Dad's week and week 4 of Project 365

When Dad went for his pre-chemo lab work yesterday, they found out that most everything was extremely low (white blood cells, etc...)...more so than what chemo should do. They scared Dad at first by telling him that the miracle nasuea pill could cause this (he doesn't want to let go of those, ha!) but found out that it's that darned catheter which has caused another infection. So...chemo was cancelled on Friday but after a few days on really powerful antibiotics they will rework his labs on Monday or Tuesday and hopefully go ahead with chemo on Tuesday if all results are better. Not that one looks forward to chemotherapy, but once you've got yourself ready for it, it's almost a let down to know you have to wait and then be anxious for it all over again.

Good news today, though :) He had his first "2 a day" with radiation (just 11 more to go!) and it went well. Mom said he was still able to tolerate the shots he's taking daily and made it through both radiations without getting sick. He's starting to become even more tired but that's expected. His throat is hurting quite a bit now, he has trouble swallowing so he is eating much softer food for now. The only sweet things he can still really taste are banana and strawberry smoothies (with extra banana or strawberry) and ice cream. Other sweets, even the coveted Dr. Pepper, do not taste good to him right now. Mom has met many others while waiting for Dad during his treatments and several that have throat cancer (or their spouses have it) have encouraged her. They have traded recipes and stories. I think it's more a treatment for her sometimes, which is great for her spirits. If things continue well with the radiation, they will officially be done on Feb. 16th. As of today, there are 2 more chemo's left to go.

Last weekend, I took J to Mom & Dad's for a couple of days to encourage Dad and let J see that Grandad is still in one piece. They are two peas in a pod (even with a 50 something year age difference!) and spent most of their time as usual...in Grandad's room with J watching DVD's and Grandad napping :) Dad even cooked J his special "homemade" chocolate chip cookies (yea...the ones in the yellow package...but don't tell J!) Mom told me she discovered that once she quit "babying" (her words, but I'm sure most of you moms & wives understand that!) Dad he started doing much better at home. I'll try to post another update next week once we know if chemo will be on or not.

Now...on to Project 365 and week 4! I'm a bit behind this week and I'm sorry for that :) I've been working the book fair and subbed again in J's class today (20 3rd graders...have I mentioned that before?) Sadly, well...to T's disappointment not mine, subbing has not made me realize how much I love teaching 20 elementary kids or more at a time, it's made me all the more pleased that I don't, ha!. How does Mrs. F do it everyday? She's a superstar in my book :)

Day 1
This is a picture of our bed. I love our bed, it’s made of old doors, which fits T & I perfectly as we both love old homes and we used to live in one back in Silsbee. We found this at Canton. We had the night stands built when we ordered the bed to match. Why did I add this photo to our Project 365? Because since January 2nd, I have actually kept it made at least 6 days a week (when I’ve been home!). This is a HUGE accomplishment for me.

Day 2
Dr. Palmer and I have become well aquainted over the last year. I am pretty sure T & I have personally made several of his car payments. This is my 3rd crown in one year (one was a replacement because an old one chipped on a nacho!). Yes, I have the world’s worst teeth...but this crown is actually not due to a root canal. I have had 2 root canals and almost every tooth in my mouth has a filling of some sort. Thankfully, his office staff and Dr. Palmer himself are very nice (to which T usually says “of course they are, you are paying them quite well!).

Day 3
Homemade hot chocolate in a fun retro mug! This hot chocolate is a pantry staple around here. My mom first made it many years ago off of a friend’s recipe. It has become the favorite of most of us in the family over the years. T & J occasionally want it in the summer, that’s how good it is! This mug is one left over from gifts we gave this Christmas to teachers and friends. I actually found them at Dollar General and had to scourge 4 stores to buy enough! On rare cold weekdays when I get to stay home all morning, this is breakfast for me.

Day 4
My poor man...he is never sick. Over the last week, T has felt absolutely miserable. He finally went to the doctor on Wednesday and was told he had walking pneumonia. He is exhausted, can’t stop coughing and feels like he has the flu without the high fever. This is the longest I have seen him lay around under a blanket looking so pitiful in a long time :(

Day 5
One Name...our official new name for the band. We had our first “gig” in many months Friday evening. Well...as James C pointed out, it’s actually our first gig as “One Name” total, but our 3rd or 4th as a band under other names! We had a great time, the music came together perfectly that evening (even though I started one song a little low!) I love this “job” !! (the red mic was mine)

Day 6
I took J in to Longview Saturday afternoon to spend quality time with his 50 years older twin! These 2 are quite the pair. This trip was to encourage Dad, remind him why he’s fighting this cancer and for J to see that his Grandaddy is still in one piece. As usual, much of the time was spent in Grandaddy’s room w/J watching DVD’s and Grandad napping :) !

Day 7
We headed to Grandma’s favorite spot for a late lunch, McAllister’s Deli. This is not J’s favorite but he realizes we will eat there at least once every trip! He decided to spice things up a bit this time by biting into a jalepeno. Needless to say, it was much hotter than he expected! He drank quite a bit of Dr. Pepper and even licked some ketchup (a la Scooby, Shaggy, Lloyd, Harry!) to try & kill the burn! He says the ketchup worked, ha!