Thanksgiving

Author = Preston with

[modifications by Rory]

Rory tried going to bed last night without taking any nausea meds at all. While the nausea was bearable, she still didn't sleep very well because "the sheets hurt."

[The chemo has changed everything about my system already. Including making my skin very tender and sensitive to just about everything. The sheets literally hurt my skin.]

I guess that hyper sensitivity strikes again! We'll put the other sheets back on for tonight and see how she does without meds again tonight.

[Preston did change to another set of flannel sheets. It was amazing the difference that it made.]

She was still tired most of the day, but felt good enough this morning to get up and make breakfast for everyone! (That pretty much wiped her out, but it was a good sign that she was up!)

We were invited to eat Thanksgiving with good friends and their family, so the girls spent much of the morning preparing the salads and other dishes. Part of my morning was spent giving haircuts to the boys. I thought I was done with Kylan, but he refused to get down off of the stool because he "still had hair." He proceeded to tell me that he wanted a haircut like mine. I told him mom probably wouldn't appreciate that, but from the other end of the room she said, "If that's what he wants, that is fine." The result:

He has been VERY proud to show off his new "do."

(PS - Rory got hers most of the way cut as well, but isn't ready yet to have me post her picture.)

[I lay in bed listening to Ky & Preston cackle during the process of his new haircut. I contemplated whether today would be the right time for me as well. Colton missed his meds and struggled during his haircut so much that I decided not to contemplate mine. In the end, though, I knew it had to be done. My head and skin have become so tender already that I knew by my next appt that I would be too sick to handle a haircut then. Preston was willing and did his best to be gentle. I cried and cried as more hair came off. He kept asking me if I needed him to stop, but I chose to just go forward. I couldnt stop crying and when he was done I couldnt even look him in the face. I felt so ugly, and repulsed at my broken body and my now shaved head. He tried to convince me it would be ok, but I didnt believe him. I just hung my head doing everything possible to not look in any of the zillion mirrors in our room. The kids did much better with it than I thought they would. Both the big girls gave me hugs and Ky's declaration that my haircut was "AWESOME!" made Preston smile I think. Caiden is still unsure about things I think, and Kels just pats my head and cheeks and gives me kisses and comments that I got a haircut. Colton knows it is short, but still seems pretty unaware of the current cirumstances. I was very grateful for the handmade gift of a sweet neighbor - a soft, pink, knitted hat. She has also been through cancer, and her gift couldnt have been more perfectly timed for me needing it so much.]

The meal itself was awesome. There was SO much good food, and it was very nice of our friends to invite us. The kids ate and played (mostly just played) with "cousins," Rory got to chat, and everyone had a great time. The family may THINK they know that we appreciated the invite, but they can never know how much we REALLY appreciated it.

[Preston is right that they will never know how much it meant to us to see the kids enjoy their friends and the "cousins". To know that we were still with family even though our immediate family were all far away. I know that many blessings were sent from Heavenly Father: being well enough to actually sit and visit with dear friends, to be able to eat a little taste of all the amazing foods that had been prepared, to be able to enjoy watching my children play, to be so welcomed sporting my new hat and not have one comment made that I was any different than I have been before, to have seen AND heard the white dragon 2x in 2 days (those who have long followed my posts will know the significance of this. It is too sacred to put anywhere but my personal journal though) and also the blessings of the scriptures and the joy and peace that they can bring in their own Thanksgiving message (see Alma 26)]

An aside ... a couple days ago I bought some whole wheat (normal for us) and some potato bread at the store. The kids saw the potato bread yesterday and asked me if it was "white bread." It appears they decided to bypass the already-open wheat bread and destroyed the entire loaf of potato bread in a single meal this morning.

[So, I have to totally comment on this one. Apparently when Preston posted this he did not know or realize that I had used all the bread to make breakfast (he was gone in the AM). I originally got up feeling ok, and hungry for french toast. It was more difficult than I would have ever expected though. As I prepared breakfast with the girls help, I found that I didnt even have strength to stand at the cupboard. I had to ask Kaeli to get me a chair so I would be more stable. By the time I was done (which was 20 min max) I had to go back to bed. I was totally and completely drained, so much that my breathing had become labored again and I couldnt even move. Preston found me like that when he came home. I guess when I tried to tell him I had attempted to make breakfast I didnt get it out clear enough. We havent had french toast in forever so I guess it didnt click where it had come from or that the bread was gone because of breakfast. Even though I ended up being down again for hours, it was worth it because ALL of the kids decided that it was the best breakfast ever. Maybe something new to add back into our family menu!]