Rachel Update

I know that I haven't posted lately but the last 2 weeks have been crazy! I have lots of stuff to post but tonight I'm just going to make this one entry. Rach had an MRI on the 10th so I feel like I need to post that information first.

Her scans looked the same as they always do- we hope! They had trouble getting the dye in her body because her port-a-cath (the needle port that was surgically placed in her for IVs & blood draws) has become disconnected. They think that they got enough dye in her to see if there was anything new and there didn't appear to be. The bad news is that she has to have surgery on the 2nd to fix the port. It's an outpatient one so it shouldn't be too bad for her.

We have also finally been put on the schedule for radiation in October at MD Anderson. Rachel will be receiving proton radiation in Houston for 6-7 weeks starting then. We will have to stay in Houston for the entire time because the treatments are M-F every morning. We're doing this treatment in Houston because it's the best form of radiation available for her and we can't get it here. We pushed very hard to get her the proton beam instead of the x-ray beam and if you read up on it I think you'll agree we made the right choice even if we have to travel to get it for her! I have attached some links on the side of the blog about it if you are curious. The video link is an explanantion from kids for kids on what to expect but it's pretty informative about what Rach will go through. She will be put to sleep for every one of her treatments because it's impossible for a 2 year old to be still for 20 minutes!

We're both excited and nervous about this treatment. We're excited because we are ready for a break from chemo. Rachel has been more tired and much more sick lately. She even threw up all over the pew in church yesterday! (That was definitely one of our most embarrassing moments) This is also the only chance we have at curing her so that definitely makes us nervous! So far she has responded well to treatment but the doctors have no idea how this will go- Rach is just a big puzzle to them but they feel like her odds are good! We're praying for the best and we're very hopeful that it will work.

PS- I don't know why the comments section was disabled for the blog but I fixed it. You should be able to leave comments if you want to and we always love getting them.

Emily's First Swim

Emily had her first dip in the pool. She was pretty indifferent about it and at one pint she actually fell asleep in the water. We welcomed the change from Rachel who screams the entire time!

Four kids for a day

Last Saturday, Anna had to work and Shane was out of town so Mike and I kept the kids all day. They spent the night with us and the entire day so we had four kids with us. It was a pretty fun day for the kids and Mike and I actually enjoyed having them altogether. The hardest part was loading and unloading from the car which we did twice- 4 car seats sure fill up the car! The kids all have a really good time together and they wore each other out!

The kids loved playing outside with the swing set and blowing bubbles.

These 2 crashed after a big hug!

The girls actually like to hug each other!

"Drill Sergeant Michael" had the kids lined up on the couch watching "The Wiggles" while I was in the shower. He wouldn't let them off the couch and as you can tell from the pics, they tried! He actually got them to sit there for about 20 minutes. I think that's the longest ever for Cade & Callie!

Cade & Callie love to help with Emily. I laid her in the bassinet and they both ran over there and started rocking it for her.

Emily is 3 months old

Emily was officially 3 months old on May 23rd. She is a very happy and playful baby. She rarely cries and sleeps 10 hrs at night- which we really appreciate! She is growing like a weed. I took her to the doctor last week and she weighed 15. 2 lbs. which puts her in the 96th percentile. She's also in the 90s for height- she's going to be a big girl! Rachel only weighs 25 lbs so Emily will probably pass her up in no time. She always has a smile on her face!

Memorial Weekend in College Station

We spent memorial weekend in College Station with Michael's grandmother. We all had a good time and Mimi enjoyed seeing the girls.

This is Rach waiting for us to dump milk in her feeding tube. We had to completely cover the chair because she sometimes throws up when we do it. She always has to hold all of her "stuff" when we feed her.

Mimi lives down the street from a park so Rach had to go try out the swings!

The Girls were really good in the car. The drive is about 3 hrs. and both of them mostly napped and when they were awake they played in their car seats.

Emily's first trip to the zoo

Anna and I decided to take the kids to the zoo before it gets too hot. It was a lot of work but the kids really enjoyed themselves. Marissa went with us because she was off of school due to swine flu- it was nice to have the extra hands! We went in the morning and only stayed about 2 hrs. but it was hot and that was plenty of time at the zoo!

Rachel loves her stroller!


Where's Rachel? Anywhere but in front of the camera!

Rach wasn't sure about sharing her popcorn.

Marissa likes to cuddle with Emily

Callie had to kiss on Emily while she was getting fed

Callie also likes to help me burp Emily- it's hillarious but she can get a little rough!

It's hot!

First Swim of the Summer

On Mother's Day, we went swimming at Michael's parents' house. Michael, Shane, and aunt Becky got in with the kids. Cade and Callie loved but Rachel pretty much cried and whined the whole time. It always takes her a while to warm up to things and it's fun for us while she's screaming in our ears!! Emily hasn't been in yet but she'll probably love it!