Of course here it goes 2012…
A little time line on the year that could be categorized as one of my best and one of my worst.
The year started with a huge blessing as I delivered my second baby boy by the end of January. His birth was beyond an amazing yet a blurry experience. Never thought having a baby while having a toddler would make things so different.
Three weeks after his birth, in February, he was admitted to the hospital with a pneumonia, that kept him in there for a week. (Now looking back, I’m thinking that pneumonia might’ve been the tumor that would be discovered in November)
March was full of learning curves as I adapted to staying at home with two kids under two by myself. And learning how to go out by myself and so on. It was also the month that my aunt got diagnosed with breast cancer.
Four years of marriage to my wonderful man, we celebrated in April! A much-needed vacation took place as we took our boys to Disney World for the first time the last week of April and first week of May. Traveling with two kids was beyond CRAZY!!! But so incredibly amazing to see their faces in the happiest place on Earth!!
As June rolled in another trip was in order, this time to the mother land. It was the inevitable trip I wanted, but didn’t want to take. I went by myself with the two boys! CRAZY again! But so rewarding, as they experience the beach and met the Caribbean Ocean for the first time. Also in June we baptized Glenn!! He has three godparents.
July was the first month of hubby’s Maryland detail for work. We went to the cutest little town called Gaithersburg. It was a nice mini-vacay for me as I was 20 minutes from mami’s house!
Emotional much?? Cried most of August in denial that my baby was turning two. Why? How? When did it happen? He was just born?? It was also the first time the boys went to Atlantic City!! Fun times!
The beginning of fall was awesome!! We went to so many festivals down in Virginia… The weather was still not fall-like in September but we pretended anyways! We drank a lot of apple cider and went to get a lot of pumpkins!
Halloween was so much fun! We had a neighborhood party October 31st. Went to a lot of festivals and played in a lot of leaves!!! It is definitely my favorite time of the year. Fall is just amazing. And who can forget Superstorm Sandy… Flooding, no lights, millions of people without homes and such. Just horrific.
November brought a snow blizzard and a trip to the Pocconos, which was the place where my #2 started to test walking, that weekend unfortunately, or maybe thankfully, we had to take him to the hospital and that’s when everything happened. Surgery and so on… We spent Thanksgiving at the hospital.
And then came now. Walking 11 month old… Christmas food and music and lots of presents! December always makes me ultra emotional. My family, the weather, the melancholy of the year and the hopes for the new year, the crazy people shopping, the mall decorations, the smell of cinnamon in the air. It also brings a cancer free diagnosis and lots of peppermint mochas from Starbucks! It also brought things into perspective.
So as this year goes away and the new year come I am grateful for the experiences of 2012. The trips and mommy-ventures were a thing of learning and acceptance and joy. I’m also thankful for the hardships as hospital visits were not done with in 2012 and are already scheduled for 2013 (Jan 28, Feb 28, March 28, then every three months). I always find ways to learn during hard times and I learned during these hard times to pray! To accept what God has sent my way because he thinks that I can handle it and if he has that faith in me then I should have that faith in myself. I also learned to love more. To be grateful for what I have and to be thankful for the many blessings sent my way. The way my boy has recuperated, how they love and behave, I will never take for granted the fact that God loves our little family and that the best is yet to come.
So 2012, thanks and goodbye… you were a year as confused as a hormonal pregnant woman!!! And 2013… bring it. We’re ready! I’m ready!!! I’m excited for the challenges and adventures you are bringing our way!
Cancer Free- For now!
After what seemed like an awful Thanksgiving, thanks to the surgery and whole neuroblastoma cancer diagnosis of my adorable, not even 10 months old at the time, his battle continued after he was discharged from the hospital. He was discharged on the Friday after thanksgiving, and our appointment with the Doctor was the following Tuesday to determined exactly what they had removed from his body. So Tuesday came, and in fact it was neuroblastoma. They removed more than 99%, which is great, but due to his age, the doctor decided to do a full cancer testing on him. He wanted to make sure that the cancer didn’t spread and that it was only contained to the tumor. That same Friday the doctor had already scheduled his Bone marrow test. So the test was supposed to be 20 minutes but because of his age it ended up being the whole day. Got to the hospital around 8 am, they draw blood and then we had to wait for anesthisia people to come and sedate him, then after the “procedure” we had to wait 2 hours for a follow up sonogram. They do this test in the same room where they do all the chemotherapy for children. It was a lot of mixed feelings seeing all the kids receiving that treatment and thinking that my little baby might need the same therapy. Yet I noticed how well this kids were being treated and how happy they were. Then I had peace in my heart. I just let what would be, be.
That weekend we left for Maryland. We came back Saturday for a week from hell! Not only were both boys fighting a little cold. The baby had a week full of testing. On Monday he had a pediatrician appointment to be cleared for the following test. Tuesday he went to the hospital to get blood drawn and a shot of radioactive material for testing the next day. Because he is such a hard stick (for IV) they left it on and sent him home with it still connected. Wednesday was his MiGB scan, this is a nuclear scan to see where else in the body the cancer might be hiding. The test started around 11 am we came home about 4 pm. Thursday he was off and we had a lovely playdate. Friday was his bone scan. He was there again all day with anesthesia and all. The best part about these test was that the results were available the same day. Each time when the doctor called I celebrated a small victory against cancer. Monday was our final appointment for the next month. All the test came back negative. There is no cancer anywhere else in his body. But because it is cancer he needs to be monitored for the next year. The schedule for him is a bit tough but nothing that he can’t handle. The week of Jan 28 he has his 12 month check up and shots, as well as MRI & blood work. Then February is another MRI & blood work and then again the end of March. After that we have a break until the end of June and then 3 months after that and then another 3 months after that. This is to make sure cancer hasn’t grown back. So as you can tell we are cancer free for know and I’ positive we will remain cancer free but the battle is only beginning. Another year of testing and monitoring. On a liter note, he is now walking!!! 6 days before turning 11 months the little kids is up and away… The emotions are too many to try to explain.
thegmgmommy 