First Day 2014-2015: Pre-K & First Grade

Bailey and Lou started school last Thursday. They were both super excited, which made this transition much easier on mom and dad the girls!

Lou:

• She's attending the Pre-K (4 year old) program at Creekwood. 
• Bailey didn't attend a Pre-K center for two reasons: 1) at the time, our church offered a 4 year old program and 2) the Pre-K centers weren't built yet.
• Lou was SO excited to go to her Big School!
• I think the trickiest thing she will do this year is learn how to spell Anberlyn. This should be interesting.
• Dad came home from work on the first day to help take everyone to school. Lou got a little nervous walking into class, but she entered like a champ! She quickly settled into a table and began playing so we all hugged her goodbye, and headed to Bailey's school. Both of the schools are within a few miles of our house, but they're in opposite directions. Of course.
• That night, Lou told us that she cried a little in class because she missed us, but she had a great day. There were no tears on day two. Whew!
• You can't tell me that this next picture doesn't blow your mind...

Bailey: 

• She's attending First grade at Liberty again.
• She was super ready to go back to school and see her friends!
• She had a great first day and she even bought her lunch on Friday. This was a big move since I packed her lunch all last year. 
• I thought that she would be ok with the drop off line on Friday morning, but I could see the worry in her face as we got closer to the school so Parker and I walked her in. She will always be our little girl!

Parker: 

• This sweet little girl and I will get to enjoy some one on one time this year. She's never been the center of attention so this will be fun!
• We spent Thursday morning playing with a friend, and Friday morning snuggled on the couch watching Frozen, per her request.

We kicked off the weekend with a little Power Washing Fun. We needed to clean off some outdoor furniture so why not hose off the kids in 100 degree weather!

BRCA: Growing Boobies (Part 2)

I had my second expander fill yesterday. I wasn't looking forward to it because I was pretty sore for 4-5 days after the last fill. The actual fill doesn't hurt (you do feel the stretching), but the muscle soreness after is what got me. Last time, I had two spots, one on each side, that felt like such a deep muscle pain that it made me feel nauseated. It wouldn't last long, but I felt it all throughout the day for those 4-5 days until my muscles had stretched and adjusted to the fill. Yesterday's fill was about the same. I felt ok throughout the day, but the soreness set in overnight and I woke in pain. I plan to take it easy today and hope that the soreness subsides soon. Ibuprofen is my friend.

I'm blessed to have amazing friends (besides Ibuprofen). Yesterday, Dawn picked me up and she had a Rocket Brothers Tea waiting in the car. My favorite! We dropped off our youngest girls at my parents house for a swim, and she drove me to the doctor. This was our trade off for me driving her to her doctors appointment on Wednesday. We never would have guessed that when we met over 20 years ago that we would be driving each other to cancer related doctors appointments at age 34. Thankfully, God knew how much we would need each other and we've been blessed with each others love and support for all of life events. It's kind of like a marriage, for better or for worse. In sickness and in health.

Once in the exam room, Dawn had me read the Jesus Calling devotional for that day because it was such a great fit. 

• "Trust Me, and don't be afraid. I want you to view trials as exercises designed to develop your trust-muscles. You live in the midst of fierce spiritual battles, and fear is one of Satan's favorite weapons. When you start to feel afraid, affirm your trust in Me. Speak out loud, if circumstances permit. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Refresh yourself in My holy Presence. Speak or sing praises to Me, and My Face will shine radiantly upon you."

After reading that she took my hands to pray. After saying a few words, my doctor walked in the room. Without missing a beat, I asked him to join us and I took his hand. I have no idea if he's a Christian, but he joined in. What started as a private prayer between the two of us was shared with my doctor and a nurse. God is good!

At my last appointment, I was given 100cc's of saline in each expander, and I received 100cc's at this appointment too. Since things are a little distorted after the fill, I will go back to see my doctor in two weeks (once things settle a little) to decide if I'll stay at this size or need one more fill. If I do need one more fill, it should only be about 10-15% bigger to make room for the implant trade out. 

I still have to work on my scars. He said that they need to be softer to be able to do my final surgery (in 6-8 weeks) because he will have to cut along the same lines to do the expander/implant trade out. So, I will keep rubbing lotion on them multiple times a day to keep the scar tissue from building up.

My range of motion wasn't even discussed, which is awesome because I've done so well with my exercises that it's not a big issue anymore. I still have work to do, but I'm fairly certain that my full range of motion won't return until these hard expanders are removed. 

On a less serious note: I joke that I have Clown Boobs. You know, like looking in the distorted Fun House mirror?! It's just not quite right so it's hard to envision what the final product will look like. But, like my doctor said, from my viewpoint (looking down), they're high and round and not at all in the right place. So, I have to trust that everything will look great in the end.

Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understand; but it all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Summer Fun

Greg and I decided that we would have a Day O'Fun with the girls last Saturday. After all, it was our last weekend before school starts and we had already missed five weeks with the girls while I was recovering from surgery. I wasn't sure if I had a whole day of fun in me, but I was certainly going to try!

We kicked off the day with donuts and a dog pile on daddy, complete with a princess on top! Then we headed to the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks. The girls loved seeing the underwater animals, but they were a little afraid of the sharks. We've been watching Shark Week (the kid friendly parts) on TV so I can't imagine why they were afraid?! You actually get to walk through a set of tunnels and watch the sharks swim all around you. They have the largest exhibit of Bull Sharks in captivity. It's pretty awesome!

The above picture was a neat exhibit where the kids could crawl under the gigantic fish tank and pop their heads up inside the tank in an enclosed tube. It was pretty cool! They also got to stand in a shark cage like the ones we saw on TV, and touch a blue starfish. Then the girls posed out front with their gift shop animals (Lou got a shark, Parker got a tree frog, and Bailey got a penguin).

After the Aquarium, we headed to Chick-Fil-A for lunch and Neinhuis Park for playtime. 

Then we all crashed at home for a two hour nap. I was exhausted. I mean, the girls were exhausted. Ok, we all were! After naps, I made dinner and we headed to Main Street in BA to see a friend's art set up at the White Linen Event. Then we went to Marble Slab for some amazing ice cream!

After ice cream, we went down the street to Bass Pro and walked around the pond where we saw a lady reel in a (tiny) catfish. The weather was beautiful! We also walked around inside Bass Pro, and let the girls play on the ATV's. Cheap entertainment!

Once we returned home, we traded out Parker's crib for a big girl bed. It was a bittersweet moment to see the last crib go, but definitely time for the change. She was so excited. She kept saying, "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" It looks like we'll be shopping for big girl bedding soon.

What a great Day O'Fun with the family! And we all slept happily ever after!

Little Hearts that Give BIG!

Early this Summer, my best friend set up a tour of the local Fire Station in BA. The firemen were so patient as they gave 30+ of us (around 20 of those being kids) a tour of the station and the different trucks. All of the kids LOVED it! 

The top left picture is Bailey, Lou, and Parker with Fireman Parker. Of course, we had to take a picture with him. He has a pretty awesome name!

We drive past the station often so Bailey asked if we could make them ham sandwiches for lunch. I thought that was very thoughtful so I talked with the girls and we took it one step further. Instead of making sandwiches (because we wouldn't know how many were working that day), we chose to get them a Subway gift certificate. 

We decided to get the card today and deliver it to the firemen. Unfortunately, they got a call before we arrived so only one guy was there, but he was so appreciative. He said that he would share the card with the other guys when they returned and that we could come back for a visit anytime. We will definitely be back! 

I love that the girls decided to do this. We talked about the jobs that the firemen do and how they are there to help us if we ever need them. I couldn't be more proud that my girls decided to give back to a group of people that give so much to everyone else. My heart is full!

2 Corinthians 9:7 - Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

BRCA: Growing Boobies

I found this quote months ago and it still makes me laugh! If I can't laugh through this process ... honestly, I would just cry. This has been a tough journey. I'm incredibly grateful to be on the upward slope because the valley wasn't a pleasant place to be. I've said multiple times that "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy," and it's the truth. In no way am I trying to toot my own horn, but it takes a very strong person to go through a double mastectomy with reconstruction. Had I known how hard this was going to be, I may have changed my mind. So, THANK YOU for your constant prayers and support, the phone calls, texts, Facebook messages, meals, kid sitting, drives around town, Rocket Brothers tea drop offs (yummy), cards, restaurant gift cards, visits, and love. It has taken a village to get through this, and I know that I will be supported until the end. Again, THANK YOU!

That's the cute outfit I get to wear on most of my doctor visits. Oh, good times! I saw the Plastic Surgeon yesterday (almost 5 weeks post surgery) and I was finally released to drive (with only a lap belt) and return to light activity. He was concerned with the range of motion in my shoulders because I had to keep my arms still for so long, so I'll be working on that with daily stretches. I also have to massage my scars multiple times a day to keep the scar tissue from building up. The doctor advised me to use a lotion that is all natural and won't clog my pores. Thanks to Arbonne, I have the perfect Shea Butter lotion to use! The lotion will also keep my skin moisturized as it stretches.

What's that you ask? That's an expander just like the two in my body. I believe in my last blog, I referred to them as basketballs and now you can see why. They're huge! That's my friends hand (in comparison) and she's pointing to the access port. I got my first fill yesterday. Just when I was starting to get used to the way things were feeling and getting somewhat a very little bit comfortable, everything changed. I couldn't watch the fill process because I'm a little tired of medical procedures at this point so I just didn't look. My friend told me that the doctor used a tiny magnet to find the port access and then he drew a circle around the magnet on both breasts. He then inserted a needle into the port and filled the expanders with saline. I didn't feel the needle on the right side because of the numb skin, but I did feel it on the left side. I never know where I'm going to have feeling these days, but most everything on my chest is numb. So, as unpleasant as it was to feel the needle, it was also encouraging because I actually had feeling in that area. It's the little things my friends!

What's it like to watch your boobs grow before your very eyes? Well, I didn't watch so you'll have to ask my friend. She did say it was pretty cool so maybe I'll watch next time. Because this process is so foreign to me, I still haven't quite grasped the idea of having fake boobs so I'm working on that. I'm not really sure that any of this will sink in until it's all over. The actual fill didn't hurt, but I could feel the pec muscles tightening up again. I did experience pain in a few places by bedtime and most of today so I'm praying it passes quickly so that I can get back to my arm stretches. 

Having talked with another friend who went through this, I was expecting around 5 fills (two weeks apart), but the doctor said yesterday that I'll only need 2-3 fills total. Yay! That means that my final surgery could be in October instead of November. That was the best news I heard all day! 

I also realized yesterday just how much trust I'm having to put into my doctor. I thought my boobs would look more "boob like" during this process so that we could pick a normal looking size as we went along, but I'm fully having to rely on his expertise because the expanders fill all around the circle shape to make room for the implant, which means that they don't fill up in a normal boob shape, they're high and round but still more full at the bottom. It's weird looking so it's hard for my mind to wrap around what the final product will look like so I'm glad I'm working with an expert. I have to fully trust that he knows what the final product will look like, and that I'll be happy with that outcome. So, now I just let gravity do it's work over the next two weeks until I go back for another fill. 

This was my lounge area for the past 5 weeks. I borrowed it from a friend who has gone through the same surgeries and it was a huge blessing. I had no idea how much time I would spend on that pillow until I got home from the hospital. I returned it yesterday for two reasons: 1)it's time to graduate into the next phase of healing, and 2) the girls are back home (Praise the Lord) and they just want to slide on it. Gotta love it!

I want to add an extra special thanks to my parents for watching the girls the past 5 weeks. One of the hardest parts of my healing was not having them at home. The rest time that I got was invaluable as was the time the girls got to spend with my parents. I can never thank them enough for being so amazing! THANK YOU! We love you MORE!

Making Memories

Last winter (before knowing about all of the surgeries I would undergo this year), my parents booked a vacation for us in a beautiful cabin near Broken Bow, OK. The vacation was scheduled for the last week of June, which fit in perfectly since it was 9 weeks after my hysterectomy and 2 weeks before my double mastectomy. It was a much needed vacation and I'm so glad that we went and had a good time. We spent the whole week there, which gave us plenty of time to check out the sites around the cabin. My brother drove from Arkansas to join us for the first two nights days, and my aunt and uncle (one of my dads four brothers) drove from Texas to join us for a night later in the week. Here are some of my favorite (minus the first picture) memories...


The day before we left, Parker fell at church and hit her head on one of the door frames in the Children's wing. We had to take her to the ER for glue (not stitches since we were headed to the lake). Her cut looked terrible, but she handled it very well. Isn't it Murphy's Law that someone gets a serious injury the day before we leave town for a week?!

This is the cabin that we stayed in. It had three bedrooms, three full bathrooms, a loft with two twin beds, hot tub, fire pit, and a couple of creeks in the backyard. It was beautiful.

The girls got to enjoy a lot of firsts on this trip, such as riding in paddle boats, fishing (with plastic fish on the line so they could learn), riding a train through the forest, and making S'mores. Yum!

Of course, we found a park or two to play on. We also had some good slide races!

We, I mean Parker, also enjoyed some good naps!

Here are some more fun times! The girls were thrown in jail, we enjoyed some local ice cream, Daddy tossed Parker up high on a stage near the lake, we saw a lot of deer, the girls ran around at the old Nature Preserve, and we swam in the lake (another first for the girls). 

Do you see a theme in the next set of pictures?! We noticed that Lou was doing the Superstar point in a lot of pictures and it cracked us up, so we all started doing it toward the end of the week. Good times!

Our final goodbye (oops, there's the finger point again). Thanks Pops & Weasey for a great vacation!