Where Or Where Has Pumpkin Been?

I know I promised you an update awhile back and I apologize it's taken me this long to do so. When I 'do' get computer time, I'm either answering emails (only a few), updating my Blog (rarely), checking in on other Blogs (not a lot) or keeping up to date as to what's going on in the cross stitching world. Hey, at least I still have that craving from time to time ;o)

Four weeks ago I ended up sick after my Chemo treatment (I think it was a bug) and it took a HUGE chunk out of me. My mood drastically darkened because of this and I had a hard time digging myself out of that hole. When Junior's birthday rolled around, it was like "I've been living with this crap for a year now! When will it ever end?" The last thing I want to do is think about cancer on my son's big day. Another reason to hate this disease so much >:o(

I had hinted in a post awhile ago that I had some positive news and I do! Back in February I had a new CT Scan and when they compared it to the ones I had in October and December, it showed that my tumors had either disappeared or shrunk in size :o) This was super news but it was darkened by 'another' setback...

Since January, I had been developing these lumps on my skin around my left breast. I had a biopsy done and it was concluded that they were cancerous. D'uh! I knew that. What they didn't do was examine to see if they were the same kind of cancer we're dealing with or if it's something new. Whatever the outcome, the lumps didn't seem to be responding to the Chemo and kept spreading and growing larger :o(

We met with my Oncologist and he felt that because the tumors on the inside were responding well to this Chemo that we would continue on with it. That means it is a wait and see game with the lumps on my skin. They are very painful and I have one that is quite large to the side of my breast. This coming week I'll get that sucker radiated so hopefully that will help. DH and I have noticed that some of the lumps have shrunken and they haven't spread in the past month so we're hoping that's good news.

Also this coming week, I'm going to have a new CT Scan. We're hoping things will look even better and then maybe we'll get an end date for my Chemo. That would be so nice! Even though I seem to be tolerating it pretty well, I'm SO tired! I sleep a lot. I could sleep even more but I don't want life just passing me by.

Every day it seems like I'm living on a fine line; one where I have to balance things just right or else everything just comes tumbling down on me. Yes, I am getting tired of this whole thing; mentally AND physically. I want cancer out of my life. I know it won't be gone completely (it will always be on my mind) but even if I didn't have to have Chemo treatments anymore would be a vast improvement ;o)

I want to thank everyone again for their wonderful emails and comments, even if I don't get back to you straight away. My Blogging Buddies are never far from my mind and I'm always wondering what you're up to. I miss you all and I'm glad that you've stuck around to keep me coming back :o) A HUGE ((((HUG)))) goes out to you all!

Happy Birthday Junior!

I know I'm 'very' late again with my updates but it's been a grueling three weeks to say the least and my mind hasn't been in the best of places :o( Aside from that, I wanted to share the most recent news from our home because it was a huge event. Plus, I see there must be quite a few of you checking up to see if I have updated my Blog recently ;o) How I keep holding onto all my Stalkers, I don't know...

Anyway...as you see by the title, Junior had an official birthday and turned ONE YEAR OLD on April 10!!!! It was quite the event because he had not one but TWO parties! LOL!

The night of his actual birthday we had both sets of grandparents over and Junior got to open his larger gifts. He got an All Season Wagon and a Radio Flyer Steer & Stroll Trike :o) He had his very own birthday cake and it was so funny to see how reserved he was with it. Most kids would have had it smeared from head to toe but not our little guy; face and fingers were just fine :o)

Then on Saturday, April 13, we had an open house from 2-4pm as I mentioned in my last post. It worked out stupendously! We had 24 people in all and somehow our little house managed to squeeze them all in. Junior had a ball and made sure he mingled with everyone now that he is WALKING! He had another piece of cake and opened his presents for everyone to see (all without any fuss!). We put out peanut butter and jam sandwiches (crusts cut off), Kool-Aid, fruit and veggie trays along with a half of slab of cake (part vanilla, part chocolate). Btw, thank you Christina and Harmien for the books you sent! Junior just LOVES them! A note will be in the mail soon :o)

So here's the final picture of the year for the big man -

I keep saying he looks all grown up but he does. He really does.

As of today, Junior has another two teeth. His two (first) lower molars broke through so now we're up to ten teeth in that little mouth of his. He's still a chomping machine. It looks like his two upper eye teeth might be coming in next. Ugh! The drool is just crazy. And the snot! We've realized that when his teeth come in, his sinuses go crazy. What we thought were colds were just teeth coming in.

I've already let slip that Junior is now walking ;o) He started when he was eleven and a half months old. It's funny to watch him because he's so proud of himself. This has now led to climbing the stairs and now he's trying to climb the furniture. Sigh! DH and I keep putting things higher and higher but eventually we'll have nowhere else to go. LOL!

Little man has a few words under his belt but he's trying to copy whatever words you're saying. He's also associating words with objects so that's quite neat! It never gets dull watching him learn and grow.

I know I promised you an update about me and I will try my best in the next few days. It's been one of the hardest months for me but I'm trying to crawl out of my hole. I miss you all! Until then...I hope everyone is keeping well :o)

We're Less Than One Month Away!

Sigh!  I'm late posting a picture of the little man...again.  Unfortunately his monthly birth date landed right after a Chemo treatment and then the poor guy picked up a bug from somewhere :o(  He sounds horrible but at least his spirits are still good.

DH and I 'settled' for this picture -

Junior looks so grown up!  He looks like a miniature man :o)  I can't believe we're in the final countdown to his one year birthday.  Thank God I'm still here to see it.

Speaking of birthdays...DH and I are planning the big day!  We've decided to have an open house so that people can come without feeling they have to and I don't have to send out invitations and leave someone out by mistake.  Sounds like a good plan right?  LOL!  I'll let you know how it turns out.  It's too bad you all didn't live closer because you could come and celebrate with us!  I think we'll have a decent crowd.  DH and I picked up Junior's present last week and I think he's going to like it...

Junior now has eight teeth and is SO close to walking it's not even funny.  He took his first solo steps the other day but I was in the other room and missed the whole thing :o(  DH keeps saying he's going to trash the house and I think I have to agree with him.  Junior is definitely all boy and loves to play hard.  He roughhouses with Daddy all the time and all you hear is fits of giggles :o)

I've never seen a child his age so involved with books though!  He just LOVES them and wants you to read each one to him again and again and again AND again.  He follows each page and has now gotten into turning the pages by himself.  His favorite is called Baby, BOO! and if he could talk, I'm sure he'd have the whole thing memorized by now.  I know we all do ;o)  LOL!  Let's just hope he continues to love books as he grows older!

Stay tuned - I have an update about myself :o)

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Taking Shape + Winners!

It's been almost two months since I started Roses Of Provence. How time flies when you're having fun ;o) LOL! I know I gave you a little taste of her beginning but I've got a lot more stitched and thought you might like to see -

She's got color! I really wanted to get the beading done on and around her head but so far I haven't had any childless opportunities ;o) Maybe soon. I'm anxious to see some of that bling.

Her dress is gorgeous! There's no real pattern to it so after the white has been stitched in, it takes me awhile to stitch in the other colors. It's surprising how many colors Nora used; I think it's around ten.

I may not get a lot of time with her but I'm quite amazed at how much I've gotten done so far.

I have to apologize because awhile back I offered a pattern to whoever was interested and said I would draw a name if more than one person wanted it. Well, there were four interested parties so I drew a name and the winner was MOUSE! Congrats :o) I have your address and will be getting that out to you soon.

I also had another contest but it was a secret one. Just another way to show my thanks :o) I took all the names of those who commented on my January 28 post and got Random.org to pick a stalker. The winner was ANNE! Congrats to you too :o) Anne, you have won a complete kit and I'll be getting that in the mail soon as well.

How Am I Doing?

I just realized that I haven't written an update about myself since the end of January so shame on me! It's been awhile since I started with my Chemo so you must be wondering how I'm doing and what I've been doing with my time. At least I think you must be wondering ;o) LOL!

As of last Thursday, I've made it through my third Chemo treatment. It comes once every three weeks and I get my Pamidronate while I'm there so there's no extra travelling. We didn't go to Halifax this time but we were there on January 30 to see the Oncologist. This appointment was MUCH more positive than the last and it was nice to see a smile on my doctor's face again. I knew when we went in on January 9 that things were not good and it showed in his face.

DH and I are being 'cautiously optimistic' because the inflammation on my left breast has gone down significantly :o) The swelling in my groin remains but the swelling in my right leg is much better. Just last week, some of the numbers from my blood work came back with positive results. All this combined; it has raised my spirits but my guard is still up as well.

We do have one thing that is worrying us at the moment and that's why I'm still hesitant about the good outlook. I have developed a number of bumps around my left breast and on my sternum. They are just under the skin and very hard. And they hurt :o( There is no doubt in my mind that it's cancer but I'm waiting for a biopsy. Why they have developed and why they aren't getting better with the Chemo, we don't know.

I have to say that I'm doing fairly well with the Chemo. I've gotten nauseated but haven't thrown up. My appetite has been affected somewhat but at least my weight is remaining steady. I am TIRED but I've got help and thank goodness because I'd never be able to do this on my own! My parents have moved down here for a few months :o) They have a place of their own and they come over three days a week to look after Junior. On the other two days, I have a friend who helps out. So far this system works wonderfully and it allows me to put my feet up and rest but still be around for Junior if he needs me.

If I'm not looking after Junior or sleeping, I'm probably doing a bit of stitching and keeping up to date on The Walking Dead series :o) O-M-G! I'm sad to say but Prison Break has lost its role in first place for favorite television series! Okay, put aside the zombies...it really is an excellent show. Really! Trust me ;o)

Other than that, I don't have time for much else (as you can see by my Blog and my emails!). I'm getting cabin fever but I'd rather be squirreled away than risk getting that awful bug that's going around :o( That's the last thing I need. People have been so good too about not coming around if they think they are getting sick.

Finally, I am embracing my bald head :o) Two very thoughtful Blogging friends sent me pumpkin hats so I'm good to go. LOL! I even have a wig! I haven't worn it out in public yet. Do you know what my darling son did the other day? He took off my hat that I was wearing and kissed my bald head :o) How can I not feel confident when I have such a special supporter on my side?

In The Beginning...

She looked like this -

This is my start to Roses Of Provence by Mirabilia :o) Not a lot done yet but more than I expected! I think it's been about a month now since I started her. I'm averaging about an hour a night with her so the going is slow but I'm REALLY enjoying her. I love watching her take shape right before my eyes. Once her skin is complete, I'll move on to her hair. I can't wait to start on her dress!

Again, I have three amazing ladies to thank. If it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't be stitching ROP at the moment. It all started with Carolyn who sent me the pattern and bead package :o) My eyes popped when I saw all those beautiful beads! I wonder how all that beading is going to get done with a toddler in the house. LOL!

Next it was Gabi who bought me the fabric :o) I stayed with the recommended fabric and I'm happy I did. It does remind me of white chocolate but it won't take away from ROP's beauty in the end.

Last, but certainly not least, was Melanie who sent me ALL the DMC required along with the spool of Kreinik :o) There is just something about seeing all those skeins of floss together that gets my heart racing and my mouth drooling! LOL!

Thank you ladies! Your generosity has touched my heart and I hope you'll enjoy watching ROP come to life as much as I will. Please know that I will always remember your gifts and it will be a fun story to tell people when they see her hanging up on my wall :o)

There is one more person I would like to thank as well; although I don't know who I'm thanking. I had a certain Secret Santa send me a $20 gift certificate to Down Sunshine Lane around the same time. I just got around to making a purchase and I'm looking forward to getting my order. I wish I knew who you were so I could thank you in writing but I hope this will do...thank you :o)

 

The Big 1-0!

My boy hit the two digit mark on Sunday when he turned 10 months old! I can't believe how fast he's growing.

Couldn't you just kiss those cheeks? Not the greatest picture because it's been cloudy here lately and the light hasn't been very good. I had to tweak the picture a bit. Little man was good though and cooperated for Mommy :o)

This morning, Junior had another tooth pop out so we're at number seven. Eight shouldn't be too far behind. At least I hope not because he's been extra crabby lately but who can blame him. It's like we're living with a rodent though. He chews everything he can get his teeth on! The side of his crib looks like a beaver took to it >:o(

I suspect we'll have a walker on our hands pretty soon. Junior LOVES to be on his feet! At every opportunity, he'll grab hold of your fingers and walk around the house. That little behind of his is so cute. LOL!

Would you believe that he received his first Valentine's Day card???? From a 4-year-old no less! I'm going to be swinging the broom in order to get all the girls off my doorstep. Who could resist that handsome devil though? ;o)