Awesomeness Everywhere

Some pretty awesome people are making some pretty awesome things happen in honor of and for Lincoln. Let me just tell you about a few.

Awesomeness #1

Vygor is a gym I teach aerobics and yoga classes at here in Pittsburgh. They are having a week long “I-inspire” event. It consists of multiple free seminars including Weight Management, Healthy Eating, Being your Best You, and Becoming Inspired Everyday …to name a few. The week also includes fitness classes and training sessions. I’m helping teach part of a special two hour long workout Friday night as part of the event. In return club members and community members are invited to make donations that will all be given to UPMC Children’s hospital Oncology department in honor of Lincoln. Pretty awesome huh?! Also Vygor is donating 10% of money earned from any purchased packages or Products sold this week to Children’s Hospital as well. My director emailed me yesterday that to tell me that four of the kids from the “kids Yoga” class at the gym had a bake sale for Lincoln/children's hospital and raised $300.00.

Awesomeness #2

On Saturday my church is putting on a Blood Drive to help replenish the Blood Bank in honor of Lincoln. A lot of work has been put into organizing and preparing for Saturday, and we already have more than 50 people signed up to donate. How great is that!! I’m going to try and take pics and post more on that post blood Drive. Here’s the flyer that’s been circulating our church and community. If you haven’t signed up yet and you’re in the area, it’s you only have a few days left!

Awesomeness #3

I’ve talked about the awesomeness that is Jack Demos and Surgicorps before, and I’ll talk about them again. Jack is a “retired” physician who travels the world on medical missions helping people who otherwise would have no help. When he’s not across the globe saving the world he likes to come to my group fitness classes. The more I learn about him and what he does the more impressed and inspired I become. Currently he’s in Bhutan. Before he left he asked if it’d be okay he I gave him a few pictures of Lincoln to take with him. Today I got the following pictures in an email from Jack. The first three are of Tiger's Nest, an extremely famous monastery located outside of Paro and visited by tons of Buddhists yearly. Absolutely spectacular.

These are Prayer flags hung by the monastery. Jack hung one for Lincoln.

These next three are inside the monastery with "His Holiness", a Buddhist monk that blesses who is revered in Bhutan. In the photos he's writing Linc's name on the back of his picture and promised to say appropriate prayers and blessings for his speedy recovery and return to a wonderful state of health. Jack is in the Black with the white scarf.

These two are Holy Children ages 11 and 14. They are recognized as special teachers from a past life. The older is destined to become the highest ranking Buddhist leader some day. They are praying for Lincoln too.

Although I’m not Buddhist and I don’t believe in the same things they do, I am so touched and grateful that they are thinking of and praying for him. I’m also so appreciative and moved by the kindness of Jack to ask these people to pray on my son’s behalf.

Awesomeness #4

Lets not forget my awesome in laws who raised over $3000.00 for childhood cancer research and shaved their heads. If you sometimes feel like there is a lack of good people in the world doing good things, I beg to differ. There are good people doing amazing, wonderful, Christ-like things everywhere. You just have to open your eyes and see them. Thank you to all you awesome people. Lincoln says thanks too.

Consolidation Phase Day 32 - Back on Track

Lincoln's ANC was over 1000 on Monday and he was able to receive treatment. I am so releaved to be making progress again. He's had chemo every day this week and done really well with it. I've had to wrap several small presents and bride/reward him with candy and gifts to get him to cooperate taking his pills and letting the home care nurse give him chemo, but it hasn't been too much of a battle this week. We shouldn't have any more delays for a month and then we could get set back again because his counts have to be up before he starts the next phase. But for now, I'm glad to be moving forward. :)

Consolidation Phase - Taking forever

The past two Mondays I've taken Lincoln to the hospital for chemo treatments and he hasn't been able to receive any because his ANC is too low. In other words, his immune system is too weak. So, he hasn't had chemo for almost three weeks now. The boy feels great! That's the good news. The bad news is that I'm getting used to him feeling good and it's making it harder to think about him going back to him feeling crappy. The past two Monday's I've gotten all geared up mentally to go in and start his Four day long home care chemo week and then we go home three hours later having done nothing but a blood draw. It's kind of exhausting and frustrating not making any progress. It's just making the whole thing that much more drawn out. Two Mondays ago his ANC was at 100. Last Monday it was at 300. It has to be above 750 to start the next rounds of chemo. (Normal is 2000 in case you were wondering). I'm going to be really disappointed if it's not high enough this week. And I'll start to get a little worried. Big gaps in treatment aren't a good thing.

Also, his hair started growing back! I guess three weeks off the drugs will do that. It's just peach fuzz and it's certain to fall out as soon as he's back on schedule with treatments, but it sure is fun to rub my cheeks on it for the time being :)

Happy Easter! Egg Dyeing Fun

Egg Hunting at Home

Egg Hunting with Friends

We found a house in NC!

We found a house to rent for the next three years in North Carolina and I pretty excited about it.  I feel like we got a screamin’ deal on rent.  I offered him $100 less than what he was asking for per month and he agreed!  My poor sister and friends in DC and California, I feel so bad for you all paying so much more for so much less house.  We have been so fortunate to have lived in such affordable areas since being married.

Now granted, we haven’t actually seen the house in person: what your about to see are the same pictures I’ve seen that I made my decision to rent it on, so let’s hope it’s as good as it looks!  It’s so nice to have this decision made and stress over with.  We really didn’t look at very many houses.  This was the first one we looked into. 

I’m most excited about the Huge fenced in backyard and two car garage.  And it will be so nice to have actual real closets instead of the crazy small one’s we’ve been living with here in Pittsburgh.  I’m beyond sad to leave my amazing Pittsburgh friends, ward, hospital and gyms, but having this place to look forward to makes it a little easier.  Walk in closets.  We have arrived in life.

Consolidation Set Back and The triplets turned one!

Yesterday we went in to the hopsital for Lincoln to get his treatments and he wasn't able to get them. They always take his blood first to see what his counts are and yesterday his ANC was under 100. It had to be above 750 for him to get treatment. His immune system is too weak to handle the drugs right now. SO we have a week off and everything's pushed back a week. In a way it's nice to give him a break, but I'd definitely prefer he didn't have any set backs. It's not like we can go out and have a fun week now. It's just another week of sitting around the house being super careful delaying the inevitable.

I wish the kid would eat. He seems to be disappearing before my eyes. So skinny. All he would eat for dinner yesterday was ice cream. So ice cream he had.

On a different note, my wonderful sister-in-laws triplets turned ONE last week! They had the most adorable photo shoot I think I've seen. Check out these little darlings.

This is the same awesome sister-in-law who shaved her head to raise over $3000 for children's cancer research. Click here to see my two sister-in-laws, their husbands, and one of my nephews without hair. We have an awesome family.