Merry Christmas to you!

Merry Christmas! Well, I hope this post finds everyone enjoying a wonderful Christmas morning/afternoon. We enjoyed our first Christmas in our own home by ourselves. I must say, it was very sweet, relaxed, and happy. It was a little different, but it was nice to just go with the flow, especially since we had a rough night!

Sydney has decided that she should not have to go to bed before midnight. Yes folks, you heard me correctly. This child is nuts! We tried the "let them cry themselves to sleep" method again last night. Screaming was heard for over an hour, and like the snow on Christmas in a popular Christmas song..."SHOWED NO SIGNS OF STOPPING." In which case, I went and got her eventually. Sydney likes to watch movies and PLAY like crazy when it is actually time for bed. So, if anyone has any remedies please share. (We are very close to bopping her on the head! j/k)...but seriously. Anyway, so Sydney went to bed late, which means I went to bed late, and Brennan has been feeling pretty lousy, so he went to bed REALLY late!

Brennan has been feeling pretty yucky lately. He is in full swing of his side effects. He has a horrible sore throat which has made it very difficult to talk and especially difficult to eat. He can't eat anything with spices, (no Mexican food-which is killing him) nothing hot or cold, (so no shakes or warm drinks to make his throat feel better) nothing like spaghetti sauce/tomato, nothing with citrus, and nothing with chunks. Guess who is having a BLAST trying to cook for this guy...not me! Anyway, meat is out of the question unless I puree it. He has been having to eat a lot of mashed potatoes, soup, instant breakfasts, beans, etc. OH YEAH...and he can't have anything with chocolate. Chocolate really irritates his throat, (we were warned about this) so that has been hard for him. Especially since he LOVES Reeces Peanut Butter Cups. I feel bad because I know we have 6-10 more weeks of this and it is already driving him crazy. It is driving me crazy too, because Sydney and I have been eating essentially the same things.

Back to Christmas morning...Brennan's dad gave us money for a play kitchen set. It was the cutest thing this morning! She went crazy when she saw it set up in the living room. She immediately started pulling all of the pieces out, opening every drawer, talking on the toy phone, etc. It took us awhile to get her to stop playing with it and open her other gifts. She had a good time though. She would run from one toy to the other and tell us about it, and show us how excited she was. Hopefully, she doesn't expect this every morning! -Not happening kid! I really wanted to make a yummy treat for breakfast this morning, but breads are out of the question for Brennan, and so are pretty much every Christmas treat. So, I settled for making him a blended fruit smoothie--heated up a little so it wasn't too cold. (boring)

Hope everyone has a great Christmas! Love you!

December is going so quickly

So, Christmas is only 8 days away. I can't believe it. We are actually going to be at our own home this year for Christmas. We plan on going for the weekends to visit family, but I am really excited to have it just be our family in our own home and not having to travel. I am very glad that Brennan is getting through his treatments. He had number 10 today. He is starting to have his yucky side effects though. He is starting to get a very sore throat and you can see a rectangle of a sunburn on his poor neck. His voice is starting to get quieter too. He has been in pretty good spirits, but I know he isn't feeling very good. I just got over a sore throat last week, so the thought of having one more severe than that---and for such a long period of time makes me sad. Anyway, he is doing good and we are ALMOST half way through it.

Day 5 of Radiation

So today was Brennan's fifth radiation treatment. So far he has not started having the bad reactions yet. Our doctors assure us that soon he will start having difficulties swallowing and certain foods will definitely be a "no-no" so he doesn't irritate his throat. Also, a few other side effects he can expect soon are: a very sore throat and the "sun burned" neck. Other than that...Brennan has been doing really good. His treatments are very quick and painless though. We are just so glad that Chemotherapy was not the answer and that since it is such a small area, that radiation has been the best answer.

Every Cloud has a Silver Lining

Okay, so even though this cancer thing has been pretty difficult to grasp. We have found another silver lining on this cloud! Brennan had his doctor's appointment on Friday to find out if his cancer had spread. There was a concern that it had spread because his lymphnode glands were all swollen. So, they repeated the test that confirmed that, and also did another test that checks in your body where any cancer is located. The test confirmed the cancer in his throat, but didn't find ANY swollen lymphnode glands! (Which means the cancer has not spread!) Our doctor said he has no idea how the lymphnode glands could have been swollen like that one week and not the other...but I do know! I know it is because of all of your prayers and the mercies of our Heavenly Father! Thank you for your prayers and thoughts.

Brennan starts his radiation therapy on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. I am happy to report that there shouldn't be too many side effects from these treatments. Luckily, it will not be anywhere near as bad as a treatment like Chemo. There will be some discomfort, etc., but I am very glad that it will be more managable and I know Brennan can do it! Again, thanks for all of your prayers! I know there is a reason for us to go through these trials, and I am just so thankful we have the friends we have to go through it with us!

Sariah and Brent--Thanks for yesterday! We had a lot of fun! I am glad that Brennan got to go out and blow off some frustrations/stress hunting. Too bad he got sick! I had fun at your house too Sariah! Sydney sure loves your girls! We are gonna miss you!

The Waiting Game

So, our waiting game has begun! I believe the most frustrating part of this whole ordeal has been the waiting. When we initially found out about the cancer, we were rushed from one office to the other. We were asked to make appointments and bring papers, etc. Then, in waiting for the "official" diagnosis to come through--the waiting began! Because Brennan has such a rare cancer for anyone even close to his age, our Doctors felt it was necessary to get 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and maybe even 5th opinions. I am grateful that they took this measure to insure that they were correct, but it has delayed our progress to an extent.

We need to make sure that Brennan's cancer has not spread. Apparently, we were under the impression that the type of cancer he had was localized to a certain area and unable to spread...not true. What they had said was that they believed it had NOT spread any further. (Definitely what we are hoping) So, with the CT Scan that Brennan had, it showed his lymph node glands were swollen...a possible sign of spreading. So, as a precaution, Brennan needs to get a PET Scan and another CT Scan. We have been having to wait to get these tests done unfortunately, due to the fact that the official diagnosis had not been declared.

Soooo...yesterday, I took it upon myself to go check on these items. I am not the most patient of souls on the earth. :) I went to our ENT Doctor's office and luckily, the official diagnosis had come in that day. I was given a copy and another copy was sent to our Oncologist. (Cancer doctor-I must say I am getting pretty good at learning all of these new labels/names!) I drove to the Cancer Center where I learned the "new" hold-up was the approval for the actual tests from our insurance. Since these tests are so expensive, especially the PET Scan, insurance companies will only authorize them once all of the official diagnosis' are in. So, today I called around and found out that by me going in yesterday, our nurse was able to expedite the request! Yeah! Anyway, Brennan is scheduled for a CT Scan this week, his PET Scan next week, and we will learn of the results on December 1st! So, although we are still waiting, I am happy to report that we have a destination and some dates! I think that is better than completely being in the dark!

We appreciate all of your prayers, and a special 'thank-you' for special fasts by family members that have been done! We love you all very much and we are in good spirits! We are extremely blessed and are very grateful for all that has been done in our behalf!

Serious News-Update

No, this post isn't all about Sydney! Unlike all of my others!

I just wanted to let everyone know about something that was going on in our lives so I don't have to tell that many people over and over, or if you just want details but are afraid to ask...here ya go. Brennan had a major oral surgery scheduled for Thursday, November 20th. Well, I don't know if some of you have ever noticed, but Brennan always sounds like he has a cold or something wrong with his voice. Well, I really feel like I was prompted to make him an appointment with our Ear, Nose, and Throat Dr. We went in and they put a camera down his nose to look at his throat. With this special camera they could tell something was wrong. There was a white mass/growth that looked like pollups growing on one side of his vocal cords. I say pollups because that is the best way I can think to explain them. Anyway, the Ear, Nose, & Throat Dr. seemed concerned about them and mentioned that if Brennan were an old man or a smoker, he, (Dr. Gillihan) would be convinced it was cancer. Yet, since Brennan is neither of those things, he wanted to do a biopsy right away. Two days later, Brennan had the surgery to check it out.

Anyway, last Friday, Nov. 7th, Brennan had the biopsy done on his vocal cords. He also had a surgery on his nose. (During the process of looking at his throat, they realized that Brennan has never been able to breath out of his nose due to a deviated septum, or in otherwords the cartilage in the nose. This could be fixed in a quick surgery so we opted to complete these two tasks at the same time. So it was a long day.)

Anyway, Wednesday, (yesterday) was the follow-up appointment to find out about the biopsy and get the splints removed from his nose. On a positive note, Brennan can breathe WONDERFULLY through his nose. Unfortunately, we found out that Brennan has cancer on his vocal cords. The name of it is laryngeal cancer. We are doing pretty good with the news now, but Brennan has 8 weeks of Radiation Therapy coming up. They will have to do it five days a week for 8 weeks straight. We were able to be "squeezed" into a 2-3 hour appointment today with his new Radiation doctor, so we will be finding out more specific details as to how this is going to work. Also, he is getting a catscan as I write this, so everything is moving forward. Cancer. It is a weird and difficult label to have to try and put in our heads. My husband has cancer. Wow, that sounds so odd to put in a sentence together.

Anyway, I will post more as we learn more. We would appreciate any prayers!

Halloween Fun!

Brennan's cool Steelers pumpkin. Mine didn't quite make it through Halloween. It molded really bad and some kid kicked it in. I hope he/she got nasty moldy/mushy pumpkin all over their shoe.

Brennan and Sydney at the Trunk or Treat party. Sydney was having a blast playing and dancing. Candy was a hit too, yet I had a hard time teaching her to be a little more greedy. She only wanted one candy in each hand and she was good. But that wasn't going to fly cause I wanted more so I was trying to teach her to grab MORE!

Sydney was ready to go! She looked like such a sweetie! Her hair took awhile to do with her moving around! I had to get Brennan to come distract her!

The getting ready process...not as miserable as it could have been I guess! :) She was really good and didn't mess with it too much after it was done. I did have to fix it once though after she ripped a pony tail out!

Pumpkin Carving

Sydney's first experience with carving pumpkins was quite the adventure. She was very excited to begin! She had no idea what pumpkins, or 'pum-pums' in her words, are for, but she was thoroughly enjoying hitting them. Anyway, the evening started out well.She was curious enough at first, but this was as close as she really wanted to get. Then, Brennan decided to show her what was IN the pum-pum.

Sydney had the biggest fit! She ran away yelling, "EWWW, EWWW!" It was the funniest thing. She is the biggest girly-girl. When she takes baths, any little piece of lint or hair is "EWWW!" Also, when she sees freckles she thinks they are "EWWW" also. Anyway, she cracks us up with how well she notices every little thing/detail.

Brennan convinced Sydney to sit on his lap and "help." As long as the definition of "help" means not touching any part of the pumpkin! She was a good sport!

I got to decorate this pumpkin. I am not a fan of "scary" Halloween decorations, so this pumpkin is more friendly-looking than anything else. It was fun though. Tonight or tomorrow, Brennan will be attempting his 'special' pumpkin football/Steelers design. I go for the more simple look. I don't have the patience for little details, especially on a pumpkin!


The finished project! I was so proud of my "cute" pumpkin! Sydney really likes looking at it.

Also, on a sidenote, she LOVES the toasted pumpkin seeds that came from this pum-pum! All in all, we had a good time. I look forward to the years when she is a little more "involved" in this process and I won't have to do all of the work!! :)

Brennan and Sydney

After Sunday's post I figured I should give a more positive and accurate portrayal of Brennan! I was looking at our pictures and there are hardly ANY pictures of Sydney and me together. All of our pictures are of Brennan and Sydney or Sydney doing something cute-alone. Brennan hardly ever takes pictures, so that is why I don't get documented as having a part in my daughter's upbringing! But, luckily, I have so many wonderful pictures of Brennan spending time with her!

The 1st picture was taken at an Aggie baseball game. Brennan held her most of the time while we were there!

The 2nd picture was taken on the 4th of July. Sydney really enjoyed all of the other kids running around! She also really liked all of the glow sticks that everyone had!

The 3rd picture was taken at the zoo in Albuquerque. Whenever we go places and Sydney wants out of the stroller Brennan ALWAYS carries her. So, he usually ends up doing that because Sydney has figured out the system!

The 4th picture was taken at the duck pond at NMSU. We go there every so often. Sydney absolutely LOVES it. She chases the ducks and talks to them constantly. She usually eats the bread herself though. We sometimes have a hard time explaining to her that it is not for her to eat!

The 5th picture was taken at my sister's house in Deming. We were there for a birthday party for one of her kids. I THINK it was for Truman...but I really can't remember!

Anyway, I am so glad that I am blessed to have a husband that is so willing to help me and spend time with his own child! I know sometimes it is easy for men to keep doing what they "USED" to get to do. Love ya, Brennan.

Our Weekly Ritual

Well, it is a Sunday afternoon and our family ritual is in full swing. (Football) Seriously, I never realized just how many football games there are in a week, let alone a day! I love my husband, and I am glad he enjoys sports, but holy crap. I KNOW he doesn't even like these teams that are playing, and I used to be able to use that as leverage to get my way of changing the channel. But no, some 'genius' invented FANTASY FOOTBALL. If I ever get the opportunity to meet that guy I will have a few choice words for him! Now, these games that I used to be able to get to turn off are important because Heaven forbid we miss a play that would potentially gain my husband a point for his fantasy team. Now that we have DVR we even have the blessing of not missing a single game! Luckily, DVR comes with a fast forward button! I like when I have the remote. But, that silly fast forward button gets stuck sometimes and fast forwards a little too far sometimes. ;) hehe

Not only that, my daughter is now a part of the tradition. Although, I must say that I love seeing her in her jersey. She has to wear it every time the Steelers are playing. If only that was the only time football played in our home!! :) Also, football has now been extended not only to Monday nights, but Thursday also! :) I might be coming across a little too negative. I actually like watching football and other sports on t.v., I just get overwhelmed sometimes and need to vent! Well, I hope that this has brought some humor to some of you women out there who share my predicament!

Introduction to the Weir Family!

Brennan and I have been together for six years, married for four! It seems like much longer-in a good way! We have been very blessed and are both enjoying where we are in our lives right now. We live in Las Cruces, NM. Brennan teaches Physical Education at a local elementary school that is only 5 minutes away! A much needed change from where he used to teach. (Hatch, NM--45 minutes away!) He teaches all of the grades and really enjoys it. I currently stay home with Sydney, which I absolutely love. I do have a part-time job providing Respite care for children with disabilities. It is a very laid back job and I enjoy it most of the time. I take Sydney with me, so although I am getting out of the house to work, I do not have to leave her. Another exciting piece of information--We are expecting our second baby!! A BOY! I am not quite sure how this is going to change the dynamics of our household, because I like the fact that Sydney and I have outnumbered Brennan on the forefront! Plus, Sydney and I are both pretty girly, so this boy might alter that! As long as he kills the bugs I'll be good! Anyway, I am new at this whole 'blogging' thing, so hopefully I can figure it all out and do a decent enough job to make it look nice!