Big Day for the Clarks!!!

To all of AJ and Dexter's Grandmas, Grandpas, and Aunts...

You know all those times I've told you not to give them too much sugar, cookies, candy, chocolate, and definitely NO POP!!!

Yah,. .... well....

That's because they obviously get enough sugar from us (well, Daddy). Here they are enjoying 5:30pm Slurpees. (Daddy also bought Fun Dip to be enjoyed at a time and day yet to be announced).








Well, it was a long overdue special family outing today. Richard hasn't had this big of a day in probably almost 3 months!!

We left the house around 9:15am, to pick up my coffee, dropped off Richard's parents' car to get it's new window at Ken's work, and then we were off to...

The Waterslides!!!!!!!!!!



Daddy and his boys!
What goofballs!



Here comes.....



Dexy!


Here comes AJ who lands into the chest deep water all by himself! What a brave boy!

And AJ's favourite.... picnic lunch!!




Richard The Great
Slight change to my last update. Rather than have an appointment at VGH on Tuesday AND have to go for blood work locally on Monday as well, he just called them yesterday and changed his Tuesday appointment to Monday to save the hassle. But other than that, he's home until Monday. No drives until then.
How's Richard Feeling
Much better. Feeling great, but pretty wiped from our big day. We won't be forcing him to have that much fun every day. It was great to see him out in the fresh air and having a great time. Thank goodness he was there to take AJ down the medium sized waterslides because 'mommy-don't-do-waterslides'.

Thanks for a great day, Baby. Love you lots.



Yah....











And to Grannie McNeil:
We're thinking about you lots and hoping you're feeling better.

Flip Flops, Flop Flips, and More

Popsicles for breakfast?

Yup.



Wake up Daddy!!!

Oh Daddy. You're still sleepy!

Don't come any closer or Skeletor will get you!

Flip Flops
-I originally was going to take the boys to the waterslides today, but Richard wanted to be able to partake in this activity (having been confined to our house and the hospital for so long), and so I put it off a day.
-Instead, I told AJ we could go to the waterpark. It was a late start to the day, as I've been suffering from my stress-related headaches off and on for about 2-3 weeks now and I'm waking many mornings with a headache (like today), and so Richard is kind enough to get up with Dexter.

**** on a side note ****
I must give Richard props. Dexter has been going through what I'm thinking is a milestone-phase. Something big is going on and it's messing him up. He had a good week or two of off and on early (like 5am) wakings and some disrupted sleeps (his normal night would be 11 hours uniterrupted). Turns out, I was right, it appears this milestone was 'using his words'. Although he's still not a 'talker', he's using words to communicate much more and signs too instead of just screaming and pointing. YAY!
So what was my point? Oh ya. So there have been many many 5am mornings. I've, of course, gotten up with Dexy, given him his bottle, cuddled and done stories, and then when Richard's gotten up around 7am, he's let me go back to bed to try to catch up on my lost sleep.
Thanks Richard for many sane mornings. You know just what to do to keep me happy and functioning!
*********************************

-Back to today. So, we put on our flip flops, water shoes, and water clothes, and headed to the water park.

The Flop
-We park and you know "get our crap together". You moms out there know what I mean. I got out the stroller because it's a bit of a walk downhill to the waterpark from the parking lot. Load in the camera, the 'beach stuff', the lunch kit and drinks, and Dexter.
-We're ready!
-And.......
My stroller's front tire is flat. Uggg.
-And.......
I had noticed upon passing that the water park is closed.
-I asked AJ what he wanted to do, as my air pump was broken and I didn't have my other one because I haven't moved my 'stuff' from the old car to the new one.
-He still wanted to play at the playground. So, I loaded everything back into the car, changed the boys out of their waterclothes, and put them into their normal clothes.
-We headed down the playground.

The Flop, Flips!
-The boys had a blast at the playground. It wasn't a total flop of a morning, thank goodness.

The Man We All Love..... Richard

Monday
-My sister, Kim, and her friend, Kim came to watch the boys. They took them to a playground up the road with the stroller AND took them swimming at the pool in the afternoon! Thanks girls!!!
-I drove Richard in to the hospital. It was his last day of three antibiotics (the next day he'd just be getting two). He was hoping that this day was his last day, but nope. His numbers were up, but his neutrophil count wasn't ready by the time we left.
-I was hoping we could meet up with my dad before heading home, but the timing didn't really work on either end, so we'll see you next time, Dad! Thanks anyhow!

Tuesday
-I hung out at Jen's house with the boys, her kids, and Erica with her kids in the morning. In the afternoon, we ran a couple errands, got gas, and then headed to the back yard to play in the pool, play hockey and soccer and baseball, and have corn on the cob for dinner! Yum!
-Richard had used today to try out the volunteer driver service that takes Cancer patients to the hospital. We really wanted him to try it out while he felt good instead of trying it for the first time when nauseous.
-It was definitely handy, but Richard does not look forward to using the service when he's barfy.
-Richard's numbers were up again some more, and his neutrophils are at .6 . Normal is about 4.5-7.5 if I'm not mistaken. He's still got a little while to go.

Now Richard doesn't have to go back to the hospital until Tuesday. What a nice break for him. He's looking forward to getting caught up on some work too.

For the purpose of the study of which he's a part, he will have to go somewhere local to get blood work done on Monday.



Norma
-Norma made it back to Nova Scotia safely, spent the night at her cousin's, got to see Bud yesterday, and today will finally get to see her mom!


And I think that's about it.

Bye!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Well, Norma's not even left yet and she's missed already.

It's 11:00pm or so and I just can't sleep. Normally, when Richard and I head to bed around 10-11pm, this is 'our time' to talk about the day, update me on what's been going on at the hospital, cuddle..... (of course), talk about how lucky we are, talk about things we need to do or don't want to forget, talk about how Richard's feeling, and well, just us, down-time. We're a banter-all-day-and-joke-all-day-nothing-is-serious-all-day kind of couple, but when we head to sleep, we get to talk 'for real'.

Anyhow, a week or so ago, I stopped at the store to pick up some thank you cards for some specific people, and then some that I just knew I was going to need. As I sat there looking at the thank you cards and what they said, our parents (mine and Richard's) popped into my mind. All through this journey I give my 'shout outs' and 'thanks' to everyone who pops by with something, helps with the boys, sends cards, well wishes, and much much more. But there are behind the scenes people like my friends who listen to me 'let it out' when I need to and do a lot more too. And there are our parents that have helped in ways that 'shout outs' and such just can't get a grasp on. Saying thanks just isn't enough. That day in the card store, and many other days through these 2.5 months, I've wondered to myself,
"How can we ever thank our parents enough?"
"When do we thank them? Formerly, like. Properly, like?"
"Should I pick them up a card right now?"
"No" , I think. "I'll wait until this is all done. And then, I can do something really nice and really special."
I think I picture things I've made with the boys when we do crafty stuff during the day. Maybe a special dinner. I don't know.

Norma is heading back to Nova Scotia tomorrow. She's coming back in 21 days or so, just as Richard's next round of consolidation chemo starts. I'll be back to work when she returns (mind you just once a week, and sometimes twice), and watching my friend Erica's kids once a week like she'll be watching mine once a week). Norma planned this very carefully to be sure that she was leaving at the best time possible, while Richard was feeling good, numbers are coming up, and appointments will be fewer and fewer.

But I'm left here, awake right now wondering, as I did in the card store that day. How do you thank someone for putting their life on hold to help you with yours?

I was planning on sending Norma a letter/card while she was in Nova Scotia. I started it a couple weeks ago, knowing that she was going to be heading back there. But then, why just thank her in a card? Why not let everyone know how wonderful it is to have Norma staying with us? Plus, I know she'll be checking the blog at the library in Baddeck, and she'll see this soon after her return home.

Norma came from Nova Scotia about 8 weeks ago, maybe? Leaving behind her husband, Bud, her dog, Java, her mom, Sadie, her brothers and their families, many friends, and 'her summer'. Her giving up her summer meant the boys could still have theirs. Sure, AJ knows that 'Daddy is sick', 'Daddy has Leukemia', and 'Daddy has to go to the hospital a lot to get special medicine', but other than that, he's pretty unaware of the whole situation because instead of being taken on drives back and forth to the hospital 1.5 each way or being taken care of by different people each day or every second day, he's been able to have a 'normal summer' full of lots of fun. Norma driving Richard to almost all of his appointments during her stay here, once Richard was out of the hospital, has meant that I can stay home with the boys to keep their lives 'normal'. Today, for instance, was spent at a playground,then finishing a sandbox, then wrestling and reading books, then playing in the sandbox, and then getting to see Grannie and Daddy when they came home from today's appointment instead of the boys spending most of the day in the car seat. It also meant, since I wouldn't be able to drive Richard every day, that Richard didn't have to be taking the volunteer driving service so far. Which has been nice for him. I can't believe how hard it would've been for him to ride in a car with a stranger going for his chemo and then feeling nauseous, and not getting to talk or vent about the day with a loved one. Norma being here has also meant that Richard has had his mom here, so that I can keep being his wife, instead of his mom.

So, Norma drives Richard back and forth to the hospital every day, and picks up prescriptions. But there's more.

There's lots of other things that Norma has been doing while she's here that help out, that only she, Richard, or I (or others who have toddlers, perhaps) can understand just how helpful they are. Beside my laptop here, I keep a calendar where I jot down things the boys have said, new words for Dexter, or milestones I want to put in their 'baby book' (the blog). Inside of that calendar is my other piece of paper where I write down the things I don't want to forget to thank Norma for. Here's a snipit.

Thank you Norma....

1. for offering to pick me up coffees while you're out.
2. for walking Dexter up the stairs when my hands are full. (man that cute little bugger tries to escape sometimes)
3. for 'getting me' and the way I am.
4. for wiping underneath of Dexter's highchair.
5. for not emptying the top rack of the dishwasher.
6. for wiping my kitchen table all the time (which I grossly neglect).
7. for understanding 'how I can be' when I'm vacuuming.
8. for your many games and puzzles you've played with AJ.
9. for your many trips with Dexter to Tim Horton's with just you and him. It's not often that Dexter gets to have special alone time with any of us.
10. for vacuuming my stairs and landings.
11. for watching Dexter with or without Richard while I've taken AJ to swimming lessons.
12. for the many times you've put either or both of the boys to bed while I've been out or outside.
13. for picking up groceries!
14. for understanding how important coffee is.
15. for getting that great bed for yourself to set up downstairs and make into your own little cozy space. I feel a lot better knowing that you feel comfy.
16. for loving the cats and giving them the extra attention they deserve.
17. for introducing us to those awesome chicken pizzas.
18. for reading stories with the boys.
19. for having a sense of humour.
20. for washing off the top of the stove.
21. for moving laundry into the drier.
22. for bringing laundry upstairs.
23. for even thinking to make your knitting chair match my living room and kitchen.
24. for being a mom and 'making sure that Richard takes his medicine'.
25. for worrying about Richard.
26. for coming to watch AJ and Dexter's swimming lessons and when you helped with getting them dressed afterwards.
27. for not minding when your sheets weren't washed when you got back from visiting Richard's grandpa.
28. for coming here, for being here, for being you, for being a mom, for being a Grannie.
29. for learning the boys' routines and what parts of their routines are 'flexible' and 'Grannie-able'.
30. for the many other little things you do that may have gone unnoticed or unwritten.

We love you. We'll miss you while you're away. We look forward to your return and your company!

Enjoy your time away! Call to talk to your baby as often as you wish!! He is, after all, your baby!!!

The boys are going to be asking about you every day!

I can picture Dexter tomorrow morning...

"Gah-ee? Gah-eee?" He'll yell down the stairs every time the door opens.

Call to talk to the boys whenever you want! You know when bedtime is and 'isn't'.

Well, Since We Got a New Car, You Had to Know That Something Bad Was Going to Happen

Last night, Norma's driver's side window was smashed out (and another neighbor's window too). Seriously?

I feel like printing out a picture from our picture site and making a sign to leave down where she parks because you know the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime.

How's this?



*********************************************************

TO THE PERSON/S WHO SMASHED IN THE CAR WINDOW

This is my husband with his two children. My husband has Leukemia and has to go to Vancouver General Hospital about every day or two. You just smashed out the window of his mom's car who is staying with us to drive him to all of his appointments.

If you have a conscience, you should probably slip the money for the deductible into my mailbox, no questions asked.

Otherwise, Karma's going to get you.... really badly.


***********************************************************

Is that too much?





Some Good News!!

Richard's grandpa is out of the hospital after having surgery(thanks for the Facebook update, Uncle Bruce and thanks for the email update, Aunt Elaine). We're happy to hear this and to know he's back in the comfort of his own home with lots of love and care from Elaine and Bruce.

Glad you're back home, Grandpa!

Sorry, It's Been a Few Days - New Car, Food Poisoning, Day in PJs

Tuesday Continued...
I think this was lunch or I served lunch for dinner that day. They're watching a Signing Time episode.



AJ's drawing and writing continued with him drawing a truck with a camper. I was trying to get him to put his pajamas on and he said, "Hold on. Just wait a minute. I have to draw the stairs for the camper or the people can't get up there."

I'm really wondering if Dexter's going to be good at drawing too. He holds a pen like a normal person instead of like a baby. Just like AJ. Hmmmm..




Wednesday...

Richard was again at the hospital with his mom, getting his antibiotics and 2 bags of platelets. It was a long day. He was pretty sick feeling still on Wednesday. Really rough looking. Pretty messed up.

Jen (with Makenna, Emerson, and Jaxon), Erica (with Jack and Rya), Kandis (with her two, Josiah and Madison and the two she watches, Angelica and Kaden) and I (with Alton and Dexter) all went to JJ's Playzone to hang out. It's a special little playplace just for 0-6 year olds. The kids had fun. The moms got to sit on the leather couches and chat.

***then***

After the boys' naps, me and the boys were picked up by my mom to go to Ken's work to get a 2001 Ford Taurus Station Wagon thanks to some help from Mom and Ken and a great deal through Ken's work. It may not be the minivan I was hoping for, but it's newer than I was looking for and a very familiar drive. Hmmmm, I should've taken a picture. It's dark out right now. Let me see if I can find a picture on the internet......

There you go. Very exciting. Not only to have one that works, but to have one a bit newer than we were hoping for. Ours looks just like this, but it's more of a charcoal/graphite/green type colour. I thought the stroller wouldn't fit in the back because the back is shorter than my Mercury Sable Wagon, but in fact, it DOES fit, quite nicely I'll add. I can fit all four car seats, which was a must, it's still has the rumble seats that I love, and it has a centre console that my old car didn't have. And.... A/C!!!! YAY! Thank goodness!!

After running much later than I had planned, we headed (Mom, Ken, me, and the boys) for an impromptu McD's dinner. The boys had a great time, and as always, were very excited to hang out with Gram and Papa.

We headed home. I did show Richard the car, but just minimally, as he was feeling really horribly.

After that, I escaped for a Starbucks-book-talk with Jen and Erica about "My Sister's Keeper". That was really nice.





Thursday...

What a day.

Richard spent most of the morning in bed, sore, and achey.

We've had a cold going through our house for a little bit (my fault for taking the boys where I knew there were cold germs, but we had lots of fun). My cold seemed to have just been a lot of sneezing for quite a few days and slightly more congestion than usual. The kids have had a bit of a cough, not too bad though, and just a lot of clear snotty noses. Richard and Norma have been quite achey and sore.

On Thursday, Norma woke really sore. Her neck, her joints, her muscles. She had mentioned that she didn't know if she could manage to drive Richard in this day. I jumped on this opportunity to take Richard in with the boys. I knew I wouldn't stay at the hospital with Richard with the boys, and would rather take them to Daiso in Richmond, to a playground, and maybe to visit Nomi or my dad. However, I love driving him to the hospital because the car ride is like a date. It's just 1.5 hours of getting to talk. The boys would nap on the way there, so it's just us, you know?

I convinced Norma that I would be fine to take Richard and that she should take this morning as a chance to get her hair done (as planned) and to return her bed to Canadian Tire that had oddly broken the night before. Then she could spend the rest of the day resting and hopefully resting off this cold so that she won't be sick and achey for her flight on Monday back to Nova Scotia.

Meanwhile, I started feeling ill. Not a cold. But stomach sick. Not a migraine. But, bouts of feeling completely normal followed by bouts of feeling completely nauseous. Reminiscent of morning sickness really, but don't get any ideas. I thought maybe I just 'needed my coffee' and to get some fresh air. I headed out, wasn't feeling great, came home and put my head on the table. Richard was concerned that I wouldn't be able to make the drive, but I figured I'd start feeling better soon.

And I did. We headed to the hospital. We dropped Richard off. I took the boys to Aberdeen Centre in Richmond, and as I backed into my parking spot I felt ill again (I get car sick looking into the back of the vehicle, but this was a little weird). But, still, I was functioning. Just breathing through the feelings of nausea, and then I'd feel okay again. Got some cool bento box lunch supplies for the boys and left Aberdeen Centre.

I thought I could squeeze in a visit with my dad, but Richard called to say it was going to be a shorter day and I could come to pick him up in about 1 hour or more. No blood or platelets for Richard this day, just antibiotics (3 types, as usual for this week) and fluids because his potassium was low. His white counts were up to 1, and everything else was down a little bit, but not quite enough for a transfusion.


I took the boys to the playground at Oak Park (Marpole Community Centre) and they had a great time. I was gradually feeling worse. I couldn't stand up long enough to push them on the swing. Things were getting bad.

We picked up Richard and started back home. Traffic was going to be bed, so we went home via Maple Ridge this time. We popped by McD's to get the boys some fries (hang head in shame) because they hadn't eaten dinner yet!!! I spent most of this time, bent out the car door in the parking lot not knowing how I would make it home. Richard graciously offered to drive the rest of the way. Thank goodness. I curled up and tried to sleep with the wind on my face pleading for cold air. This is when I've started to think that it's food poisoning and all I can think of is that darned Filet-o-Fish. ARG!!!

When we got home. That was it. It was all I could do to climb upstairs on my hands and knees and crash on the couch. I was able to fit in a story or two and a game of Go Fish with AJ, but I had to leave my poor husband to change Dexter, put him to bed, and eventually, put AJ to bed too. I was out of commission.

I don't know if I did fall asleep when I got to bed. All I know is that I spent from 12:30-2:30am the sickest I've felt in perhaps my whole life. I did get a bit of sleep after that off and on.





Friday...

Thank goodness Richard is the best husband in the world. He got up with Dexter in the morning when he realized I was still sick and nauseous. He got me out of bed when he wanted to take out the garbage cans for garbage day. Then, I took a couple more Tylenols and Tums and he let me go back to bed again, all the while, just hoping I'm going to feel better by the time he and his mom have to leave for the hospital around 11:30am.

At 10:00am ish. I woke up. I could tell I was better. Not good. But better. I could walk upright. That was awesome. I could talk without grabbing a bucket. I could foresee taking care of my children. Albeit, they stayed in their pajamas all the way until bathtime after dinner, and then got put in their new clean jammies. It was just a low key, no-nap-for-AJ, short nap for Dexter :( , Rescue Heroes, and pretend cooking kind of day.

Today they increased Richard's antibiotics (Valcomicin that he has a reaction to) because it wasn't staying in his body long enough. This drip took 2.5 hours. And, they gave him 2 bags of red today. Today whites were up to 1.5, the neutraphils are only showing up as trace amounts (but at least there's some!), red was down to 76 (so he got a transfusion -2 bags), and platelets were up to 64 (so they're finally coming back!). He's still neutrapenic and can't come to a BBQ planned for tomorrow :( .

Richard and Norma came home just as I was putting Dexter to bed with AJ soon to follow (the good part of a no nap day). I was finally feeling 100% back to normal by about 8:30pm or so. Yuck.





How's AJ?
You know, I don't know if I've mentioned, but AJ is really great for eating vegetables. How many 3 year olds, when asked "What kind of veggies would you like with lunch: carrots, broccoli, celery, or peas?" Responds with, "I would like cauliflower today." Unfortunately, we were out of cauliflower.
AJ's been very wonderful as of late. Extra sweetness. More politeness. More hugs for Dexter (although there's been some 'crashes' too). He's been a really good conversationalist, asking all about Dexter and where he was before he was in my tummy. Like who did he live with?
I think he's been really stepping up the plate in the brother department. There's been a new phase of brotherhood. Dexter is definitely seen as a fun playmate now. They love to wrestle (I just try to encourage it to be off the couch... ouch). They love 'imagination' type stuff together, like cooking. And he's always inviting Dexter to his room to play Rescue Heroes. It's been really nice to see. He's also encouraging Dexter's signing. Although Dex has lots of words, he's not a what I call a 'talker' if you know what I mean. With AJ encouraging Dexter's signing, it's really helping encourage his communication as opposed to screaming and pointing. Thank goodness. And now, likewise, it's calmed him down a bit, and he'll put more effort into talking.
Oh ya, and some sass... He told me the other day that he'd really like to go to the park or the beach. As I was in the middle of explaining why we couldn't go to the beach, I was interrupted to AJ in a mom-tone saying, "No, you have a choice. The park OR the beach." I just couldn't stop laughing. Which had him smirking. Then I had to explain that only mommies give the choices.


Dexter
Dexter's on a book kick. YAY!! Finally! He's bringing me books to read more and more often. He'll sit through a whole story. He'll ask me to read stories over and over. I've been waiting for this stage. I like it!
Dexter's also been big into the whole imagination thing now. He loves to pretend to be stirring and is always bringing me things he's cooked or made. Loving the Fisher Price Little People too.



Shout Outs (Thank Yous)

1. My cousin Mike - On the day I was getting the new car, I thought it would be easier to nto bring the boys and Mike was more than willing to drop everything to come watch them while I went to Chilliwack. However, my mom decided that she really wanted to see her grandchildren and I had to let Mike off the hook. Thanks anyways, Mike.

2. My friend Jill - Jill somehow sensed that I had just had my last coffee on my Starbucks card that had finally run out. I don't know how she knew. But it must be some super hero sense she has. She brought me a Starbucks card and a Nature's Pickin's card. Thank, Jill! Think I'll be picking up the boys some strawberries tomorrow.

3. My Co-worker, Judi - Thanks so much Judi for the Superstore cards!! Those will totally come in handy.

4. Mom and Ken - Thanks so much for all your help with the new car. So nice to not have to drive Big Blue anymore. I can't imagine how I would've worked that with four carseats. Dexter's is so heavy to lift into his seat, I swear my arm's going to break off!

5. Everyone Who's Been Keeping Their Eyes Peeled For a Van - Thanks to everyone who's been keeping their eyes peeled for a van to replace our station wagon. No need to look any further! I have a commuting vehicle now! And with an economical 3.0L.

6. Jen and Dave - For enrolling AJ in his gymnastics class. That was too sweet. Thank again.

Do Dee Doo Doo... No Biggy.... WHAT?????????

So, what have we been up to today? Oh, not much...

Do Dee Doo Doo

Came home from swimming lessons.
Had some lunch.
Had naps.
Played.
Watched some Signing Time together.

Ate some popcorn for afternoon snack.

Do Dee Doo Doo



Dexter got a hold of my pen....

Do Dee Doo Doo

No biggy.






And then......



WHAAAAATTTT???????



AJ begged me to come to his room to come see what he had written.
I figured 'no biggy', he's written his name (AJ or Alton) or Dexter's name or Kim or Mom or Dad or Paul or Gram or something.

I come to his room.
Seriously.
He says, "Look, I wrote COLOURING BOOK."

He hasn't copied the word which in and of itself would have made me proud.

But.

He.

Sounded.

It.

Out.

Holy Crap!!!!!!!!!!!!





I asked him to read me the letters.

He pointed to them and said,
" C - little L - R - B - little c - K"


Oh my gosh!

lol ps - Richard was running a bit of a fever and they're giving him some antibiotics again for the next 5 or 6 days. Uggg. Probably my fault. The boys got sniffly noses.

News, New, and Overdue

Four 'shout outs'....

1. Erica - Thanks for taking back my library books. I don't know if you agreed to it knowing that there were a very heavy 56 books to take back, but regardless, it's very appreciated. I'll be taking AJ to the library tonight in all likelihood.

2. Andrea (my new job share partner) - Thank you so much, if I didn't already thank you profusely for all the M&M treats. I have no idea that microwave grilled cheese sandwiches would be soooo delicious!

3. Sharon, Emily, and Claire - Thank you so much for coming by moments ago with a GIANT bucket of fresh picked blackberries. I may be forced to bake now.

4. Jen - If I haven't already said so, thanks so much for all of your help with swimming lessons.





Some AJ news - I forgot to mention AJ's new found appreciation for movies. He likes movies, but as of late, he's much more 'into' them and their plots and jokes. He's laughing out loud and telling me about 'funny parts' and getting sincerely worried for the characters when they're being chased and yelling, "Oh no! He can't get him! Noooo, don't!!"
-AJ passed into Salamandar level for swimming today. He was doing glides with his face in the water, and he was going down the little slide without needing someone there for moral support over and over and over dunking and everything. Finally, he truly looked comfortable. He looked so thrilled at lessons today being one on one with the instructor. It's a long story, but we were surprised with some complimentary private lessons by the aquatic centre to help AJ master his last three skills for his level.
-AJ will be back in gymnastics again for fall, but this time with Makenna too. It'll work out nice for all the 'babies' to get to play together during that time as Dexter would get bored out of his tree at gymnastics.
-AJ will be starting back to preschool again in the fall too. He'll be Tuesday/Thursdays this time, as those will be the days that Erica and I will switch care of the kids. Makenna will be in the class too!

Wish I Had My Camera

***had to come back and edit this one because there were some mistakes that interfered with meaning

In the afternoon yesterday, I wanted to 'get out of the house'. It was raining, and hard. The kind of rain I call torrential downpour. The kind of rain that kicks your butt and tells you why you should wear a real raincoat and rubber boots, not your water resistant jacket and American Eagle fake Uggs.

At least I dressed the boys properly. AJ wore a raincoat and rubber boots. Dexter wore his cute Fireman raincoat, but not rubber boots. He has some, but hasn't mastered moving quickly in them and this would be a long walk. So, he wore sneakers with his Stonz over top.



I've never been so happy to not have sold something. I almost sold these. I couldn't fathom them still fitting over Dexy's shoes in the winter. I hadn't thought of the rain in the summer.



The boys had a blast! Permission to splash in puddles was granted. Big deep puddles. We were soaked. I never thought to put on their rainpants. We were drenched. Dexter walked and walked and walked. It was definitely the longest he's ever been given the chance to walk. Down our road, up the hill of the next, up the hill of the next, up the hill of the next, down into the back path, around about 1/4 of the path, up the steep hill, up the next road, and just as we were nearing the last road that headed back to our house, Dexter turned to me with his arms upstretched and said, "Up." I didn't have a sling with me, nor a stroller. This was one of those, 'just us' trips.



The boys were in puddles that were higher than Dexter's boots. I could feel water sloshing back and forth in my boots. Nice. They had big fun.



Dexter's been saying Starbucks "darduh" and AJ is back on a letter tracing/letter printing kick again. He dug out some of his books and started to work.

Dexter's been into signing 'please' with more intent now. He's saying 'gone' again. He's signing and saying 'banana' like crazy. He loves bananas.




I'll be at the pool with the boys today and we'll have a bit of fun.

Richard is at the hospital today with his mom. Should be a pretty short day unless he gets a tranfusion. He was supposed to have dental work done, but that's being postponed since he's still neutrapenic.

He's been feeling good, but everything still tastes pretty badly for him. That didn't stop him from making dinner for us all last night. I had told him I'd do something easy and lunchish for the boys since they have both picked up a little cold and are not big into eating, but he didn't hear me say that. So he prepared a really great dinner. Thanks baby!

How's Richard?

He's doing pretty darned well since the last update.

Yes, he's still neutrapenic (no immune system) and will be for probably another week-ish, so no malls, no movie theatres, no parties, no restaurants, etc, but.... feeling good, considering.

He got a blood transfusion and platelets on Wednesday and today he got platelets again. He was up and about and feeling good yesterday and today, he's pretty chipper too. He still tires pretty easily, but I'm talking in the grand scheme of things, here, or compared to how's he's been looking and feeling in the past two weeks (chemo and the following week).

He has his next appointment on Sunday and they seem to be every two days still while they keep an eye on his numbers, waiting for them to start going up.

Looks like we'll be able to go to my cousin's wedding which will be nice. Richard asked for them to put off his next round of chemo by a week or so to start just after the long weekend, so that he would be able to enjoy the wedding and the 'night out'.



My parents have the boys overnight again, what a treat for us! I already miss them though. I was just thinking of AJ's voice while I was out gallavanting about this evening. My sister came over last night and spent the night. She went to watch AJ and Dexter's swimming lessons (which Norma had come to watch the day before). Afterwards, Starbucks drive thru, of course, and then back home. But, oddly, my headache that I've had really dull for the past week, seemed to be turning into a migraine (2 in a week???!!!). Luckily, Kim was there. I put Dex down for nap and went to sleep, asking Kim to put AJ down 30 minutes later.

Slept for 1.5 hours. That and the two extra strength Tylenol and two Advil Liquigels squashed the migraine good and I woke up just-a-fine. Thank goodness!



Richard will probably be updating his blog again tonight if you'd like to hear his version of how he's doing.



Some of you have been inquiring about the car situation:
*I'm still driving 'big blue'.
*I'm going to be checking out a friend of a friend of a friend's van hopefully this weekend.
*Ken's keeping his eyes peeled at work for vans coming in on the lot.

There you go.

Dexy Learns a Hard Lesson

Today Dexter learned (or at least I hope he learned)...


why






he's not suppposed to






take off




and run down the driveway.








Good grief!!!!!!!!!!!



*I hope this lesson is concrete.
*I hope this lesson is cemented into his brain.
*I hope I don't have to bail him out of this situation again.
*I hope this crash course in obedience does the trick.

Nothing Much to Say

Richard continues to feel sick, but keeps on going. He was sitting on a chair to cook his lunch and dinner today. You can bet that both Norma and I offered to help him out, but evidently, our cooking skills don't make the cut. That's right, Richard can't trust me to properly make Sapporo Ichiban correctly. Sad. Sad. Sad.

The boys went down for nap late today at 1:30. Richard was already in bed, so I asked him if it would be alright for me to run out to do some errands. He was a-okay with that despite looking absolutely wiped.

Much to my relief, when I arrived home at 3pm, both boys were still asleep, so Richard didn't have to deal with anything but himself while I was out. That was nice. Shortly after they were both awake, I took them in the backyard for some soccer and water fun.

Richard's getting by. He feels worse than when he was in the hospital, but feels able to 'deal with it' better since he's at home. He can find foods that he can keep down. He is with family. He has his own comfy bed.

He's at VGH again tomorrow. He'll probably get platelets and possibly a transfusion if his Haemoglobin is low enough.

He updated his blog last night....

http://www.bitemefriday.blogspot.com

And I'm Just Hoping My Kids Didn't Get High

I took the boys to Albert Dyck Park today. It's a man-made lake out here in Abbotsford where all the waterski/wake board competitions happen. Today was a competition day. It was busy and quite a show. The boys were loving watching all the flips and loved the waves crashing in on the beach. Too bad there's quite a drop off in the swimming area. I learned a lesson today that I definitely need the boys to wear lifejackets next time if I want to not feel 'on edge' the whole time I'm there.

Holy Pot Smokin' Batman! It was heavy in the air, reminscent of so many Snoop Dogg concerts. I wondered if the boys would maybe come home high just from hangin out on the beach!!!

Aside from my kids possibly meeting Mary Jane at the lake, the rest of the time was a success. We were there about 2 hours. It's only about 10 minutes from my house. Probably, in reality, 15, but it feels like 5 minutes. Dexter was very gutsy and wanted to just keep walking out into the water. I had AJ letting go of me for brief snipits of time which was progress for sure.

My funny for today was when leaving the lake. I realize that it's time for me to 'clean up' the rest of my 'potty mouth'. A truck started up suddenly beside us while we were walking and AJ shouted, "HOLY COW! THAT SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME!!" I laughed, but felt guilty for the virtual 'bad-mom-of-the-year' award that would surely be arriving by mail soon enough.


Thanks so much to whoever made that lake because the boys and I had a great time. Loved having my stroller more than ever!!!
I had another thank you that I just can't think of. Maybe Richard for toughing it out to make a good dinner tonight when I was running late coming back from the lake? Probably.

AJ and I finished the night, by heading outside from about 7-9pm (oops) to haul boulders to the front yard to try to make my dream-sandbox for the boys. I'll definitely need my brother over here if I want to finish this off properly!!

Paul? Are you out there? Do you read the blog? I need you over here, Pollywog! Need your muscles!!

Thank Yous Again

Mel (Norma's friend on the Island) - Thank you for your very nice card. It was so sweet. We appreciated knowing that so many people are thinking good thoughts and/or praying for Richard's good health.

Norma - Thanks for making great biscuits again and for being just like me in yet another way.....
When she sees a shirt she likes, she buys it in all the different colours it comes in!!! lol.

Mom and Ken - Again for taking AJ with you yesterday so I could sleep off my migraine. Again, for the big deep freeze. For goodness sake, I could fit 5 bodies in the there... eh hem.... I mean... err... uh.... a cow or two.

Ken - For keeping his eyes peeled for a van.

Saturday - YAY Sunday - BOO

*** If you'd like to skip this one, the short version is that Richard is feeling REALLY horribly. Nauseous, itchy, tired, yucky, loss of appetite, stuff tastes crappy.
Today, I had a migraine which adds complication to our day.
The boys added some cute words and phrases to the last couple weeks.

If you love to read these entries, then here's the loooooooonnnggg version.



Saturday ended really well.

In the afternoon, they played in the pool again. BIG fun.

In the evening, when after putting Dexter to bed, I took AJ for a bike ride (him riding his bike). Grand-Dan must've done quite the bike-ride with AJ, as he's come leaps and bounds since the last time I took him out to ride his bike. All by himself, he knew to get off of his bike to cross the road. He rode up hills by himself. We have A LOT of hills. It's all hills to get to our biking path behind our house. This is why he doesn't get to go out and ride his bike too often.

He rode to where we cross the street. He rode up that hill all with his own leg power. He rode up the next hill with only a slight pull from me. He rode up the next hill alone and it's pretty steep. He can go down big steep hills using his brakes to help control the bike. He did the whole big figure eight alone. Then rode the whole way home. Wow. He even did the standing thing when he pedaled. It was very cute.

AJ wanted his little reading light on for bedtime so he could 'read' his library books. Adorable. He's been loving the little 'easy reader' books that are reminiscent of the books we use for guided reading in the grade one class, with sight words and repetition. Anyhow, he 'gets' the pattern and loves that, as far as he knows, he's 'reading' the book.

Awwwww.


Sunday - YUCK

Richard had a horrible sleep that night. He's been feeling more and more ill and that night was just feeling very yucky and itchy (low platelets or a reaction to some meds), had taken a new med, and was just twitchy and weird feeling. Maybe he'll explain on his blog in more detail when he feels good enough to be doing that.

Then... I woke with a migraine. And not just a visual migraine that goes away after a little while, but a true (I haven't had one in about a year, at least) feeling nauseous, can barely stand up, need a dark room, and to go to sleep kind of migraine.

Not good. Because I couldn't get Richard to be with the boys. He was 'recovering' from his horrible night and was feeling nauseous himself.

I laid on the couch trying to blind my eyes and trying to sleep-but-not while the kids played after waking. I wanted to sleep, but I was listening to them too. Thank goodness it was one of those mornings where they were playing quite wonderfully.

Finally, at about 8:30am, I got my butt up off the couch (carrying my bucket, of course) to make them some breakfast. Norma came upstairs at this point. When I settled the boys into breakfast, and was briefly starting to feel like I might be on the mend, Norma watched the boys while I took a shower.

Richard woke and he wasn't feeling any better. Norma headed out to do her errands. It was pretty pathetic while Richard and I just sat, looking sad, and barfy with the boys running around, thank goodness, behaving well. AJ was begging to go outside or to a park or even Starbucks, but I just couldn't get up. My 'getting better' feeling didn't last long.

Then, it was about 11am and my parents, and brother and sister were going to be on their way to bring us there big deep freeze (they're trading us for our smaller one that suits their needs better). I gave Dexter his lunch, and at about 11:45am, he just didn't want anymore, he signed 'finished', and he headed downt to his room, he reached for his soo-soo, grabbed his dinos, and got into bed. Okay...

My parents came around 12pm. I was no help. In fact, I was probably at my worst at this point and getting near tears. Richard was down for the count. My mom offered to take AJ along with them on their errands to drop by Erica's (a thank you for doing Kim's grad pictures), Home Depot, and a treat. Awesome!!!

So, Richard and I got to nap from about 1pm to 2:20pm or so when Dexter woke. Oddly, I didn't hear Dexter wake and Richard (sick Richard) got up with him to let me sleep! That's my man. He's got Leukaemia!!! He's recovering from Chemo!!!! He wanted to let me sleep-it-off. He informed me later it's because he needed me to be in good condition so he could nap again later. lol.

My parents came back with AJ around 3:30pm or so and thank goodness, although I still had a headache, I was no longer nauseous. Ahhhhhh....

I felt soooo guilty for not taking the boys outside yet, so around 4:45pm, I took them in the back. I was very clear that we were not going in the pool because it was too close to dinner. But... those instructions came unraveled when Dexter got in the pool with his clothes on. I snatched him, took off all his clothes, and let him play in the pool with AJ in his undies. They had a blast and I got to read a bit of my book. Nice.

No laundry done, house messy, still a bit of a headache, but functioning. Thank goodness! No time to be sick. I need to stay non-sick until Christmas if possible.


Dexter
-I'm not going to put up his word list right now, but for fear of forgetting to add these ones, I want to point out that he has added the following words to his repetoire...
*truck stuck - he uses that one a lot
*garbage
*car
*ball
(I think he maybe already said those last two)
He also has been signing 'no' when he's been told 'no'. And he gives me sassy-eyes when he does it!
In the bathtub the other day, he starting chucking his rubber ducks across the room. It was really weird until I realized that he was throwing them like we do in swimming lessons when we go swim to get them.

AJ
-I've mentioned before how much AJ's into what letter words start with. This is now progressing to him saying things like
"light starts with an L and a T"
to which I respond "Yes, it has an L and a T. It starts with L and ends with T"
-A few days ago, he impressed me with "airplane has an A and a P"


I think that's all I was going to say.

The Calm After the Storm

For those of you following the journey....

Some rays of sunshine.

1. Richard cleaned off the battery terminals and the truck is all good. I don't understand what the rough sounding gear change might have been or why it's gone away since he cleaned the terminals, but I won't question it. Anyhow, I have a working vehicle. YAY.

2. I'm hopefully going to look at a van today or tomorrow. It's in Mission. We'll see how that pans out.

3. Had a great morning with the boys at Walmart (to buy a curtain rod for Dexy's room, as he busted his blinds and we ate blackberries from bushes in the parking lot), Starbucks (story on that momentarily), and then a playground at Mill Lake (complete with fallen apple-kicking and duck watching and the surprise of a shopping cart in the lake that quite amused Alton).

Starbucks Funny
-Today, I didn't get my 'usual' cheap drink. I splurged on a Mint Mocha Java Chip Frappe. At the playground, AJ asked if he could try my....

"Crap crappa crappa chip crap"

I wonder if Richard's been brain washing him.

Fallen Apple Kicking
-Near the 'boat park' is an apple tree that has lost a whole whack-load of it's apples. I may have to put AJ in soccer. Apple after apple after apple, he was picking them up, dropping, and mid air kicking them. With......... HIS LEFT FOOT!!! I've made a "Little-Debbie". Just like my mom, AJ is right-handed but does everything 'lefty'. He bats left, sticks left, and I realized, kicks left.
-I'll be happy he's leaning toward soccer. It's better than 4am hockey practices, that's for sure. Hmmmm... boring rainy games with scores like 0-1 or 4am practices? It's a hard decision. Maybe he'll just keep up with the gymnastics.
-Dexter - Everything in my power to stop him from eating those apples.

Wish Richard Quick Healing

He's on his last of his 6 days of his first round of consolidation Chemotherapy today.

Please send your good thoughts, wishes, vibes, and/or prayers for a quick recovery of 'counts' and taste buds.

He's looking great, but feeling like he's been run over. It'll be a tough week for him while he continues to get more run down before getting better!

Rains, Pours, and Now... the Tsunami.

Well, folks, that's it. It's almost official. We had one vehicle left and we may be down to none.

1. "Little Blue" - The station wagon. She's done me good since 2002. I love her. She holds all four car seats. She holds my stroller and all my other junk + "the kitchen sink" that I love to pack everywhere. She sits, on my grass, unsafe to drive with a rusted motor mount, a broken 'bushing'?, and goodness knows what else wrong.

2. "The Fury" aka "The Boat" - This is the 79 Plymouth Fury complete with 8 track. Sweet ride, but didn't pass air care. There it sits, on the grass.

3. "Big Blue" - The camping-tow-the-trailer truck. Turns out, that it's not so much of a battery problem. The truck's not starting sometimes because it's not fully engaged in the 'park' position. Great. I also informed Richard that it's sounding a little rough getting into second gear. I also told Richard that it's not my fault. I definitely didn't cause this. I've been VERY gentle with the truck, as instructed by Richard. For goodness sakes, I've only driven it on the highway twice!!

I think I'm soon going to be finding out what it's like to be one of those moms who has to walk everywhere. Or worse.... take the bus... ewwwwwwwwwwww. Thank goodness there's a bus stop across the street!!! But my 3 minute trip to the rec centre will probably be 30 minutes.

Seriously. Seriously!!!! Seriously?
I don't even want to ask 'What else could go wrong?' because I surely do not want to know the answer to that question.

So, peeps. Keep your eyes peeled for us and tell us if you see a minivan or even another station wagon maybe around the age of a 1999? Maybe you know someone selling one. I'd rather buy from a friend of friend who isn't selling something 'they know' has something wrong with it, rather than off a dealer who might lie through his teeth to sell it.


Back to what's important, Richard.

He's on day 5 of his chemo. So kind of me to hit with the news of the truck as he was about to head out the door today.

He's really feeling worse now. He ended up taking that $100 pill to get rid of hiccups last night after having them for about 3 days. He wanted to save that pill until it was really really needed. And, so far, it seems to have worked. Thank goodness.

He said last night, once we had headed to bed that "This is way better than staying in the hospital", so I'm guessing that being in the comfort of his own bed with his wife, children, and mom nearby keeps him looking and acting better than he's feeling. He's acting a little bit sluggish, but still getting around. He's up and about much more than when he was in the hospital. Tomorrow is his last day of chemo, then numbers should continue to go down some more, and then head back up. I'm sure he'll still have to be back at the hospital every day or two for the following week while they check his numbers, maybe give transfusions, and check his vitals.

Food is tasting badly again now for him. He shaved his head again last night, right after I noticed that the hair was coming in dark again. I guess he wanted to shave it before he's not allowed to when he's neutropenic.

Well, that's about it. The boys are down for afternoon nap. I didn't take Dexter to swimming today and he was none to impressed. I know he loves his lessons, but man, he was ticked right off when AJ and I headed out the door without him. Dexter keeps falling asleep during his old 'morning nap' time in the truck and it causes him to wake between 5 and 6 am which is NO GOOD for anybody. So, to get him back on track, I had to leave him with Daddy and Grannie. After about 10 minutes, he forgot about us and had some fun with them. AJ did great at lessons again, even jumping off the side of the big pool into the water. One week left to do back float, front float, front glide, and front swim (assisted). We'll see. I'm not holding my breath.


So, that's our Friday. Oh my goodness, Friday. Bad bad Friday rears it's ugly head again.

Keep those eyes peeled!!!

Wish him well. Send your good healing vibes.

And the Cherry On Top

I'm pretty sure that one of the summer-school-punks busted the antenna off of "Big Blue". Now I can't even listen to my sweet-a$$ am radio.

Oh poo.

When it Rains it Pours - And Then it Splashes

Seriously? Just when you think things can't get worse.

No, don't worry, he's still in remission. I'll get to the 'Richard-part' later.

The Raining
In the meantime, as you'll recall, we already have one vehicle out of commission and are on the hunt for a minivan to replace our station wagon. Since it'll be closing in on $1500 to fix the car, we figure, we can probably get something more useful with that money (what money? lol) like a minivan. If you know of someone selling a minivan, let us know!!!

So, anywho..... back to ....

The Pouring
Thank goodness it wasn't as unbearably hot today as yesterday. YIKES!! I get out of swimming. It's hot. I successfully get all three of us dried and dressed. We head the truck. We load Dex. We load AJ. We load the stroller. And......

nothin'

didn't even turn over

didn't even 'click'

Jinkies!!! (and that's not what I really thought)

The truck won't turn over. Oh man. I held in those tears. I breathed a bit. I had to call Richard. Sure, he's hooked up to a bag chemo drugs, but he's my husband, and when your truck battery dies, you call your husband. He wondered if I had left on the interior light. He asked to make sure that it was off. It's been years since I've jumped a vehicle myself. I wasn't about to keep the boys belted in the hot truck waiting while I ask someone (and it's mostly ALL moms at swimming) to jump the truck. Richard says to go ahead and call BCAA. It says there's a 10 min wait time to talk to a representative!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No freaking way!!! in 10 minutes I could've walked 1/8 of the entirely uphill walk home, with only my umbrella stroller.
So, I called Richard's friend/business partner, Tarrie, and he was ready to leave work and come jumpstart the truck.

(I'm pretty sure I left the interior lights on last night. It was my first time driving "Big Blue" at night. I had never had to turn on the lights before. I pulled the light switch out and the lights came on, but I couldn't read the clock. So, I turned the knob to turn up the dash lights. I guess I turned too much. Oops. On the plus side, at least I know why the battery died.)

but

I gave it one more go, and for some reason, it turned over. I tried again. I tried again. And. It started.

I called Tarrie to say "Holy crap, I got it started!"

I called Richard to say "Holy crap, I got it started!"

Richard said, "You should probably head straight home and just spend the day at home."
I said, "I'm going to take my chances and go to Starbucks for my coffee first."

I don't think he liked that answer, but I got home..... after I got my coffee at the drive thru.

The Splashing
-I brought the boys home. As I said, the temperature wasn't outrageous today, so we packed our picnic lunch and all our gear and headed to the back yard to play in the pool. I'm sure glad I set up the small one this year. I don't think AJ ever stopped playing in there. Down the slide, down the slide, downt the slide. Dexter spent most of his time in the Little Tykes car, as usual.




Richard
-He's currently on day 4 of 6 days of his first round of consolidation chemo.
-Food is starting to taste like crap again.
-He's starting to feel very flu-ish.
-He's losing more hair again, and the stuff that's come in is white!!! lol. They warned that some people's hair comes back very different, like curly or straight or different colours. Poor guy. Hopefully it comes back brown in the end.
-Today is his 9am start, so he could be home as early as 2:30pm, no doubt to head straight to the cool bedroom to cool down and nap.
-He's a trooper. He's still pretty normal looking and acting, but you know he feels pretty badly.
-Oh, I almost forgot the worst part. If you recall from the first blogs after he was admitted to start his first round of chemo, he had a roomate who had the hiccups for over a week!!!! I asked the nurse if that was cosidered 'normal'. He said 'no' and said they were thinking it was all in his head.

Well, Richard got the hiccups two days ago. They continued yesterday. Richard was under the impression that it's some sort of contagious virus that is spreading through the Leukemia patients. Looks like they're going to give him something for it today.


THANK YOU
Andrea!!! - For some great M&M meals that you dropped off yesterday AND to your daughter for the beautiful anklet she made me!
Kevin!!! - For possibly finding a good lead on a minivan through his dad!


If you like to hear things straight from the horse's mouth. ....

http://www.bitemefriday.blogspot.com

Soooo Hot!!

I haven't felt this hot since walking down the streets of Kuala Lumpur over 10 years ago. I can remember getting out of the shower in my hostel and wondering why I bothered to dry off. I can remember walking down the street and just breathing hot wet air. It was so gross.

Today and yesterday was so gross.

We have two air conditioners. One is in our bedroom and one is in our living room. For the past 6 or 7 summers of having a/c, I have never appreciated as much as I did this week. Ahhhh.

A/C - If you don't have an air conditioner, I don't understand how you haven't melted. Literally.

Erica and Kevin, kindly had me and the boys, as well as some friends from out of town over for a nice visit and dinner. Unfortunately, I am used to my a/c and I just plain forget how hot people's houses get. It was sooo hot. It was sooo humid.

I think it got up to 41 C today, plus the humidity which has to be near 85%. Yuck yuck yuck.

I didn't even want to leave the house today. Sadness.

Regardless, it was a really nice visit at Erica's. AJ had a blast sliding down her make-shift waterslide (a hose on the tall slide coming down from the giant play structure). Both boys would just go straight under the water and/or just get completely soaked every time. Rya and Dexter had some great fun on the little slide too.

I guess all that splashing did AJ well because he dunked his head under the water about 5 or 6 times at swimming lessons today. Eagerly, I might add. He may just pass this time. Who knows.

AJ and Makenna have been in Sea Turtle this summer. It's the first of the preschool age independent (no mommy) lessons. They come so far each time and get more and more comfortable that Jen and I just keep putting them in again and again, and then requesting the same teacher. Well, last week, after about her 5th or 6th time or so in Sea Turtle, Makenna passed into Salamander. AJ (quite a bit more timid in the water) did not make it. So, I had to decide, should I give him a break or should I put him in again just in case he passes and then they could be in Salamander together? Well, I decided to go for it. He had been getting braver and braver, and he's tall enough now to touch the bottom of the pool. So, I think this is his 5th time that he's started in Sea Turtle just this past Monday. He didn't get the same teacher, but I do really like his new teacher. And now after this water day at Auntie Erica's house, he just seems so excited about his progress.

Dexter just started his first lessons on Monday too. He's in Duck. And... he loved it. He doesn't love the backfloat, and I had expected screaming, but he LOVES leaping off the side of the pool from being seated there, and he LOVES doing the front glide (held by me of course) to try to catch the rubber duckies that we throw. Yes yes, like I said, AJ had probably been in 4 sets of lessons at least by now. Whatever. Sorry Dexy.






Richard
- He's slowly starting to feel crappy. He's getting that flu like feeling. I'm sure that driving without a/c to the hospital and back doesn't help. Norma's a trooper. She's driven in this heat 3 days in row. It can't be easy.
-So yes, things are going to starting being really crappy again for Richard. He'll start feeling worse. I think we're all really curious about how he'll do with this round. With starting healthy this time with high numbers and all, will it hit him the way the last round did? Will he lose all the rest of his hair this time? I'll sure miss the goatee and mustache.
-But, we're lucky, right? He's in remission. And yes, we live in Abbotsford and have to commute. But, Richard hears the other stories at the hospital. Like the dad who lives in Grand Forks and has to stay in Vancouver all by himself. He didn't get the week that we had to 'let it all sink in'. He was helivac'd to the VGH the night he found out! There's people from the Island that have to come to VGH, and Prince George. Before all this, I had no idea. No idea that if you have Leukemia and you live in BC, you need to go to VGH. That's the only place to go!
-Richard thanks his lucky stars that he has the type of Leukemia that he has (AML) and 'the good kind' (inversion 16), and of course, that he's in remission. Let's hope it stays that way!!!

Loving Richard today. Loving Norma. Such a really great lady. Funny, fiesty, sassy, genuine, and loving. Boy does she love her boy. And of course, I'm loving Dexter and AJ. The boys and I had a really really great day today. Just perfect really. Knock on wood. Oh yeah... I took the boys to playgroup after swimming. You know, just when I wonder if AJ's just a bit too sassy or if Dexter's a little bit mischievous, I bring them to playgroup, and am brutally reminded how awesome my kids are. I can't believe some of the 'hell on wheels' at playgroup. Namely the ones who moms or nannies just sit there and do nothing while their kid pummels another one or runs over a baby with their plasma car. Aye Carumba. I gave AJ and Dexter big hugs after playgroup and had a BIG talk with AJ at home about what a really great kid he is. Hmmm, maybe that's why I had such a good day with the boys.

One more thing about Dexter.
-Both of my boys have been good sleepers. But AJ, although good at bedtime, never used to ask to go to bed. Dexter does. In fact, tonight, he asked early. He was in bed at 6:50pm. He walked down there himself tonight, waving to all of us, signing sleep, and I didn't even pick him up to sing his song. He just tossed himself into bed and I sang his song there. Out like a light.


Thank yous
-Norma for driving while I stayed in the A/C.
-Richard for dealing with Leukemia.
-AJ and Dexter for being 'good boys'.
-Michelle R.- again - We just had your chicken pot pie tonight. WOW! Delicious!!!!