Mom Monday: Update #1!

As is necessary, I will now start using Mondays to post updates on my mom and a fun picture of her or a characteristic that I appreciate about her! Here is a cute picture (above) and the latest update (as written by my dad)!

This week was a full one with progress in Nikki's (Anita's) healing and recovery. Monday she got her last drain out. It just all of a sudden decreased output over the weekend. By Monday it was well within the range where the surgeon would take it out. She called for an appointment and got right in. She still has a little hole in her side but can cover it with a bandaid and shower. She did come home and take a long HOT shower. After nothing but sink baths since Jan 9 she enjoyed standing under running hot water and washing her hair and body. Everything got steamed and cleaned. Tuesday she had a chest xray and a bone density test as part of a screening for a clinical trial she will be participating in. After her tests (screenings) we went to Chemotherapy 101 - Yes, it's a real class. They tell you everything you needed to know and some more. We got a tour of the infusion room. It's a big room like an open emergency room but no dividers - just sections with 4 recliners with IV poles beside them. They are all about patient comfort. They have a TV in the center of these chairs and whoever starts first, or isn't sick chooses the station to watch. You get sick, fall asleep, you lose control of the remote. They have baskets of gloves and foot warmers. A refreshment bar has broth packets, teas, hard candy, water, juices and the like. Patients bring their own comfortable clothes, blankets, pillows, books, work, music, computers, TV, or radios. There must be about 6 - 7 such areas in this room. And of course, there is a long counter with the staff behind it who produce the stuff you take.

Wednesday morning we got up at 5 and to the hospital by 6 for the surgery to have the portacath put in. Instead of having to get stuck each time with an IV and hoping they find a vein, she now as a port in her upper chest. No worry they can't find the vein. It's a round receiver device just under the skin that runs a tube directly in to a major vein. In preparing her for surgery they missed 2 times to find a vein. She came out looking like she had been beaten with a stick all up and down her arm. I think they do that on purpose to reinforce your decision to get the portacath. She requested no narcotics for surgery but rather the same drug they used for the original surgery in January so didn't have any worry on being dull headed or groggy all day. She was discharged and home by 10 AM. I went to work and so did she. That afternoon she got fitted for new bras and a prosthesis, and is glad she is looking normal in her clothes now.

She is scheduled for a MUGA (a heart scan) on Monday and if she is within guidelines, we'll start chemo Wednesday or Thursday. Then it's every 3 weeks for 18 weeks. She'll be bald headed soon, and will have an array of several wigs to choose from - no caps or scarfs for her. If all goes according to plan, she should be finished by the end of June.

She has talked to other women just ahead of her in the process and picked up some tips about what to expect. One thing she has learned from Louise Gray, the mother of Kristen's roommate from Baylor, Bethany, is plan a soup week after each treatment. If you have a winner of a soup recipe please send it on. I'll proabaly fix two or three different recipes that week and freeze some for the next soup week. Everybody doesn't react the same way but generally soup is a comfort food so it'd be good to eat anyway. It's hydrating, a good way to get vegetables, a one pot meal, and I like it too.

Thursday we accepted a perk of her job. The Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau hosted a dinner at an Austin icon restaurant - Green Pastures. It was a nice dinner and we won a gift basket with beach type stuff plus a gift certificate for a two night stay at The Holiday Inn Emerald Beach in Corpus. She has received another offer from a resort on Lake Whitney for an overnight stay for 2, meals, spa and golf package,etc. which we will try to squeeze in for March or April. These getaways will be a welcome break for relaxation.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. We can feel the outpouring of your love and it is truly amazing. Nikki's goal is to see this as a journey and an opportunity to grow closer to God, and seeks to handle it all with grace through Christ.

An "Ah-Ha!" Use!

If any of you have read the magazine, Real Simple, you are probably familiar with the "Ah-Ha! use" section! This is my favorite part of the magazine! They take an everyday household item and find a new use for it! Well, I just created an "Ah-ha!" item of my own--a TV tray! Not the kind that stands up tall and folds in, but the kind that you would use to serve someone breakfast in bed! My parents have two of these in their pantry...and although they were used quite often at one time, they have been sitting there (unused!) for quite some time now! Enter: Ah-ha use. I have been wanting a little table for Katelyn to sit and color at (but we don't really have room for a table and chairs in our living room!). Well, you guessed it! The same TV tray that can serve chicken noodle soup to a sick kid or serve a romantic breakfast in bed can also serve up a mean coloring book and crayons to a toddler! Katelyn loves it! See video below! Thanks MaMaw and PeePaw!

Valentine's Day!

We celebrated our Valentine's Day on Thursday, February 12 to try and avoid the long waits at restaurants (it worked!)! We used an Outback Steakhouse gift card that we got for Christmas, and then caught a 9:35 p.m. movie at the Dollar Theater afterward! We felt like such rebels staying out so late!

Also for Valentine's Day, Katelyn and I (and my sister Brittany!) went to the nursing home with my friend Jessica and her daughter Reese (who is only a week older than Katelyn)! They have started visiting with us each week, and it is so fun...especially for the residents who get double the joy when they see both Katelyn and Reese toddle into their rooms! Katelyn and Reese have become quite the professionals at blowing kisses, giving high fives, and waving/saying bye bye! They also enjoy looking on as the residents play their afternoon game of balloon volleyball (read: sitting in a circle and volleying a balloon back and forth). Anyways, for Valentine's day, we got a list of the resident names from the activities director and made them personalized Valentines cards. We decorated the cards at Jessica's house earlier in the week (read: the girls played, Jessica and I had fun, girly craft time at the dining room table!), and then hand-delivered them to the residents on the 13th. What fun! See below for pics!

Look out Hallmark and Martha Stewart! Our homeade Valentine cards were awesome!

Us and our friend Johnny! Him and his wife Bessie (unfortunately not pictured!) have been married for 66 years!!

Flowers Flowers Everywhere!

We recently found ourselves living with a lot of flowers!! For Valentine's Day, Dave bought me some red tulips (my favorite! see below). I proudly set those in the middle of our kitchen table. Then, the other day, the lady next door came over and gave us a HUGE (but beautiful!!) display of flowers (see below)! Apparently her work had a fancy event and the flowers were leftover, so she wanted to give them to us for "being such good neighbors!" It was so sweet!

My valentine flowers!!

Our neighborly flowers!!

Kung Fu Katelyn!

So....we have this bamboo stick that serves as a fun piece of decor in our kitchen, and Katelyn has started "playing" with it! She looks like a martial arts queen when she starts pushing and twirling it around...either that or a future pole vaulter or baton twirler! Many of you know that Dave took a Kung Fu class when we lived in China! Katelyn must have somehow developed that talent in the womb since her daddy would always practice his moves when he came home! I know, I know...It's just a matter of time until she knocks something over or hits one of us (or herself) in the head, but until then...Enjoy the video below!

On another note, my mom had her first appointment with the oncologist last Thursday (Feb. 5), and he has recommended chemotherapy as the best treatment plan for now....no radiation, so we are thankful for that. She is hoping to start by the end of this month. It will be an 18 week process, with treatments every three weeks (a total of six visits). I'll share more as I know it, but in the meantime I would appreciate your prayers for her as she continues to recover from the surgery and prepares to start this new phase of treatment.

And on a last (but not least!) note, my youngest sister Brittany just turned 23 on Feb. 1st. She wanted us to take her to Potbelly's (a yummy sandwich shop) for her birthday dinner! So we did, and it was lots of fun! Katelyn was up way past her bedtime, and she loved every minute of it! I had my camera so we could take a picture there, but I totally forgot to ask someone to take it! Ughhh! So here is just a really cute picture of Brittany that I thought I would share as a tribute to this post about her birthday! Happy Birthday Brittany! We love you and are so thankful that you were born!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRITTANY!

Just For Fun!

A couple of fun recent happenings I thought you might enjoy reading about....

Katelyn has begun using utensils (other than her hands!) at mealtime! She's doing pretty well, but my sister Brittany took this cute video of Katelyn in the process of learning...who said you have to use the rounded end of the spoon when you eat? Especially when the flat part works just as well...almost. She definitely earned an "E" for effort in Utensil Using 101!

Also, Katelyn and I have still been visiting the nursing home once a week! It is so sweet to see her becoming more and more comfortable with the residents! Two of our favorite residents (we have lots of favorites!), are pictured below.

This is Katelyn and Mr. Larry on their weekly wheelchair joyride! The minute he sees us coming, he gets excited! And Katelyn does too because she knows she is about to enjoy a wheelchair ride from the comfort of Mr. Larry's lap! I push them around the halls for a few minutes, and Mr. Larry always looks so proud to have Katelyn on his lap! The activities director took the picture below and gave it to Mr. Larry. He has it proudly displayed on the bookcase in his room!

This is Katelyn and Ms. Wilma. When we walk down Ms. Wilma's hall, we usually hear her playing an old hymn on her organ. It is a small one set up in her room, and since she doesn't have a roommate, she has plenty of freedom and space to play all she wants! Katelyn enjoys sitting on the bench with her every once in a while and playing a tune of her own!