updates

So as promised, here are some pictures from our trip to Mr. Footballs family. Like I said we went for his sisters wedding...and a lovely wedding it was.

The plan was to have the wedding at a pond on the Groom's farm, but since there was so much rain the event was moved into the barn instead.

The Happy Couple

Mr. Football and I...the baby bump is slightly making an appearance

Last week was Mr. Football's week to pick a book. He chose...

He was a big fan of Curious George growing up, so he chose that as his first pick.

This weekend is Baby Bryson's Benefit dinner so we've all been working hard at getting the last minute details together. We're planning raffles and a silent auction and are hoping for a good turnout. He's doing pretty well at this point. He's going to have one more round of chemo then they plan to redo all of his tests to find out if his tumor has gotten any smaller. If it has they will remove it and he will then have a stem cell transplant. The family has definitely had its ups and downs throughout all of this and we're hoping to stay on the down course at this point.

Mr. Handsome last week when I babysat...

Hump Day

Happy Hump Day everyone! Well I guess its almost over, which is wonderful because we're over half way to the weekend! Weather forcasts say we're supposed to see 80 degree's this Saturday, we'll see if it truly happens.

Today was a pretty busy day. I worked last night so obviously I came home and crashed. I had an ultrasound appointment at 1:30 so I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed to be there and it was amazing! Every time I've seen this little bean its changed so much. Today it actually looked like a little person, head, body, arms, legs...and it was moving all over the place! I've read that they can move around already but it was crazy to see it firsthand. The ultrasound tech was trying to measure it and it was waving and kicking and turning its entire body. I was blown away. I can't believe this is happening inside me. Weird.

my munchkin waving hello (apparently it's left handed)

I spent a lazy afternoon lounging with the puppies. They are always pretty clingy when I've worked a few days in a row...and as for the lounging, that really means I passed out drooling on the couch. Apparently its allowed now that I'm pregnant, at least that's what I've Mr. Football.

After I emerged from my laziness Mr. Football and I went and ran some errands. We decided that every week we're going to buy a book for the baby. We'll take turns picking it out. So our first book is...
Mr. Football suggested this one and I love it. It was one of my favorites growing up so it was definitely a must have. I guess that means its my turn next week...any suggestions?

Tonight we went to a fundraising dinner for Bryson at a local restaurant. A portion of the proceeds of the night will go to the family. The food was yummy, especially their famous cookies and hopefully The P family will get a nice check out of it. Bryson is doing better, this round of chemo was pretty rough on him but he's starting to come around. He can't go out in public so we stopped over to see him. He was wearing only a diaper since he had just thrown up on his clothes and was happy as a clam. (I think he just throws up because he doesn't want to wear clothes...) It was good to see him happy again.

And finally on a serious note, I got a few messages that a co-worker of mine collapsed on her way into work tonight. They think that she had a heart attack and isn't doing very well. We are all shocked and scared. Please think of her and her family during this horrible time.

busy busy busy

Sorry for the absence again...its been quite chaotic around here. Easter with the family was lovely, well except the psycho child who liked to antagonize my poor puppies to the point that they wanted to eat him (both dogs, Jax and Lulu).

sweet babies, they wouldn't hurt a fly...

With working every night this week and March of Dimes planning I've had little time to eat/sleep/shower let alone blog. But believe me friends, I'd much rather be blogging.

I did get a chance to visit with little Bryson this week. He's in the hospital getting another round of chemo and as you can see his spirits are up. He's an amazing boy.

I'm off to bed now but I promise to post something more exciting tomorrow...

Spring!!!

The last two days have been wonderful...and by wonderful I mean its been in the 50's so yay! Close enough to summer for me, well almost.

Yesterday Mama P, Bryson and I hit up the outdoor mall for the afternoon. It was such a nice day, besides the wind. We walked around most of the afternoon (in flip flops of course) and did pretty good purchases wise. Bryson enjoyed his day with the girls I think. He was too cute, just jabbering away all afternoon. He even ate pretty well at lunch, because of the chemo he doesn't have much of an appetite so even getting him to take 3-4 ounces by bottle is good (most 6 months old take double to triple that in a sitting). He's such a doll baby.

I'm very picky and since I like to consider myself "curvy" I don't like stretch or skinny jeans, so I was pretty excited to find my favorite pair of jeans available, in my size, and on sale! It was a good day. I also picked up a few cute T's since they were on sale too...How could I resist?

Yesterday night Mr. Football and I met up with Cookie and Mr. T for some frisbee golf. We made it through 9 holes before the wind became too much. I'm already "challenged" enough in the sport I don't need anymore obstacles.

Today ended up being another beautiful day, despite the forecast of rain. So I put up our "ghetto" fence and let the dogs play outside. (Sidenote: We bought our house because we loved the layout and it had a pretty good sized yard with a deck. Our garage however is detached, which is pretty common in our area and set behind the house. The entire backyard is fenced in, except the driveway since you have to drive behind the house to access the garage. We thought we'd figure out how to fence it in later....Well almost 2 years later we still don't have one. I just don't know if I'm willing to block the driveway permanently with a fence and no longer have access to the garage. So on the days I let the dog's play outside I have to take Jax's pen, which is a Petyard, open it up and block the driveway...hence Ghetto Fence)

*Note* This is not Jax and this is not my house. But this is the pen I have for him.

They had a lovely time running circles around the yard, barking at neighbor dogs and playing fetch, so much so that during a much needed water break Jax had to lie down to finish drinking. Seriously, I think I have the laziest dogs ever.

Tonight they're both passed out on the couch. Bring on the warm weather!

I'm Back

I know I've been gone awhile and really I have no other reason except that I've been in a funk lately. I'm tired and grumpy all the time. I can't seem to motivate myself to do anything...which includes blogging. I'm blaming it on the weather. I am truly feeling the winter blues, especially since Friday was the first day of spring and its still only in the high 30's here.

Yesterday we planned to have a cookout with some friends to celebrate the first weekend of spring and to cheer ourselves up...I almost canceled it because it was flurrying in the morning.

I didn't though and even though it was cold we still had a good time. My bestest Cookie and I took Jax and Boo for a walk during the afternoon. It was pretty entertaining to figure out who was walking who. I figured since I made a promise to make him a better behaved pooch I should stick to my word. We're working on it...

Bryson came over with his parents and he amazes me everyday. He's now learned to blow raspberrys and stick his tongue out whenever he sees the camera. Genious. Love him.

Today Mr. Football started his Spring football league. He left pretty early, and of course woke me up in the process so I watched Twilight (obsessed, I know). We napped this afternoon, like I said, we've gotten pretty lazy...Had an early dinner and I walked Lulu after. He's been feeling under the weather also so he stayed home.

I did buy a fabulous dress today for a wedding this May. Our bestman from our wedding will be getting married in Chalreston this summer and Mr. Football is a groomsman. I can't wait!

So I'm officially getting over my funk...at least I'm making an effort. I plan to be a better blogger, wife and person altogether. I'm not going to lie on the couch under a blanket and keep my nose in a book any longer. I'm going to get outside with the dogs and work on my "summer body" cause obviously my actions have lead to a pretty horrific "winter body".

NO MORE WINTER BLUES!

just precious

These pics were just posted and I felt like I had to share them. My dear friends the P Family have been going through the toughest time of their lives, their 6 month old Bryson was diagnosed with cancer just a month ago...

Even after surgery, more tests than the average adult, several rounds of chemo, etc. I can pretty much say he's the most beautiful baby in the world. (I am not at all biased) Their wonderful friend and photographer JP of JP Photography has been kind enough to capture these shots of this little man...

Adorable.

Not Me Monday!

Thanks to Mckmama, I now feel like I have something to look forward to on Mondays...her fabulous blog carnival "Not Me Monday" where we can all share the things we would never admit to doing...Here goes!

After deciding a few weeks ago that I need to get my butt in gear and work some extra hours for our mini-vaca's this summer, I did NOT decide that I've had enough and I'm burnt out from working extra hours. I also did NOT think that maybe we don't need to go to all of the weddings this summer...

While at our Kick-off Meeting for March of Dimes I did NOT get tearful when the Ambassador family shared their story of their previous 24 weeker who is now a little over 2. I was NOT completely excited when after I walked in he looked at me over his little glasses and said "HI Mrs. Not-so-Domesticated!" (Ok he said my real name but I wrote that for blogging purposes). I also did NOT completely blank out during everyone elses speaches because I was too busy watching all of our NICU grads running around. I DON'T really have a great job...

I did NOT spend hours on a poster presentation with Little S this week for our Conference. I am NOT totally impressed by our really awesome chest cavity that we built on the poster as a visual aid for our disease. I also am NOT totally annoyed that a poster we spent hours on, other people spent minutes on and are getting the same credit.

I was NOT completely intimidated at our Benefit for Bryson meeting on Thursday. I did NOT let all of those opinionated "helpers" walk all over me. I did NOT want to quit as the chair of the event, just a little.

The hubby and I did NOT have a little or big spat one night while I was at work. (when I work a lot of days together or a lot of overtime, we might get a little nasty with each other) I was NOT thouroughly mad that he had made plans for an out-of-town overnight excursion and not tell me about it until the night before. I was NOT so mad that I didn't even want to give him the girlscout cookies I had bought him when I got home that morning...(he didn't go btw, and I shared my cookies)

I did NOT ask the hubby if I could go on a roadtrip to Florida with my bff Cookie next weekend...he did NOT ask me if I remembered our fight mentioned above...

We did NOT have an exhausting weekend playing cards and bowling with our friends. It was NOT super fun, and we are NOT huge dorks...

I am NOT exhausted thinking about my week ahead, and its only Monday...

Well it's a good thing that I didn't do any of these things this past week. What didn't you do??

busy

This week is flying by and I can't keep up.

-Monday night I was off, but after working all weekend and staying up extra early to wait for Mckmama's Not Me Monday (wait, I'd never stay up until noon after working all night...) I pretty much was dead to the world Monday night. The hubby was a little miffed that I didn't want to hang out with him and would rather nap on the couch on my only night off...

-My tiramisu is a little stronger than I can handle...as in I followed the recipe exactly, and now theres too much alcohol for me to enjoy it. Why didn't I use less alcohol? I know that I can't handle a lot... I'll never understand myself sometimes.

-Tuesday I went to our March of Dimes kickoff meeting and it was surprisingly fun! There were lots of cute NICU grads and their families so I was in heaven. I think we're going to do awesome this year, and have fun doing it too.

-After the meeting I went to work for a few hours, I'm greedy afterall and I have plane tickets to purchase.

-After work (midnight-ish) headed over to Little S's house to work on our poster for the Conference next week. Can you tell we're night shift workers, who else would plan to get together at midnight?? Its done by the way...thank goodness.

-Tonight after I make dinner (because I promised the hubby that I would cook sometime this week) I'll be headed back into work a regular shift.

Left to do this week...

-Thursday night there's a benefit meeting for my dear friends the P family and Baby Bryson.
-Thursday night after the meeting, I'll be heading back into work...again. (When does retirement start?)
-Then I'm off for 2 days!!!! I can't wait. I promise to catch up on everyone's lives once mine isn't so crazy.
-Sunday, the madness starts over. I. Can't. Wait.

Not Me Monday!

Welcome to this weeks free therapy session hosted by MckMama...basically it's a list of everything I absolutely did not do this week...right. Here goes nothing!

-This week I did NOT feel incredibly old after our ski trip. I was NOT so sore that I couldn't move and I did NOT have bruises everywhere...and I am NOT dying to go snowboarding again...

-I did NOT read The Host in 2 days this week...I did NOT really really like it, even though I'm not really into books like that, I do NOT wish that Stephenie Meyer had more books published...

-I did NOT drag the hubby to the bookstore on Valentines day while waiting for our table and leave with nothing because Amazon has better prices. The hubby did NOT say to me last night that maybe I should have bought any book because he saw me re-reading The Host. (I've already ordered the Sookie Stackhouse books and they should be here by early next week. I also saved 25$ by ordering them through amazon...)

-I was NOT asleep by 11:00 on Valentines day, I am NOT that old and tired...

-We did NOT look at buying a camper this week. I am NOT totally psyched and I can't wait til the details are figured out so that I can share...

-We also did NOT buy a new dining room table/chairs and coffee table/end tables. We definitely did NOT need them...and we apparently do NOT think we're made of money and feel like we can be big spenders all of a sudden...

-We did NOT have dinner with the P family last tonight at their house (yay!) and have a wonderful time. It did NOT feel like things were back to normal, except when it was medication time and he had to get a shot...boo.

-I am NOT totally devastated about Bryson's diagnosis and prognosis, but I WILL keep my head up and be strong for his family. We WILL all get through this and accept whatever happens. Everything happens for a reason right?

So theres a list of random things I would never do...how about you? Visit MckMama for other great Not Me's!

bitter sweet

Yesterday results came back about Bryson's tumor and it has the MYCN gene, which pretty much means that the tumor continuously makes copies of itself...so it just keeps growing and regenerating.

This was a pretty big blow to their family. He was upgraded to the High Risk category now. The chemo treatments from last weekend are now considered obsolete and they will start over with much more aggressive treatments when the next course is due. We are scared but always knew this was a possibility. Please continue your prayers for this sweet baby boy...

About half an hour ago the family finally got home. They were discharged from the hospital for the weekend and are going to try to spend some normal time together...aside from his ATC meds and injections that is. He will have lab work drawn again Monday, so hopefully they can have a peaceful weekend. Oh, and of course their situation must get more complicated...Mama P just found out unexpectedly that she's 8 weeks pregnant.



The hubby and I are planning an evening at home tonight, game night with some friends. We're very romantic aren't we...any one else have fun Valentines day plans?

finally!

On my drive home this morning from work my outside temperature read 51 degrees....51!!!! Its raining, which is ok because the snow is finally completely melted. Can it be possible that spring is almost here?

...Ok probably not. Its supposed to be 30 again this weekend but thats still better than the negatives. I figured since its just balmy out I'd post our pics from this weekend.

The hubby and I...doesn't he look thrilled

Mama Cookie and Mr. T

Me and Little S

A very intense game of Phase 10

Yeah, we're super dorks.

My super super cute snowboard...

One of the few good things that came from the ex...

And a quick B-dawg update:

He had his first chemo treatments this weekend and everything went well. He tolerated the treatments very well actually. He's been awake and happy. He loves to look at his toys and watch his baby einstein dvd's. He has been throwing up a few times a day, especially with meds but once he does he's a happy boy again. It's hard to imagine him being a sick baby, because he doesn't look sick, or act sick. But he's just proving how very strong he is...and what an infectious smile he has.

Lets go!

This afternoon we are leaving for our ski trip. While it makes me sad to leave with everything going on I think it will actually be a good break. We're driving 4 and a half hours north to play in the snow...something that I've been complaining about all winter. But I'm actually really excited about it.

About a million years ago (or maybe in high school) I was a snowboarding junkie. I'd go several times a week with my Mr. at the time...we'll refer to him as "Mr. Not-so-Motivated"...and I was pretty decent. When he and I decided to part ways, I shoved all of my snowboarding paraphernalia in the back of the closet and locked it away with all my resentful feelings toward him. This included the brand new snowboard and bindings that he had given me that Christmas.

When Mr. Football moved to the blistery north he kept making comments about wanting to go skiing, he's NEVER been out on the slopes. So for the past 3 years we've tried to plan a ski/snowboarding trip for his birthday since he was conveniently born in January...peak snow sporting time. This is the FIRST year we've been able to plan a trip.

I hesitantly dug out all of my snowboarding gear and my snowboard and decided that it doesn't bother me all that much. Actually my snowboard is quite cute and I'm pretty excited to use it for the first time ever (since I've had it for a million years, or 8...) I did have an anxiety attack last night at work about the whole situation. I was thinking about things I needed for the trip and realized my bodacious booty is a little lot bigger than it used to be and that it may not fit into my gear anymore. Side note, I tried my stuff on tonight and it does fit...phew!

So tomorrow Mama Cookie, Mr. T, Mr. Football, Little S and I will be heading north to enjoy the slopes. I'll be using my downtime when I'm sore and I don't can't ride anymore to be checking up on all the blogs I missed during the last week. I want to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all of the prayers and encouraging words. We're trying to deal with this horrible situation in the best way we can by being there for our friends. They have a truly amazing spirit and I KNOW that they will overcome this. If you'd like to read her views and feelings please let me know. She has her own site where she updates on his progress and visitors can leave comments. I know she finds a lot of peace reading the comments left on her site, so leave me your email and I'll send you the link.

And since I just can't resist showing his adorableness, I had to post these...

They have a wonderful friend in their lives who happens to be a photographer. They met when their engagement photos were done and she has continued to follow their lives through their wedding, pregnancy, birth and newborn shots. When she found out about Bryson she went immediately to the hospital to offer comfort and support. In the process she was able to capture these amazing photos. These were taken the weekend before surgery. They will have these to remember their precious little boy in the perfect body he was born in. Thank you for being a wonderful friend JP, they are blessed to have you in their lives.

...better day?

Just got off the phone with the P family and Bryson is pretty much the same. Some of his lab work came back though...Bone marrow test came back negative, which is fabulous because it means it hasn't spread there yet, and his blood counts have gone up significantly. Hopefully this will make him stronger and able to fight harder. The next step is to have a biopsy on Monday to officially find out what they're dealing with. The docs have explained a few possiblities but it will be better to know for sure.

We are still in shock. How did this happen? Why did this happen? What more does this family have to endure?

The P family found out they were pregnant last January, 4 months after they were married. They weren't planning on getting pregnant at the time but thrilled regardlessly. At the time, Daddy P had just lost his job and was in the process of finding a new one, so Mama P was working big time to support their growing family. Around July Mama P was having severe headaches, which turned out to be extremely high blood pressure. She was taken off of work and put on strict bedrest...Thankfully Daddy P had just found a job (after being unemployed for 6 months). Mama P's pressures stablized but because of her high risk status she was being monitored very closely. In September it was decided that it was time for little Bryson to be born. He wasn't growing at a very good rate and the Docs decided that he'd be better off out than in.

This precious little man was born September 4th weighing in at a whopping 4 lbs 8 oz's. He was born 3 weeks early but did wonderfully. After a difficult labor, Mama P ended up with a C-section where she had to be completely knocked out. She didn't "see" her baby until he was almost 2 hours old. Once this family was home things seemed to be turning around. It finally looked like the stress of the year was over...

New Years Eve the P family called to let us know they wouldn't be able to make it over. Bryson was sick with an upper respiratory infection and Daddy P wasn't feeling so hot either. Turns out Daddy P had some pretty serious kidney stones and ended up being hospitalized several times in a 3 week period. More stress for this already streched thin family. Finally Daddy P was recovered enough to go back to work and now this...

So when I say that this family has already had its share of stress and heartache, I wasn't lying. I'm just trying to understand how bad things keep happening? I'm amazed at the strength of my friends. I'm not sure I would be able to handle everything as gracefully as they have been. They are an amazing family and I feel privileged to be a part of their lives.

So please keep praying for Bryson and his family and we'll keep supporting them in any way that we can. Thanks.