Picking up nuts
Checking out the nuts
Look! nuts!
Love,
Roxanne:)
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Fun in the Sun, part 1
On Wednesday afternoon we rented a Cabana over at River Island (part of the resort we are staying at). The pool area is a gigantic lazy river with larger outlets of 'pool' area. Nathan didn't mind getting in the water with me until we went under one of the walk-way bridges and there was no 'safe' place to pass under to miss the water falling from the spouts. He didn't like that very much, but I told him we had to catch up to Daddy (who had started out ahead of us), so he kept saying "find dada, find dada" in a desperate tone of whining :) About 3 or 4 bridges of falling water later, we caught up to Daddy. It was fun and refreshing to get in the water, but we didn't go for another lazy river ride. Tom and Sasha hangout in the hot tub for a bit while Nathan napped on me in a lounge chair. After a short nap, we got dressed, hung out by the cabana, had snacks and Nathan had fun finding little nuts on the ground. Here are some beautiful pictures to enjoy!
Love,
Roxanne:)
Love,
Roxanne:)
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Hello from FLORIDA!
We made it! We're here! There's NO snow, NO salt, NO dirty cars, NO cold, NO jackets, NO long pants....Just sunny, breezy, the smell of fresh cut grass, drive with the windows rolled down, feel the breeze coming in the patio screen door, and lots of relaxing!
It was a long trip here, though. Nathan's first pane ride, and Tom's neck still being quite sore and painful for him made for a long plane ride from Detroit to Orlando. Nathan did get his first set of wings though! I had to ask a pilot, but whatever...I wanted to make sure he had that for his memory book.
I'm laughing right now cuz Nathan is having fun walking behind the sheer patio curtain and walking out from it with the curtain sweeping over his head.
Anyways, I couldn't get to my camera because I had packed it days before and it ended up in the bottom of my diaper bag (backpack). I did manage to get a pic of Nathan in Detroit checking out the airplanes. He was saying "Oh! Plane!" with excitement. So cute! He did do very well with take off and landing, no crying or screaming due to the pressure or any sounds or turbulence in air or anything. Of course he did have some miss-directed behavior in flight because he was so tired, we hadn't gotten to really eat much for lunch between landing and taking off in Detroit, so all that added up to a little 2 yr old who had never taken such a long trip and had pent up energy to expel.... 'nuf said, right mums and pops?.
We were able to get Tom a wheelchair at Orlando. It was quite the distance to get from our gate, to baggage claim (we ended up checking our two carry-on roller luggage because it proved to be just TOO much to deal with having a toddler and Tom's condition). So anyways, the boy who pushed Tom was a great help, and so nice! Plus, he knew exactly where to go so we didn't have to figure out how to navigate an unfamiliar airport full of wall-to-wall travelers.
It seemed like forever to get the rental car and everything situated. Then when we finally found our way to the resort, it took forever to check in. We were all just tired and wanted to get settled already! So once we did get into our villa, Nathan immediately found it fun to open all the kitchen cupboards and found himself a little hiding spot.
Again, sorry for the poor picture quality, all I had was my phone at the time.
Today after breakfast, we hit up Super Target for groceries, planned our week of meals, Nate took a good long nap, had lunch, then we went and checked out the resort. Nathan automatically loved the arcade (such a boy), which led us out to the walk-in pool area. Beautiful! There are cabana's you can rent for the day with comfy furniture, a mini fridge, cabinet/counter top area and even a television. Who would have thought! We will be renting a cabana over at another pool over by the lazy river (hopefully) tomorrow. We drove around the entire resort which is 4.5 square miles. HUGE! This is, by far, the largest resort I have ever been too. As a child, my sisters and I grew up going to many different resorts thanks to my parent's time shares that they own.
Well, dinner is in the oven, Nathan and Auntie Sasha are playing "cool" (Tom's iPod). Really, Nathan is showing Sasha how to work it showing off his skills playing a monkey game for 3 year olds. ha! Tom's relaxing in a comfy chair, which he wishes was a rocking chair, of course! ;)
I will take pictures on my real camera tomorrow to share with you all.
Warmly,
Roxanne:)
It was a long trip here, though. Nathan's first pane ride, and Tom's neck still being quite sore and painful for him made for a long plane ride from Detroit to Orlando. Nathan did get his first set of wings though! I had to ask a pilot, but whatever...I wanted to make sure he had that for his memory book.
I'm laughing right now cuz Nathan is having fun walking behind the sheer patio curtain and walking out from it with the curtain sweeping over his head.
Anyways, I couldn't get to my camera because I had packed it days before and it ended up in the bottom of my diaper bag (backpack). I did manage to get a pic of Nathan in Detroit checking out the airplanes. He was saying "Oh! Plane!" with excitement. So cute! He did do very well with take off and landing, no crying or screaming due to the pressure or any sounds or turbulence in air or anything. Of course he did have some miss-directed behavior in flight because he was so tired, we hadn't gotten to really eat much for lunch between landing and taking off in Detroit, so all that added up to a little 2 yr old who had never taken such a long trip and had pent up energy to expel.... 'nuf said, right mums and pops?.
We were able to get Tom a wheelchair at Orlando. It was quite the distance to get from our gate, to baggage claim (we ended up checking our two carry-on roller luggage because it proved to be just TOO much to deal with having a toddler and Tom's condition). So anyways, the boy who pushed Tom was a great help, and so nice! Plus, he knew exactly where to go so we didn't have to figure out how to navigate an unfamiliar airport full of wall-to-wall travelers.
It seemed like forever to get the rental car and everything situated. Then when we finally found our way to the resort, it took forever to check in. We were all just tired and wanted to get settled already! So once we did get into our villa, Nathan immediately found it fun to open all the kitchen cupboards and found himself a little hiding spot.
Again, sorry for the poor picture quality, all I had was my phone at the time.
Today after breakfast, we hit up Super Target for groceries, planned our week of meals, Nate took a good long nap, had lunch, then we went and checked out the resort. Nathan automatically loved the arcade (such a boy), which led us out to the walk-in pool area. Beautiful! There are cabana's you can rent for the day with comfy furniture, a mini fridge, cabinet/counter top area and even a television. Who would have thought! We will be renting a cabana over at another pool over by the lazy river (hopefully) tomorrow. We drove around the entire resort which is 4.5 square miles. HUGE! This is, by far, the largest resort I have ever been too. As a child, my sisters and I grew up going to many different resorts thanks to my parent's time shares that they own.
Well, dinner is in the oven, Nathan and Auntie Sasha are playing "cool" (Tom's iPod). Really, Nathan is showing Sasha how to work it showing off his skills playing a monkey game for 3 year olds. ha! Tom's relaxing in a comfy chair, which he wishes was a rocking chair, of course! ;)
I will take pictures on my real camera tomorrow to share with you all.
Warmly,
Roxanne:)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Getting Ready for WARM!!!
Less than 2 days away and we will be heading to sunny warm Florida! We are so excited for this family vacation! Packing has already begun and will continue after the Packers beat the Bears on Sunday.
It's been so cold here these last few days and more snow has fallen adding to the frigid temps. It's comforting to just think about somewhere warm!
Another thing that is so comforting is the angel I met, sent from God. The evening of the last big snow fall we had last week, there was a knock-knock on our door. I opened the door to find a young boy, about 11 or 12 with a shovel asking if we needed our driveway shoveled. I declined telling him my father-in-law was coming in the morning. The boy looked at me, and turned away, seemingly disappointed. I said out to him, "I'm so sorry, I just don't have any money to pay you. I have nothing...." He turned back around and said "I'll do it for free" as a question invitation to have something to do. How could I say no? "Of course, thank you SO much," I replied to him and he went right to work. Shoveled the whole driveway all by himself. I searched my cupboards for hot cocoa to make him to keep him warm, but could not find anything. I was so grateful, and wanted to show my appreciation, but literally had no penny in my pocket or cocoa in my cupboard. He conclude and knocked on the door to let me know. I thanked him with a huge heart, said I couldn't find any cocoa to show my gratitude, and explained that my husband is very sick with cancer and cannot do this kind of work, and I really appreciated his help to clear the snow from our driveway, and gave him a huge hug. What an angel!
Now this morning (Saturday), as I was preparing to make some breakfast for Nathan, there's a knock-knock on my door. I wasn't expecting anyone and if it's Papa (Tom's dad), he just comes in. It was this little angel boy's little brother, holding a shovel, asked if we needed the snow shoveled off our driveway. I hadn't even noticed it snowed last night. I told him thank you, but no, we don't this time. A few minutes later, another knock on the door. It was angel boy. I thanked him for stopping by, but he didn't need to shovel. He said he wanted to know how my husband was doing. He put in a prayer request at his church. I remember him asking "Is he better?" I said, "Oh, thank you SO much for the prayers" and explained how serious Tom's cancer is, as Nathan came to stand next to me, and I said, "and he is our little miracle." The angel boy asked for my husband's name so he can put in more prayers. What a sweetheart!! It's not everyday a young child comes to do you a favor, and then on top of that thinks of you to ask for prayers for a complete stranger, and comes back another day to see how you are doing! I truly feel touched by an angel sent by God! How amazing!
I know, I need to get angel boy's name if he stops over again. But if we get snow while we are gone in Florida, we won't be home to answer the door. Speaking of Florida, my feet are cold. Hmmm they won't be cold like this next week, I don't think. Ok, warm again.
I need to get to bed, but keep posted next week here on the blog because I will post updates on our trip and upload pictures as well.
Thank you everyone, for all of your love, support and continued prayers. Tom has been quite under the weather the last few days, more than before, but I was able to pick up his meds from the pharmacy today, so hopefully the pain will be managed better tonight for him to get some sleep.
Love,
Roxanne
It's been so cold here these last few days and more snow has fallen adding to the frigid temps. It's comforting to just think about somewhere warm!
Another thing that is so comforting is the angel I met, sent from God. The evening of the last big snow fall we had last week, there was a knock-knock on our door. I opened the door to find a young boy, about 11 or 12 with a shovel asking if we needed our driveway shoveled. I declined telling him my father-in-law was coming in the morning. The boy looked at me, and turned away, seemingly disappointed. I said out to him, "I'm so sorry, I just don't have any money to pay you. I have nothing...." He turned back around and said "I'll do it for free" as a question invitation to have something to do. How could I say no? "Of course, thank you SO much," I replied to him and he went right to work. Shoveled the whole driveway all by himself. I searched my cupboards for hot cocoa to make him to keep him warm, but could not find anything. I was so grateful, and wanted to show my appreciation, but literally had no penny in my pocket or cocoa in my cupboard. He conclude and knocked on the door to let me know. I thanked him with a huge heart, said I couldn't find any cocoa to show my gratitude, and explained that my husband is very sick with cancer and cannot do this kind of work, and I really appreciated his help to clear the snow from our driveway, and gave him a huge hug. What an angel!
Now this morning (Saturday), as I was preparing to make some breakfast for Nathan, there's a knock-knock on my door. I wasn't expecting anyone and if it's Papa (Tom's dad), he just comes in. It was this little angel boy's little brother, holding a shovel, asked if we needed the snow shoveled off our driveway. I hadn't even noticed it snowed last night. I told him thank you, but no, we don't this time. A few minutes later, another knock on the door. It was angel boy. I thanked him for stopping by, but he didn't need to shovel. He said he wanted to know how my husband was doing. He put in a prayer request at his church. I remember him asking "Is he better?" I said, "Oh, thank you SO much for the prayers" and explained how serious Tom's cancer is, as Nathan came to stand next to me, and I said, "and he is our little miracle." The angel boy asked for my husband's name so he can put in more prayers. What a sweetheart!! It's not everyday a young child comes to do you a favor, and then on top of that thinks of you to ask for prayers for a complete stranger, and comes back another day to see how you are doing! I truly feel touched by an angel sent by God! How amazing!
I know, I need to get angel boy's name if he stops over again. But if we get snow while we are gone in Florida, we won't be home to answer the door. Speaking of Florida, my feet are cold. Hmmm they won't be cold like this next week, I don't think. Ok, warm again.
I need to get to bed, but keep posted next week here on the blog because I will post updates on our trip and upload pictures as well.
Thank you everyone, for all of your love, support and continued prayers. Tom has been quite under the weather the last few days, more than before, but I was able to pick up his meds from the pharmacy today, so hopefully the pain will be managed better tonight for him to get some sleep.
Love,
Roxanne
Friday, January 14, 2011
What's new?
Not much is new here. Still same ol' same ol'. Well, other than Nathan really learning new words and phrases. Some of his favorites are "Nope" with an emphasis on the "p". He thinks it's funny when I ask him random things and he just keeps saying "Nope". It's sure to bring on that laughter that we love so much! He also is learning to say his own name. I ask him, "Nathan, what's your name?" He'll look at me, and I help him to say it (sometimes). He just says the "than" part, which sounds like "thin". Oh yes, he knows "me" and "mine" and uses it regularly. At 25 months now, he sure is quite the character!
Tom is still struggling with pain, on a daily basis. Since I fell carrying laundry downstairs on Saturday, we've both been to the chiro 3x this week and both of us are feeling much better! Although, keep in mind Tom's continuing pain is also due to the enlarged lymph nodes in his body. Tom's been sleeping better at night as a result of the chiro adjustments, so that is a relief. He's had quite a few visitors coming over to watch football games, and visit and just hang out. His friend Jeremy picked Tom up the other night after work, and they played a few games of pool on Jeremy's new pool table. Tom was tuckered when he got home, but he had a fun time, and I'm so glad he got to go do something fun. J came over and watched football last weekend, too. It means so much just to have someone for Tom to visit with, other than Nathan and myself. I think he's going to his friend Greg's for the Packer game this weekend.
Have you seen the tie shirt I made for Nathan with this cool Alexander Henry skull print?
So I had to post both pictures because it's just too funny how Nathan 'smiles'. He sure takes after his Auntie Suzie with goofy smiling faces when he is in front of the camera! Nathan really thought it was pretty cool Daddy and Papa had shirts just like his. He loved every minute of it!
Florida, here we come!
We are getting really excited about our upcoming trip to Florida! I reserved the rental car online. I found I had 20,000+ miles left on my old NWA worldperks account, so I was able to redeem some of those points for National car rental gift certificates, and just for fun I redeemed more points for a Sephora gift card for me to indulge in something fun. I haven't yet redeemed Sephora yet, but I will sometime.
I'll post more about our preparations getting ready for Florida in another post before we leave.
Thank you, again, everyone for your support, your kind words, your prayers, everything. We really appreciate all your love SO much! It's not easy, but we are finding something fun about every day we have together. It's all about making memories.
Luv & Hugs,
Roxanne
Yes, he thinks he can put his feet up on the table when he's done eating. Yes, I explain every time that we do not put our feet on the table. Yes, he giggles and puts them further up on the table. Little stinker!
Tom is still struggling with pain, on a daily basis. Since I fell carrying laundry downstairs on Saturday, we've both been to the chiro 3x this week and both of us are feeling much better! Although, keep in mind Tom's continuing pain is also due to the enlarged lymph nodes in his body. Tom's been sleeping better at night as a result of the chiro adjustments, so that is a relief. He's had quite a few visitors coming over to watch football games, and visit and just hang out. His friend Jeremy picked Tom up the other night after work, and they played a few games of pool on Jeremy's new pool table. Tom was tuckered when he got home, but he had a fun time, and I'm so glad he got to go do something fun. J came over and watched football last weekend, too. It means so much just to have someone for Tom to visit with, other than Nathan and myself. I think he's going to his friend Greg's for the Packer game this weekend.
Have you seen the tie shirt I made for Nathan with this cool Alexander Henry skull print?
Well, Tom thought it was so cool, he requested one. Since Tom's been loosing so much weight, I wasn't sure if he wanted a L or XL shirt, so I came home from the store with both just to make sure. How perfect, because Tom took the L and I made a matching one in XL for Papa! How flipping adorable are these Schwandt boys?!
Florida, here we come!
We are getting really excited about our upcoming trip to Florida! I reserved the rental car online. I found I had 20,000+ miles left on my old NWA worldperks account, so I was able to redeem some of those points for National car rental gift certificates, and just for fun I redeemed more points for a Sephora gift card for me to indulge in something fun. I haven't yet redeemed Sephora yet, but I will sometime.
I'll post more about our preparations getting ready for Florida in another post before we leave.
Thank you, again, everyone for your support, your kind words, your prayers, everything. We really appreciate all your love SO much! It's not easy, but we are finding something fun about every day we have together. It's all about making memories.
Luv & Hugs,
Roxanne
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Truths
Truth is....
This is tough.
This sucks.
I hate this.
Truth is...
I wish I could take it all away.
I wish he didn't have to take so many meds just to get through the day.
I wish there was a cure.
I wish Nathan knew.
I wish.
Truth is...
I am human.
I can be jealous.
I can be short-mannered.
I can be stressed.
I can be upset.
I can be sad.
I can.
Truth is...
Tonight a friend sent me a message.
A message sent from God to remind me...
To remind me to be humble.
To remind me others are in pain, too.
To remind me I'm not alone.
To remind me it's ok.
To remind me people care.
To remind me a friend can be someone you've never even met.
Thank you, God.
Thank you, Tom.
Thank you, Nathan.
Thank you, friend.
This is tough.
This sucks.
I hate this.
Truth is...
I wish I could take it all away.
I wish he didn't have to take so many meds just to get through the day.
I wish there was a cure.
I wish Nathan knew.
I wish.
Truth is...
I am human.
I can be jealous.
I can be short-mannered.
I can be stressed.
I can be upset.
I can be sad.
I can.
Truth is...
Tonight a friend sent me a message.
A message sent from God to remind me...
To remind me to be humble.
To remind me others are in pain, too.
To remind me I'm not alone.
To remind me it's ok.
To remind me people care.
To remind me a friend can be someone you've never even met.
Thank you, God.
Thank you, Tom.
Thank you, Nathan.
Thank you, friend.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
A moment in time
The past week has been difficult. Tom started the Temodar chemo pills last week. The 3rd day in he got sick, then the next 2 days no vomiting, just the dry heaves, which I think is even worse. Today he is 3 days out from the last dose and starting to do a little better. The vivid dreams keep him awake at night so much so that he doesn't feel like he got any sleep, so he naps periodically throughout the day, then again at night, he can't sleep. He moves from his bed, to the couch, to his recliner trying to get comfortable. I hate it for him. He and his dad talked about going to walk the mall or wal-mart just for something to do. I need to get them to actually go do this now. Tom is so bored, and I think that is why he cat naps all day long, there's nothing else to do. The only time the x-box has ever been on is for Nathan's requests to watch Toy Story 3 or Elmo.
It seems as time stands still sometimes, but at the same time passes by at lightening speed. Will we ever find a happy medium?
Nathan has been having a lot of fun playing with all his new birthday and Christmas toys. We go from building wooden blocks, to building mega blocks, the geo-track train, eat a snack, run errands, take a nap, do laundry, play drums, lunch, play more blocks, throw Woody and Buzz around, get a time out, take another nap (perhaps), wrestle, play hide-n-seek, play blocks, take a bath, read books and go to bed. Then! Finally! Mommy gets to work on Snuggli Bebe / rDesignStudio / My Pure Body Naturals, Facebook, blogging, flip laundry, empty the dishwasher, take out the trash, make sure Tom took his pills (happens throughout the day as well), listen to shows I DVR'd as I work on the computer, talk to friends on Facebook, and then get to bed by 1am.
I did manage to get in some sewing therapy today! I found this awesome tutorial on how to make a padded zippered laptop sleeve. I've been wanting one of these and what better way than to make it!
I also made us each a travel pillow to bring on our Florida trip. Tom's is WI Badgers with soft black minky on the back. Nathan's is Groovy Guitars with soft aqua minky on the back, and mine is an Alexander Henry print I can't remember the name of, but I love the big huge modern flowers (and it matches my laptop sleeve). I added soft black minky to the back of my pillow. The ribbon loops on Nathan's are for fun and function, like the two on each of Tom's and my pillow. I put them there so we can hook the pillows to our luggage to carry through the airport, so we don't have to hold them and drop them, etc... I know, so thoughtful of me:)
I really enjoyed sewing something super fun and something for ME/US today instead of orders. I did design a new cloth diaper for Snuggli Bebe called "The Daddy Dipe" cuz it's so easy, even Daddy can do it! :) I listed them for sale and marketed them last night, and both sold immediately, with two pre-orders! That made my night last night!
{THANK YOU ALL}
I just want to take this moment to THANK everyone for your outpouring of love, support, prayers, generosity, and for all of the encouragement. It really means SO much, I cannot even put into words. We love you all, and Thank You All!
Warmly,
Roxanne
It seems as time stands still sometimes, but at the same time passes by at lightening speed. Will we ever find a happy medium?
Nathan has been having a lot of fun playing with all his new birthday and Christmas toys. We go from building wooden blocks, to building mega blocks, the geo-track train, eat a snack, run errands, take a nap, do laundry, play drums, lunch, play more blocks, throw Woody and Buzz around, get a time out, take another nap (perhaps), wrestle, play hide-n-seek, play blocks, take a bath, read books and go to bed. Then! Finally! Mommy gets to work on Snuggli Bebe / rDesignStudio / My Pure Body Naturals, Facebook, blogging, flip laundry, empty the dishwasher, take out the trash, make sure Tom took his pills (happens throughout the day as well), listen to shows I DVR'd as I work on the computer, talk to friends on Facebook, and then get to bed by 1am.
I did manage to get in some sewing therapy today! I found this awesome tutorial on how to make a padded zippered laptop sleeve. I've been wanting one of these and what better way than to make it!
I also made us each a travel pillow to bring on our Florida trip. Tom's is WI Badgers with soft black minky on the back. Nathan's is Groovy Guitars with soft aqua minky on the back, and mine is an Alexander Henry print I can't remember the name of, but I love the big huge modern flowers (and it matches my laptop sleeve). I added soft black minky to the back of my pillow. The ribbon loops on Nathan's are for fun and function, like the two on each of Tom's and my pillow. I put them there so we can hook the pillows to our luggage to carry through the airport, so we don't have to hold them and drop them, etc... I know, so thoughtful of me:)
I really enjoyed sewing something super fun and something for ME/US today instead of orders. I did design a new cloth diaper for Snuggli Bebe called "The Daddy Dipe" cuz it's so easy, even Daddy can do it! :) I listed them for sale and marketed them last night, and both sold immediately, with two pre-orders! That made my night last night!
{THANK YOU ALL}
I just want to take this moment to THANK everyone for your outpouring of love, support, prayers, generosity, and for all of the encouragement. It really means SO much, I cannot even put into words. We love you all, and Thank You All!
Warmly,
Roxanne
Friday, December 31, 2010
A little catch-up and update on our family
It's been over 17 months since my last blog post. So much has gone on in our family in that time frame, and I know a lot of you want to know what is going on and how we are doing, especially now. So I decided to do a little quick catch-up and then try my best to keep you all better updated on our progress through this journey we are on.
Let's start with Nathan.
Well, since July last year, Nathan started crawling at 8months, walking a week before his 1st birthday and now running, jumping, climbing, and chattering up a storm at 2 years old. We've referred to Nathan as our little dude since day 1 and that he absolutely is... a Little Dude! Just 33" tall, about 23lbs, and a spitting image of his daddy! Every day he amazes us and continues to bless our lives with him here, our precious little miracle! Since I've changed computers, I don't have all of his pics on here, but here are a few to give you an idea on his fun, free-spirited, goofy, and loving little personality.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW A FLICKR PHOTOSTREAM
So what do you think? Nate sure is the little dude, right?! I just love how much he looks like his daddy, but taking on his own personality, being his own person. We tell him constantly how much we love him. He's such a loving boy, and gives the sweetest (and sometimes silly) kisses. Every night when he's ready to lay down to bed, he gives daddy nite-nite kisses.
Roxanne
Well, I've really been enjoying my time with my boys. Having lost my job after maternity leave has been difficult financially, but taking on my new job as a Work-at-home-Mom has not only been amazing, so much less stress, makes me happier, but has such amazing rewards to be able to teach Nathan things and watch him grown, learn and become a little dude. I cannot believe my baby is 2 years old!
My Snuggli Bebe boutique has grown substantially over the past few months. I've been using my Marketing and Business education and putting that to work networking with other WAHMs and bloggers. I just started a wordpress blog for Snuggli Bebe and eventually, as I learn more about WP, I will open a dot com store linked there. Some of my products have began to take presence in local parenting stores and boutiques across the country and in Canada!
Did you know I do digital design, too? I started rDesignStudio in Jan 2010, and I've really enjoyed doing birthday invites, thank yous, baby shower, bridal shower, and weddings. I've worked with 4 brides and am currently working with 2 right now. I also do business marketing like biz cards, promotional material, etc... You can see my work at www.rdesignstudio.etsy.com in both my current listings as well as sold listings. Here are a couple clients I've done recently...
CLICK HERE TO THE FLICKR PORTFOLIO PHOTOSTREAM
Tom.
I know you've all been wanting to know how Tom has been, what's all been going on, and what's to come. Tom is a fighter, a loving father and husband. Last summer he enjoyed disc golfing with his buds, hanging out for football games, including the annual super bowl party at Greg's, going to a few games, snow blowing last winter, more disc golf this past spring, all the while continuing to go to his regular check-ups for his skin cancer.
This past spring, in May, a small hard lump appeared just under the surface of his skin on his right hip side. He had it check, excised, and it came back full of melanoma. This was done at the dermatologist office. He met with his surgeon at Theda and he said he wouldn't operate until he saw a CT scan because this same hard lump had shown up in the same area last summer. Well, the CT scan did how a lymph node light up deep in his groin area where he had previous surgeries in 2005. Outpatient surgery was June 9th to remove more skin from the infected area as well as dissect the lymph node that had shown up. As a result from that surgery, the entire lymph node was unable to be removed. Tom's oncologist here referred us to a melanoma oncology specialist in Madison at the UW Health systems.
The months of June and July we spent going back and forth from Neenah to Madison, with Tom's surgery on August 20th. We met with the Oncology specialist who all he does is specialize in treating Melanoma and working on clinical trials and studies. We also met with his Oncology Surgical specialist who walked us through the CT and PET scans of Tom showing us and explaining the difficult locations of these lymph nodes. oh, three new lymph nodes had shown up after the surgery in June, by the way. So, together, the Drs had a plan and two of the top surgeons worked on Tom on Aug 20th. Surgery lasted about 4 hours. They wanted to be sure and get absolutely everything they possibly could because they knew this would be the last surgery Tom can ever have in this right groin area. The difficulty of the surgery was grand because of the location of the lymph nodes sitting right along the major artery and nerve that go down your leg, underneath 2003 hernia surgery scars, as well as all of the other previous surgery scars since 2005 in that same area. Post-op, Dr explained that once they got to the site, the lymph nodes were much larger than they had expected based on the CT scans. They melted down and removed everything they possibly could, but the likelihood that microscopic cells would be left behind was high. It is just physically and scientifically impossible to detect microscopic cells.
Pics from the White House lawn:
Unfortunately, there were microscopic cells that had remained and a CT scan 6 weeks after surgery showed they had grown enough to appear the scan. First of all, Tom had elected to take part in a clinical study at UW-Madison and the randomizer had chosen him for Arm1 (which meant surgery first, then 3 1-wk in-patient chemotherapy treatments). Arm2 would have been 1-wk chemotherapy treatment, surgery, then the last 2-wks chemo. However, since the size of the lymph nodes was so much larger than scans had depicted pre-surgery, the Drs, along with a radiation oncologist specialist for melanoma all agreed the best best step to advise us would be for treatment focused on that groin area to reduce/minimize the growth of those lymph nodes. This meant Tom would no longer be able to be a patient part of the study.
Before starting radiation, we were able to use my parent's timeshare and go to the only resort within driving distance for a week of family time, just the 3 of us. We went to Spirit Lake, Iowa. To say the least, we had fun together for the first part of the week, but the resort and surrounding tourist area was just boring as could be. It was "off-season" and nothing was open, there was nothing to do and we were stuck in a little studio condo. So we checked out early and took off headed to Minneapolis to visit my sisters! Wow, we had a WAY better and so much more fun time when we got there! There are pictures in the above flickr photostream of the Apple farm we went to one day with my sister Suzie. That was a lot of fun. Then one day we spent at the Mall of America with my sister Sasha. It was great to get away from home and spend some good quality family time together!
Shortly after returning home, Tom started 6 weeks of intense radiation the beginning of October, and concluded 6 weeks later, just before Thanksgiving. We were aware of all of the possible side effects from radiation including swelling, nausea, reduced appetite, fatigue, and sterilization. We already have our miracle baby, so we aren't concerned about trying for another baby because what is most important right now is Tom's health. Let me tell you, Tom did such a wonderful job going to radiation everyday, first patient of the day at 8am Monday thru Friday for 6 full weeks! Nathan and I joined him a few times and met the nursing staff, whom Nathan graciously showed off for, and even another patient who followed Tom's schedule gave Nathan a little Christmas pound puppy. How sweet!
It's been tough trying to figure out what to make for lunch and dinner. Since radiation, Tom's appetite has been very up and down; mostly down. After radiation, Tom had to have another CT scan and blood work down to find out where we stood now with the cancer in his body. Unfortunately, the radiation did nothing. It should have at least diminished it or inhibited growth, but the results of the CT scan actually showed more lymph nodes infected, larger in the groin area and growing up to just under his lungs. It has not surpassed the lymph system, is not in any organs or his blood stream. However, at this point, the cancer is no longer treatable by surgery, thus deeming it terminal. Average time frame we've been told is one year. That's not to say there aren't exceptions, and we are hoping and praying that Tom is above the exception. There is no cure for cancer, and we know this cancer will eventually take Tom's life, but not before we fight like hell!
The next step is to start a chemo pill, called Temodar, that he can take at home. We wanted a second opinion and to touch base with his oncologist in Madison, so we saw him Dec 17th. He agreed the next step would be Temodar. There are other intravenous chemotherapies available (administered in Eau Claire or Milwaukee), but before those are administered, a patient needs to have tried the Temodar first because they have seen good results from this drug.
Next came Christmas and we sure had fun this year!
Nathan had lots of practice ripping off wrapping paper at his birthday, so he was no stranger to ripping it off Christmas gifts! We had bought a Santa costume to have Tom's dad dress up as Santa and bring Nathan some presents on Christmas eve. It was SO much fun! Nathan liked Santa because he let him hold and ring his jingle bells. He went to show Santa some presents he had opened, but he didn't really want to sit on Santa's lap so much. It was so cute and a lot of fun! Here are a couple pictures....
Back to Tom's update.
Just yesterday, Wednesday Dec 29th, Tom had a port implanted. Since he has to have so many blood draws, IVs for scans, etc... and his veins have become so small, the nurses have a very difficult time getting in them. Tom's been poked and prodded and there's only so much any one person can take or should have to take. Since we know there are plenty more times ahead of us that he will need blood draws, scans, and possibly intravenous chemotherapy, the doctors agreed to have a port implanted. What it's called is a Power Port by BARD. Click that link to see what it looks like. The purple port is implanted just under Tom's skin in his upper left chest by his collar bone. The catheter goes into the artery there at delivers blood to the heart. All Tom will have to deal with is a teeny tiny poke thru a little skin into the port. He's healing yet, and we can't take the bandage off to change it until Saturday, but all it looks like is a bump. It's nice there isn't anything protruding hanging off his skin to deal with.
What's next?
So what's next is Tom started Temodar last night. I've written up a drug chart so we can keep track every day with what meds he needs, when he took them and make sure we keep on top of everything. The Temodar works like this... Tom takes 300mg (3 pills) every day for 5 days of a 28 day cycle. After 2 cycles, he will have a CT scan which will tell us what needs to be done next. If it shows improvement in diminishing the cancer and preventing growth, he will continue on Temodar. The drug is quite tolerable, unlike the chemo Tom had in-patient in 2005. Still, though, his appetite is very low and constantly fatigued due to the side effects from pain meds and such. I've learned some tricks from the nurses, but still I wish the doctors would give better advice on what foods to eat, to avoid, what helps, etc.... It's very difficult blindly figuring this out. Sure there are resources online, but I almost feel like I need to go to pharmacy school and nutrition school. Anyhow, if the CT scan does not show improvement from 2 cycles of Temodar, then we will explore options for intravenous chemotherapy.
Fun news!
We are very lucky to be able to be taking another family vacation between Tom's cycles of Temodar. Tom really wanted to get the heck outta dodge and this cold weather, go somewhere warm and fun for Nathan for us to make memories together. Thanks again to my parents for their timeshare points, and Thanks to my flight miles, we are taking a trip at the end of January to Florida! Kissimmee/Orlando area! Yippeee! We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Orange Lake Resort. This place is 4.5 square miles large with like 7 pools, a lazy river, a man-made beach/board walk, and a whole little town all within itself! We are SO excited for this amazing opportunity to take the most cheapest vacation EVER! My sister Sasha will be joining us for part of the vacation, so it will be nice to have her there that she can stay with Nathan while Tom and I go have a nice dinner just the two of us, or go for a little walk just the two of us. Sasha also plays cribbage, so Tom will have her to play with, cuz I just don't get that game at all! lol:) Thanks to our family for being so gracious and giving, we will be able to take Nathan to the Magic Kingdom one day. I know Tom won't be able to walk the park, even though it is the smallest park of Disney, I am fully prepared to rent him a wheelchair so he doesn't have to miss out one moment of watching Nathan's smiling face. Tom has never been to the state of Florida, so he has no clue what's in store for him, and I know he is going to love it. The crowd, maybe not so much, but just the magic of Disney and seeing Nathan enjoying his favorite characters will be a gift in itself. Can you tell I am excited!
Thanks.
Thank you all for your patience, kind words, support and love. I know this post was lengthy, with lots to update, and I know I'm forgetting something, but I think you get the gist of what The Schwandt's have been up to the past 17 months.
I do plan on coming back to post updates on us and Tom's situation as time permits. I am a busy mom and wife these days, so my time blogging and working my hobbies/business all happens during nap time or after bedtime.
We greatly appreciate all of your prayers, for adding us to prayer chains at your churches, and passing along to other friends to include us in their prayers. We know our good Lord works in mysterious ways and we have proof of the miracles He performs, so we are praying for a miracle for Tom. Please pray for his well-being, tolerance, and quality of life.
Much Love,
Roxanne
Let's start with Nathan.
Well, since July last year, Nathan started crawling at 8months, walking a week before his 1st birthday and now running, jumping, climbing, and chattering up a storm at 2 years old. We've referred to Nathan as our little dude since day 1 and that he absolutely is... a Little Dude! Just 33" tall, about 23lbs, and a spitting image of his daddy! Every day he amazes us and continues to bless our lives with him here, our precious little miracle! Since I've changed computers, I don't have all of his pics on here, but here are a few to give you an idea on his fun, free-spirited, goofy, and loving little personality.
So what do you think? Nate sure is the little dude, right?! I just love how much he looks like his daddy, but taking on his own personality, being his own person. We tell him constantly how much we love him. He's such a loving boy, and gives the sweetest (and sometimes silly) kisses. Every night when he's ready to lay down to bed, he gives daddy nite-nite kisses.
Roxanne
Well, I've really been enjoying my time with my boys. Having lost my job after maternity leave has been difficult financially, but taking on my new job as a Work-at-home-Mom has not only been amazing, so much less stress, makes me happier, but has such amazing rewards to be able to teach Nathan things and watch him grown, learn and become a little dude. I cannot believe my baby is 2 years old!
My Snuggli Bebe boutique has grown substantially over the past few months. I've been using my Marketing and Business education and putting that to work networking with other WAHMs and bloggers. I just started a wordpress blog for Snuggli Bebe and eventually, as I learn more about WP, I will open a dot com store linked there. Some of my products have began to take presence in local parenting stores and boutiques across the country and in Canada!
Did you know I do digital design, too? I started rDesignStudio in Jan 2010, and I've really enjoyed doing birthday invites, thank yous, baby shower, bridal shower, and weddings. I've worked with 4 brides and am currently working with 2 right now. I also do business marketing like biz cards, promotional material, etc... You can see my work at www.rdesignstudio.etsy.com in both my current listings as well as sold listings. Here are a couple clients I've done recently...
CLICK HERE TO THE FLICKR PORTFOLIO PHOTOSTREAM
Tom.
I know you've all been wanting to know how Tom has been, what's all been going on, and what's to come. Tom is a fighter, a loving father and husband. Last summer he enjoyed disc golfing with his buds, hanging out for football games, including the annual super bowl party at Greg's, going to a few games, snow blowing last winter, more disc golf this past spring, all the while continuing to go to his regular check-ups for his skin cancer.
This past spring, in May, a small hard lump appeared just under the surface of his skin on his right hip side. He had it check, excised, and it came back full of melanoma. This was done at the dermatologist office. He met with his surgeon at Theda and he said he wouldn't operate until he saw a CT scan because this same hard lump had shown up in the same area last summer. Well, the CT scan did how a lymph node light up deep in his groin area where he had previous surgeries in 2005. Outpatient surgery was June 9th to remove more skin from the infected area as well as dissect the lymph node that had shown up. As a result from that surgery, the entire lymph node was unable to be removed. Tom's oncologist here referred us to a melanoma oncology specialist in Madison at the UW Health systems.
The months of June and July we spent going back and forth from Neenah to Madison, with Tom's surgery on August 20th. We met with the Oncology specialist who all he does is specialize in treating Melanoma and working on clinical trials and studies. We also met with his Oncology Surgical specialist who walked us through the CT and PET scans of Tom showing us and explaining the difficult locations of these lymph nodes. oh, three new lymph nodes had shown up after the surgery in June, by the way. So, together, the Drs had a plan and two of the top surgeons worked on Tom on Aug 20th. Surgery lasted about 4 hours. They wanted to be sure and get absolutely everything they possibly could because they knew this would be the last surgery Tom can ever have in this right groin area. The difficulty of the surgery was grand because of the location of the lymph nodes sitting right along the major artery and nerve that go down your leg, underneath 2003 hernia surgery scars, as well as all of the other previous surgery scars since 2005 in that same area. Post-op, Dr explained that once they got to the site, the lymph nodes were much larger than they had expected based on the CT scans. They melted down and removed everything they possibly could, but the likelihood that microscopic cells would be left behind was high. It is just physically and scientifically impossible to detect microscopic cells.
Pics from the White House lawn:
Unfortunately, there were microscopic cells that had remained and a CT scan 6 weeks after surgery showed they had grown enough to appear the scan. First of all, Tom had elected to take part in a clinical study at UW-Madison and the randomizer had chosen him for Arm1 (which meant surgery first, then 3 1-wk in-patient chemotherapy treatments). Arm2 would have been 1-wk chemotherapy treatment, surgery, then the last 2-wks chemo. However, since the size of the lymph nodes was so much larger than scans had depicted pre-surgery, the Drs, along with a radiation oncologist specialist for melanoma all agreed the best best step to advise us would be for treatment focused on that groin area to reduce/minimize the growth of those lymph nodes. This meant Tom would no longer be able to be a patient part of the study.
 |
| Schwandt Family Sept 2010 |
Before starting radiation, we were able to use my parent's timeshare and go to the only resort within driving distance for a week of family time, just the 3 of us. We went to Spirit Lake, Iowa. To say the least, we had fun together for the first part of the week, but the resort and surrounding tourist area was just boring as could be. It was "off-season" and nothing was open, there was nothing to do and we were stuck in a little studio condo. So we checked out early and took off headed to Minneapolis to visit my sisters! Wow, we had a WAY better and so much more fun time when we got there! There are pictures in the above flickr photostream of the Apple farm we went to one day with my sister Suzie. That was a lot of fun. Then one day we spent at the Mall of America with my sister Sasha. It was great to get away from home and spend some good quality family time together!
Shortly after returning home, Tom started 6 weeks of intense radiation the beginning of October, and concluded 6 weeks later, just before Thanksgiving. We were aware of all of the possible side effects from radiation including swelling, nausea, reduced appetite, fatigue, and sterilization. We already have our miracle baby, so we aren't concerned about trying for another baby because what is most important right now is Tom's health. Let me tell you, Tom did such a wonderful job going to radiation everyday, first patient of the day at 8am Monday thru Friday for 6 full weeks! Nathan and I joined him a few times and met the nursing staff, whom Nathan graciously showed off for, and even another patient who followed Tom's schedule gave Nathan a little Christmas pound puppy. How sweet!
It's been tough trying to figure out what to make for lunch and dinner. Since radiation, Tom's appetite has been very up and down; mostly down. After radiation, Tom had to have another CT scan and blood work down to find out where we stood now with the cancer in his body. Unfortunately, the radiation did nothing. It should have at least diminished it or inhibited growth, but the results of the CT scan actually showed more lymph nodes infected, larger in the groin area and growing up to just under his lungs. It has not surpassed the lymph system, is not in any organs or his blood stream. However, at this point, the cancer is no longer treatable by surgery, thus deeming it terminal. Average time frame we've been told is one year. That's not to say there aren't exceptions, and we are hoping and praying that Tom is above the exception. There is no cure for cancer, and we know this cancer will eventually take Tom's life, but not before we fight like hell!
The next step is to start a chemo pill, called Temodar, that he can take at home. We wanted a second opinion and to touch base with his oncologist in Madison, so we saw him Dec 17th. He agreed the next step would be Temodar. There are other intravenous chemotherapies available (administered in Eau Claire or Milwaukee), but before those are administered, a patient needs to have tried the Temodar first because they have seen good results from this drug.
Next came Christmas and we sure had fun this year!
Nathan had lots of practice ripping off wrapping paper at his birthday, so he was no stranger to ripping it off Christmas gifts! We had bought a Santa costume to have Tom's dad dress up as Santa and bring Nathan some presents on Christmas eve. It was SO much fun! Nathan liked Santa because he let him hold and ring his jingle bells. He went to show Santa some presents he had opened, but he didn't really want to sit on Santa's lap so much. It was so cute and a lot of fun! Here are a couple pictures....
Back to Tom's update.
Just yesterday, Wednesday Dec 29th, Tom had a port implanted. Since he has to have so many blood draws, IVs for scans, etc... and his veins have become so small, the nurses have a very difficult time getting in them. Tom's been poked and prodded and there's only so much any one person can take or should have to take. Since we know there are plenty more times ahead of us that he will need blood draws, scans, and possibly intravenous chemotherapy, the doctors agreed to have a port implanted. What it's called is a Power Port by BARD. Click that link to see what it looks like. The purple port is implanted just under Tom's skin in his upper left chest by his collar bone. The catheter goes into the artery there at delivers blood to the heart. All Tom will have to deal with is a teeny tiny poke thru a little skin into the port. He's healing yet, and we can't take the bandage off to change it until Saturday, but all it looks like is a bump. It's nice there isn't anything protruding hanging off his skin to deal with.
What's next?
So what's next is Tom started Temodar last night. I've written up a drug chart so we can keep track every day with what meds he needs, when he took them and make sure we keep on top of everything. The Temodar works like this... Tom takes 300mg (3 pills) every day for 5 days of a 28 day cycle. After 2 cycles, he will have a CT scan which will tell us what needs to be done next. If it shows improvement in diminishing the cancer and preventing growth, he will continue on Temodar. The drug is quite tolerable, unlike the chemo Tom had in-patient in 2005. Still, though, his appetite is very low and constantly fatigued due to the side effects from pain meds and such. I've learned some tricks from the nurses, but still I wish the doctors would give better advice on what foods to eat, to avoid, what helps, etc.... It's very difficult blindly figuring this out. Sure there are resources online, but I almost feel like I need to go to pharmacy school and nutrition school. Anyhow, if the CT scan does not show improvement from 2 cycles of Temodar, then we will explore options for intravenous chemotherapy.
Fun news!
We are very lucky to be able to be taking another family vacation between Tom's cycles of Temodar. Tom really wanted to get the heck outta dodge and this cold weather, go somewhere warm and fun for Nathan for us to make memories together. Thanks again to my parents for their timeshare points, and Thanks to my flight miles, we are taking a trip at the end of January to Florida! Kissimmee/Orlando area! Yippeee! We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Orange Lake Resort. This place is 4.5 square miles large with like 7 pools, a lazy river, a man-made beach/board walk, and a whole little town all within itself! We are SO excited for this amazing opportunity to take the most cheapest vacation EVER! My sister Sasha will be joining us for part of the vacation, so it will be nice to have her there that she can stay with Nathan while Tom and I go have a nice dinner just the two of us, or go for a little walk just the two of us. Sasha also plays cribbage, so Tom will have her to play with, cuz I just don't get that game at all! lol:) Thanks to our family for being so gracious and giving, we will be able to take Nathan to the Magic Kingdom one day. I know Tom won't be able to walk the park, even though it is the smallest park of Disney, I am fully prepared to rent him a wheelchair so he doesn't have to miss out one moment of watching Nathan's smiling face. Tom has never been to the state of Florida, so he has no clue what's in store for him, and I know he is going to love it. The crowd, maybe not so much, but just the magic of Disney and seeing Nathan enjoying his favorite characters will be a gift in itself. Can you tell I am excited!
Thanks.
Thank you all for your patience, kind words, support and love. I know this post was lengthy, with lots to update, and I know I'm forgetting something, but I think you get the gist of what The Schwandt's have been up to the past 17 months.
I do plan on coming back to post updates on us and Tom's situation as time permits. I am a busy mom and wife these days, so my time blogging and working my hobbies/business all happens during nap time or after bedtime.
We greatly appreciate all of your prayers, for adding us to prayer chains at your churches, and passing along to other friends to include us in their prayers. We know our good Lord works in mysterious ways and we have proof of the miracles He performs, so we are praying for a miracle for Tom. Please pray for his well-being, tolerance, and quality of life.
Much Love,
Roxanne
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)