Kendalan turns 8!

It seems like a long time coming, probably seemed like it took forever according to Kendalan.   But the day finally arrived.   Kendalan is 8 years old!   She got what she asked for and we have heard about what she wanted for M.O.N.T.H.S. now!    She wanted an Ipad mini.   Well that is what she got and she is happy, ecstatic and giddy!!

I have to admit that I really failed in the Mommy department the day of her Birthday.   I guess I was thinking how much her gift was and so my mind kind of slipped about taking treats to school that day. So the next day we took cupcakes, juice and punch to school for her to share with the teachers and kids.

Then Haven spent the night Friday with Kendalan and Tessa and as Haven's grandma was having a garage sale most of the day Saturday I decided to surprise the girls with a trip to The American Girl Doll Store Saturday afternoon.    We also went to Joe's Crab Shack to eat lunch for Kendalan's birthday.   Is she spoiled or what??!!   Of course, we made Kendalan perform for her meal at the crab shack!!   She tried to get out of it...but it was a no go for us.

Then off to the AG doll store where each girl was allowed to pick out an outfit.   They made out like bandits!

Tap tap tap??

Just wondering if anyone is out there?   I know that my posts are pretty dud, but come on peeps (as my daughter calls you) throw me a bone here?   Is anyone really reading this blog?  

It was a tough day today.   My incision areas were throbbing even with the pain medication.   I was starting to think that the pain meds were a placebo that the doctor ordered.   I thought that he felt that I should pay in pain, that pain would wake me up to what my diagnosis is.    Hello Doctor...I know...I have cancer!!   Duh!   I understand and I think that I have been doing what I can to prepare for it.   I know that some people have surgery and return to work the next day.   I have already said that I am a wimp!!   I do not tolerate pain well at all!   I know that some pain will push me to do more things and "work" through the pain.    I think I have been doing a pretty good job of that.   Just today the pain was M.I.S.E.R.A.B.L.E.   Felt like they had left one of the wires in there and it was poking me every move I made.    Of course, it did not help that I fell asleep on the couch with the laptop on my lap and my feet on the floor.   Oh My...I didn't know my legs and ankles could be so SWOLLEN!!  

So I have taken all my meds tonight and I WILL be in bed before my sleeping pill kicks in and puts me in sweet oxymoron land!!   I hope that all the swelling is gone and I am hoping that I am in a much better mood tomorrow. 

Please please...leave a comment.  or two.   Honestly they don't have to be nice.   Nice is kind of overrated and after the comments I received about Linzi and our decision to put her in respite, I think that I can handle snarly comments.    I know that Linzi happens to be doing very well at her new home and I am so glad that she is.   She could still be sitting in China.

Surgery

April 19th was a long day.    I couldn't eat or drink anything, which actually didn't bother me too much.   They kept me busy enough that I didn't have time to dwell on it.

First stop was at the Women's Center to have wire markers inserted so the surgeon would know where the lesion was.    They basically numbed me in the same area that they did the biopsy through.   Then the radiologist inserted a wire "marker" into the area.   He was guided by the Ultrasound machine.   When he was removing the needle part of the wire the wire pulled back out with it.   So he had to insert another wire.    Then the wires were secured to my skin with bandages and tape so they wouldn't move around.    Just before I left the Women's Center they injected a form of radiation dye into the area.  

We then headed over to the hospital so I could check in.   After I changed into their lovely gowns they gave me a ride in a wheel chair down to radiology so they could track the dye they had injected earlier. The techs said that not only did the dye do exactly what it was supposed to do, they said that I have very lovely skin!!   The lymph nodes were showing up very well on the xrays!   They said that older women do not get as good of xray because the lymph nodes are harder.

Then it was time to go back to the pre-post room (107) to wait for my turn in surgery.   I was scheduled for 2:15pm and we were completely shocked when Dr. Sachs came in at 12:40pm and said that they were running ahead of schedule!!   The anesthesiologist was right behind him with a bunch of questions for me to answer.   They started an IV and away I went to OR room #9.    We clocked in there at 12:49pm.    The room was very cold and they brought me a couple of warm blankets.   I moved over to the operating table and the anesthesia woman said she was going to give me something to relax me.   It did that!   I felt like my tongue was swollen up and I was kind of slurring my words.  Then they put the oxygen mask over my face and asked me to take some deep breathes.   The next thing I knew I was in recovery!

I was still pretty loopy, but I was in pain.   They asked me to rate my pain and I said it was an 8.   They gave me something which I later on found out was Morphine.   I told them that Morphine didn't work on me and then they gave me some Fentanyl.   Ahhhhhh...I started feeling relief!!     Then it was time to go back to the pre-post room to recover.   Ice chips were very welcome!    My nurse said that the next time I needed something for pain that she would give me what the doctor was going to send me home on to make sure that it worked.   It wasn't too long when I needed to get up and go to the bathroom.   I could tell that I was pretty tender on the left side.   I also have the prettiest blue urine!!

I received my discharge paperwork and we were walking out of the building about 5pm!   It was sure nice to be home!!   The Colvin's brought the girls home from Fight Night about 7:30pm.

This is the pretty colors I am sporting on my left side.   There is no drain!!   And the lymph nodes were CLEAR!   That will hopefully mean that I might have less chemo and hopefully no radiation!   I will find out all about that on April 30th when I see Dr. Hashmi again.

Silly Rabbit

Tricks are for kids!!   And so are Easter goodies.   Silly Rabbit had to work Sunday morning and so she hopped through the house and left a few goodies on the table for the girls.   No names on the items as this Thumper knows that the girls will have their idea who gets what.   Seems they were all on a sugar high for their Dad and no fights over the goods.

We traveled to Wamego, Kansas to the annual Tulip Festival Saturday.   We had gone to this a few years ago and was excited that Sophie called and asked us to meet them there!    Lots of photo ops and the younger girls had a great time playing in the bouncy houses.    The older girls were just a little bored, but you can't win them all.   I reminded them that family time is important and they really didn't have too bad a time!!

A funny thing happened while I was trying to get my physical completed for our adoption (which is now not going to happen unfortunately).   I saw my doctor's ARNP.   Don't get me wrong, I really like the ARNP.   She is much more thorough than the doctor.   She asked me a lot of questions and she did a breast exam.   Honestly it was the first breast exam that I have had in a couple of years other than the self ones I do when I remember.

She also told me that it had been a while since I had a mammogram.   She said that they would make me an appointment to have one.   Soon after I had it done I received a phone call that they had found a density on the mammogram and that they wanted to do an ultrasound of that area just to see.   The day I went in for the US they also were set up for a biopsy.   The radiologist said "Why don't we go ahead and biopsy this since you are all ready here."   I had some other things on my mind and really didn't think too much of it.    Then when I received a phone call from the ARNP saying that she wanted me to come in for the biopsy results...I started getting worried.

The news was not good.   I have triple negative breast cancer in my left breast.   I saw the oncologist and now tomorrow I see the surgeon.   I will have at least a lumpectomy and after the surgeon gets in there it could be a mastectomy.   They will also put a port-a-cath in my chest wall so 10 days after surgery I will start chemotherapy.   I will have chemo for 6 months.   When I am about done with chemo they will start daily radiation on the area.   The good news...we caught it early.   The lump is under 1 cm in size which makes it about the size of a pea.   (That is me, the princess and the pea!)

Spring break day three and four

Since Mother Nature had other plans, we went with the flow.    The kids had been talking about "Ripley's Believe it or Not" since last year.   We all enjoyed some very interesting facts, photos and objects.   We even managed to get the kids to sit still long enough to get a photo of all of them at once!

We decided to stop for a quick cheap lunch at Wendy's.   We want the kids to be hungry for tonight's meal!

Next we thought we would try the Hollywood Wax Museum.   After King Kong had us in his grip we should have run the other way!  Not worth the time or the money.   We actually had to look at the names on the figures many times to see who it was...they were that bad!   We did pose with some of them, but it was a speedy trip through and then we heard a chorus of "Can we go swimming?" from the kids.

It was raining pretty hard after leaving the wax museum so back to the hotel and the kids swam until they were prune material.   The next outing was to Whipper Snappers  All you can eat Lobster and Crab buffet!  Sounds great...right?!   Well, not so much.   The lobster was whole and you had to tear it apart.   Parts of it wasn't as tasty as I remember lobster tasting.   I actually enjoyed the crab legs more than the lobster.  Now we can say we ate there, can't say I will ever go back.   Very expensive and really not any better than eating at Red Lobster...I would pick RL any day over WS!!   And unfortunately early the next am, I was bowing to the porcelin throne as something made my stomach very sick.

The kids finished the day in the pool again.   I think we would have saved a lot of money if we had just let them swim the whole time!

The next day it was rainy...I see a trend here!   We decided to go to the Talking Caverns.   The place is owned by Silver Dollar City who at one time added sounds and gaudy lights inside the cavern, but fortunately SDC realized that what they were doing was not well liked...in fact scared many people.   The Caverns are now being leased by an organization that cares about the ecosystem of the cavern.   It was wet outside and wet down inside the cavern.   The temperature outside was cooler than the cave so it was a warmer way to spend some time.   And we learned some interesting things to boot!   Chuck was our guide and a very good one he was!   We went 100 foot down inside the cave.  Then we had to climb back up 265 stairs!  Can you say workout?!  Mother Nature sure did a fantastic job in the cave!

We were going to see a movie, but timing is everything.   We had worked up an appetite in the cave, so it was time to recharge our bodies.   Timing again had us going back to the hotel to chill for a while before the next time for the movie to start.   A quick nap for Mark and I and the girls played with their dolls.   Then we took off to find the movie theater...without results.   So back to the hotel and the kids were more than ready to hit the pool again.

This morning we said our sad goodbyes and we all headed for home.   We knew that it was snowing our way.   It was lightly snowing in Branson before we left.   Oh well, there is always next year!!

Spring break day two

Woke up this morning to find the sun trying to shine.   It's surely not going to snow?!   However, by the early afternoon it had clouded over and the wind was blowing very hard.   North sky looked ominous with dark clouds and you could feel moisture in the air.

Mark and the girls ate the continental breakfast while I wrestled with a few more zzzz's.   Then we decided to go to WalMart and pick up a few things we needed to stock our fridge with and things that I had forgotten to pack.   Plus I thought it might be in our best interest to see if they had end of season hats and gloves.  They did!!   The girls were so lucky to find some really cute fuzzy hats.

We then headed down to the old Branson area to find something different for lunch.   We wound up at the Farmstead House and it was pretty good.  The girls also stopped and chatted with Branson Bill.   Then we wandered around in Dick's 5 and 10 for a while before heading out to the Tanger Outlet shops.   It was really starting to get cold by the time we were out there and we decided to come back to the hotel so the girls could go swimming.   It wasn't long after we were back at the hotel that the first flakes started coming down.   They really started adding up!

The girls have some new outfits from Justice and Mom and Dad's bank accounts are lower.   The girls were real excited.  Jordis, Tessa and Kendalan did a quick style review for me!   With the snow coming down heavily, our friends were taking it easy out on the freeway.   It looks like our trip to Silver Dollar City will be postponed until later on this season.  Good thing there are so many things to do inside here.

Our friends ran into the heavy snow and it slowed them way down on interstate.   We would rather they go slow instead of pushing too hard to get here.  Our plans are changing by the hour.   Looks like Silver Dollar City is out and in door things are in.   We will regroup in the morning to decide what we will be doing.   What ever it is, it will be fun!!

Spring break in Missouri

It's time for spring break!   We are spending four days in Branson, Missouri to meet up with our friends.   Lucy and Tessa are from the same orphanage and was adopted on the same day.   I had emailed with Lucy's Mom before we met up in China and then we met in China and we have been friends ever since!!   Branson is about half way for each of us to meet and there is so much to do here that the kids enjoy.

                      Jordis resting on the ride down.

However, someone forgot to tell Mother Nature to be nice!   Branson is supposed to have snow tomorrow and a 50% chance of more snow on Friday.   But on the upside, there are lots of things to do inside if Mother Nature does drop some flakes on our heads.   So let it snow!!

                                          Yummy....my liver and onions!!

We stopped and ate at Lambert's.  The girls loved catching the "Throwed rolls!"   Then on to Branson and to
our hotel the Hotel Grand Victorian.   Nice so far.   This is the first time we have stayed here.   Very clean and the hotel staff has been very nice.   The girls love the pool.   Zora and I wandered around the lobby tonight while the little girls were swimming.    They leave their Christmas tree up all year round and decorate it for the holiday.   Right now it is in it's Easter finest with Bunny's and eggs all over it.   Very pretty.   Tomorrow our friends will arrive...unless the snow stops them.    We plan on checking a few things out and I am sure that the girls will want to swim again!!