Chalk One Up

The kids' favorite activity right now is drawing, and Casey alone could color through an entire pad of paper in a day if we let him. Inspired by the kitchen of Connor's teacher Susan, Rob suggested we paint the wall previously occupied by a high chair with chalkboard paint. Rob added trim around the edges today to finish it off, and the kids love it. They think it is pretty cool to color on the wall, and it offers an alternative to the massive amounts of paper they've been going through. I love that it keeps all three of them occupied while I'm getting meals together in the kitchen, and it is a great place for me to write quick notes about meetings, reminders, etc. I'm looking forward to all the little masterpieces they'll leave for me here.

Love.

From our family to you, we hope your Valentine's Day is full of love. Ours is full of antibiotics and tissues, but also lots of love (I've already had a delicious breakfast in bed served by my four Valentines!).

In case you're wondering, the photo above is from last Sunday, also known as "The Day Never to be Spoken of Again".

I'm Two Sucker!

Riley turned two on Monday, and I would love to show you some really adorable photos of her. But I don't have any, and there are a few reasons why:

A) She refuses to smile, stay still, or acknowledge me in any way while the camera is in my hand. Instead, she prefers to yell, "No WAY Mommy!" and fling herself on the floor. Unless I bribe her with a sucker, and then she only makes the face you see in the photo above.
B) She, like myself, has a raging sinus infection and the crimson-ringed nose to prove it.
C) Since we live in the frozen tundra called Indianapolis and there is a foot of snow on the ground, I can't take pictures outside, which is always my preference with a very mobile toddler.

So since I can't show you her little personality with photos, I'll have to just describe to you what our Baby Shiny (and, yes, we all still call her Shiny) is like at the ripe old age of two.

-Her hair is in a weird growth pattern where it is getting longer in the front and back only, leaving her with a very mullet-like hairdo. The bad hair days continue.
-She is having a language explosion, and being around her is like having a combination of Robin Williams as Mork and a Swedish exchange student living in the house. Example: "Connorsh nanunanu my have it!" Yet, some phrases are very clear (please see "A" in the list above).
-She is very, very sweet. Multiple times a day I am the recipient of random hugs and "I luuub you" sentiments.
-She loves playing with baby dolls, but she can also make the light saber "shwooozz" sound and will whack the heck out of you with a saber if given the opportunity.

The main thing to know about Riley at two is that we all continue to be completely enamored with her. It's been such a different experience with her than the boys, and it is almost as if she has been "our baby" instead of "my baby". And I know I say it EVERY time one of the kids has a birthday, but I can't believe she is already two years old. My head seems to be conscious of time passing, but my heart is yelling, "But I just gave birth to her yesterday!". We just filled out the enrollment forms for her to start preschool in the fall, and even the preschool director had a hard time believing it when she got the forms (Casey was in her 3 yr-old class when Riley was born). And because I am aware of how quickly time seems to be moving, I am really making an extra effort to enjoy her at this age. I know it will soon be past, and I will be looking at that same little face on a twelve year old body, probably still telling me, "No WAY Mommy!".

MAKE THE CALL | LIVESTRONG Action

Today is world cancer day. Please take a minute and check out the link.

MAKE THE CALL | LIVESTRONG Action

Love,
Jen

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

The most notable side effect from chemotherapy is hair loss, and statistically 100% of patients receiving the kind of chemo I am taking will lose their hair. The hair typically falls out about 2 weeks after the first treatment, so I decided this weekend since I was getting close to the two week mark to take matters into my own hands. Actually, the entire family took matters into their hands since we all took a turn cutting my hair. Doing it myself allowed me to retain some control over the situation, and to have a little fun with it rather than dwelling on the negative aspects of losing my hair. Don't get me wrong - I'm not happy to be sitting here typing this sporting the Mr. Clean look, but I think I feel better about it this way than if I woke up one morning with my tresses clinging to my pillow instead of my scalp. Cutting it before it got all scraggly also gave me the opportunity to donate the hair to Locks of Love, which is a very cool organization that makes wigs for children who have lost their hair due to a medical condition or treatment. Something I just learned about Locks of Love is that although they require 10 inches of hair to utilize in making a wig, they can accept hair at any length and if it isn't long enough they can sell the hair and use the proceeds to offset the cost of making their wigs. How cool is that?

I made a little video to memorialize the haircut, and as you'll see the kids really got into helping me. I guess it's not everyday you get to help your mom shave her head! The crazy hairdos the kids were wearing were Casey's idea.



I think my favorite look might have been this "punk Mommy" style. Maybe I was a skater chic or a punk rocker in a former life? It felt strangely comfortable.



I head back to the oncologist tomorrow for the second round of chemo, and I'm armed with some new drugs this time and hopeful for a smoother week than the first round. If not, at least I no longer require someone to hold my hair while I get sick!