Category Archives: Friends & Family

cancer stuff

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I haven’t written about what’s been going on with my mom for a while. She had a double mastectomy back in December, and has recovered pretty well from that. The next step was to run all kinds of tests on the cancer cells that were removed, to figure out what her next course of treatment should be.

In early January, she met with the oncologist who told her that if she decided to not have chemotherapy, there would be a 40% chance of cancer recurrence. And since she doesn’t have breasts anymore, that means the cancer would be somewhere else – brain, bones, liver, lungs, etc. Not a pretty picture. With chemo, however, the odds of recurrence are reduced to about 10%. Kind of a no-brainer, so that’s what she opted to do.

Last weekend, she went to New York City to hang out with my sister and do a little wig-shopping. Did you know that there are no wig stores in Jackson? I don’t know why that surprised me, but it did. Anyway, they found her a really cute wig that looks a little like Megan Mullaly (Karen on “Will & Grace”). Hopefully having a cute ‘do will make it easier when she feels like crap and her real hair starts falling out.

Chemotherapy starts today. I’m obviously a little worried for her, just because this is something that seems so big and scary. And I know that chemo makes you feel horrible, and I hate that she’s going to have to go through that. But you know, this is only for four months, and then it’s all over. And hopefully we will never have to revisit the subject of cancer ever again.

This morning I took some pictures of Cate while she was in a good mood and uploaded them, so my mom will have some online grandbaby love when she gets home.

pretty girl

That’s gotta help, right?

happy new yeaaaaggghhh!!

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So, the new year has begun and I am already freaking out.

It’s starting to sink in that this is the year that we are moving, and how on earth am I going to finish the hundreds of little things that need to be fixed around here, get the house on the market, then move a house full of stuff – plus two cars, four cats and a baby – to another location. Oh. My. God.

I knew this was coming, of course, it was just easier when I was still thinking of it as happening “next year.” Now next year has arrived. Hence the wigging out.

We booked our trip to Raleigh to check out the area and do a little house-hunting. We’ll be staying with the lovely and hospitable Cat, Tony and e-baby from March 6th through 10th. That’s a small item on my big huge list of “Reasons to Freak Out,” because we just did a super-long flight with a baby, and it was not exactly what I’d consider to be one of the more pleasant, stress-free experiences that I’ve had in the past, um, forever.

This trip should be slightly easier – we bought Cate her own seat, so the three of us can take up a whole row to ourselves. And she’ll probably (hopefully?) be walking by then, so I can set her down in the airport and let her toddle around a bit to burn off some energy. This last trip, she kept trying to wriggle out of our arms because she wanted to get down and crawl, and eww, gross. Just the thought of her little hands touching the same dirty floors that all those shoes have trekked across… yuck. Sorry, kiddo, not enough Purell in the world.

Anyway, I have a feeling that once the ball gets rolling on all of this move stuff, I’ll be fine. It’s just the anticipation that’s worrying me. I’ve started making my to-do lists now. Obsessive-compulsive? Maybe. But it helps me fall asleep at night instead of lying awake and twitching, so I guess that’s worth it.

pre-Civil War homes and alcohol, what could be better?

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Guess how Dave and I spent our first night away from the baby? Go on, guess!

We had a lot of fun. We toured a couple of the old antebellum houses, checked out downtown Natchez, ate some great food, stayed in a nice hotel. And oh yeah, the cocktails. It was pretty awesome.

And I only cried about being away from Cate once, so I think I did pretty well. According to my sister, she was an absolute angel the entire time we were gone. She has totally bonded with my sister – Tracy makes a funny face or talks to her, and Cate just cracks up. I think she has already established her Cool Aunt status. I imagine they’re going to be inseparable when Cate is a little bit older.

We got up this morning, toured one more house (for the locals: Longwood, the big unfinished octagonal house that is totally haunted). Dave and I both got carsick on the way home – kind of strange since I was driving, and I don’t usually get motion sickness, but it hit me both on the drive down and on the way back. Blah. So we’ve been all dopey on Dramamine since we got back.

And as much fun as our little getaway trip was, I absolutely could not wait to get home to this little face.

I mean, seriously, can you blame me?

Christmas post

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I hope everybody had a fantastic Christmas. This is going to be quick because we’re about to run out the door.

First, Cate got a haircut for Christmas:

My mom trimmed her bangs, and they’re a little too short because Cate kept jerking her head. She looks sort of like Mia Farrow in “Rosemary’s Baby.” Still, it’s a pretty cute look for her.

The rest of the pictures are here.

Right now we’re about to take my brother to the airport, because he has to get back to Charlotte. I’m bummed he can’t stay the whole week, but you know, people gotta work.

Tomorrow is when Dave and I get our Christmas gift for each other – we’re leaving Cate with my parents and sister for the night, and we’re going to Natchez to tour the antebellum homes and stay in an old historic hotel. Dave’s never been, and I haven’t been there in years, so I can’t wait. This will also be my first night away from Cate since she was born (she’s 11 months old tomorrow!), and I’m torn between feeling slightly terrified and unbelievably excited. I can’t wait.

southern holiday

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We made it to Mississippi with nary a hiccup in our travel plans. I was expecting major disasters since we were flying on the busiest travel day of the year, but it all turned out fine. Our flights were on time, our luggage wasn’t lost, and Cate got through it with only a minimal amount of fussiness. Overall, I have nothing to complain about.

Except, of course, that it was 70 degrees when we arrived, and what the hell kind of Christmas weather is that, but the temperature dropped today, so I can’t even really gripe too much about that either.

We’re having a lot of fun so far. Last night Cate and I tagged along with my sister and had an impromptu little playdate with our friends Mike & Nicole, and their three girls. (The photos of all the silliness that ensued are here.) They are a riot, we had so much fun with them.

So much else to write about, but I need to go help my mom and sister with the cooking before Cate wakes up from her nap, so that’s it for now.

Oh, and Cate says hi too.

more health stuff

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The thing I mentioned yesterday about my eyes that I thought was just allergies? Yeah. It’s pink eye. I suppose it was inevitable, what with all the snot that’s been flying all over the house for the past couple of weeks. Ugh. So gross.

I managed to get in with Dave’s doctor today, since my doctor is in Bellevue, and I have a rule about not going there during the month of December. The Christmas traffic coming and going from the mall is insane no matter what time of day you go. Also, my doctor’s office pissed me off when I called by insisting that pink eye is just viral and they wouldn’t give me any eye drops for it because all I need to do is wash my hands more frequently and not touch my face. WTF? Has anyone else ever heard of this? Not the part about hand-washing, because I already knew that (and my hands are already chapped from the amount of soap and Purell they’ve been subjected to this winter), but I thought you always got eye drops for pink eye.

Anyway, since my eyes were killing me, and Dave’s doctor’s office is right here in the boonies, and they could see me less than 2 hours after I called them, they won. It was kind of weird because the doctor looked several years younger than me, and I’m not really used to that. But he gave me a sample of the eye drops so I didn’t even need to go to the drug store to get a prescription filled, so what can I say, I’m a big fan of his work. If my doctor’s nurses stay as bitchy as they were today, I may just have to switch primary care doctors.

Later I took Cate to the pediatrician to get her checked one more time before we leave. The doctor said that since her nose is still full of gunk, and this has been going on for almost 2 weeks, he’s giving her one more round of antibiotics. So fun. Also, she’s snoring like a lumberjack when she sleeps (I’m not kidding, you’ve never heard a baby snore like this), so we’re also going to add in some children’s Claritin to see if it’ll thin out some of the stuff in her sinuses. We’re already using a humidifier in her bedroom and those Pediacare plug-in things that put VapoRub steam in the air, so I don’t know what else to do.

I have to admit that I’m getting more and more nervous about the idea of getting on a plane with her on Friday. The pediatrician said that in addition to the Claritin, I can also give her half a teaspoon of Benadryl as needed. I’m interpreting that as permission to drug her before the flight so hopefully she’ll sleep most of the way and the pressure won’t hurt her ears too much. Don’t judge me, if you happen to be on the plane with me on Friday, you’ll most likely be thankful.

P.S. The in-laws left early this morning. It was really nice to have them here, although hopefully we won’t all be suffering from The Plague the next time they visit.

pre-Christmas

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Yesterday we had sort of an early Christmas celebration with the in-laws, since they’re leaving tomorrow. My mother-in-law made a huge meal for everyone, which was quite yummy even though it was all British food and not at all what I think of as being traditional Christmas fare. There was nary a sweet potato in sight, and I just don’t think you can call it Christmas unless there’s some food item that’s been topped off with marshmallow. Still, it was good and we had fun. And Dave loved it, because it’s all stuff that I have no idea how to cook.

After dinner, we did our gift exchange. (Dave and I haven’t given each other our presents yet, which we’ve said is because we’re going to wait until Christmas Day, but if we’re being honest, it’s because neither of us has bought the other’s present yet. We’re romantic like that.) I got a really beautiful necklace from my mother-in-law and a couple of other things (frame, bookmarker, etc.). Dave got a high-definition DVD player that burns DVD’s, so he’s happy. Cate got a really beautiful snow globe that plays “Frosty the Snowman,” and some toys, although we only let her have one last night. I figure it’s better to space them out and let her enjoy one at a time rather than get overstimulated by too much at once.

Cate’s back at daycare today, to give me a break for a few hours to work and get some stuff done around the house. She’s pretty much totally over her cold, except for the runny nose that just won’t stop. Her mood is 100% improved, she was crawling all over the place laughing her head off last night. I can’t begin to say how thankful I am for that. My plan is to dash her by the pediatrician’s office tomorrow anyway – I know she’s better, but I’d like to have them take a look at her ears before we get on a plane on Friday just to be sure.

(Btw, I’m feeling better too, although I still have a cough that could wake the dead. And my eyes are all red and puffy, but I’m pretty sure it’s just an allergic reaction to something. There’s no gunk, so I don’t think it’s pink eye. But either way, believe me, I am looking and sounding ever so sexy these days.)

Thanks for all the emails and comments about my mom. She’s doing pretty well. She said she’s having a hard time finding the right balance with her painkillers – too much makes her nauseated, not enough leaves her in pain. But otherwise she’s doing really well. She has a follow-up doctor’s appointment today to get stitches out and whatnot. Last time this didn’t bring up any good news, but hopefully today will be better.