Living Museum

Today we met Megan and her son, Brady, at the Living Museum, where we saw and heard various American wildlife such as some wolves and foxes and some American bald eagles, as well as a large sea turtle up close. Zachary and Brady shared some snacks and were so cute to watch. When we got home, Meme read some Australian children's stories to Zachary. Thanks Howard and the aunties for these books! 

I am on my 11th cycle of chemo and it is honestly wearing me out. I have to admit that when I started chemo back in October of 2012 I thought "oh I haven't lost my hair or had nausea. I'm young and fit, I'll manage this fine." My oncologists warned me that chemotherapy was cumulative, meaning the longer I am on it, the more it builds up in my system and the more risk I have of a lowered immune system as well as other side effects. I once thought my "week 3's" were hard (I take Temodar for three weeks in then have a week break in between each cycle) but now, every week is hard. I feel utterly exhausted these days and some days I do honestly feel discouraged and unmotivated. I am however blessed beyond belief to have such an awesome family right by my side during these seemingly never ending days. My mum has helped me so much. She came at the perfect time to help me with Zachary and with all the important day to day things involved in maintaining the household. Zachary is such a joy every morning. It is lovely to see him smile brightly when I come into his room in the morning. Words cannot properly capture how much my darling husband has encouraged me, motivated me and patiently walked this rocky road with me. Thank you so much Zev, mum and Zachary. I love you all! 

We meet next with my neuro-oncologist on Monday August 19th. I will have an MRI that morning and then meet with Dr. Schiff later that morning. The last time we met with him, he advised that if my tumor remained stable at my next MRI, I could take a break from chemo. It's kind of a Catch 22 situation because if the tumor is shrinking, I will need to remain on chemo. I definitely would love to see the tumor shrink but I would also like to take a break from chemo. Thankfully, our Lord has this all in his perfect plan. I don't always understand his plan but I trust that is is good. I do thank you for your prayers and encouragement. As my darling Zev likes to say "one day at a time, baby. One day at a time." God bless xo

 

South Beach and Little Havana from a "locals" perspective!

Today Hans and Gena took us on an incredible "locals" tour of beautiful Miami. Hans grew up in Miami and took us to the house in Little Havana where he grew up, as well as famous landmarks such as Calle Ocho, South Beach, Miami Beach, Star Island and the Miami Holocaust Memorial, among others. What a tour! Not only did he and Gena point out the famous places such as the Domino Plaza in Little Havana (where the locals, mostly older men, play Dominoes), but they also gave us personal accounts of different areas, such as where Hans went to school or learnt how to drive, or where Gena used to work and a famous case that she investigated at one of the hotels in South Beach. It was really neat to see the beautiful Art Deco buildings mixed in with the modern architecture. Zachary was such a well behaved baby, even when we walked around in the heat. Mum and I have had such a memorable time here in Florida and it is thanks to Tia Nena and Hans and Gena for making it so special for us. Zachary and I have spoken with daddy every night and we are excited to see him again tomorrow night. Good bye Florida. Hasta la proxima!

Miami!

We are in Miami at the moment with our dear friends Hans and Gena. Mum and Hans spoke Spanish all the way from Orlando to Miami, while Gena and I caught up (ie: talked non stop!) in the back seat! Little man watched us gabbing away and finally fell asleep as we arrived at their beautiful Florida home (it's everything I imagined a Florida house to look like!)

Hans and Gena took us on an airboat ride through the Everglades yesterday (so cool!) while Libby watched Zachary at home (he loves all the new toys that Gena had for him). The airboat tour was so fun and we even got to watch a presentation about alligators and see real alligators. Gena cooked up a scrumptious traditional Cuban meal called ropa vieja last night (I am going to get the recipe to make some for Zev) and after dinner, we went out on a paddle boat tour of the lake. So much fun!

We have spoken with daddy every night. We miss you, Papa and can't wait to see you soon!

Besos xo

Tia Nena's place in Florida!

Mum, Zachary and I are currently in Florida! The first half of the week, we visited Tia (auntie) Nena, who lives in Gainesville (right next to the University of Florida). The weather is gorgeous and Nena took us to beautiful Saint Augustine, where we explored the historic downtown and admired the Spanish architecture. Zachary has been such a well behaved baby this trip. He is a little parrot at the moment, repeating everything we say in Spanish (which can be a good thing such as "Nena" and "agua" (water) or "guapo" (good looking boy) but can also be a bad thing ("caca") :-))) It's amazing to hear him repeat words and quite clearly too! I'm glad that he is learning some Spanish and that's all he's hearing during this trip! I'll have to make sure I speak more Spanish to him after mum leaves.

Gracias Tia Nena!