Saturday, January 15, 2011

Welcome baby!

Instead of posting twice, here is a link to Noelle's blog...  We couldn't be happier!!!

http://theallens04.blogspot.com/

Monday, January 10, 2011

Happy New Year!

Lots of news that I should have posted a few weeks ago.  News first, update on cancer stuff later...

The baby is coming earlier than expected and will be here on Friday!!!!  Noelle has a cyst that has been bothering her more and more throughout her pregnancy.  The doctor was concerned with the cyst possibly rupturing if they let Noelle go to full term so they bumped up the C-section to this Friday.  I think the realization that we would have another baby in the next few weeks kicked us into gear.  We've been so distracted with chemotherapy that the baby has sometimes, unfortunately, been an after-thought.  Noelle has been making blankets and car seat covers.  We transitioned Brynnley into her new room and Noelle has had fun getting the baby room ready for the new little girl.  I've been trying to help where I can with patching walls and trying finish projects here and there.  It's fun and busy and I'm grateful that I've had some time at home to spend with Noelle and Brynn before the baby comes. 

I finished up chemo on Dec 24 and couldn't be happier.  That 4th cycle took a lot longer to get over.  I still have days where I feel like crap and end up in bed by 730 or 800 but overall I'm just excited to be done.  I can feel my strength very slowly coming back to me but I can tell it's going to be a long road.  I even went to the gym one day this week and shot some hoops for 20 minutes or so.  It was pretty pitiful but it felt great to shoot a basketball again.  At the beginning, with my lack of form (I hadn't touched a basketball since July) and lack of strength, I literally couldn't get the ball to the rim.  But by the end of the 20 minutes, with my heart rate somewhere near 180 and feeling like I might pass out, I had gotten enough form back to make a few 3-pointers so I was happy. 

I'm planning on going back to work towards the end of the month and I couldn't been more excited about it.  It's been great being able to spend so much time with my family but I need to get back to being a productive member of society.  I'm still amazed at the work situation that I am in and how everything has worked out over the last 8 months or so.  I can't wait to get back in the swing of things and hopefully help out those who have shown us so much support over the last 4 months.  I'm not sure how Noelle will handle it with a newborn and an almost 3 year old.  I've been around the house so much and for so long, it's going to be an adjustment for both of us for sure.

I go in for PET/CT 1st thing on Wednesday morning.  I'm not looking forward to the 45 minutes I'll be in the scanner or the anxiety waiting to hear that the scan comes back clean.  We are hopeful that the chemo drugs did the job and wiped out anything that might have been left in body.  I'll update when we know the results and look for baby pics sometime this weekend :-)