Wow. Summer is halfway over. The weather has been amazing and so we’re trying to soak up as much Vitamin D, as we all know the rain is just around the corner. The only good thing about that will be that I will actually sit down and write some more because I won’t feel guilty about sitting in front of the computer.
The days around here seem to go especially quickly because farm life is so crazy this time of year. The thing that is lovely about this summer, as opposed to the last, is that the guys aren’t building a new milking parlor in addition to all of the other madness. Hay is cut and baled, lagoons are being emptied and it will soon be silage time. For all of you that don’t understand what any of that means, just know that it means 10-12 hour working days for the next couple of months.
Tyler and Trent have been busy outside. They are so cute with their white hair and tan faces. Marvin built them a pool, which I’m sure a lot of you saw the pictures on Facebook. If you’re already on Facebook, you can request to see them here, if you would like. For those that didn’t, I’ll try and get a picture posted here. It’s not uploading right now. Here’s the blueprint for you and all your friends: He took 8 big bales of hay, placed them into a rectangle and then put a 200 foot tarp and draped it over them. He then proceeded to fill up the middle of the ‘rectangle’ with water. I have to admit I was so irritated when he first told me what he was doing. He kept telling me that he had such a good idea for a swimming pool and that he was going to surprise us with it. Yeah, surprise is a great descriptor for what it was. But the guy is brilliant. It is the perfect pool and it was extremely cost effective to boot, mainly because we already own those huge hay bales. So it’s been a great source of entertainment for Tyler and Trent, and a great source for getting a tan during their nap time.
Remember when I was concerned that Trent wasn’t talking yet, and all of you told me to just enjoy the silence because he would be soon enough? Soon enough has now arrived. The boy talks as much as Tyler now. The only difference is that only half of what he says can be understood. Tyler has been doing a lot of activities away from Trent, so I think that it has finally given Trent a chance to get a word in edgewise and it’s starting to ‘click’. It’s surprising how competitive the boys are even with 3 1/2 years difference in age. I’m looking forward to school starting. I think Tyler is going to absolutely love it. His favorite thing, aside from being down on the dairy every second that he can, is to work in his workbooks. I love that he’s so self-motivated and such a smart kid, but it’s really hard to keep him stimulated, and a bored Tyler is not a good Tyler. I’ve been told that is what is referred to as “payback”.
On the medical front, I finally heard back from Dr. Liau. She said that she reviewed my scan and that she agreed that it looked stable. She did suggest, however, that we keep watching it closely. This means I’ll be getting another scan done on September 8th. The thing that sucks about that is going through the agonizing process of anticipating the results so quickly after just going through it. But on the flip-side, it’ll be such a short window of time, that we’ll be more confident that not much probably changed, if anything. Her main concern is that this tumor is trying so hard to become a grade 3, but just can’t quite get there, much to our delight. So she wants to stay ahead of it. On a side note, for all of you brain tumor patients that read this blog, there is a brain tumor conference coming up in September in Oregon. You can check out the details here.
I’m still doing IV therapy through the same clinic I’ve been going to in Portland for the past year, which includes DMSO and high dose Vitamin C. When I’m not on chemo, then I’m taking one of those. This last round of chemo was a little rough, but otherwise I’m feeling really well. I’m at least able to keep with a 3 and 6 year old, so I guess that says something.
I know this is becoming redundant, but we can’t thank you all enough for the ways that you support us. We would be lost in this mess without each of you by our side, so thank you so much…
