Transitions

Our family has been running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Never actually seen that. I'm okay with that. Sounds messy. This week was wonderfully full of VBS, Sports Camp, important house decisions and doctors' appointments. All went well.

I'm back on lots and lots of medications, but they don't seem to bother me except I'm blowing up like a balloon, and it hurts the pocketbook. My Nanny used to call it a pocketbook. The money is not in my pocket, nor in a book. It is at Walgreens. My doctor emphasized to look at the big picture and to realize how sick I was a couple of years ago and how successful the transplant has been. I agree. I have been trying to thank God for the icky meds, too, because they are truly a blessing. But...I really don't want to spend the same amount for a thirty day supply of medication as I could for four toilets for the new place. Big picture...big picture.... We're not hurting for money. The Lord has supplied all our needs in the riches of Christ Jesus. That includes financially, so I should just shut up and be thankful! Shut up, Wehmeyer.

The kiddos have been troopers through the transition from one home to another. Many of their special toys have been packed away, and there have been extra rather dull errands to appliance stores and many long waits in the car while one parent communicates with the supplier. Many pieces of candy have been handed out, especially today. One supplier was across the street from a parade. Happy June-teenth! I love a good parade, and Zane loves candy, so we hopped out of the truck and blended right in! Fun times. The folks around us felt that Zane didn't have enough Skittles, Tootsie Rolls and lollipops, so they kept bringing him some. Everyone knew everyone at that parade, and the adults were as excited about the sweets as the kids. Grumpy girl got out of the truck to see the horses, and then they all got into the action for the spoil. We were still blocked from the supplier, so Van hunted down our friends that intentionally live among and minister to the neighborhood. My friend's fourth baby is due any moment, so it was really neat seeing them and seeing how they restored the 1912 house.

Because all three stay in one room, we moved out Avi's crib, and Zane and Cade slept in the same bed on the top while Avi slept on the bottom. My normally "early to bed, early to rise, the chicken with its head cut off gets the worm" kids have been going to bed later and later. It became very apparant tonight that Zane was better off sleeping on the floor! To top it off with another major disruption to a child's world, I hid Avi's beloved potty chair when we had prospective buyers come through, and she thought that we put it in storage, so I kept it hidden. Poor girl is going through a lot. The house is spotless, and I would like to keep it that way. Zane used furniture polish for me today, and Cade used Windex to get his sunscreen fingerprints off of the window. I'm becoming a little neurotic. Just a little. Avi just decided to deal with it in her very own way and throw tiny Legos across the room, and when that didn't get a big enough reaction, the lid to the box. Very uncharacteristic.

The kids and I are traveling to Utopia this week to see my uncles from Amarillo and my cousins from California. My sister's crew will also be there. Fun! I plan on leaving out after church, and I haven't packed our bags yet. Hmmmmm.... Avi, go to sleep! I think just ditching the whole deal and leaving town is a great idea. Van will do some touch-ups around the house while we're gone. (hint, hint) We'll come back to Waco mid-week in time to re-pack bags for a trip to Colorado for a medical conference/vacation at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. We have some concern about my breathing in the thin air, but the lung specialist is making sure that I'll have access to an oxygen tank if needed. We're driving this time (two years ago we had a hard time with flying with 3 kids and delays) and giving me some time to acclimate. I need that anyway for Colorado. We had considered going to Pike's Peak in a train, but figured that was over the top. Ha- over the top. It will be the first time I've packed a blender for a trip. Smoothies rock. We're also packing plenty of videos for the kids. No major educational, wholesome activities planned for the car ride. Diego, Leapster and stuffed animals will have to do. I can't trust any of them with a pen or markers anyway. Who forgot to train these children, anyway?

conversations

The second night in Utopia....

Me: Cade, do not wake me up before six o'clock. Do not wake me up before six o'clock. DO NOT wake me up before six o'clock.

Cade: Five fifty-nine?



Three hours into the trip back to Waco from Utopia...

Zane: I can see Waco with my goggle eyes! (He always keeps them handy.)


A typical day....

Cade: Zane and I are going to attach a bungee cord to the door knob and one to the little table, then slam the door. It will knock over the little table.

Me: ...and break my vase that's on the table.

Cade: Yes.

Me: ...and break my vase.

Cade: Maybe I should move the vase.

Me: Yes.

Cinco

Five good days in a row! I'm interested what the Dallas lung doc will say tomorrow.

A lovely Saturday

Van took me to Dallas ysterday, and Zane and Avi stayed with his mama while my mama took care of the homefront and transported Cade to and from school. It takes a village. Everyone had Shipley's kolaches, and that takes the edge off. My doc and PA conferred with many more docs, and they all decided to treat my lung issue as Graft vs. Host disease (instead of just waiting for pneumonia to clear up). GVH can reduce the elasticity of the lungs. A Fightin' Texas Aggie would say, "That's bad bull, Ags." I was put on a high dose of steroids (sigh...I was so close to being weaned off of them entirely), and a combination of three other drugs that have shown really great results in other patients. Also, there is hope on the horizon for mis ojos. There exists, somewhere in the great U.S. of A. new technology that allows a contact lens to cover the entire exposed part of the eye preventing this drying out and decomposition that can follow. It is also possible to produce a "serum" made from my own blood and put into little bottles for me to use as eye drops. They call it "snake oil" and sell it for $50 a pop. A bargain, really. For real, though, one or both of those options may work out. The docs and insurance are working on it. I go back to a special specialist on Thursday in Dallas to especially talk about the GVH in the lungs and have a new CT and breathing tests done. Oooohhhh....I hope I pass! Not sure how to study for this one... The last two days I've seen much improvement. Again, not sure if it is the one dose of the treatment regimine or the grace of God, or Him exhibiting his mercy through treatment...I still haven't teased it all out, but I will give him much thanks for being able to pick up a fallen Cheerio or holler across the house. It's the little things. My friend down the road treated my kids to swimming and me to a delicious poolside lunch today. Her son and Cade are classmates. She took care of us all and refilled my diet coke while timing the oven for the cookies. Luxury. All of a sudden we have an almost framed house, and many windows and doors. Van is in charge of picking out faucets, and he chose well. We selected a stain for the beams, a color for the metal roof, and a trim color today while Mom managed the kids and "Air Buddies". Whew! I'm putting myself in charge of picking out the bathtub--that is all that really matters. :) It is looking so very pretty. At the same time, it is really weird not buying the faucets at the Mercy Mission Evangelical Jump Rope for Diabetes garage sale, and stressful. I was able to walk up the steps to our prayer room, and that was really nice. I've had two healthier days in a row now. We reported to the kids that they have windows in their rooms now, and they were very excited. I described the pantry to Zane, and his eyes got big and round. "A special place just for FOOD?" I might need to hang a bell on that doorknob! I'm thinking that I'll be able to go to church tomorrow. That will be so nice.

The day to day

Mom made Van the Pioneer Woman's meatloaf from the cookbook that he gave me for Mother's Day. It was held together with bacon--the meatloaf, not the book, but that would have been okay, too. The meatloaf was accompanied by one of my favorite salad (of a list of two) that includes yummy avacado. She also made Pioneer Woman's blackberry cobbler and made sure Van got a piece. Last night, she made PW's lemon blueberry pancakes, and Zane just ate and ate with a sweet grin on his face. That kid can stick a smile for longer than anyone I know. He grins with certain foods, swimming or playing in dirt or any combination of these mentioned. Dirt+water= grin. Mixing food with dirt= grin. Swimming in food= grin. Mom, Zane, Avi and I all stayed home today. I got to play a couple of board games with the kids and watched them alternatively get into mischief and play like little angels. Zane and Avi see nothing unusual about crafting things out of toothpaste, hand soap and baby dolls. I don't know how many times Mom got them off of the kitchen counter, out of the refrigerator and helped them change their clothes after some tragic spill. Cade is decidedly addicted to reading. He announced himself at 9:00 last night into the livingroom with, "Oh, I finally finished it!", indicating the Boxcar children book in his hand. I didn't know he had stayed up, and was so thrilled that I ordered a box set of books for our travels on the spot. If I've got to feel puny, this ain't too bad.

rocket to the moon

Van is carting me to Dallas on Friday to see my Bone Marrow Transplant doc so he can look at my lungs, then on the 24th, I'll so see another pulmonologist that our local doc has been consulting with. Rumor has it that he is more specialized in Graft vs. Host disease and may have some insight into my weird "pneumonia". I just hope he can say "fluffy infiltrates" with as much charm. More tests. Urg. Mom, the kids and I went to see THE BEAM that we had been waiting for in the new house. It started raining, and the work crew amd my crew hung out under the "roofed" portion awkwardly not sure which language to pursue. They mainly smiled at my sweeties. I jaunted--I use that term loosely--into the drips to gather up a few pieces of scrap wood because it is just so cool. THE BEAM looks really great, and I'm glad we took the time for it to arrive from Florence....Texas. We took the scrap wood home, and Cade reserved some to draw portraits of his friends on to "sell" in social studies class as a "good" using coupons that his teachers will provide. I hope the permanent markers that we are providing won't be his doom. The rest of the scraps were used to build some type of rocket that Zane insisted needed to blast off to the moon and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE could he have a match. Van winked and said,"I've got this one." He got a match, lit it, and counted down with my happy child. The literal child of seven years was insistant that Van needed to try again because Zane was being "for real". Avi was just happy to stack the blocks in various locations around the sculpture.

over the hills and through the cedars

Mom drove Avi and I to Utopia to see Dad this weekend and so Mom could have a bit of time at home. It went well, and we visited my great aunt. I had the oxygen tank on hand in case of emergency. Van wasn't real keen on the plan because Utopia is so far from doctors and hospitals, but he had a good time with our boys with baseball, fishing, swimming, church, and yardwork in Waco. Mom and I enjoyed the green countryside. It looks so different than last year's drought. The dam at the park looks so pretty after being cleaned out and some good ol' flooding. Avi, generally mild, is going through some kind of independence phase, so that was a bit tricky, but I think Mom and I still got some rest. Dad took Avi on a few lawn-mower rides and we went on errands. Since I was little, we've sung "to the dump, to the dump, to the dump-dump-dump" to the William Tell Overature. Wonderful simple time. I'm tired of thinking about me and taking care of me. I'm ready to do projects of all kinds and get plans in my head, and then I get up to brush my teeth, get just enough breath to do it and then go sit on the couch again. I'll see the lung doctor again on Friday. I'm grateful for Mom's company and for her sweeping and starting the dish washer at this moment. I'll get the stitches out of my left eyelid tomorrow morning, but it will still look pretty out of whack. My eye doctor feels like the procedure was a big success. The idea is to close off part of the eye so that it won't get too dry and damage my vision. If I ever start producing tears again, it can be opened up. I was geared up to have the right eye done to get it over with, but I think I'll wait until I have to because this has been quite an adjustment. A hard adjustment. Zane has Pre-K graduation at Parent's Day Out this week. I'm not ready for that at all. I'm not sure that he is either because he loves his teachers and classmates and has known them for so long. I still picture him as a chubby-cheeked toddler. He was such a cute baby, and now he is a handsome little five-year-old. Today, I am blessed to be a mama and to have a mama. I pray that Avi will get to have this beautiful experience in her life. She's already practicing now with caring for a stuffed alligator and a plastic Dora figurine.