Maya Walks To School

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning, Grandma and Papa came along when we walked to school with the boys.  Jack came out of his house as we walked by and walked with us to school.

I went to work from Aaron's while everyone was here.

Grandma and Papa went along with Mike, Jen and Maya to Zilker Park.  They also had ice cream at Amy's Ice Cream.

When I got home, we walked to pick the boys up from school.  We bought Lizzy and Maya walked with us.  Grandma stayed at the top of the hill while Rachel, Maya and I walked up to the school.  The boys were excited to see Maya.  They each held a hand while walking her up the hill.  Part way through our walk, Jack came up.   He and Evan ran to Jack's house.

Evan and Jack played together this afternoon.  Maya took a nap when we got home.

Rachel went to tutor.  Grandma made salmon and I grilled steak.  The boys each ate both the salmon and steak for dinner.

Noah and Evan are both reading now.

Until next time...

Exercise and Maya

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Rachel got up a bit earlier this morning so that she and Evan could go on another 2-mile run.  Noah was sleeping while they went on their run.  It was a tough day as it was hot and humid, even in the morning.  Rachel said Evan was dragging a bit but he completed the run.

Noah got up while they were running and I got him dressed.  When Rachel returned she took him to school.

Rachel and I had a meeting with some partners of ours so we could brainstorm some ideas.

After that, I had a doctor appointment and Rachel and Evan accompanied me.  I have had a small little growth on my leg for many years but it seems to have gotten a bit bigger.  The doctor said it's "scar tissue out-of-control" and nothing else.  It would require more than just shaving it to remove it so she highly recommended not having it removed. It's never bothered me so I agreed.  I just wanted to make sure it was ok.

On our way home, we got the news that Mike and Jen had their baby.  The baby is named Maya Sylvie Krasnow.  She and Jen and doing very well.  Evan and Noah are very excited to have another cousin.

When we got home, Rachel and Evan went for a bike ride around the veloway. Then they picked Noah up from school.

For dinner we went to Home Slice.  That is where I wanted to go for my birthday, but they are closed on Tuesdays.  Unfortunately, the really messed up.  First I'm not sure what happened but they may have lost our order.  Then when the pizza came it was wrong.  They were continually apologetic and did give us the pizza for free.

We got home and took a walk.  Well, Rachel and I walked but Evan and Noah rode their scooters.

They are in bed now.

Until next time...

Long, Fun Day

Today was a good day, but very long. We had a full, fun day.

Evan had a baseball game this morning and then we had a baby shower for Michael and Jen.

Here are pictures and a video.


Michael and Jen's Baby Shower Online Photo Album

Bonus day with Michael and Jen

Last night, right after I had put the sheets and towels in the washing machine, we got a text from Michael. They were still at the airport and their flight had been canceled. The next flight wasn't leaving until today.

Morry went and got them at the airport and they spent the night at our house last night.

The earliest flight they could get back to Seattle was 1pm today.

I took the boys to swimming and when we came home we took Michael and Jen to the airport.

We ate lunch at home and then took it easy the rest of the day.

For dinner we made various leftovers and salad.

Noah is still eating, but as soon as he finishes we'll give the boys baths and put them to bed.

San Antonio Weekend

We were in San Antonio over the weekend. My cousin Zach and Allison got married.

The kids were not invited, so we had babysitters for them for the rehearsal dinner and the wedding. Both nights went well and the babysitters were good.

Friday night, the rehearsal dinner was at the hotel. Saturday we went to Brackenridge park with Grandma, Papa, and the boys. We rode the train and played Frisbee.

The wedding was at the McNay Museum of Art. It was a beautiful wedding. The music was good and it was very nice to see and chat with everyone.

Sunday brunch was next door to the hotel overlooking the Riverwalk. Evan and Noah especially had a good time playing with Ryan.

Before leaving to go home we hung out at Aunt Diane and Uncle Jay's house for a little bit. We drove Michael and Jen to the airport and then went back to Austin.

Grandma, Papa, and Bubbe are going to spend the night here and then drive back to Dallas tomorrow.

For dinner we ate at Trattoria Lisina. Evan and Noah ate well and were well behaved. We all enjoyed our food.

Now, we are totally exhausted. The boys are in bed, but still pretty wired. Noah doesn't seem like he's going to fall asleep any time soon.

Here are some pictures and video from the weekend.

Picasa Web Album of Zach and Allison's wedding weekend here.

Gruene, Texas

This morning we took it easy and then left the house around 10:30 and headed to Gruene, Texas. Gruene is about halfway between Austin and San Antonio. So we met Aunt Diane, Uncle Jay, Susie, and Ryan there for lunch. We all had a nice time. The kids were good and enjoyed running around after lunch. There was a nice grassy field next to the restaurant. Then, we went to the General Store and got some tin boxes for the boys and some fudge.

When we got back home we tried to put Noah down for a nap, but he didn’t sleep.

For dinner we all ate at El Chile.

We just put the boys to bed. Michael and Jen went out tonight.

Here are some pictures from today and yesterday

Yoga and Feeling Better

This morning Evan went back to school. Jodie picked him up a little before 9am.

Michael and Jen watched Noah while I got dressed and got some stuff done around the house.

For lunch we went to a Greek restaurant.

Shortly after we got home, Evan was dropped off from school. We let the boys play for a little bit and then Michael and Jen helped me put them down for naps.

Michael and Jen then left to go to the airport.

Evan and Noah took really good naps.

Blanca came at 3:30. I tried out a Yoga class for cancer survivors. I enjoyed it. I felt that it was productive, but not overly hard or anything. They meet every week. I plan on going there again. When I got home at 5:30 the boys were still sleeping.

I have been feeling better today. I was actually able to get some stuff done around the house. I’m still a little nauseas and achy but it’s getting better.

For dinner we had various leftovers and then I made juice. Evan kept wanting more and more. I finally told him that was enough and he could have more tomorrow.

We just put Evan and Noah to bed. We’ll see how the night goes.

Bowling

This morning Michael and Jen took Evan and Noah to go bowling. They had planned on going to the park, but it was too cold outside. It sounded like everyone had a great time.

On the way home they stopped at Home Slice to pick up pizza for lunch.

After lunch the boys went down for naps.

For dinner, Lauren, Aaron, and Aunt Susan came over. Aunt Susan picked up Chuy’s for us on the way here. We had a nice time and the boys enjoyed getting all the extra attention.

I’m feeling a little better today. I’m hoping I made it over the hump and am on the recovery side now. I have a little bit of a fever (99.1) for some reason tonight. We’ll need to keep an eye on it.

Evan and Noah are in bed now. Noah is asleep, but Evan keeps calling for us. He is making ‘E’s on his Leapster game and wants us to keep coming up to see them.

Getting Ready for Chemo #4

Well, it’s almost that time again. Tomorrow I have the 4^th 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.

Sleep…. Finally

We had a nice Thanksgiving. I hope you all had a great one as well.

I’m still in Dallas. Morry, the boys, and Lizzy went back to Austin yesterday. I’ll be flying home Wednesday.

I’m feeling a lot better. Last weekend was rough. Saturday was the worst. I was so achy I could hardly move. Sunday we shaved my head. It was both a physically and emotionally hard weekend.

Each day this week I started feeling better and better. I was able to eat some of the Thanksgiving dinner and enjoy Morry’s famous chocolate pie (cool whip and pudding).

Wednesday I had an appointment with my plastic surgeon. I had planned on getting expansions at that visit, but since I was on antibiotics and had a low grade fever earlier in the week he didn’t want to take any chances with infection. Everything looked good and the doctor was pleased with my progress. He asked how my skin was doing. I said great except the itchy scalp. The nurse suggested I shave my head completely bald. She said a lot of patients get relief once they do that.

My mom made an appointment for me with her stylist to get my hair shaved. When I got there he said he wasn’t licensed to shave, but could use the smallest clipper setting. It helped but I still wasn’t completely itch- free.

Later that night my dad shaved my head for me with his electric razor. I’m sure he never planned on ever needing to do that. Anyway, I’m feeling a lot better now.

Since Morry and the boys went home yesterday, we had a quiet relaxing evening, though I do miss having them around. I went to bed at 10:30 last night and slept until about 10:30 this morning. I can’t tell you the last time I was able to do that. I feel so much better today. I hardly have any nausea today and was able to eat a good brunch (my dad’s famous omelets).

Morry’s dad, Jack was here for Thanksgiving. Michael and Jen are still here and leave tomorrow. It’s been great hanging out with all of them. Evan and Noah really enjoyed playing with Zayde, and Uncle Mike and Aunt Jen.

Well, I hope I continue to feel better. My next chemo is scheduled for 12/10.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and weekend.

I just posted a video update with most of this info and a little more on YouTube here.