Week 3

I'm at the beginning of the half way week which is pretty exciting!!!  I still feel really good.  The mask has become routine.  I've stopped taking the anxiety meds before treatment.  My labs came back normal.  I'm experiencing a little bit of dizziness, as if I'm on a boat and I need to hold on.  The doctor said that it is likely a little bit of hearing loss from the radiation which is causing me to feel unbalanced.  Paul and I got out last weekend and enjoyed our school's annual auction. It was a fancy night out and we had a great time.  It was really fun to do something different and spend time in our new community.  We didn't get any good pictures, but Paul wore a paisley shirt and a blue checkered sport coat that he picked out himself! I was very impressed.

We continue to feel overwhelmed with gratitude by those around us who are helping in every way with childcare, meals, and just friendship.  We're seeing some stress on the kids, likely from being shuttled to a different house or doctor every day.  They are eating foods cooked in different homes most nights and they are quickly learning that different households function in different ways. Noah also found out that the little boy who sits directly across from him lost his father to pancreatic cancer.  I wish I could just hold them in my arms all day and protect them from everything.   We have been solidly able to develop a new routine each night where I have a good chunk of alone time with each child.  We talk about school and play and all sorts of things.  In this space the kids can ask or say whatever they need to and it has been good for them to get their fears out.  Previously, Paul and I would split up bedtime and he would take one child and I would take the other, but now I sit in my bed and Maeve comes in and reads with me and prays with me and then she goes to bed.  When she's finished, Noah comes in and does the same and then goes to bed on his own.  Noah benefits particularly from this time because he is really wrestling with all sorts of things.  They say that the "tween" years are now from 8-12.  This new term is to define the transition from child to teen and so children start to desire new responsibilities and "older" treatment, but then quickly and often revert to childlike behavior.  Noah is noticing his clothing and his hair and asking lots of questions about money and careers and so he is processing a world he is suddenly aware of and trying to make sense of  the chaos in our home.  It's a lot for him and we would appreciate that you especially keep him in  your prayers.

The flip side is that the kids are cheerfully busy.  They have 2 outdoor recesses every day at school and we stay after school nearly every day for an hour of play time.  When they come home they spend the majority of their time playing outside with the neighbors making up grand schemes of imagination.  We couldn't be more blessed with the kids in our neighborhood... without ever crossing a street the kids are surrounded by other children who are in their same classes.  It reminds me so much of the time I spent growing up playing with my neighbors.  On Sunday afternoon our couch had 6 kids on it giggling about silly things and Paul and I looked on full of joy.  I always wanted a big house so that there was room for anyone to come and stay or for us to have fun parties and gatherings.  This might be a tiny house, but our "open door" policy is alive as ever and all of the kids and many adults walk in and out without knocking.

So, at the end of the day their little bodies are tired and they fall right to sleep.  For all of this I am grateful.

My hair is playing games with me, sending warning signs that tell me any day now my transformation into a middle aged monk will occur.  With every touch of my head 20 or 30 strands come out.  I had really hoped that I would make it through the auction with my hair and I did, so I am grateful for that.

AND... I have so much to look forward to and to celebrate.....

In just a few days my parents will be here for Easter and we are all so excited!  I hope the glorious weather holds out for them.  Paul installed a new shower and tiled the walls of the bathroom at the new house this week (he redid the plumbing too... seriously there isn't much he can't do!).  Our electrician finished rewiring the new house so now it won't burn down (yes it was that bad). The gas company finally turned the gas on and so we have running hot water.  Our architecture plans are finished for now and we will begin to solicit bids from builders to see what the remodel might cost  and to see if we will have to scale back on our project.

I hope this holy week is meaningful for you and that Easter Sunday brings all of the joy of new life and new hope deep within your soul.