Hello everyone, this is Morry.
We got up early this morning to go to Rachel's last chemo appointment. Amazingly, Evan did not get up early this morning. So the one morning I had to get up, Evan decided to sleep in. I should have gone in his room and asked him to get me breakfast.
Uncle Mike and Aunt Jen took care of the boys today. They walked to the school and played on the playground. They played a lot at the house as well. The boys seemed to really have had a good time. When Aunt Jen got to the house, Evan said "look at our new dog" and pointed out in the backyard where the dog that we found last night was sitting.
The oncology center was backed up today. I think they are closed tomorrow so they are probably seeing the patients who have chemo on Friday as well as the Thursday patients. So it took much longer there.
When we got home the boys were napping. Aunt Jen actually laid down with Evan to get him to sleep.
I took the dog we found to the vet to see if he had a chip so we could find the owners. Unfortunately, he didn't have a chip. As I was driving home, my phone rang. It was a number that I didn't recognize. I answered the phone and the person said he had lost his dog and identified the dog we had found. I told him that I had the dog in the car, that I'd just drive over to his place. I asked where he lived and it was nearly 2 miles from our house. I can't believe the dog had wandered that far away. Rachel and I didn't put flyers up that far thinking the dog must have come from nearer to where we lived. The owner said he drove around until 4am last night but he didn't think that the dog had gone that far away. It's a shame because we were driving around at the same time but in two different areas. The owner was very happy to have his dog back. There were a bunch of people at the house who were just about to go out to search for the dog. They had made a ton of flyers and were going to post them around. He offered to give us a reward but I refused. I said all I care about is that if somehow Lizzy were to escape that someone would find Lizzy and take care of her until we found her.
For dinner, Aunt Jen and Uncle Mike went out to get Salt Lick. Apparently it was very crowded. It took them nearly an hour. When they returned the server had given them the wrong order. They had to drive back and pick up the right order. The food was good though.
We gave the boys baths and put them down. Unfortunately, Evan is back downstairs watching everyone play Wii (and playing some himself).
Happy New Year's everyone!
Oh, and if you know someone who is setting off fireworks (like the people in our neighborhood) tell them they are idiots. Thank you.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Uncle Mike And A Lost Dog
Hello everyone, this is Morry.
Last night, Rachel had to start taking steroids again in preparation for her chemo treatment. Theoretically, this should prevent her hands from hurting this time. Because of that, she didn't sleep well. She got up around 6am.
When Evan got up, Rachel heard him and came in the room and brought him downstairs. Blanca came at 9:30. I slept until 10.
I went through the toys to decide what the boys still play with. Blanca and Evan played with the Wii while Noah pretended to play on the Wii. He would swing a controller right after Evan would swing. It was cute.
Rachel went to Newflower to get fruits and vegetables for the new juicer. She used it for the first time this morning. She made me some. It was ok. I would not choose to have celery in my juice though.
Blanca and I got lunch for the boys. Shortly afterwards, Rachel got home and we put the boys down for a nap.
Rachel, mostly, and I cleaned up in preparation for Uncle Mike and Aunt Jen to come. Their flight was supposed to get in at 3:50. It turns out, though, that Jen had a cold and was leery about coming over. So she is staying at a friend's house tonight while Mike is staying with us.
Evan was at the top of the stairs when Uncle Mike arrived. I told him to come down and say hi, but he told us he was hiding. He eventually came down. Noah got up a short while later and was shy at first, as well. They both warmed up after a bit and were excited to have him over.
For dinner, we went to Chedd's. It's a gourmet grilled cheese place. The boys were very well behaved.
On the way home, we stopped at Toys R Us to replace one of the humidifiers we just got. Then we stopped at HEB to pick up medicine for Rachel.
As we were driving home from HEB, we saw a dog running loose. It was a yellow lab and looked sweet. We pulled over and Rachel got the dog. Unfortunately, the dog didn't have any tags. There was a group of people coming towards us and they were walking dogs, but the dog was not theirs. We saw how the dog did not bark at the group of dogs so we felt he was a safe and sweet dog. We put him in the back of the Pilot and drove home. Both boys were so excited. They thought having another dog was the neatest thing. Lizzy and this dog got along well in the backyard. I went to drive around to see if I could seen anyone either walking or driving around looking for him. I came home and helped put the boys to bed. Then Rachel and I made posters and we just put them up. We haven't heard anything yet. We let the dog in the house for a bit but then he decided to mark the couch so he's back outside. In a few minutes, we're going to put him in a crate in the garage. I think it's too cold outside. It's 64 degrees right now in the garage and at least there is no wind. Hopefully someone calls about him soon.
Until next time...
Last night, Rachel had to start taking steroids again in preparation for her chemo treatment. Theoretically, this should prevent her hands from hurting this time. Because of that, she didn't sleep well. She got up around 6am.
When Evan got up, Rachel heard him and came in the room and brought him downstairs. Blanca came at 9:30. I slept until 10.
I went through the toys to decide what the boys still play with. Blanca and Evan played with the Wii while Noah pretended to play on the Wii. He would swing a controller right after Evan would swing. It was cute.
Rachel went to Newflower to get fruits and vegetables for the new juicer. She used it for the first time this morning. She made me some. It was ok. I would not choose to have celery in my juice though.
Blanca and I got lunch for the boys. Shortly afterwards, Rachel got home and we put the boys down for a nap.
Rachel, mostly, and I cleaned up in preparation for Uncle Mike and Aunt Jen to come. Their flight was supposed to get in at 3:50. It turns out, though, that Jen had a cold and was leery about coming over. So she is staying at a friend's house tonight while Mike is staying with us.
Evan was at the top of the stairs when Uncle Mike arrived. I told him to come down and say hi, but he told us he was hiding. He eventually came down. Noah got up a short while later and was shy at first, as well. They both warmed up after a bit and were excited to have him over.
For dinner, we went to Chedd's. It's a gourmet grilled cheese place. The boys were very well behaved.
On the way home, we stopped at Toys R Us to replace one of the humidifiers we just got. Then we stopped at HEB to pick up medicine for Rachel.
As we were driving home from HEB, we saw a dog running loose. It was a yellow lab and looked sweet. We pulled over and Rachel got the dog. Unfortunately, the dog didn't have any tags. There was a group of people coming towards us and they were walking dogs, but the dog was not theirs. We saw how the dog did not bark at the group of dogs so we felt he was a safe and sweet dog. We put him in the back of the Pilot and drove home. Both boys were so excited. They thought having another dog was the neatest thing. Lizzy and this dog got along well in the backyard. I went to drive around to see if I could seen anyone either walking or driving around looking for him. I came home and helped put the boys to bed. Then Rachel and I made posters and we just put them up. We haven't heard anything yet. We let the dog in the house for a bit but then he decided to mark the couch so he's back outside. In a few minutes, we're going to put him in a crate in the garage. I think it's too cold outside. It's 64 degrees right now in the garage and at least there is no wind. Hopefully someone calls about him soon.
Until next time...
Getting Ready for Chemo #4
Well, it’s almost that time again. Tomorrow I have the 4th and final chemo treatment. Boo and Yay! I’m so looking forward to being done with this part of my treatment.
I’m feeling a little better than the last time I updated. I’m still not great. The two most annoying symptoms this time have been the extreme fatigue and hand problems. I’m still very tired, but at least my hands are getting a little better. I have gotten some feeling back in my fingertips and my hands don’t hurt quite as bad. They are mostly just peeling right now. I still have a hard time doing fine motor skills. Morry has to help me open certain things and it’s difficult getting the kids changed and dressed.
Even though I’ve been tired, I have tried to start doing a little bit of exercise. I have a DVD of 10 minute dance workouts. I have done a few of them – just 10 minutes at a time. I didn’t want to overdo it. I was pretty tired after just 10 minutes. I’m looking forward to having the chemo out of my system so that I can really start walking, running, and doing other aerobic stuff again.
I’ve been reading a book our neighbors bought for me. It’s called Anticancer: A New Way of Life. It’s very interesting. The author is a doctor who underwent chemo and treatment for brain cancer and did a lot of research on natural ways to fight cancer. He stresses how important a good diet is with more organic foods and less processed products. He talks a lot about following a Mediterranean diet. I’ve been trying to do more of that. We just bought a juicer yesterday so I can make vegetable and fruit juices.
Morry and I went out a date last night. I was finally feeling up to going out. We had a nice, relaxing dinner and dessert. Things have obviously been a little stressful around here. I just want to say how amazing Morry has been through all of this. Not only has he supported me and shown we are in this together (ie shaving his head), he has been taking care of the boys, the house, the animals, etc. Luckily he was so hands on before all this. He is great taking care of the kids, in fact Evan wants Morry to do everything with and for him. It’s cute, but it can get exhausting. Morry is doing a great job balancing everything. I just wish there was some way I could give him a break and let him relax a little.
Michael and Jen get in this afternoon. We are all looking forward to seeing them and having their help.
I’ll try to update you again in a few days and let you know how my last chemo treatment went.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
More Work Around The House
Hello everyone, this is Morry.
I took the 4 work days off this week because there is a ton of stuff that I need to get done around the house. This morning, Gabby came over to watch the boys while I continued to do my chores. We asked her to come at 9. Evan came into my room around 8:30 so we went downstairs and I gave him breakfast and ate some myself before Gabby arrived.
Gabby brought coloring books for the boys. She brought a Toy Story one for Evan and a Cars one for Noah. She obviously has spent a lot of time with them. She and Evan colored for a long time before Noah got up. When Noah got up, he was very excited to see Gabby. Gabby really plays with the boys which is nice. At one point all three of them were upstairs playing superheros.
I finished touching up the walls with paint, where I had either patched or there was some scratch. I also painted the niche where the tv and entertainment center are in our family room. The paint was done when our old entertainment center was in there and this new one isn't as big. So there were large chunks of unpainted wall that were showing.
I also cleaned up my office and went through all of the bills and receipts and insurance statements over the last year. I felt like it was a productive day.
While Gabby was upstairs with the boys, Rachel and I got lunch together. We had the boys eat lunch before us. We noticed that Noah eats better and complains less when we're not right there. Of course he and Evan play more when we are not at the table with them.
While the boys napped, we ate our lunch and then Rachel took a nap.
After naps, we ran over to Sam's Club and picked up an order we had made. Then we went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to get Rachel's belated Hanukkah gift - a fancy juicer. Then we picked up Wendy's for the boys.
We came home and got the boys set up to eat dinner. Blanca came over and we went out to dinner. We went to a place called Phara's. It's Mediterranean food. It was good. Then we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dessert.
When we got home, surprise surprise, Evan was still up. I put him to bed. It seems to be quiet up there.
Until next time...
I took the 4 work days off this week because there is a ton of stuff that I need to get done around the house. This morning, Gabby came over to watch the boys while I continued to do my chores. We asked her to come at 9. Evan came into my room around 8:30 so we went downstairs and I gave him breakfast and ate some myself before Gabby arrived.
Gabby brought coloring books for the boys. She brought a Toy Story one for Evan and a Cars one for Noah. She obviously has spent a lot of time with them. She and Evan colored for a long time before Noah got up. When Noah got up, he was very excited to see Gabby. Gabby really plays with the boys which is nice. At one point all three of them were upstairs playing superheros.
I finished touching up the walls with paint, where I had either patched or there was some scratch. I also painted the niche where the tv and entertainment center are in our family room. The paint was done when our old entertainment center was in there and this new one isn't as big. So there were large chunks of unpainted wall that were showing.
I also cleaned up my office and went through all of the bills and receipts and insurance statements over the last year. I felt like it was a productive day.
While Gabby was upstairs with the boys, Rachel and I got lunch together. We had the boys eat lunch before us. We noticed that Noah eats better and complains less when we're not right there. Of course he and Evan play more when we are not at the table with them.
While the boys napped, we ate our lunch and then Rachel took a nap.
After naps, we ran over to Sam's Club and picked up an order we had made. Then we went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to get Rachel's belated Hanukkah gift - a fancy juicer. Then we picked up Wendy's for the boys.
We came home and got the boys set up to eat dinner. Blanca came over and we went out to dinner. We went to a place called Phara's. It's Mediterranean food. It was good. Then we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dessert.
When we got home, surprise surprise, Evan was still up. I put him to bed. It seems to be quiet up there.
Until next time...
Monday, December 28, 2009
Monday with Morry
This morning Rachael came over to watch the boys. I was able to sleep in. Morry did some stuff around the house. He fixed a few of the fence boards and painted a few spots in our house that needed to be touched up. I cleaned upstairs.
Rachael left around noon and we went out to run some errands. I had to mail some baby clothes I sold on ebay and then we went to HEB.
When we got home we had lunch and the put the boys down for naps. Evan did not nap. He couldn’t find his pacifier and once it was found he wouldn’t go to sleep.
Morry’s friend Katy bought us dinner from Suzy’s tonight. Morry took Noah to pick up the food while I got food ready for the boys at home.
After dinner Evan and I went over to Bernardo and Gabriela’s house. Bernardo has been making “green” juices and I wanted to see how he makes them. It was surprisingly good. There were a lot of vegetables in it, but also some fruit and carrots to give it a somewhat sweet taste too. Evan and Sebastian played upstairs while Bernardo made the juice.
We just put Evan and Noah to bed. Noah’s room is quiet and Evan is actually quiet too right now.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Sunday at Home
This morning I slept in while Morry took care of the boys. I’ve been extremely tired lately. I think having this cold makes things worse. My cold is getting better, but I still have a little bit of a headache and then I still have the issue with my hands as well.
The Steelers game was on at noon. Evan and Noah watched some of it with Morry and then we put them down for naps.
We met Melissa and Mike for dinner at BJs. On the way there Evan said he wanted a pizza with olives. We ordered that for him, but then he only wanted to eat Morry’s plain pizza. Morry ended up picking off the olives of Evan pizza and then Evan ate a slice of his own pizza. Noah ate a lot of Mike’s French fries.
We just put Evan and Noah to bed. I just had to go upstairs to help Evan wipe. Hopefully, he stays in bed now. We’ll see.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Braved The Mall
Hello everyone, this is Morry.
This morning was more of the same. Evan came in the room and I got him breakfast and started a movie for him.
Around 9:30 I took the boys downstairs. I gave Noah some breakfast. We played downstairs and Evan built a fort out of the couch pillows. Evan has gotten into building forts and tunnels.
When Rachel came downstairs, around 11:30, we decided to go to the mall. Sears was having a sale on washers and dryers. We wanted to just check them out and see how good the deals were. It turns out it was nothing spectacular. We need a new washer and dryer, but given the circumstances, unless the sale was too good to pass up, we need to save our money. We did go to Old Navy to get the boys some clothes. They keep growing.
We came home and quickly made lunch. After lunch we put the boys down for naps.
Evan got up first and the two of us put together a small jigsaw puzzle and played some more. Noah and Rachel then got up from their naps. Evan, Rachel and I played Candyland. Evan was definitely getting the game and the idea of turns.
Around 6pm, the cable guy came to fix our internet issues. Our cable modem was 6 years old and we recently got a deal to increase our speed at a lower price. I think that pretty much killed the modem. He replaced the modem and now things seem to be ultra-quick.
Rachel called in an order to Chuy's for dinner and I went to pick it up.
Both boys ate a decent dinner and they are now in bed.
Until next time...
This morning was more of the same. Evan came in the room and I got him breakfast and started a movie for him.
Around 9:30 I took the boys downstairs. I gave Noah some breakfast. We played downstairs and Evan built a fort out of the couch pillows. Evan has gotten into building forts and tunnels.
When Rachel came downstairs, around 11:30, we decided to go to the mall. Sears was having a sale on washers and dryers. We wanted to just check them out and see how good the deals were. It turns out it was nothing spectacular. We need a new washer and dryer, but given the circumstances, unless the sale was too good to pass up, we need to save our money. We did go to Old Navy to get the boys some clothes. They keep growing.
We came home and quickly made lunch. After lunch we put the boys down for naps.
Evan got up first and the two of us put together a small jigsaw puzzle and played some more. Noah and Rachel then got up from their naps. Evan, Rachel and I played Candyland. Evan was definitely getting the game and the idea of turns.
Around 6pm, the cable guy came to fix our internet issues. Our cable modem was 6 years old and we recently got a deal to increase our speed at a lower price. I think that pretty much killed the modem. He replaced the modem and now things seem to be ultra-quick.
Rachel called in an order to Chuy's for dinner and I went to pick it up.
Both boys ate a decent dinner and they are now in bed.
Until next time...
Friday, December 25, 2009
Christmas Day
Hello everyone, this is Morry.
This morning Evan came in our room at 5:45 and then at 6:45. The first time he couldn't find his pacifier, the second time he wanted the music on. He did go back to sleep and didn't wake up until 8:30. I started a movie in the gameroom for him.
When we all got up, we played downstairs. Rachel worked with Evan to learn to write his name. I fixed the gate upstairs which had come out of the wall.
Rachel has gotten a cold. She also developed a cough with it. The cough kept her up last night, so she called the doctor today. The doctor called in a prescription for an antibiotic and a cough medicine. I took the boys out to go to Walgreens to pick it up.
While we were out, Rachel started making a Spanish dish called tortilla espanola. When we got home, she was still getting it ready. I got lunch ready for the boys and then helped Rachel with our lunch. She needed me to flip it but we tried to early and some of it went all over the stove. It was a mess. When it was finished cooking, it was good.
The boys napped for a couple hours. I folded laundry while Rachel cleaned up the kitchen.
After naps, we took the boys over to Dmitriy and Katheryne's. Katheryne built a koi pond. We thought the boys would like it. Also they have a Great Pyrenees dog. When we got over there, the boys just loved it. Noah was running around pointing to everything, saying "look!". Evan was quiet but had just as much fun. The dog was taller than both of them, but neither boy was scared or intimidated at all. He's really nice and very gentle. He looks nice and gentle and I think the boys can sense that. His face kind of looks like Lizzy. Dmitriy and Katheryne have two fish tanks, the koi pond, 4 ferrets and a tortoise along with 4 additional dogs who were upstairs. They didn't bring the other dogs down but the boys absolutely loved looking in the fish tanks and seeing the ferrets. Noah was giggling almost the whole time. The boys liked to pretend to sleep in the doggie bed. It was a really nice time.
After dinner, we went to Katz's Deli for dinner. We had to wait for about 30 minutes to be seated. The boys were really well behaved though. I think the hostess moved us up the list too. There were other people with kids waiting, but for some reason I feel like they made an exception for us and we definitely appreciated it. We asked for pickles and Evan had two plus half of the one that came with my corned beef sandwich. Noah ate some corned beef and was pretty well behaved. The table next to us thought he was really cute and they gave him a lot of attention. He just loves attention. We got a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the boys to share.
We came home and gave them baths. Noah is in bed, but Evan is out.
Until next time...
This morning Evan came in our room at 5:45 and then at 6:45. The first time he couldn't find his pacifier, the second time he wanted the music on. He did go back to sleep and didn't wake up until 8:30. I started a movie in the gameroom for him.
When we all got up, we played downstairs. Rachel worked with Evan to learn to write his name. I fixed the gate upstairs which had come out of the wall.
Rachel has gotten a cold. She also developed a cough with it. The cough kept her up last night, so she called the doctor today. The doctor called in a prescription for an antibiotic and a cough medicine. I took the boys out to go to Walgreens to pick it up.
While we were out, Rachel started making a Spanish dish called tortilla espanola. When we got home, she was still getting it ready. I got lunch ready for the boys and then helped Rachel with our lunch. She needed me to flip it but we tried to early and some of it went all over the stove. It was a mess. When it was finished cooking, it was good.
The boys napped for a couple hours. I folded laundry while Rachel cleaned up the kitchen.
After naps, we took the boys over to Dmitriy and Katheryne's. Katheryne built a koi pond. We thought the boys would like it. Also they have a Great Pyrenees dog. When we got over there, the boys just loved it. Noah was running around pointing to everything, saying "look!". Evan was quiet but had just as much fun. The dog was taller than both of them, but neither boy was scared or intimidated at all. He's really nice and very gentle. He looks nice and gentle and I think the boys can sense that. His face kind of looks like Lizzy. Dmitriy and Katheryne have two fish tanks, the koi pond, 4 ferrets and a tortoise along with 4 additional dogs who were upstairs. They didn't bring the other dogs down but the boys absolutely loved looking in the fish tanks and seeing the ferrets. Noah was giggling almost the whole time. The boys liked to pretend to sleep in the doggie bed. It was a really nice time.
After dinner, we went to Katz's Deli for dinner. We had to wait for about 30 minutes to be seated. The boys were really well behaved though. I think the hostess moved us up the list too. There were other people with kids waiting, but for some reason I feel like they made an exception for us and we definitely appreciated it. We asked for pickles and Evan had two plus half of the one that came with my corned beef sandwich. Noah ate some corned beef and was pretty well behaved. The table next to us thought he was really cute and they gave him a lot of attention. He just loves attention. We got a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the boys to share.
We came home and gave them baths. Noah is in bed, but Evan is out.
Until next time...
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Internet down
Our Internet is down. Of course it chose to go down on a holiday. Someone Is coming out Saturday to fix it. I'm typing from my iPhone so this will be a quick update.
Morry was home today. We took the boys to locomotion, an indoor play place.
They are in bed now but still awake.
Morry was home today. We took the boys to locomotion, an indoor play place.
They are in bed now but still awake.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Hanging out with Aunt Susan
This morning Aunt Susan came over to help me out with the boys. We hung out at the house for a little bit and then went to the park. It was nice getting out of the house. I probably couldn’t have gone to the park by myself with the boys. Noah wanted to be on the playground so Aunt Susan stayed with him. I went with Evan over to the basketball court. Evan enjoyed throwing a tennis ball into the basketball hoop. He actually got it in there quite a few times.
After the park we went to Subway to pick up lunch. Evan and Noah both picked out Doritos to bring home. Aunt Susan and I ate our Subway sandwiches at home. Evan and Noah had their chips and yogurt with fruit.
Aunt Susan stayed to help me put the boys down for naps and then she went home.
Before dinner we had a few visitors at the house. Rita and Blanca came over to give presents to Evan and Noah. They got some cute books, one of which was a Toy Story one. Bernardo, Gabriela, and Sebastian also came over. Bernardo makes healthy juices at home and he brought some over for me to try. He made one with apples, carrots, and lemons. It was actually really good. Also, a mom from the mom’s club came over to drop off dinner as well.
We just put the boys to bed. They are both still making noises.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Acupuncture and M&M Cookies
This morning Jodie picked up Evan and brought him to school. It’s his last day of school before the holidays.
Matt and Rachael came to help again this morning.
I had an acupuncture appointment at 10:15. The appointment I went to last week was just for testing before they do any kinds of treatments. The woman did a few different tests like blood pressure, looking at my tongue, and some other things which they charged $73. I thought that was pretty expensive for not even getting any kind of treatment. Today she mostly just talked about treatments they offer and drew stuff on the whiteboard. It felt like a sales pitch. The actual acupuncture was maybe 20 minutes. It took about 5 minutes for her to place a few (maybe 10) needles in various spots. Then, she left the room for 15 minutes and came back in to take them out. That was it. I was charged $63 for today. I’m wondering if that is normally how it works or am I getting ripped off. It sure seems like that to me. I don’t think I’ll go back there. I’m going to ask around for recommendations of a different place to go.
On the way home I stopped at HEB and got some groceries.
Matt and Rachael stayed until after I ate lunch.
When Evan got home I put the boys down for naps.
For dinner Jill and Michael ordered Austin Pizza Garden for us and Morry picked it up on his way home.
After dinner I made M&M cookies. It had been a while since I made cookies. It seemed like a good day for it.
My hands are still hurting, but they are getting a little better. They are starting to peel now and it’s still hard for me to do some every day things.
Well, we just put the boys to bed. Noah was good during the day today, but got really cranky tonight. He seems to be quiet now. Evan is still up.
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