gift from Nadean, Vester, and Austin.

He got a cloth book that makes a crinkly noise and has teethers on it. It has become his favorite thing to chew on and play with lately.

Peyton chose to open his gift from Nadean, Vester, and Austin first.

He got a really cute Halloween pillow and blanket set, some delicious cookies, and a Halloween coloring/sticker book.

Next, Peyton opened his gift from Aunt Bev. He got some special treats and also some money.

Peyton and Hunter say thanks for the gifts!

60% Finished with Radiation

Today I did my 18th of 30 radiation treatments, which means that I'm 60% finished. I'm still doing pretty well physically with the side effects. Some days I'm pretty tired, but most days I still have most of my energy, which I'm thankful for. My only other new side effect is that the skin on my forehead has been hurting. It looks normal, but I basically feel like I have a bad sunburn. My doctor gave me some special lotion to put on my face to combat this 'radiation burn.' It occurs because the radiation is killing my skin cells faster than they can regenerate themselves, so my face feels raw. Hopefully the lotion will help!

In other good news, the doctor decided to wean me off of the steroid medication. This is the one that has been making me gain tons of weight and feel super hot all of the time. She said that the weight should start to go away when I stop taking the steroids. That is really welcomed news. And I will love to not be sweating all of the time too. As long as my headaches don't come back and I don't get blurry vision or dizziness, I should be able to stay off of this medication.

Last week my hair took a turn for the worse. It is crazy how much of it falls out now every time I brush is and wash it. There is a ton of hair on my pillow every morning and each time I take my bandanna off, it is also covered in hair. I'm pretty much completely bald now on the front half of my head, where the radiation is being concentrated. My "ponytail" is also so so so thin. I know that my hair will grow back, but it is just so depressing to lose it like this. I was pretty bummed out all of last week. The depression sort of comes and goes. I am feeling much better this week though. I'm trying my best to stay happy, but sometimes it's tough. I'm definitely counting down until my last treatment. I think we're all ready for this to be over!

Also, I just wanted to mention how wonderful Kyle has been through all of this. He is such a great husband and father and I haven't given him any credit for all that's he's been doing to help me out. I love you Kyle and really appreciate all you've done for Peyton, Hunter, and me lately!

Radiation - 1/3 Finished

Today I finished my 10th radiation treatment out of 30. That means that I'm 1/3 of the way done with the treatments! This week was quite uneventful, which I think is a good thing. I mostly just have the same side effects that I was feeling last week. The most obvious side effect is that I'm pretty tired by the end of the day.

Also, I'm on one medication that is a steroid to keep the swelling in my brain down. This medication is causing me to gain massive amounts of weight, which is showing up a lot in my face. I just feel so fat, but I know that I'll be able to lose the weight later on. It just makes that mask that they use to bolt me to the table during my treatments super tight and even more uncomfortable. That same medication also makes me really hot, so I'm always sweating and it is sometimes difficult to sleep because I'm so hot. This is a huge difference for me because I'm usually a cold person. I don't even wear a jacket when I go outside, even when temperatures are in the low 40s in the morning. It feels so good outside in the cool temperatures!

The last side effect is that my hair is definitely falling out more. There are bald-ish patches all over my head, mostly near the tumor site where they are shooting the radiation. It's going to get worse before it gets better and until it starts to grow back I'll just keep rocking my bandanna! I'm trying not to get too down about losing my hair, but it is depressing. Oh well, it's just hair and it will be back!

The radiation office is closed on Thanksgiving and the day after, so I'm going in for an extra session on Sunday to make up for one of those days. That means I only get tomorrow off, but at least next week I get a 4 day weekend from treatments! I'm just hoping to still be feeling well so that Thanksgiving will be "normal" for all of us.

Check-ups and Milestones

Hunter turned 4 months old on November 11. I can not even believe that four months have passed already since he was born. As of now, Hunter can roll over from his tummy to his back and from his back to his tummy. He holds his head up very well and can keep it steady for long periods of time. He can put his weight on his legs when we hold him up. And he wants to sit up, but is still too wobbly, even though his abs are really strong. Hunter can hold toys now and is able to transfer them from one hand to the other. He mostly just likes to chew on the toys, of course.

Hunter is also a tooth growing machine! He got his first tooth (the bottom right center one) right around when he turned 3 months old and the second tooth (the bottom left center one) on November 1. I was trying to capture his teeth in this picture, but Hunter wouldn't cooperate by maintaining his big smile long enough for me to snap a good picture. It's a cute picture anyway though and I'll keep trying to take a picture of those teeth. (I love his big eyes!)

Here are two more pictures of Hunter playing on his activity mat. He loves this toy. It makes him squeal with delight every time.

I took Hunter to his 4-month check-up at the doctor last Friday. He is doing well and is on track with all of his developmental milestones. He's 24.5 inches long (50th percentile) and his head circumference is 16 inches (25th percentile). He weighs 12 pounds 12 ounces, which is the 10th percentile. His didn't gain very much weight between his 2 month and 4 month check-ups. In this time, Hunter was diagnosed with eczema. In order to help with his skin issues, the pediatrician switched his formula to the Similac Alimentum, which is the expensive/gross one that Peyton was on too. Unfortunately, the formula didn't help his skin at all, made him spit up way more than he ever did before, and caused him to be incredibly gassy. The doctor decided to switch Hunter back to the regular Similac formula, so hopefully he'll catch back up with his weight soon, since he was really having no other problems with that original formula. However, since the prescription that the pediatrician gave us to help the eczema wasn't working either, Hunter has to see a special pediatric dermatologist. We'll be going to that doctor early in December, so hopefully he'll be able to help Hunter out. We're also going to get some blood work done on Hunter to see if he might be allergic to any foods in the future. Having eczema predisposes kids to allergies and breathing problems. (All of which Peyton has too...) Hunter also got a few vaccines, which made him pretty grumpy and tired for the rest of the day. But otherwise, Hunter is a healthy boy!

I decided to schedule both boys' check-ups at the same time, since Peyton's annual check-up was scheduled to fall right around Hunter's 4 month check-up. This was the first time that I ever took both boys to the doctor together. Luckily Peyton did a really good job of being good and patient while the doctor checked out Hunter first. He sat up on the table and the doctor let Peyton watch closely and "play" with her instruments. He has a doctor kit at home, which is one of his favorite toys, so he knew what everything was for already.

Peyton is also doing very well. He is 36.5 inches tall (25th percentile) and weighs a whopping 27 pounds 6 ounces (10th percentile). The doctor is not concerned with Peyton's weight because he has always been on the small side and once I assured her that he eats very well (and A LOT!), she said she's sure that he is just going to be on the small side. He is on track with all of his physical skills too, like being able to stand on one foot and being able to jump around. Besides having to continue with his daily breathing treatments, Peyton is healthy too.

Peyton is very advanced developmentally when it comes to his vocabulary, knowledge of numbers, letters, colors, how to spell his name, knowing his address, etc. The doctor had Peyton draw a circle, square, and plus sign. This is where Peyton needs to do some work. We'll be working on his writing a little more at home. While the doctor said that his drawing/writing skills are on par with a 3-year old's skill set, they are a little behind compared to his other academic skills, so she said if there is something that we wanted to work on, it would be that. The doctor has always been impressed with Peyton's brains. I'm so proud of him! Here's a cute picture of my big boy.

I'll end this long post with one more funny picture. I guess that Hunter was less than enthused with dinner that night.

Radiation Week 1 Done

As I have mentioned before, my tumor treatment plan involves combining radiation treatments on my brain and an oral chemotherapy pill regimen to kill the remaining tumor that the neurosurgeon could not remove. I started my radiation treatments and chemo pills on Monday, November 8.

Each day of radiation is exactly the same. I drive up to the radiation doctor's office which is located on the Franklin Square campus. As a radiation patient, I get the express treatment at the doctor's office, and get to go right back to the treatment area when I arrive. This doctor is very good at being on time with the appointments. I enter the radiation room and get up on the table. The machine that delivers the radiation is just like an x-ray machine and it is completely computer-driven. Once I lay down, the technicians strap me to the table with the mask that was made for me a few weeks ago. This is the only uncomfortable part of the treatment. I can not move because the mask is very tight on my face. However, it is necessary to keep me in the same exact position each day so that the radiation hits the proper parts of my brain and doesn't kill anymore of the "good" brain than is absolutely necessary.

The technicians then leave the room. Two x-rays are taken of my brain each day to make sure that I am in the correct position on the table. The doctor checks the x-rays and then the radiation starts. I am hit with radiation from five different angles each day. This ensures that the maximum surface area of the tumor is hit, yet minimal good brain is damaged. I don't feel anything while the radiation runs. The machine beeps and there is a light that pulses so I can tell when the radiation is being emitted, but there is no pain at all. The entire treatment lasts about 10 minutes. The technicians come back into the room, unstrap the mask, and I am free to go.

So far, I've done 6 radiation treatments. That means that I'm 20% finished! My last day of treatment is scheduled for December 21. Last week the only side effect that I experienced was an incredibly itchy rash all over my whole body. I see the radiation doctor each Thursday. I explained my problem to her and she immediately consulted with my oncologist about the rash. They determined that I was probably allergic to another of my medications (an antibiotic), so they took me off of that medicine for now. The rash has thankfully cleared up and I am no longer itchy, so I think they were right about the diagnosis.

I've been taking the oral chemotherapy pills each day since I started the radiation. I take this pill at night, as suggested, to minimize any nausea side effects. I haven't had any other side effects yet (knock on wood) besides being tired. The doctors said it will take about 2 weeks for the side effects to really kick in, so I might start feeling worse later this week or early next week. We just have to wait and see when and what is going to happen as each person is different and experiences different things. I'm just trying to stay optimistic. And I'm looking forward to Christmas because this will over be over by then!!

Halloween

Sunday was Halloween. We pretty much just hung out during the day like we always do. We planned to eat dinner at our normal time, and then head out trick-or-treating when it got dark outside. Peyton wanted to take some pictures with the pumpkins outside before we left to go trick-or-treating. I don't know why his tongue is sticking out, but it makes me laugh.

I wanted to capture the pumpkin butt of Hunter's 1st Halloween outfit. Who doesn't love a cute baby butt?!

Kyle and I got the boys a few little gifts for Halloween. Here is Peyton opening his. He got a marshmallow lollipop shaped like a spider.

And he got "The Berenstein Bears Trick-or-Treat" book.

Hunter got a marshmallow lollipop shaped like a pumpkin. He looks very excited about it, and I'm sure he'd love to eat it if he could.

Hunter would not let go of the lollipop, even as Kyle showed him his new book called "Who's There?"

Finally it was time to trick-or-treat. Peyton was ready to go all day. He couldn't wait until it was time to leave the house. We had been prepping him on what to do at each house, so he was definitely prepared for the festivities.

My smiley football.

And my super cute cow.

Kyle in his Lions jersey with our football (The Lions beat the Redskins earlier in the day. Woohoo! I hate the Redskins.)

Both of my boys ready to go trick-or-treating. The cuteness is overwhelming!

We all went out trick-or-treating together. We started on our street. Peyton did such a great job at each house. He would go up to the door, bang on it loudly, then yell "Trick-or-treat!" when the person would answer the door. He got lots of candy at each house because everyone thought he was so adorable. He said thank you to each person after receiving his candy too, without prompting. I was so proud of how polite he was. Hunter scored some candy too. Kyle took Hunter home after we finished our street because it was a little chilly and past his bedtime. Hunter looked like he was just about to fall asleep the whole time we were walking around, but he hung tough. Peyton and I walked around the rest of our neighborhood to hit the rest of the houses. Only about half of them seemed to have people at home handing out candy though. We stayed out for about an hour total, and then headed home. Peyton just wanted to eat his candy when we got home. He ran right in the door and dumped his loot out on the floor. Since it was only about an hour before bedtime, we only let Peyton have one piece of candy. He hasn't mentioned the candy anymore since that night.

We got a fair number of trick-or-treaters at our house before and after we went out ourselves. Peyton was a big help handing out the candy to the kids. He liked to answer the door and he gave each kid exactly one piece of candy. It was pretty funny because that's just what I would have done had I been handing out the candy. He's definitely my kid. Luckily the trick-or-treaters stopped coming by just as we put Hunter to bed, so he didn't wake up at all. I was worried the doorbell would disturb him.

I'm so thankful that I was able to enjoy Halloween this year with Peyton and Hunter. Halloween is one of our favorite holidays. Peyton had a blast trick-or-treating and both he and Hunter looked absolutely adorable in their costumes, so I'd say the day was a success!

Halloween with Grandmom and Pop-Pop

Last Saturday we had our first Terps game to go to since the first weekend in October. Their away and bye schedule worked out really well with my surgery and recovery schedule, so I didn't have to miss any games. Since my dad and Jeremy (and Jill this week!) go to the games with Kyle and I, my mom always watches Peyton and Hunter.

Side note story: Kyle had to go to the store to buy some ice to put in the cooler to keep the drinks cold. He took Peyton with him. When they got into the car, Peyton randomly asked Kyle if he would take him to buy me some flowers. Kyle said that it was completely Peyton's idea and totally out of the blue. So Kyle did take Peyton to the store and he picked these special flowers out for me. So pretty and I felt so loved!

Anyway, we decided to put the boys into their Halloween costumes so that my parents, Jeremy, and Jill could see them in person. I knew I wouldn't feel like driving the kids around to see everyone on Halloween day. I wanted to save my energy for trick-or-treating with them in the evening. Here is me and my little football. Isn't Hunter so cute?!

Of course Grandmom and Pop-Pop came armed with gifts. They gave Peyton this little mummy, who had candy in his bag, and a light up pumpkin toy. Peyton also scored a little cow figurine, matching his costume.

Hunter got a dancing ghost, which he loves to watch dance across the table. He also got a light up ghost toy and a fish teether.

One more picture of my little cutie in a special 1st Halloween bib that my parents brought over.

After the mini-Halloween festivities, we all left for the game. The Terps ended up winning their homecoming game against Wake Forest 62-14. We left at the end of the third quarter though because the wind was gusting, it was pretty chilly, and the game was already a blowout.

While we were at the game, my mom took the boys to Clarkland Farm. They have a bunch of the old nursery rhyme scenes from the Enchanted Forest. There is also a petting zoo, which Peyton seemed to love. He got to pet a goat and a sheep, and he even rode a horse. My mom bought Hunter and Peyton little pumpkins and Peyton also got a tractor toy. I think both boys had fun at the farm. They both slept late Sunday morning since they were so worn out!