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!

Pumpkin Carving and Treat Making

Friday evening after dinner, we carved our pumpkins and then Peyton and I made some special Halloween goodies. Hunter was less than enthused about the pumpkin carving extravaganza. It was getting close to his bedtime, so he was kind of grumpy.

Peyton was excited to make jack-o-lanterns though.

The pumpkin carving duties usually fall to me each year. I cut the tops off of the pumpkins and then tried to get Peyton to help me scoop out the seeds and stringy pumpkin pieces, but he wanted no part of sticking his hand in the pumpkin. He said it was yucky, so I just finished scooping the pumpkins clean myself.

Peyton directed me on how to carve each of the pumpkins. He told me what shapes to make the eyes, noses, and whether the mouths should be a smile or a frown.

Hunter ended up cheering up a little bit. He must have liked the finished product!

Here are our jack-o-lanterns.

After Hunter went to sleep, Peyton and I made some special Whoopie Pies for Halloween. Peyton loves baking with me and I love baking with Peyton! He does a really good job of dumping the ingredients into the bowl. He also knows that something yummy is coming when we bake together and I know he can't wait to eat the treats we make.

These Whoopie Pies were made with chocolate cake and the icing inside was so sweet, made with lots of butter, cream cheese, Fluff, and powdered sugar. We tinted the icing orange for Halloween and made spider webs out of icing to decorate the pies for the holiday. They tasted pretty good too, I'd say.

Even though I was really last minute on buying the pumpkins, I'm glad I found some and that we carved them for Halloween. I didn't want Peyton and Hunter to miss out on our traditions just because I'm a little sick this year.

Halloween Parade and Party

On the Friday before Halloween, Peyton and Hunter had their costume parade and Halloween parties at daycare. Peyton asked me to come to the parade and party, so I did. We dressed Hunter up in his special My 1st Halloween outfit for the day. We took these pictures before daycare in the morning.

My little pumpkin.

Peyton is the best big brother. He still loves to hold Hunter whenever he can.


















Here is my little football being carried by his teacher, Miss Heather who happened to be dressed up as Joe Flacco.


















And here is Peyton, my cow, with his class in the background. There were lots of boys dressed like Buzz Lightyear and so many of the girls were Disney princesses. But Peyton was the cutest, of course!

After the costume parade outside, the kids all headed back inside to their respective classes to have their Halloween parties. Peyton couldn't wait to get out of his costume. I was happy about that too though because he ate so much food and was a mess. His whole face and hands were completely orange from all of the cheese curls that he ate, so his white cow costume would have been orange too. He also ate cupcakes, potato chips, apple slices with caramel dip, and marshmallows. I bounced back and forth between Peyton and Hunter's classes, and every time I came back to see Peyton his plate was full of food again. He eats so much for being so thin!














Here is Hunter hanging out in his classroom.


















Eventually I convinced Peyton to stop eating so that we could go home. The kids all looked really cute in their costumes and the party seemed to be a big hit. I think Peyton is at such a fun age right now because he is starting to really understand what the holidays and traditions mean.

More Birthdays

It seems like the birthday celebrations never end in October. Kim, Bo, and Dougie were unable to make it to Peyton's birthday party at Pump It Up because Dougie had a baseball game at the same time. So they stopped by the weekend after the party to give Peyton his gifts. First we read his card.















Peyton absolutely loved his gifts. He got these Animal Planet figures. Peyton loves animals right now (as he has for about a year, actually) so this gift was perfect! He plays with the animals nonstop.















Peyton also got a book all about animals. We read so many books, so that was another great present.















Dougie and Peyton played for a while and Kim and Bo took turns holding Hunter. Kyle cooked some hamburgers on the grill for dinner which we all enjoyed together. After dinner, everyone headed home though because Dougie had to study.

On Jeremy's birthday, we met up with him and Jill and my parents at TGIFriday's for dinner to celebrate. We sang Happy Birthday to Jeremy, which was Peyton's favorite part of the evening.















Of course Peyton had to help Uncle Jeremy blow out his candles.
















Peyton loves birthday cake, so he couldn't wait to get his hands on one of Jeremy's cupcakes. He mostly just ate the icing off the top of the cupcake, which isn't such a great idea when it's only 30 minutes before bedtime...

After dessert, Jeremy opened his gifts.

We got him NHL '11 for PS3. Notice how excited Peyton looks about this game, even though he really has no idea what it is. Cute though anyway!

Jill's birthday is early in November and we weren't sure if we would see her before then so we just gave her her birthday gift too. We got her the last Harry Potter book.

That's all for the birthdays now. It's finally time to move on to Halloween!

Birthday Videos

Here are a few videos from Peyton's actual birthday and then his birthday party at Pump It Up.