A Port

Dad has recently been diagnosed with malignant meningitis.  His IV chemo and Tarceva do not get enough chemo to his brain and spinal fluid.  Therefore, he needs another chemo treatment that will target his spinal fluid.  He is having a port placed under his scalp on the right side of his head tomorrow morning.  The plan is to have chemo inserted into this port every other day.  He has been informed that the procedure to place the port is not a major surgery.  He has chosen to be sedated for the procedure.  He should be able to go home tomorrow after the procedure.  The actual chemo treatment through the port on his head is supposed to be "very well tolerated". 
This makes three forms of chemo Dad will be taking.  I know I say this every time, but we so appreciate all of your expressions of care and so many prayers that are lifted for my mom and dad.
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On a completely different note...

Nathan and Logan are doing great!  Dare I say that the days at home alone with them are getting… easier?!  Nathan was rolling over on the floor tonight, so many times, when I was trying to change his diaper and put his on his PJs.  Logan rolled over in his crib this afternoon during his nap.  It is so much fun to watch them, make them laugh, hear them talk, etc.!  Logan says “aaaa….goo!” over and over.  He has so much to say, it all just sounds the same.  Nathan says “ooo, ooo” and does a little muffled scream when he talks, which is almost all the time.  They are both very smiley and happy babies. 

The 3 of us did a little Wal-Mart shopping today.  We were a sight to behold, of course.  It’s funny to see everyone staring, but pretending not to.  I pushed their stroller with my left hand and pulled the cart behind me with my right hand.  It went surprisingly well. 

Question:

Does anyone use Windows Live Writer?  I thought I got it to work, but apparently I only got it to halfway work.  It will only upload text.  If I add a picture I get an “error 403 restricted”.  Do I need to save or access my pictures a different way?  Right now they  are saved and accessed through Windows Photo Gallery.  Any suggestions?

It Works!

Yay!  After many failed attempts of trying to use Windows Writer on my computer, I had given up.  I just downloaded it to Todd’s laptop and… it works!  This should make blogging and loading pictures much easier.

5 Months

The boys turned 5 months old on Monday.
We have been to the pediatrician twice this week, already. Nathan was seen on Monday (after we only got 2 hours of sleep) and has an ear infection. Logan was seen today and has bad chest congestion. Both are on antibiotics. Nathan slept most of Monday night sitting somewhat upright in his swing so he could breathe. Logan has slept in the swing the last 2 nights. I have been sleeping on the couch.

Nathan weighs just over 17 pounds. Logan weighs just over 18 pounds.

They eat rice cereal with a fruit along with a bottle for breakfast and rice cereal with green beans and a bottle for dinner. They have other feedings of just a bottle a few times throughout the day, too. We're introducing a new food each week. They are just growing so fast and have become so much fun. They smile, giggle, and play so much. They're just happy babies!

Dad Update:
He had a spinal tap yesterday to determine if a different form of chemo should be added to his treatment plan. They might get the results today. The procedure went well. He continues to have good days and bad days, which is expected. Today was a good day. He went out with a friend for lunch. He was up and about with energy and a happy face when I saw him today! :-) Thanks to all of you for your prayers for him, Mom, and the family. We all cherish your prayers and your friendship.

Smart & Crafty

Look at the little surprise we got in the mail today...
Mary Sue, you're not only very smart and crafty, you are also very thoughtful and generous! Thank you so much for the name bands. We love them!!

Welcome Home

After 4 days in San Antonio, Todd and I were SO happy to have our boys back in our arms!

What's up?

I've done it again... So many things have been going on that I have wanted to blog about, but couldn't find the time to sit down at the computer to do it, so now I have a lot to catch up on.
Here's what's been up around here lately:

• My new video camera is too smart for my computer. When I upload a video, it only shows 2 frames/second. The new camera is awesome, but now my computer needs to be upgraded. Also, my computer has a virus. Two good reasons to "let" Todd build me a new computer, right? In the mean time, I have been using his laptop.
• We went to San Antonio and left the boys at home with Mamaw and Great Aunt Pat for 4 days. It was so hard being away from them. We missed them so much! But, Todd and I had a good time in SA. He had a booth at the Texas Music Educator's Association expo, promoting the band/choir/orchestra division of his photography business. Todd does great program portraits and makes really cool composites. He got a lot of leads and very interested directors. I expect that he will be very busy in the fall. He already has several programs lined up for pictures this spring, which we were surprised by. We're hoping that this extra work will produce enough extra income for me to stay home with the boys another year. You can see some of Todd's composites in the background of the first picture. The second picture is a sample of the competition's composites. I think Todd's are like way cooler. ;-)
• Today is cousin Jim's birthday! Happy Birthday, Jim!!! :-)
• Sadly, Todd's (step) Granddad Dan died Friday, 2 weeks ago. We went to Ft. Worth for the funeral and stayed with Todd's mom in her new home. Dan was a nice, caring man. He always made me feel welcome. I will always remember that he was so kind to pray for us when we were waiting to be parents, when I was pregnant, then after the boys were born. He and Grandma told us that they were praying for us all the time. We miss Dan.
• Logan and Nathan are eating rice cereal and applesauce! Logan LOVES eating from a spoon. He started sucking down the cereal from the very beginning. Nathan likes it now, but hated eating it for a long time. He would cry and cry every time I tried to feed him. His Mamaw figured out how to feed him the way he likes it while we were in SA. Way to go, Mamaw! Logan's formula is Member's Mark from Sam's. It's a huge can and only costs about $20. (They also have a Gentle-Ease formula for $23/can) Nathan still drinks Nutramigen. I put a rubber band around Nathan's bottle to tell them apart when I'm feeding them alone. I need to break down and buy name bands.

These pics are of their first bites of cereal, several weeks ago.

• So long size 3-6 month clothes! The twins are in 6-9 month clothes now! Yes, they are still 4 months old (for a few more days), but apparently 75% babies are big! I can't get over how big they are. They were almost a month early, for goodness sake! Mom went with us to the Carter's outlet yesterday. We got some new things, but not too much. As fast as they outgrow things, and as often as I do laundry, I didn't feel like it was necessary to go over board (even though I wanted to). Here's Logan today, in one of his new outfits. Nathan matched, but spit up all over and was changed. But, it wouldn't be nice to post just a pic of Logan from today and leave his brother out.
• Poor little guys have stuffy noses and little coughs. Nathan is a little worse off than Logan, but they are not feeling very good. Todd's not feeling good, either. I think it's the weather and allergies.
• My sister's birthday was Feb. 15th. Happy Birthday ReRe!!
• Grandma Bible's birthday was last week. Happy Birthday Grandma!!
  
• Dad's birthday was Feb. 9th. We went out to eat with him and had a good time! Dad went in for more testing today. He is scheduled for another IV chemo treatment Friday. He is being such a trooper and so brave through this whole thing. I know he gets his strength from God and through all of the support/prayers from so many friends and family. I hate that he has to go through this battle with cancer. I think about Dad and Mom constantly.
• Nathan is getting very close to crawling. He tries really hard. Logan is moving/kicking/grabbing/bouncing/standing more, but he's completely content to just lay flat on his back with this legs stretched out.

Nathan trying to crawl to Logan. (Please ignore my stupid commentary in the background. Thanks!)

• Tonight, we are having chicken fried steak. That is, if I ever finish this blog and get up to cook. :-)
  

Shingles

I am waiting for the vegetables to cook in the microwave and the Chicken Tetrazinni to finish in the oven. I hear Logan crying (off and on) while Todd tries to put him to sleep. Since I have nothing better to do with my time, like the regular chores that I am always behind on and stressed about, I figured that doing a 3rd blog post today would be a good idea.

I have Shingles.

I went to the doc today and have started antiviral medications, which are hugely expensive, by the way:-(

I have a small rash, maybe 3 inches long by 2 inches tall on the right side of my back. I am currently not in much pain... just itchy, thank goodness! I am very hopeful (and prayerful) that the symptoms do not worsen and that I don't give Chicken Pox to the babies.

(Shingles are contagious, in the form of Chicken Pox, to people who have not have Chicken Pox before. Shingles are not contagious as Shingles.)

I cannot be around anyone that has compromised immune systems, like Dad (because of his chemo) .

**I have not updated on Granddad Dan... He does have very aggressive lung cancer. He does not have any feasible treatment options and has been sent home with Hospice care. It is so sad to report that he appears to be declining quickly. To make matters worse, Grandma Pat fell and hurt herself today and cannot walk.

So, that's about it.