Sick Kids

Typical 'mommy' post here folks. My baby's are sick. Miss A for over a week now and C'man for a couple days. I'm SO glad we didn't go to MN this past weekend, sister is cross with me tho. Both kids were running pretty good temps by Saturday evening. Needless to say we didn't go out to eat either. I went and got take out. I'm waiting for the doc office to call me back. Hate to rush in there only to find out it has to run it's course. I'm not a big fan of antibiotics either, I'd like to avoid them if at all possible. My friend Shannan is taking her kids to Dr Miller. I'd do that but when!?



Oh and Miss A will NOT take any form of medicine. She screams 'no mommy, no mommy'. It's just lovely around here i tell ya. BUT the weather is like Spring. It's raining out! AND its @ 60.



Cow's are loving it. They frolic around the field. Kicking there heels, running, just really fun to watch them. Although a couple hours ago one was standing in our yard. I yelled at it and it went back to the field. Dirty little bugger. Oh and the pigs!! They are still around. DH was very cross with them yesterday and they just about became pork chops today. He went to feed the cows and the pigs are in with them. Well the pigs got out and he had to chase them thru mud, snow, water, you get the idea.



Speaking of that all, did i mention that a couple weeks ago i got my first chicken egg. I've always been scared of chickens ( i don't like birds). No amount of convincing from my sister or niece would led me in to the coupe. Well C'man had brought me an egg one day when i was at the farm helping with cows. I thought that was so darn cute. SO i followed him back to the coupe. I imagined him talking to the chickens, and being all cute. In the coupe he went. I cautiouslly followed. It wasn't to bad. BUT i had him to distract them while i looked for eggs in the nests. It also helped that none of them were sitting in the nest. For sure then, i wouldn't have attempted. They peck you then. One of them ever pecks me, i'll break there neck. We only got 2 eggs b/c they'd been picked alread that day, but none the less, in the 10+ years i've been on the farm i finally did it. I'm not even 30% sure i want chickens at our place yet, we're still working on that. (the poop, and cleanliness of it all, freaks me out)



In other news:

A young family came and looked at the van yesterday. We're 75% sure it's sold. Will know when we have the cash in hand, which should be Thursday evening. What a relief it would be to have that sold.



Armstrong update:

Well it is not even Noon yet and we are wrestling with what might be some really bad news.
They have taken Armstrong off of his chemo and stopped his radiation. Hopefully only for a short period while they figure out what type of infection he has. :(
The doctor also signed the order for Army to get his wheel chair. This all just feels really bad. We are trying to keep our hopes up the best we can. It hasn't even been 3 months since he was diagnosed.
We just feel like we want to at least have a chance to fight this thing. And when they take away the chemo and radiation we are so helpless to this horrible illness.



I really have nothing more to say after that. I'm feeling very scared, helpless, for them all.

Little Armstrong

I have posted about little Armstrong in the past and here's the latest on his carepage:

Army has been having fluid leaking from his incision on the back of his head. There was a day early this week that it just wouldn't stop dripping clear liquid. At first Army's neurosurgeon wanted us to rush to the ER. But after discussion how he was doing neurologically we held off.
Last night Army was complaining of a headache and saying he was going to throw up. This is so worrying to us because he hasn't had that since before chemo and radiation started.
Today Dr. Pouchioni looked at Army and was a little worried, but since Army was feeling ok the Dr. decided to wait and see. His worry was that spinal fluid was the liquid that had been leaking from Armstrong's incision! And may be the reason Armstrong isn't walking.
After our Oncology appointment we all went to the Zoo and while we were there Armstrong got a screaming headache. So bad that we had to give him pain medicine. And even after the medicine his head continued to hurt :(
We called the doctor and they had us come back to the hospital. They decided to do some blood work to see if Army might have an infection in his blood and his temp was over 100. This is all really scary for us.
For now we will wait and see what the blood cultures say and tomorrow after radiation Armstrong will get an MRI to see if they can figure out where the clear fluid is coming from. If it is from the spinal chord we will have to have another surgery very quickly because Army could have a stroke from the build up of that fluid in his brain.
Army is not feeling good at all and had to stay home from the basketball game in Avoca tonight. But Daddy was able to go with Montgomery and I hear they are having an awesome time! ooohhh and Daddy talked at half-time (I totally didn't plan this...but am SO relieved..lol) Daddy and Gummy have been selling t-shirts with the CHEERLEADERS...OOOOHHHH
Oh and we have the new white t-shirts in now as well! They turned out so cute. I will put a pick up on the team-armstrong.org website and here this weekend. We also have bracelets that say team-armstrong and will send those out to anyone who orders a shirt.
Ok, tomorrow is Radiation, MRI, and physical therapy. I just don't know how Army does all this. I'm exhausted and I don't have to do anything but push him around and wait in waiting rooms.
One last thing. The silent auction at The Whole in The Wall is this saturday! It is going to be awesome! go to thewholeinthewall.com to see all the details.
Army is laying here watching The Food Network :) because he is done with his snacks for the night... but can't stop thinking about food. It is so adorable. He is really really interested in what they are cooking!
Thank you all for you're positive energy, prayers, and good wishes. We are a stronger family because we have you all to lean on.

I ordered my t-shirt the other day. Please check out his website if you'd like to order one. Let them know you are reading, and praying for Armstrong!!
Visit Armstrongs webpage to order yours today!
Does anyone know how i can put a widget on my side bar with his T-shirt???

Armstrong

It's time I do a post about little Armstrong. I know of this special little
boy thru 'Doc'. You
may have read some of his responses to some of my political posts. Little
Armstrong is Doc's grandson. This is taken from Armstrong's carepage:

Just before Thanksgiving I was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
It has been diagnosed as a high-grade malignant cancer.
I'm 3 (and a
half!) and I love Diego and Thomas the Train.
I'm a really special kid and
my Mom
and Dad are doing everything they can to keep me happy. They are
working very closely with my Neurosurgeon POOCH to find the best
treatment
for my tumor.
I had one surgery the Monday before thanksgiving to remove
my entire left front temperal lobe. (Don't worry I'm ok!). They sent that
sample to pathology and everyone was surprised by the results. My cancer
does not match ANY current brain cancer classifications.
My Mom and Dad and
Doctor sent that tissue sample to the top pathologist at John Hopkins University
(Dr. Burger...haha...I guess he would go good with my current French Fry
addiction..lol). He said it is the strangest looking Cancer he's ever seen.
It
has characteristics of 4 high-grade tumors (means hard to treat). But it
will probably get a new classification of it's own.
I had my second surgery
on December 10th. I just got down to MD Anderson in Houston right before
Christmas and we thought we would
be doing my radiation and chemo here. But
at the radiation run through
they realized my whole tumor had grown back and
some new tumor on my frontal lobe. So we returned to Omaha.
On January 5th I
had my 3rd craniotomy and tumor recestion. And on Thursday January 15th I
started chemo and
radiation. My tumor is so large they have to radiate my
entire left
hemisphere and I have to be put to sleep because it takes much
longer than traditional radiation. So Monday thru Friday I wake up and go to the
hospital for that. Every evening all week long I get a large dose of a chemo
drug named Temador at home.When that is done they will take a
look at me and
see what's next. The hope is that I won't have any
remaining cancer after I
go through all that. But the reality is I might
have to continue the process
of surgeries, chemo, and radiation.
My Mommy and Daddy are really sad, but
they don't show it to me. We play and have fun while we are at the hospital. And
I actually don't mind being here until someone starts poking me .... Then I'm
MAD!So that's me and my story. Thanks for visiting my page.

T-shirts have been made in honor of Army's thought of this cancer: Cancer Sucks! It says. They have had t-shirts made and i think it would just be such a tremendous show of support for
not only him, but his family, for those that can, to get one. I was going to copy and past one here but now when I get on his carepage I can't find them.

There are some pretty amazing pictures on his carepage. I just can't say enough how I encourage you all to get on the carepage. Get an account if you don't have one. Let's band together as blogger 'friends', family, etc and support this little boy and his family. We've all been touched by cancer, it sucks. It really does and when it hits people so little like Army or even young adults, like Faith's brother, it just really sucks.