Eden - the Super Baby

Last night Eden sat up in the bath (all by herself). She wasn't happy when I made her lay down so that I could wash her. She actually enjoys tummy time these days and will scoot around in order to get out of the sun or to grab a favorite toy. Her favorite toys include Bun-ear (a bear in a bunny suit) and Lambee, Natalie (the lion that laughs just like her cousin Natalie), and books. Oh she also has a favorite rattle.

Edie has become much more attached to her parents which is both gratifying and difficult. Yesterday when we left at 6:am she was screaming so loudly that we could hear her in the garage. According to the sitter she soon settled. We are so grateful for the "grandmas" in the branch who have volunteered to love her while we go to B'ham for treatments and doctor appointments.

Eden is now a great eater. She LOVES fruit and sweet potatoes. She HATES green peas (just like her mom). When she eats peas she shutters and spews. It is pretty funny. She also eats crackers and Gerber puffs.


Eden enjoys going out for her walks - even in the cold. We've actually had some freezing temperatures (in the middle of the night).

Whoopin it Up

Yesterday Phil had a CT scan. It indicated that there is no new growth which is such good news. In fact, the oncologist said that since the two spots (one in his right lung and one in his adrenal gland) that they are watching haven't changed it likely means they aren't cancerous. If they were cancerous and the chemo was working they would have gotten smaller (they are already very small - 5 mm) and if they were cancerous and the chemo was not working they would have gotten larger. So, this is good news. Both spots are in places that are difficult to biopsy (they'd have to open him up and that isn't worth it). It would appear that the large mass that was removed from his lung along with the one spot that was removed (and biopsied) was the real concern. The blood test also showed that his CEA dropped 60 points in the last month. That is also good.

Phil will continue with the chemotherapy through March and we realize that this is just one set of results and things could change with the next ones. For now, though, we are going to count our blessings and whoop it up! (Well, I'm going to whoop it up, Phil is going to try to hunker down and endure another chemo weekend.)

We so appreciate everyone's prayers and faith and continue to request them. Thanks!

Another week...

Well, we had a great time in up-state NY with my brothers Andy and Mark and their families. It was really nice. Eden was a super trooper on the plane trips - include a canceled flight yesterday. It is good to be home and now she has decided that we need to know how good she really was. In order to do that she is pouring on the crankiness so we have a quality comparison. Actually, I think she is just exhausted from the trip and especially the flight stuff yesterday. I also think she isn't feeling 100% - she is pretty stuffy/sneezy. I'm hoping she settles better tonight and gets some good sleep - we all need it.

Today I was sustained as the new YW president in our branch. It is going to be a busy, difficult calling but I'm excited about it. The youth have so much going for them if they will just tap into that. Some have made some difficult choices and are beginning to see the consequences of those choices. It is hard to see people you love go through hard times.

Phil is in giving the cranky-one a bath, so I better stop blogging and go help the guy! Tatafornow...

Chemo 4

Well, it was another chemo weekend. Phil seems to do better with each one. I just hope the poison is doing its job.

Good things about chemo weekends:

1. I don't have to cook because Phil doesn't feel like eating much more than soda crackers and sports drinks after Friday and the RS brings dinner on Thursday night.
   
2. Since I don't cook, I don't eat much so I usually lose a pound or two (and so far have kept it off).
3. We can stop at Sam's Club on the way home from infusion in B'ham.
   
4. We get to watch movies and not feel guilty about it. We have one more Lord of the Rings to go.
5. Phil is home all weekend. Eden especially enjoys having him around. They are quite the pals. This weekend I was holding her and he left the room, as she watched him walk out she began to cry and continued until he came back into the room a minute or two later. What am I, chump change? I know, moms are boring because we're always around - dads are "special."
6. I get to fulfill that life-long dream of being a nurse when I disconnect the pump and pull out the needle (ok, that is a total lie - never wanted to be a nurse).
7. I get to see the cute UPS man when he comes to pick up the pump (ok, another lie, he isn't cute).

Since I've resorted to lying on those last two, I guess I'll stop for now except to say that we really are blessed (and in much more important ways than these silly ones).

My brother got us tickets to fly to his house for Thanksgiving so we will be headed there. We are looking forward to getting away from it all and enjoying time with family. It will be nice for Phil to receive a blessing from my brothers (there are two of them who live there). Happy grateful day to everyone!

Keslers this week

Sunday was our primary program. It was great. The kids did a great job speaking their parts and singing their songs. There were a couple of duets that were just amazing. I love seeing little ones realize they have talents. It was just fun to see these little girls singing out and then to watch them as they accepted the praise of various adults. So fun. I got to sit on the stand because Corrie (my friend and our primary president) asked me to sing the two middle verses of I Know that My Redeemer Lives. I thought for sure that Phil would have greater appreciation for me as he wrestled with Eden single-handedly (well he has two hands, but you know what I mean). Not so, she slept during most of it. She was absolutely an angel through all three meetings. She even sat on our friend Jeff's lap while Phil played the keyboard for the EQ song. Yippee!

Sunday night was our Standard's Night. It was at Jeff and Alisha's house and the Spirit was strong so it was a great setting. Jeff took the kids downstairs and I stayed upstairs with the parents. It sounds like the youth had a fun and meaningful experience. The parents and I discussed the standards and specifically ways in which leaders (keeping in mind that parents are the most critical leaders) can teach them. The whole thing went really well. It is just one experience and it takes many experiences to build a sure foundation but hey, it is a start!

Monday Eden had her 6 month check up. My baby is tall! She is 27 inches which puts her in the 90th percentile for her age. She is 16 lb 10 oz which is in the 50th for weight. She hates the doctor because he is very thorough and squeezes and pinches to make sure her muscles and internal organs are all good. I appreciate his thoroughness. She was so mad and just screamed. She got her shots too. She was pretty sick yesterday with a high temperature. Nonetheless, she was pretty good natured all day. Today, however, she doesn't have a temperature, just the temper! Wow, she has been mad at me today. I think she was too sick to show me how mad she was yesterday so today she is letting me know that she feels betrayed and that I better not ever take her to the doctor again - EVER!

Seriously, she must be related to Phil's wife because she hasn't eaten well or slept well due to not feeling well. This in turn has created an emotional wreck of a female.

We are excited to be headed to upstate NY (Corning) for Thanksgiving. It will be great to see three of my brothers and their families. Only three weeks, and we'll be headed to Utah for VM shows and Christmas. Yippee! We are grateful that Phil will get to take a break from Chemo for three weeks while we are in Utah. He has a CT scan on Nov. 29 to see how things are going. We are praying for good, accurate, news.

Today's Trip to Target

Eden and I went to Target today and had quite the time. I was buying a few things, among them a rubbermaid storage container. I also had to pick up more Zantac for my acidy reflux baby. Well, I went to get the prescription and my helpful pharmacy assistant, Drew, kindly offers to ring up all my items. Thrilled, I put up the two PJs for Eden, the toy ball for Eden, the sweater for... yup, you guessed it ... Eden. He rings it all up and puts it in the rubbermaid thing (which, incidentally is for all the clothes Eden has outgrown so it is really for Eden too). Then off I go. I put Eden in the car and then hoist the storage container into the car and pick up the lid (which was under everything and since it isn't a separate item than the container it didn't get scanned). Lo and behold! under the lid are two more items! I totally shoplifted.

So, back into the store we go: me, Eden, and the shoplifted items (a muffin tin for me and batteries for Phil - actually the batteries are for the smoke detector in you-know-whose room - yup, Eden). We get in line behind a man who is buying one item. One very personal item with a name that might lead someone to think it came from Troy. Anyway, there he is buying his one, intimate, item and his debit card won't go through. He is getting all flustered. In the meantime Eden is running out of patience - this is the second time we have checked out you know. I'm trying to entertain her while the man is going through all the credit cards in his wallet (he really needed those things - he must really not want another kid). Finally the computer crashes and the clerk has to close her check out. I then go to the one next to it.

Eden is really impatient now and so I start to play with her saying, "I'm gonna get you, I'm gonna get you!" and tweaking her nose. At this point the woman in front of me who is checking out turns around in a panic and admits that she thought I was talking to her: "I'm gonna get you!" I said, "oh, that would be kind of creepy huh?" She dryly said, "yes, it would."

And that was today's trip to Target.

Chemo 3

Another fairly good chemo-weekend. (If you can use "good" and "chemo" in the same sentence.) Phil is a rock! Eden didn't do as well with the babysitters. I think she was fine but they reported that she didn't eat well or sleep much. She is definitely becoming more attached to her parents so leaving her is becoming increasingly difficult. It is hard to feel like we can leave her for other things - dates, going to the temple, etc. Still, all in all she is a trooper and such a cutie!

It is amazing to me how expensive cancer is! We are fortunate to have great insurance yet it is still nickel and dime-ing us into poverty. A co-pay here and there, $100 for each "procedure" and it starts to pinch. I just can't imagine how people do this without insurance. I don't know what the solution is to the health care issues in America. I don't like the idea of socialized medicine (at all) but there must be a way to make "affordable health care available to all" - it sounds so cliche. Anyway, when I get it all figured out I'll make sure Mitt or Hillary or Rudy (whomever our next prez is) knows.

Have a great week everyone!

Oh, update on the latest POLL - a huge majority of you put the TP over the top (Phil's way) only one person (other than me) does it the correct way.

Halloween

For Halloween this year - her first - Eden went as ... well, Eden. Her stroller went as "the Garden of..." Here are some adorable pictures. (Notice the serpent with the apple - the apple was contributed by Phil's co-worker.)


This will be the only time Eden wears a headband.












Enjoying it all (especially Lamb-ee)

"You did that in public?"

I assume we all have things which we do in the privacy of our own homes but which we would be way too embarrassed to do in public. Am I right?

Well, lately I've found myself doing these things in public. Yes, it is true, I've been singing to Eden in public! Last week I found myself in Walmart (sorry Layne) with a little girl too tired and upset to continue shopping and yet I just needed to get a few things for Power Port Phil's nausea.

What is a mom to do in such a situation? Does she:
A) Forget about her husband's needs and take the crying baby home without procuring the goods?
B) Subject all the other Walmart customers to her baby's cries (some might say that is the due punishment for being a customer of the Great and Abominable Store)?
or
C) Begin to sing Skinamarink (from the Elephant Show, her favorite song of late) in a most animated fashion, keeping both baby and customers amused.

The correct answer is, of course, C! So just imagine this: Heidi is walking through the GAS (great abominable store) pushing her buggy with Eden in it and with a lilt in her voice and a skip to her step is singing "Skinamarink-a-dink-a-dink Skinamarink-a-do" and then still with the lilt and a skip says to the produce manager "where are your parsnips?" and without missing a beat (or a lilt or skip) back to Eden, "I love you!" This is no exaggeration.

Today the scene went like this, Miss Eden has wet through all but one layer (which means through the diaper, through the onsie, through the tights with the ruffled bum, and through her blouse - leaving her corduroy jumper the only dry clothing she had). I am in the changing room and she is not happy with having to strip down. Again, what is a mom to do?

A) Subject the rest of the branch to her loud screams of torture?
B) Leave her in wet clothing until we get home two hours later?
or
C) Distract her by singing the "Bum Bum" song lovingly composed by her Daddy?

Again, the correct answer is C. So there I am with a mostly-naked child who is not very happy about being mostly-naked and I break into the sophisticated melody and lyrics of "bum, bum, change your bum, bum - chicky, chicky - bum, bum, change your bum. (That Phil, is it any wonder that he is a major recording artist?) At this point my friend, Alisha, walks in and wants to know what on earth is going on. I'm sure her son Trey will soon be serenaded during his own diaper changes with the Bum Bum song. Actually it is quite versatile. During the desitin stage it can be "bum, bum, soothe your bum, bum..." and during baths it is "bum, bum, clean your bum, bum" etc.

And so you see, any dignity I once pretended to have no longer exists. I am a mom.

And the Winner is...

No pet for the Keslers - at least not now.

Results:
Indoor Dog - 3
Outdoor Dog - 3
Cat - 0
Fish - 2
None - 10

Your turn...

Leave a comment answering these questions:

What item of clothing have you owned the longest? Where did you get it and why have you held on to it so long?

My answer: The sweatshirt shown in the previous post. I got it from my good friend Kathy for Christmas 1992. I love it, it is warm and comfy and putting it on is like getting a hug from her. I'm wearing it today (we actually have sweatshirt weather finally!).

Power Port Phil Update - Chemo 2

Phil's second treatment (this past weekend) went much better than the first (for both of us). He got some different forms of the anti-nausea med and it worked much better. He continues to amaze me with his steady handling of all this. My mom told me today that she think he has a unique blend of courage and humility. I think she is right! (BTW: I think we can add her to the list, along with Erin and so many others, of Phil female fans.)

This picture has nothing to do with this past weekend but it is pretty cute isn't it?

Seasons

It is actually finally starting to appear and feel like fall around here. Some of the leaves are changing (last fall was absolutely beautiful - rivaled New England) and the temperatures are cooler (although we are still hitting the 80s in the late afternoon). I LOVE fall. I actually really enjoy each of the seasons but there is something magical for me about both fall and spring.

This is a picture of our backyard a couple of weeks ago. Many of the leaves have since dropped. This makes our deck a big heap'o leaves, twigs, acorns, and pecan shells. Of course the squirrels love it.

This morning I watched as a squirrel tried to wrestle a twig - about 2 feet long - up the tree to add to her nest. She did quite the dance with the twig and for a moment I thought she had won but alas, the twig remains on the deck. The squirrels are fat from all the nuts they've eaten (as evidenced by the shells carelessly tossed onto our deck). They are such funny little critters.

In the spring (which came at the end of January last year), the daffodils will greet me. The former owners of our house must have loved bulbs because we have daffodils and irises and day lilies galore! Summer is a little less wonderful to me but I still love the magic of summer with the kids that suddenly appear as if from nowhere. I love the sounds of children playing in the streets (I wish more kids did that these days - I wish it was more safe for them to do that).

Of course winter is wonderful and I'm so grateful that we get to experience a few weeks of winter in Utah each year. I love the feeling of sitting by a fire, sipping hot chocolate, and reading or snuggling as the snow falls outside. Cozy is just the right word for it! (this is actually a picture of the snowstorm we got stuck in on our way home to 'bama last December - I think this is Albuquerque)

I've been thinking about other seasons lately too. The seasons of my life. Sometimes when I read about the lives of some of my single friends like this one or my friends who don't have kids yet, like this one, I think, "what am I doing with my life?" I wonder if I am developing my skills and talents. Then I recall that I am changing diapers, singing songs, loving and (I hope) encouraging my husband, making meals, buying groceries, cleaning the house (although not often enough), and so forth. I am also learning some new things along the way. Most significantly, I'm learning about faith, service (on the receiving end as well as the giving), and friendship. I enjoy this season of my life. I hope that I utilized my time in prior seasons in a good way. I hope I served and developed talents and enjoyed unique experiences. I don't think I wasted too much time pining away for another season. I hope not. Now another season is upon me and I hope I don't long for those days of "self development" too much and instead enjoy this season.

Of course, the real miracle of the seasons is that without the buds you would never have the blooms and if the leaves didn't fall new buds couldn't develop. Each season depends on the ones before. They also prepare the way for the ones to come. Enjoy the seasons - Eccl. 3: 1 "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."

And the Winner is...

Your (not my) favorite Halloween Candy:

check out the newest poll in the upper left corner.

The Other Female

Phil has a new girlfriend. The thing is, I'm ok with it. She is very cute and I enjoy her company. It is actually quite fun to watch the way she looks at him and to hear her talk about him incessantly. So what's a wife to do?

This is a picture of her, Erin, at her 3rd Birthday party (Eden's first friend b'day party).

Erin is adorable, bright, articulate and self-admittedly in-love with my husband.
Monday she woke up and asked, "mommy, what is Phil's car named?" She spent a few hours with me that day and although Phil was at work, she talked about "Phillip" quite often. Last Thursday she was over in the evening and she and Phil watched Sponge Bob together. I was in the other room folding clothes. I heard her ask Phil where I was and then she entered the room and said, "I'm going to miss my mom soon." I asked her if that meant she wanted to go home and she said, "not yet, but soon." You know I loved that! What is not to love about a three year old who PLANS to get lonesome. Anyway, she is quite the cutie and she and her mom, Corrie, have been such great friends to Eden and I. So, I guess I can forgive her for being in love with my husband!