Good News for Dad

Just thanking the Lord for the news we received from the oncologist today.  This Dr. was much less bleak than Dad's primary care physician who made it seem as though he would be lucky to see next yr.  Mom said she (the oncologist) was very positive saying that they would not cure my dad, but they will treat him for sure. They will arrest the cancer and get him out of pain.

The mass that metastasized to his hip is about the size of the palm of your hand and it is in his bone. The docs and nurses were astonished that he was able to walk at all... meanwhile he was here painting ceilings a few weeks ago... Dad does seem to be super human most of the time... I guess this is why it's so hard to see him slow down.

They will begin radiating his hip tomorrow (she had him set up everything today. He's all tattooed and ready to go). They are going to run some more tests on his head and stomach. He's been seeing lights and things so they are going to make sure that there's nothing going on there. They want to look at his stomach internally because they are still not sure if it's lung cancer. Apparently there were some "little signs" from the biopsy that show the possibility of the cancer being stomach cancer. They do know however, that it is not prostate cancer, and they are pretty sure it is indeed lung cancer, but I guess they have to make sure of what they're dealing with before they begin chemo.

Because I'm so optimistic (insert roaring laughter), and because of the PCP's bleak outlook,  I had not expected Dad to have much time left with us. I also never expected to hear that he would "feel better". I'm so happy to have been wrong.  I can tell that Dad is feeling better as well because he's acting ornery again. =) Mom called from the hospital to tell me the news and I asked her if this news had lifted his spirits, she said "Well, he was feeling better but he's mad now because he's been walking all through the hospital and his hip is hurting so bad..." The good news is, dad was mad, not sad. He is indeed feeling better! =) Thank you Lord.

"Mum Mum, No No"

We all get a kick out of Teodata's little attitude. She's the most patient sweet little girl, but do not "cross" her! How does one cross a 7 month old baby? Don't get her in bed on time. Put her toy just out of her reach. Kiss her when she's not quite ready. Lay her down for a nap when her brother isn't in the room with her.


Teodata began saying "Mum Mum Mum" a couple of days ago. I wasn't quite sure if she was trying to say "Mommy", or if it wasn't just baby babble.  Yesterday she made her "Mum Mum" very happy when I realized that she was definitely saying "Mum Mum" where "Mommy" would be apropos. Ah, Teodata's first words were "Mum Mum".... Today Teodata said her second words "No, no, no..." 

I put Teodata down for a nap in her crib as the boys and I sat playing on the living room floor with Santino... who was not ready to nap just yet. Teodata was grunting and making "unhappy" noises through the monitor.  She wasn't crying, she was mad. "Mum Mum Mum Mum..." The boys will laugh now... they love her little 'tude. After about 5 minutes of "Mum Mum Mum Mum...."  in a playful tone I holler up the stairs "Teodata! Go to sleep!" We hear through the monitor "No no no no ... " The boys and I looked at one another in disbelief and then simultaneously burst into laughter. Later on that night Sam began recalling the "incident" which produced a hardy laugh as he said "Mom. Teodata was talking back to you! Wasn't she? You told her to go to sleep and she said 'No!' " 

So I had to post this way too flattering picture of myself because I just have to show you Teodata's 'Tude.  She didn't want her picture taken.... and my chin was obviously a little too close to her face for her liking....=)

The Many Faces Of Pie Man

Pie Man in the Morning>>

My girlfriend who had 3 boys, 2 yrs apart (just like me = ) ), finally had a sweet baby girl. This friend has a voice like an angel and she used to sing a sweet little song to her baby girl... in the song she would call her daughter "Apple Pie"... I don't know if it was because my girlfriend's voice was so beautiful... or if it was purely the fact that it was a beautiful experience just to watch this mother, so in love with her baby, singing to this Wee One, a song she made just for her... whatever the case, I just loved her little song. 

When Paolo was born, I "stole" my girlfriend's song and changed the words into "Paolo Pie". It was out of this song that poor Paolo was dubbed "Pie Man".  Looking back, I wonder now if my little ditty didn't have something to do with Paolo's "zeal" for life... The fact that when I sing, it sounds like a fog horne...with a cat in heat trapped inside, did not give me pause... "Might this be a form of torture resulting in behavioral problems later on?"...never crossed my wee mind.... he still smiled at me when I sang. In fact, he smiled all of the time.

At any rate, by the time Paolo was 9 months old we had to put him in a "Big Boy Bed" with side rails. He was climbing out of his crib and I was afraid he would get his leg caught and...well, get hurt. The first time we had him in the E.R. he was less than a yr old... an egg on his head, the size of the one you see pictured here.  The attending Dr. told us not to worry, it looked worse than it was, and that, judging by how he got the egg, we would most likely be back to the E.R. quite a bit in the future.

By the time Paolo was one year old, he had morphed into a rubber ball. He no longer walked, he bounced. On the coffee table... from the coffee table to the couch and onto the tall large radiator... I was afraid to have baby-sitters because... well, how do you try and explain this to someone? He was two years old the first time we had someone outside of our family here to baby-sit him. She's the daughter of a good friend, and she had had a little bit of experience with our boys in the nursery at church.  About 45 minutes after we left the house she called me in bit of a panic: "Um Andrea, I just walked out of the room for one second..." At that point I tried to reassure her that she did not need to reassure me that she was being vigalent... after all, Paolo has destroyed all modes of electronic communication in our home whilst I was visiting the ladies room... She went on: "So I came back into the living room and he was sitting on the mantle, smiling.  I have no idea how he got up there."

<<< Pie Man in the Eve.


With his endless
"energy" comes an equal amount of sweet gentleness. 
Pie Man in the Morning is the other face of Paolo. He is unbelievably thoughtful and gentle when he "should be." He's ready with hugs and kisses and a word from the Lord... at just the right time.  I have come to the conclusion that if Paolo didn't bounce, the sweet side of him would be squelched...


Not too long ago Sam was a bit upset because Paolo had "bounced" into an invention of his and broke it. Sam told Adam "I just wish Paolo wasn't Mr. Bounce! I want to take away his bounce!" Adam, who speaks Sam's language, promptly asked, "But Sam, what happened to Tigger when he lost his bounce???"  Sam didn't answer, he just shook his head in resignation. Paolo has to bounce!


Thank you Lord for our sweet, bouncing ball of a son!


PS I haven' the slightest idea where the healing "b00'boo" on his chin came from...neither does he. =)

Generations...

When I heard the news of my father earlier this week, I truly felt that I would never laugh or smile again. Alas! When you have a dysfunctional family, with a twisted sense of humor, it doesn't take long... I think it was all of 5 minutes before I informed Dad that he was a legend... I was going to write "that book" about him that I had been planning to write for so long... how I was going to make money off of him... this lightened things up a good bit as he protested "A legend? I aint even dead yet!" This made us begin reminiscing about the past. You just think about your family... the legacy... the stories there...


Maryann and Aunt Kate sent us these pictures last night. Aunt Lu took them at Mario's wedding. It could be because I'm an emotional volcano at the moment, but I  do not think so... these pictures made me cry... and laugh.  Three generations... they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, I think that some pictures write novels. I love these pictures. Hope you do as well. Thanks Aunt Lu!

Sisters

Maryann is on the left here, Aunt Kate is the middle with Anya's bouquet from the day before, and Aunt Lu is on the right.

Siblings

Jessica on the left, a sun deprived Adam in the middle, and David on the right.

Brothers and Their Cousin

Gabriel, front left (Sweet Gabriel is just TWO yrs old... he might end up defending his "Big Cousins" one of these days! =) ), Sam is behind Gabriel on the left, Paolo is in the middle, and Johnny is on the right.

Retraction of Sorts...

So Mom read my blog today and had concerns because she said that I may have "embellished" her illness... a bit. =) I promised a retraction, so here it is... and according to Mom. =) 


Retraction #1: Mom has been sick for  "more like three and a half months, not four."

Retraction #2: Mom has "not been that sick." She did manage to get to the grocery store today without ending up having to lay down afterwards... of course I haven't talked to her yet tonight... =)

There Mom, I have retracted. Love you! =)

"Pappy Is Very Sick"

I have to confess that part of my reasoning for beginning this blog a couple of days ago, was to distract myself.  Without getting into another "Andrea Novel", in short, I was up all night running scenarios through my head.  A long time ago Dad dubbed Mom as "Scenario Sam". Apparently I am Scenario Sam Jr.
At any rate, we found out early yesterday morning that Dad's CT scan showed cancer on his hip.  Later that afternoon, when he and Mom met with his PCP, she explained that the cancer on the hip had metastasized. The CT scans showed cancer surrounding his pulmonary artery.  Possibly in his gall-bladder (not sure if it's just sludge). And the spots on his lungs, that the x-rays showed last week, are indeed cancerous.

They need to do a biopsy of the hip to determine what kind of cancer he has; lung or prostate. I think it's ten yrs ago this month that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer (October is not just full of b-days and beautiful trees, but it tends to bring us bad news as well). Dad had been having problems for some time, but his PSA tests had all been negative.  Finally the Dr. decided that they'd better do surgery to provide dad with some relief.  The routine biopsy that was taken during that surgery showed cancer.  They removed Dad's prostate, and he has appeared to be cancer free since then. All of his PSA's have come back negative... but false negatives happen 20% of the time... as it did 10 yrs ago.

Dad also has been smoking non-filtered cigarettes since he was a small boy.  He cut down dramatically about 4 yrs ago, but perhaps that wasn't enough? 

He has to wait until next Thursday for the biopsy and then he can schedule an appointment with the oncologist.  In the mean-time, I just ask for prayer... for everyone.  Mom especially. As some of you know, she has had mono (not a typo, mononucleosis...go figure!) for the past several months.  She has been extremely ill from that and seemed to be on the mend last week. I think that this news sent her into a relapse, as she has been very ill these past couple of days.  Apparently the mono never leaves your system once you've contracted it.  In most adults it remains dormant and never re-occurs.  Stress is one factor in it's surfacing.  There's also the possibility that it can become chronic after 6 months of being active.  Mom has been sick for 4.  She wants to be there for my dad.

There's so much more... I will keep you all posted.  Thank you for your prayers.


Peace and Blessings,
~ Andrea

Arabian Babies

With Aunt Mary

My dear friend Hannah, who's busier than I could ever imagine, made the time to send Teodata and Santino these little outfits... all the way from Yemen. The "PS" on the back of the encouraging, sweet card, was from Hannah's daughter Rachel.  She felt she should explain to me that "The dress goes on the boy" and "The pants go on the girl." I'm extremely grateful to Miss Rachel, as I would have done the opposite out of cultural habit. They look too cute... and very natural. =) Hope you like the pics.

4 Birthdays in 3 Days

Pie Man's request! =)

Dad

Jackie

Johnny's request

Every family seems to have a "Birthday Month"... or two. A month where the majority of the family has a birthday, and everyone tries to figure out a new way to celebrate them together without making people feel "less special". October is like that for us. Paolo on the 5th, My dad and my niece Jackie on the 6th (Jackie was born on dad's 50th b-day), and Johnny on the 7th.... can't forget my big bro Jimmy on the 24th... but he's not lumped in with the rest of them in the beginning of the month. 

This yr was particularly crazy with all of the construction going on. We did manage to make the requested b-day cakes (or cupcakes) and also had nice celebrations.  We didn't get any pics of Dad and Jackie on their b-day, but they had a nice dinner at Mary and Aaron's complete with Jackie's request for cupcakes iced to look like the Scottish flag... Jackie adores the 1/100% of Scottish in her blood. =)

This yr was special and kind of cool in that both Johnny and Paolo celebrated their "Golden Birthdays" the same yr. Paolo turned 5 on the 5th, and Johnny 7 on the 7th.

Construction!!!!

While we were in Boston, my dad began renovating our home! Aaron (my brother-in-law) knocked a huge hole in our kitchen wall and made a BEAUTIFUL doorway leading to our dining room.  This was much needed as our kitchen could no longer be an eat-in kitchen with the 7 of us. Can't tell you how WONDERFUL that alteration alone has been.  But dad didn't stop there. He hired some professionals to come in and resurface the walls and the ceiling in the foyer! He didn't stop there either. He had them paint everything! It's been nuts here, but they finished up the painting today, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!! My dad is not done yet, in 3 wks Aaron will begin laying the hardwood floors dad is giving us... my dad... The pic above is of the fresh flowers Adam hooked me up with... the first thing on the mantle, and consequently, my favorite part of the house right now. =) I'll post more pics after the floors are done. BTW, the name of the paint is "Pooh's Favorite Things" =) The painters were calling it "Pooh Blue". =)

Road Trip

Well, we began the school year with a bang. Labor day weekend, we packed up the seven of us in the Phillips Mobile and began our 13 1/2 (that's THIRTEEN and ONE HALF) hour drive to Boston, MA. Adam's cousin Mario was getting married and we needed to be there.  We hadn't been to Boston as a family, and we hadn't seen this side of the family in far too long (some I had never met!). 

We were so blessed! This is Adam's mom's side of the family and THEY ROCK!! We would not have been able to make the trip had it not been for virtually all of the family helping out in some way or another... and making real sacrifices for us. Thank you again. I should also publicly thank Pat Cosmo's beautiful girlfriend Mikaela for taking the pics you'll see below. Yes, I brought a camera, but didn't pull it out once (ugh)... I was so thrilled when aunt Kate passed these along to us. Unfortunately, there aren't any pics of Sam... probably b/c he likes the camera as much as his daddy and I like it.... =)

Next to Adam and I, Aunt Kate (Mother of the Groom), Pat Cosmo (Brother of the Groom), Mikaela (Pat Cosmo's girlfriend who saved the day w/ the camera! Did I mention that she's an incredible cook as well?) Finally, "The Groom", Mario

How cute is Santino? Look at Pie Man making sure he's being handled properly. =)

Yes, I made the over the top head piece for Teodata. =)

Johnny and Pie Man are about as comfortable getting their pics taken as the rest of the family! =)

Crazy Busy...

Every time I think that I could not be any more busy than I am now, the Lord shows me that the most boring day I've ever had, was yesterday.  He also shows me that being "Crazy Busy" saves me from myself.  It saves others who may be the victims of my idleness. Before Teodata and Santino came, I still had idle time... Now, if I have idle time, I have to carve it out. I have to work hard to be "up to nothing in particular". This is good for me... I believe it is good for my family. However, it leaves me almost no time to have fellowship with others in my life who I love dearly. It leaves me with almost no time to laugh and cry with you... My hope and my prayer is that you would not grow weary of hearing how busy I am...  I'm praying that during this time that is so busy, I can keep you involved in our lives, and all the while, the Lord will teach me that there is no such thing as "free" time.  All of "my" time was bought and paid for... I want to give the Buyer what He paid for. 


So this blog will be about our family... and my musings as a Cracked Pot Wife and Mom.  My next few posts will give you little glimpses into the past few months of our lives. Peace and Blessings to you all.


~ Andrea