I wonder how some people sleep at night.

If you are a Christian then be careful watching this. You would not want your kids to see this side of your all knowing all loving all merciful God...

This is hilarious

Riley FINALLY lost her first tooth

I realize I've been horrible with these updates but I absolutely had to write this one. Riley has been patiently waiting for months to get a visit from the tooth fairy. It finally happened today: She lost her first tooth.

Sidney is gowen to the dentist suomdoy win hr Mommy tels hr to

They're only 6 so it's not like this is some text message jargon. But this is what you get when you try to write the sentence "Sidney is going to the dentist someday when her Mommy tells her to." The teacher tells them it is good to try to sound out words and guess on the spelling. I don't know. I don't think we have a southern drawl so I don't know about "gowen"!

By the way, Sidney is going soon to get her 6 year molars sealed. Poor Riley hasn't lost any teeth yet nor has she gotten these new ones yet.

Not to be out done

There's absolutely no competition going on in this household. ha ha. Riley's poem was from when we were waiting to leave for the dr appt to get the antibiotic for her ear infection. I took her to school after the appt, getting script filled, and grabbing a bite to eat. Then she went to hippo therapy in the evening. Sidney is so lucky to get to ride a horse also (Thanks to Aunt Rachel and family). We spent the whole time after Sidney's riding lesson and waiting for Shelly and Riley to get home by writing the "letter" below. I knew that someone may say something about Riley's poem and Sidney hear about it and wonder why she didn't get something on the blog. So, these are just two little snapshots in time before they turn 6.

Here is Sidney's letter:
dear mommy,

i love you. i like horses. i like everything in the whole wide world. i love my whole family. i am losing a tooth.

sincerely,
sidney

Riley's Poem

I couldn't understand whether Riley made this up or heard it from somewhere...

Sing sing what shall I sing.
Do do what shall I do.
The cat's run away with the pudding too.

At first she had as the last word a word that rhymed with 'sing' and then she said the whole poem again (that's more impressive than the poem itself) and changed it to 'too'.

What an argument

After a late night last night, the girls were a little grumpy today. At one point Sidney was upset about.....her clothes, the plans for the day, the universe aligning - you name it - it could've been anything. But the line that got me was she said "Riley is trying to be prettier than me because she is smiling." It was incredibly hard not to burst out laughing and calmly say "Yes, when you smile, you do look prettier." I didn't realize they were having a contest. I think Riley was just grinning mischievously because Sidney was upset. Maybe a good night rest will make tomorrow smoother or maybe they'll just have more energy to argue!

I may be new to this....

Yesterday the girls got off the bus and told me about their day. Riley said she was punched in the chest by a little girl. I asked Riley why the other little girl was mad. Riley said I was looking at her and she didn't like it. Sidney witnessed the incident and together they went and told the teacher. The offender received 10 minutes on the sidewalk during recess. Sidney said a little boy in her class grabbed her around her stomach with one hand and then put his other hand over her mouth. This isn't the first time this little boy has done things to Sidney. Sidney won't tell her teacher because that would be tattling. So we had a discussion that if any one puts their hands on you - you can tell but not just for a dirty look or name calling. So I called Sidney's teacher this morning. She wasn't aware of the situation but did share this particular child has already had a lot of issues. She said she would "handle it" - whatever that entails. It's different being on this side of the fence - usually I'm the one dealing with the difficult student and talking with parents. Now I have to protect my children and give them the tools to deal with difficult people. I think "all I really need to know I learned in kindergarten" is so true. I just didn't expect our learning curve to be so sharp.

Big relief - not cancer

Okay, that's the good news. But...what is going on with my leg? I'll soon be going to an orthopedic specialist to find out.

Sidney has lost two more teeth

Yep, we're terrible bloggers. The second of the three was before the "Riding The Bus" post, so as Shelly is looking over my shoulder and saying "we're bad bloggers"? I just keep on typing. I thought I would at least get some fun information out of the way before starting back to mundane I-don't-want-to-hear-that topics.

The girls are doing awesome in school. We got to go visit the teachers and sit in their classrooms (with the girls home in bed) while we learned what and how they are being taught. Lucky we both got to go so that we could each visit a classroom and compare notes afterward. Uhm...well, Shelly got to see my notes at least because she didn't take any. I observed Sidney's teacher. She has been at it for 34 years and said that kids today are coming out of kindergarten with more knowledge than we did coming out of first grade. And thank goodness we live in "backwards" Boone county. The school system Shelly works for has only one short recess per day. I beg to differ that that is better -- kids need the free-range play time to build social skills and get some much needed exercise. (Think how much better free-range chicken is!)

My cousin Monica is on her way here from (North Carolina?) with her mom from Virginia. We're going to be celebrating our 40th birthdays together with my two other cousins, Beth and Tom, born that same year.

I'm sorry if you already know this but for the sake of what is to be said below it is worth mentioning that after my RAI therapy I was given a 99% chance of being alive in 20 years. Lies, d**** lies, and statistics.

I've been going to physical therapy for 6 weeks for weakness and pain in my right leg. I had wondered from the beginning why only one leg suffered muscle atrophy so much more than the other. Now that 6 weeks have passed and the pain persists even though the muscles are stronger, we're looking into other causes. Without beating around the bush, my doc says the most likely cause is bone cancer. I drink some fire-whiskey at 9:45 AM tomorrow and then get lit up at 2PM. Actually the simple term is a bone scan. I just know I have to go in twice with 4 hours in-between.

First Bus ride

Yesterday the girls rode the bus home for the first time. Sidney was a little scared but she said she liked it. Riley said it was the best thing about school. I changed their transportation sheet at school and they are officially bus riders (afternoon only right now). Sidney has a cold so she said she didn't want to go to school today but I just think she's tired. She keeps saying she misses me. We really don't have as much time together. I think they're enjoying themselves at school. I know it's good for them to separate from me. It helps them become independent and self responsible. It's a little hard for me - I wonder what they're doing at school, are they having a good time, are they making friends? Then I come back to reality, kick up my feet and then pick up another bon bon!

Kindergarten!

The girls started KG last Wednesday. They were so excited. So far they love it. On Sunday there was a little whinniness but on Monday everything was fine. They are in different classes so there has been some adjusting to that. They still see each other at recess and lunch. Riley seems to really like being by herself. I think Sidney is ok with it but she says a lot of "it's not fair" stuff because each class does things differently. You would think they would be excited to be together when they got home - But NO! That would be too easy. I'm going to think positively and say it will get better with time as they adjust to their all day schedule.

As for me......I love KG also!!!!! I'll have to say - their first day I really didn't know what to do. There were so many things going through my head - I could mop the floors, do some laundry, tackle a organization project...the list is endless. Sidney even seemed concerned about me being ALL BY MYSELF! I said "don't worry, I'll be just fine!" I still work two days a week so I don't have every day to myself but I do hope to get some things accomplished. I will admit I felt a little sad last week. This is the beginning of their school career. Life revolves around their school schedule now. I can't believe how far we've come from little babies to big girls. They run to their KG class without looking back or saying goodbye because they love school so much. I don't think I would have it any other way. Hopefully pictures will come later!

Emory edit...
Here is a link of photos. We still have to rotate and delete some duplicates but you can weed through them. I think there is a vote option. If so, you can do some of the work for us :).
http://s971.photobucket.com/albums/ae191/EDBdPhotography/

Sidney's First Tooth

Sidney lost her first tooth a couple weeks ago.

Happy Birthday to Shelly

I'm no longer "2 years older" than Shelly. She gets to enjoy that saying for a whole week.

Sometime earlier today...

I completed my 40th voyage around the sun. The journey has taken 14,610 days, of which the last 90 or so have been a blur.

Thanks to everyone for their support and prayers. I will be making corrections and clarifications to Shelly's posts soon. I guess she had quite a laugh at my expense. What is the big deal about it taking a half hour to kill a fly? Was I hurting anyone while standing on the porch with a pail of garbage thinking about the effort involved in changing my shoes to keep the current ones from getting wet?

It's been how long?

I can't believe the month is about to end. I have been waiting for Emory to post but THAT hasn't happened so here I go. Emory went back to work this week. He hasn't been one to complain so he hasn't said much but I know it has probably been a loooong week for him. He still is running tired although I think today was a better day. I think we both need to do better at getting more than the 6.5-7 hours sleep a night. We're getting older you know (actually Emory will be 40 a week from today!)

The girls graduated from preschool the 19th. They were so excited. Riley wasn't so much as she cried going down the aisle but was able to get it together and announce one of her teachers and say she wanted to be a "plain person" when she grew up. Sidney said she wanted to be a pet doctor. We have 10 weeks until Kindergarten! It's hard to believe. Time has just flown.


The new thing the girls are doing is taking riding lessons. Sidney FINALLY gets to ride a horse "all by herself". She is loving it. I think Riley likes it but then again she's been riding for 3 years already (in therapy) so she is a little leery because it may seem more like work. It's amazing that they are riding all by themselves. They guide the horse around cones and even "jump". The horse just walks over the boards but their instructor says they will actually be jumping. That's a little scary for me. We got them riding helmets!


I started my summer break yesterday. We (mainly Sidney and I) had to get a few issues ironed out (with her spending some "thinking time" in her room). ((I'm getting grammar help from someone NOT!)) Anyways...we got along better today. I think she realized Mommy is the boss and she doesn't particularly enjoy extended periods of time in her room.

Now I know a little about what it's like.......

To live with someone with dementia or Alzheimer's. (not to belittle either condition) After supper, Emory was going to take some garbage out to the field. I turn around from doing the dishes and I find him on the porch - just standing there. I yell real loud "You were going to take the garbage out to the field!" He just looks at me (with a blank look on his face) and then comes back in. I asked, "Did you forget what you were doing?" He just looks at me and we both sorta chuckle. Seriously?!? Turns out he was thinking about changing his shoes - so the ones he had on wouldn't get muddy. In his mind - this was a much shorter period of time than it actually was! I have never seen anyone in such slow motion. If I didn't know better - I'd think he was on drugs! (Actually ...... he needs to be on more!)

This is much better functioning than a couple of days ago. He was very nauseated and wasn't able to eat. He called the doctor who changed and increased his medication. So at least he is able to eat. He still walks around like a zombie. The doctor is to call tomorrow to check on his condition. I think they need to bump up his synthyroid medication - maybe he wouldn't be so tired. In the meantime - I will continue to have fun at his expense. He probably won't remember it anyway.

"Lit Up"

Today has been a long day. We spent 3 hours at the hospital, not including driving time. We received a lot of information today. Dr. Estrada, the nuclear medicine physician, thought Emory's cancer was "interesting". So far we have "oddball" and "interesting". I don't think it's the right kind of interesting though. One thing that hit me was he said "A cancer diagnosis is for the rest of your life." Emory will continue to have follow up treatment. We'll always be on the look out for it. I really don't like it hanging over our heads. But we have faith that if we stay the course the doctors set- things will work out.

Emory didn't feel well during the scan. He had to lie very still for a half hour while they scanned and took pictures. He only "lit up" where his thyroid was so that means the cancer hasn't spread at this time. This isn't a guarantee it won't in the future but hopefully with the RAI - it will be wiped out. We met with Bob Anger (no joke on the name) who was the radiation safety specialist to go over all the precautions. After that it was time for the radioactive iodine. We all walked into the "Hot room" as they called it. Gerald, the nuclear medicine lab technician (aka Jerry Lewis from yesterday) brought the RAI out in a lead container (to protect us) with a tube in it of the RAI. Emory had to drink the poison up through a straw. It was all surreal and fast. As we stood up to go - he set off the radioactive alarm. They said "yup - you're putting off radiation."

Finally Emory is able to eat regular food! He was so excited to have some milk. It will be tons easier to fix food now. He goes back for a scan next Friday. And then in a year he has to do this all over again. In the meantime he will be seeing Dr. Meacham - the endocrinologist - regularly for blood work and check ups - about every 6 to 8 weeks. We also learned it will take 6 to 8 weeks for the thyroid replacement medication to be at an optimal level - so it will be awhile before he feels better. He is now in his 3 day seclusion from everyone. He then still has 4 more days after that to stay out of the public. He has to be careful in the next 40 days. If he went to the airport - he could set off the radioactive alarms there or they told us to carry a paper about his treatment because some police have radiation detectors in their cars and have pulled over people who have gone through treatment. Now that would be something to explain!

The girls are sad and miss their daddy. This morning they cried when we left because they knew they wouldn't get to see Emory for at least 3 or more days. They are staying with my family until they can come home. The good news it is only for a short time. I think this is enough info for now. I think I could go to sleep.

Glow little glow worm, Glimmer,Glimmer

Today was the first day for Emory's RAI (radioactive iodine) treatment. Now before I go into today .....let me tell you a little about the last 3 weeks. It has been a whirlwind for us. We just got through my dad's funeral and all the emotionality of it - then BAM! Here is the next month or so of your life and a list of all the things you need to do. We knew Emory needed treatment. We just didn't know how BAD he was going to feel. He had to become hypothyroid (I know - he doesn't even have a thyroid). The point of it - he was going to feel so tired and so foggy - but this would be great for the treatment. His diet was key to making the treatment a success. He needed to deprive his body of iodine so when he gets the RAI - any cancer or thyroid tissue left would gobble up the RAI - in hopes of killing any cancer left. We know the end of treatment is worth it and compared to so many other conditions and cancers - this will just be a small blip in our life (as quoted to us by the surgeon). We are grateful. So having said that - it still has been a lot for Emory to go through. Actually we all have gone through. The girls have just lost their grandpa and now they see their daddy really sick. And starting tomorrow they can't see him for several days.

Back to Emory's diet because it has consumed so much of my time. His diet requires no processed foods. Pretty easy you think. I think I cook from "scratch" - but in reality I don't. Anything that has an ingredient with salt - can't be used - not even chili powder! It's weird - Emory can have salt without iodine but not anything processed because it may contain salt with iodine so everything has to be made from scratch - the real way. I will say I have learned a lot - but much of it from the mistakes I made. Emory hasn't staved to death. He could have all the fresh vegetables and fruit he wanted. But he couldn't have dairy or soy. I made him homemade bread - it was actually good. The salsa was decent but I melted a spatula in hot oil making tortilla chips and ruined a whole crockpot of beans by oversalting it. We've had a lot of laughs in the midst of all this. We always like to see the dark, funny side of it. Like today - Emory said he should've walked around the airport setting off the alarms because of his RAI. Emory has felt so bad that he hasn't blogged or even sat and watched much of any TV! I joked with him he definitely doesn't over think things because he doesn't think much. Ha! This is how exhausted and foggy he is - he said I could drive to the hospital today. Emory DETESTS my driving! So you know how low things have sunk. One funny thing that happened last week - at least it's funny now because he's alive - is one morning I woke up and took my arm to hug him and his skin was COLD to the touch! I will say it really scared me but when I saw he was breathing I felt a little better but definitely creeped out. I knew he would feel cold but not actually cold to the touch. He has been sleeping in long johns, 2 shirts and wool socks. Plus he puts a fleece blanket close to his body and THEN all the covers on top! If you want to know something funny - ask Emory about the fly incident.

Back to today. We get escorted back to radiology by a man in a white lab coat. He reminded me of Jerry Lewis in the Nutty Professor. Anyways he was a little kooky but he made me laugh. Emory was sitting in a position where he couldn't see them get the RAI but I could. The workers were careful to stand behind the special shield so they would't be exposed to radation. They bring out a vial of the pills, carefully open it and then pour the pills into Emory's hand because they don't want to touch it. The pills looked like something out of a movie - they were bright blue and red. Emory took a sip of water and down they went. Now todays dose only has a half life of 13 hours so he can still be around us. Tomorrow is the BIGGY.

This is just a snipet of what's been going on. We've been joking if the cancer doesn't kill him the treatment will. It's been rough and he still has a ways to go. The doctor said that he might be feeling better by Memorial Day. We'll know more tomorrow - if he "Lights Up" on his scan- it will tell us whether he has any more cancer and the posibility of additional surgery.

To be continued............

It's Official!

Today we met with the endocrinologist. When Dr. Meacham walked in he said to Emory, "You're an Oddball." So it's official. He has an official diagnosis by a medical doctor. I know - we're all thinking the same thing - this isn't new information. But unfortunately he isn't referring to Emory's personality but to his pathology report. The good news is that he still has a really high cure rate. The bad news is he has to go through a bunch of gunk so it stays that way. We left the doctor's office with a list of all the steps and tests that will be happening over the next month. It was just a tad overwhelming (especially with all the other things that have been happening in our lives!) And the doctor kindly told Emory that he will feel pretty horrible going off his temporary replacement thyroid medication to prepare for the RAI (Radioactive Iodine) treatment. Plus he has to be on a low iodine diet for at least the next 2 weeks. So basically he gets to eat like a rabbit. So there you have it - in a nutshell. Maybe Emory will post later about all the steps and tests that will be happening.

Shelly