Tofu and Cheerios and horsey

Totally random post today but can I just say that it's amazing what a day off chemo does to the body! Seriously, the best way I can describe it is like a fog lifting up off your head. Weeks 2 and 3 of this past round (7th since I started) was hard and my head felt like it was in a cloud and I was so lethargic! I felt back to my normal energetic self today. It's only for a week but I plan to maximize my "good" week as much as possible to store up energy (and freezer meals!) for the hard weeks. Still, so grateful for modern medicine too.

Oh Lord, this is such a hard journey and not my will but yours. Please lead me and help me glorify you!!

I have cried out to God to take this cup from me but I have seen through this journey, since July of last year, how or walk with The Lord has grown and how miracles have happened. I am so happy to be alive!

So back on the totally random post (maybe my head is still in a cloud?!!) but I made Zachary a quick and healthy snack of tofu pieces mixed in Cheerios powder (for him to grip the tofu pieces). He loved them! Zev's mum Judy cleaned and brought down this wooden horsey and My two Z men got to "horse" around on it this afternoon!

Have a good day :-)

Our little gymnast

Zachary started tumbling classes at the Y today. He and Brady were the youngest ones in the class. It was fun just to watch the boys explore and try new things. It's funny for Megan and I to watch the boys parallel play side by side but not really interact with each other.

This week is my "off" week from chemo. Last night I took my last Temodar pill for a week.  This last 3 week cycle was hard. Thankfully, they are not all like that. I have so many things to be thankful for: thankful that the chemo I take is in tablet form and that I can take it at home; that the tumor is shrinking (praise you, Jesus!); that Zachary is too young to remember his mummy being sick; for awesome family and friends who pray for and encourage me; and last but not least, for an incredible and patient husband who loves me and told me "I would do this if it meant 20 more years with my wife" when I discussed how tired and rotten I felt this week and questioned (again!) whether "this" was all worth it. I am planning to resume normal activities again this week (slowly, to appease Zev but also to look after my body :-)) Next MRI is June 4th. I am always praying for God to be glorified and thanking Him for my healing.

In His perfect time. Please enjoy these pics from the last few days. Zev took me out to see Anthony Bourdain live this past week, for our ninth anniversary. It was interesting!

 

Have a great week!

Lou Lou and Logan

My dear friend, Louise, who was my next door neighbor during our third year at ADFA (Australian Defence Force Academy) came to visit with her beautiful 1 year old son, Logan. Lou Lou's husband, Grant, is stationed on exchange with the Canadian Air Force in Toronto. They have traveled a lot and now that their year is almost up, they came to DC to sightsee and visit the local area. Zachary and I loved visiting with Lou Lou and Logan (who had an ear infection, poor thing!) and we hope to see them soon!! Lou Lou made a replica of Zachary's aviator beanie (Grant is a fighter pilot) and I think she did a pretty awesome job. It was hard not to laugh at the two boys crying though. At one point they were looking at each other and crying (and Lou Lou and I were looking at each other and smiling!) I love this age!

Love you Lou Lou. Thanks for reminiscing about old college days and for being such a beautiful friend :-)

12 months!!

Our precious little man is officially 12 months old (as of April 9th!). I took him in to base for his well baby visit. He is happy and healthy and well "on the charts". His height was 31.25 inches (89%), his weight was 23.6 pounds (62%) and his head circumference was 48.6 cm (95%). So he continues to be long and skinny like daddy and have a large round head like mama. At least he's got mama's dance moves :-) Penny and Audrey came over to visit on Wednesday and Audrey fed Zachary his first cows milk! He took to it just fine :-)

Here is the latest on what our little man is up to:

- he's "cruising" along furniture and can stand up well by himself. He walks when I hold his hands and walk backwards;
- he can say and identify dadda, daddy, mama, mum, baba, dog, boo, moo (when I point to a cow) and can wave and say "bye bye" as well as "hi!"
- still wearing size 3 diapers (long and skinny :-))
- wearing 18 month clothes. I've kept some of his memorable clothes, but it has been so lovely to bless others with his clothes and toys: 3 families so far!
- loves his bath time and bath toys and sticking his letters and numbers on the bath tub walls
- LOVES opening and closing drawers and boxes. Loves boxes, especially ones he can climb into and loves "his" Tupperware cabinet
- loves cars and things with wheels. Has little interest in soft toys or teddy bears (except Mr. Kaloo and his sleep sheep that he goes to sleep with every night). Nature vs nurture. Ever since he was much smaller, he had no interest in soft toys
- has quite an eclectic taste palate (tabbouleh, mum's empanadas etc. He even likes to have some of daddy's smoothie in the mornings!)
- loves simple wooden puzzles and blocks
- still doesn't like his nose area being wiped
- as of two nights before he turned 1, started sleeping through the night from 730pm till about 6.30am!!! Woohoo! Hence mummy has a lot more energy these days :-) We had to listen to him cry for a few minutes (7 to be exact) on the first night but then he settled himself well
- loves to share his food and bottle with others. It's pretty cute when I'm rocking him with a bottle and he sticks it right into my mouth and giggles
- eats three meals a day. Usually yoghurt and some baby crackers in the morning, a squeegee pouch of baby food at midday and then table food at dinner. About 3 to 4 bottles per day. Loved cows milk right from the get go and loves dad's "fizzy" water (Sprudel). I try not to give him any sweets including juice
- is STILL and will ALWAYS BE the love of our lives. What a JOY you are to us, Zachary and what light and laughter you thing to our lives.

We thank The Lord for you :-)

Wedding anniversary dinner and Zachary at his finest :-)

Zev and I snuck away to a local German restaurant for our anniversary dinner on Friday! Nine years!! Ginny kindly kept Zachary for the night (thanks Ginny!) We also went to a movie (last time we did that was when I was pregnant!!) and watched Oz the Great and Powerful. It was a fun night out although I missed hugging Zachary at night and even woke up early because I thought I heard him crying! It was so awesome to see him again in Saturday morning :-)

Zachary is growing in leaps and bounds. My prayer is that he continues to develop and that he comes to know and love The Lord as soon as possible:-)

I also had lunch with a dear friend, Brie who I affectionately call my "Glioma sister". It is through the unfortunate common circumstance of brain cancer that we have met, but the similarities are uncanny. We are both around the same age (she is a year or two younger); both married to Air Force logistics guys; both operated on at Johns Hopkins and both shared the same neuro-oncologist at JHU. She just finished up her radiation and looks beautiful. We were introduced by a fellow Air Force wife who is also a Christian and both believe that God has a greater plan for us and has us in the palm of His perfect hand. What an encouragement she is to me, indeed my whole family :-)

Zachary and I visited daddy at work this week when Zachary went in for his 12 month well baby visit (I will post stats later). He loves his daddy :-))

I pray that YOU have an awesome start to your week! Treasure each day as if it is yor last :-))

Birthdays birthdays!!!

Last Saturday, April 6th, we celebrated Zachary's first birthday! Our beautiful boy was due on my birthday (April 6th) but decided to make his grand entrance three days later on April 9th. What a joy he is to our lives!!!

We decided to have a small party at our house with the Cookie Monster theme and invited a few of Zachary's "baby buddies"(James, Brady, Matthew, Ozzie and his "fiancé", little Eliana Grace). It was so sweet to see the kids interact and play. The parents had fun too! Later on in the evening, my dear friend Ginny had a girls only cake and coffee party at her house which was a lot of fun too!

So much has happened this past year, that I looked forward to Zachary's first birthday (and my birthday of course!) with such joy and anticipation, that I had to change my profile picture on Facebook to reflect the first picture taken of our little family on April 9, 2012!! God truly has blessed us beyond belief! Wow. Today, yesterday and tomorrow. I remember being heavily pregnant this time last year and loving being pregnant, but eagerly anticipating the arrival of our son. I remember that all my fears had been cast away at this point ("But perfect love casts out fear") and just having a sense of peace that everything would work out just fine. And it did! Zachary's birth was a wonderful experience (and I was stressed out about it!) and I remember feeling that same sense of calm and peace when the world was swirling around me in the chaotic mess that was July and August of last year, but I remember being surrounded by love and family and friends and PRAYER and I truly felt God's presence and that reasurrance that everything would work out just fine. And so far, it has! Thank you all for your prayers and encouraging words. I love you and pray that God blesses you today and tomorrow too!