not the best dream

I dreamed this morning that E got hurt. One of her legs had a gash in it from ankle to hip, that went down to the bone. There was no blood, just open flesh. She had dragged herself up some steps to get to me and David. We were not at home, not sure where we were but other people were around. E was very brave. David and I discussed whether we should try to get help then and there, or take her to the Urgent Care. We took her somewhere, which turned out to be a vet's office or a pet store, and E turned into a tiny mouse making it very hard to treat her little leg. Someone brought her some food in a tablespoon, but it was mixed with cat poop and straw which I flicked out onto the floor: we were in a very very big, dirty cage.

Thank God for the alarm this morning!

...by the way I edited the 7 things tag post this morning, scroll down...

My a princess!!!

E at the children's museum, dressed as "a princess!!!" (which must always be stated declaratively [or shouted], while making sweeping, grand gestures), making "moo-sik" with a "tar".

At a neighborhood children's party recently, E tried to win friends and influence people by entering a room, thrusting her arm up in the air and shouting at the top of her voice, "My a prince-ess!!" over and over. A few other little kids stared and then went on playing. The adults didn't notice anything because all the kids were shouting and screaming.

blog tag

I been Tagged! You've heard of freeze tag, you've heard of tv tag, and now that you're an adult you've heard of phone tag. If you're not familiar with this new version, let me introduce you to blog tag. I don't think I know 7 other people with a blog, so I hope they don't kick me out of the game.

"7 weird things about myself"

added 5/28/08:
1. I am one of the 1 in 4 people who never had wisdom teeth.
2. I never developed frontal sinuses (ones in your forehead), which apparently usually develop around age 12.
3. When I was little I wanted to be a comedian, but I didn't think women could be as funny as men. There were so few on tv and most of them made themselves look dumb in order to be funny. Lucille Ball and Goldie Hawn are the only ones I remember other than Carol Burnett, who was the only exception to the dumb rule. Still, I thought Tim Conway was much funnier than her. (This was the first - only? - time I felt my dreams to be limited by my sex.)
4. My birthday is a holiday in the UK.
5. I had my first child 5 days after my 40th birthday.
6. Two books that had profound impact on me: Pippi Longstocking and Harriet the Spy
7. I haven't shaved my legs in well over a decade and I feel good about that.

no longer a patient

My treatment is over! The second opinion I got on radiation was "absolutely no need for it". The mastectomy got sufficient and clean margins; and with no signs of invasion, there is nothing else to do but monitor me every 6 months with a physical breast exam and a mammogram. I have one more follow up with the mastectomy surgeon in a month, then I'm done with him. I have plenty of time to decide about reconstruction.

Back to work today.

big bites

E's first expression for large quantities was "big bite". When she saw a lot of anything she'd say "it's a big bite!" -- and she said that for diaper contents too, which was just too funny to correct her on. Now she has learned to say "much" and "a lot" as well, so I don't hear "big bite" as often. This morning however, when she woke up, she said "I'm big bite awake" and it reminded me to write this saying down.

little alien?

Our whole family loves this scalp massager tool, but E wears it as a hat.

cute sayings

Regarding American cheese slices in the wrappers: "You peel the trash off my cheese."

"I coughed two sneezes!"

Like an SAT question: Big is to little as Mommy is to Baby. Everything's Mommy and Baby now. Playing Mommy bear and Baby bear with her stuffed animals didn't surprise me, but on one of our walks she started picking up very small gravel calling it "Baby rocks". Then she stood up demanding, "Where's the Mommy rocks? My need find some Mommy rocks!" When she picks buttercups, the ones with long stems are Mommy flowers and the shorter ones are Baby flowers.

Her pink rain boots with cat faces are now her "ballerina shoes" and heaven protect you if you try to make her wear socks with them.

update again

I feel so good and so "over" with this cancer stuff that I forget there are people waiting for more news. The cancer is gone. In fact, it was gone after the February surgery - nothing new was found in April. None of it ever broke out of the milk ducts, so it's still the slow-growing non-invasive diagnosis I had to begin with. There's only one hormonal (estrogen blocking) drug that pre-menopausal women can take, and it isn't a good option for me. My tumors were not high on estrogen response, and the drug would increase bone loss and increase risk of endometrial problems. The benefits don't outweigh the risks in my case (my case being DCIS and low estrogen response). Radiation was not recommended either, as it targets fast-growing (invasive) cells, which apparently I don't have. If I had radiation it would be "extra" and more for peace of mind, but it also limits my reconstruction options and brings its own set of risks and unpleasantries. But I'm getting a second opinion on that at the end of this week, just for the heck of it.

So let's all relax for a while! (another new post below)

playing grocery store

We went to our favorite local museum on Friday.
h bbbgggt


The Lemon Series

filling the cart with all yellow produce

putting lemons in the cash register

taking them out and tapping them on the wall.... ???

good news at last

Pathology report came back: all clear! No chemo, no more surgery. Next week we'll talk about whether radiation and hormonal drugs will be useful to help prevent recurrence.

light

I've been feeling all the light you all are holding me and my family in! Thank you. Now please send some to Marie.