Squash the Opposition

Today we went to a pumpkin farm in Half Moon Bay with the Gamitians.  We saw some goats, rode on a train, and picked up some pumpkins!

Goat Cheese?

Punkin Chunkin!...

Finally, We've Picked Up a First Down

This morning I had a PET/CT scan to evaluate the effects of the radiation and see if there was any new activity outside of the radiation field.  The doctor just called with a preliminary report; although the radiation area is still showing positive PET activity, that is considered ok, as it takes much longer than 2 weeks to eliminate it.  There are some active nodes popping up in my lungs, but they have been on previous scans and haven't progressed.  So.....we're proceeding with the transplant as planned.  I'll be admitted to the hospital on Tuesday for a shiny new catheter and then 5 days of chemo, a day of rest, and then transplant!  Leah will start her shots on Friday and donate on Tuesday.

J'Nicholas, Our Little Lineman

1 Year Checkup Stats:

Weight:  27lbs 1oz

Height:  32 in

Skill & Intellect:  Genius :)  

How much do I weigh, Doc?

I just had a big snack, please keep that in mind....

Goal Celebration

This weekend we headed to Napa to celebrate Gary Gamitian's 40th birthday!  It was a wonderfully fun time, and although not as relaxing as it once was since we were chasing Nicholas around a lot, it was so nice to get away.  Nicholas had fun exploring the hotel room, a couple of wineries, and the pool!  And Jonathan and I especially enjoyed a night out on Saturday without our little guy (who was lucky enough to hang with a golden retriever instead, so we didn't feel badly for him!).  Thank you so much to Lisa and Gary for a very special time!

There was a not-so-little poopy issue on the way up to Napa on Friday :)

Loving the water feature at Odette Estate

Enjoying a chocolate-covered cookie

Talking to a server at Alexis Baking Company, a fabulous breakfast place we discovered in downtown Napa

Querido Tio Freddy, I like your Venezuelan food a lot!  Here I am digging into my first Arepa, que delicioso!

I blew threw two arepas!  Ay yi yi!  

These are the Days

Thanks to Catherine for this hand-made super cool 1 year old shirt!

Nicholas has no idea it's his birthday today.  He's received new toys, cards, so many hugs and kisses, and a "couple" of cupcakes....but is clueless!  For me, on the other hand....it feels like it's my birthday today.  And I think Jonathan feels the same.  I wonder if September 21st will always feel like this, or is numero uno especially magical?  In any event, we are celebrating here in the Mullinix house.  Mommy got a mani/pedi, Daddy got a new phone, and Nicholas will have the Susie Cakes seasonal special cupcake (Salted Caramel Apple ) for snack!  

We are celebrating, to be sure.  I love that little baby in the top picture so, so much.  And I l-o-v-e the little boy that he's become down below.  Little babies are so soft and sweet, but little Nicholas is now so FUN (and smart, have I mentioned that he's a genius?)!  We are blessed and lucky to have made it through one year together and to have this great family.  This was how it was meant to be and while the road may sometimes be bumpy, we are happy.  Our dreams came true with Nicholas.

Nicholas likes to carry stuff right now.  Like big things that he can barely manage, but he corrals the item(s) into his little hands and marches with purpose.  It reminded me of a song, which I think is an appropriate closer for his big birthday blog post:

"My wish for youIs that this life becomes all that you want it toYour dreams stay big, your worries stay smallYou never need to carry more than you can hold"
- Rascal Flatts, My Wish

The DL

Today was my fourth day of radiation.  I feel like each one has been harder than the last, in that each day the time on the table seems longer and the back of my head hurts sooner.  Tomorrow is the last scheduled day and hopefully I'll be experiencing the (good) side effects soon.

After today's radiation, I had an appointment with my oncologist.  Per usual, there was lots of waiting, which inspired this Clint Eastwood style vignette :)

During the appointment, we discussed how my lymphoma symptoms are making a reappearance (shortness of breath, coughing, night sweats).  The hope is that these symptoms, along with much of the disease activity, will be diminished as a result of radiation.  In the meantime, the doctor prescribed some Prednisone, which will hopefully help with my current symptoms.  I'll take the first dose in the morning so that I'm not awake all night!  I'll have another scan sometime next week to check out how radiation worked.

If the scan results are "good" (reduced disease), then I'd probably go straight to transplant on October 2nd.  If there isn't enough reduction, I'd probably have a modified MOPP (chemo) regimen.  We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

This past weekend, Jonathan's brothers were here for a visit.  We watched football, shot some hoops, and rode on a carousel.  

Nicholas' sideline seat

Gracias Tio y Tia!

It is really, really hard to get a good picture on a horse that goes up and down and
a carousel that goes round and round!

To conclude, I've titled this post what it is because I am now officially considered disabled by the Social Security Administration.  Not for long, suckas!  

Advancing the Ball

Happy National Chocolate Milkshake Day!

I celebrated.

(Thanks to Catherine Scott Martin for calling attention to this totally absurd holiday!)

After a personal blowout celebrating NCMD, I headed off to my first radiation treatment.  I was there for about an hour -- and the first 20 minutes were spent in the waiting room!  To receive the radiation, I lay on a hard, flat table for 20 minutes while a machine circled around me.  There weren't any visible beams, so it is really unimaginable that this machine, that didn't even touch my body, can so certainly kill cancer cells.  I guess I'm a pretty sensory driven person.  I think I expected to see flashing beams of light hitting me.  Anyway, thus far, I feel the same. As usual, I'll be looking forward to a side effect or two just to "prove" to me that the treatment is working.  I'll be heading back to UCSF tomorrow afternoon for round 2!  

Thanks to Jonathan for stealthily snapping this pic while being escorted out of the room!

Time Wasting & Tattoos

Since Nicholas' team isn't playing until Monday, we went to the beach today.  Whilst sitting there, I realized that it's been a year - possibly to the day! - since we last enjoyed Ocean Beach.  Jonathan and I went for a walk there at the very end of my pregnancy, thinking that perhaps this might encourage our little person to come join us in the world.

So, we were very excited to actually bring our little person!  We were even more thrilled that Nicholas loved everything about the beach....the sand under his toes (and up his shorts, in his eyes, and on his turkey sandwich!), the seagulls that zeroed in on our blanket looking for lunch crumbs, and the dogs playing in the cold Pacific waters.  It was a really windy day, which made our attempt to picnic quite challenging.  Nonetheless, we all had a fantastic time!

After insurance gave the pre-auth last week for radiation, I went in for a prep CT Scan.  I left with three new tattoos.  3 little dots - one on my chest, and two a couple inches under my each of my armpits.  A snapshot of my chest is over there -->.  The dot is actually in the middle of the purple X.  There has been a saran-type of adhesive cover on each of the three spots since Thursday.  It's actually really itchy and I'm not sure of the exact purpose.  I think it may be to keep the purple marker from washing off before my first radiation appointment??  In any event, Nicholas has now become even more interested in my chest, which had become a source of intrigue for him even before I got inked up!  

I was relieved that the tattoo machine didn't sound like a dental drill like I've seen on tv!  In fact, it wasn't electrically powered at all, or really even a machine.  The tech applied some ink to my skin and then stuck a needle in by hand!  I think it was a big needle, because it hurt, but it was only a couple seconds.  So that's over and I'll have my first radiation appointment on Wednesday.  The acute side effect is fatigue, followed by a sore throat perhaps and some difficulty swallowing.  We'll see...  

Substitution

Over Labor Day Weekend, we had an early cake and balloons celebration in anticipation of Nicholas' big day! He enjoyed the cake, but really LOVED the balloons.  One thing I learned was to wait to blow up the balloons until he's asleep, it was really hard when he was right at my feet!  (Mom and Kathy, after you hit play, click on the open square on the bottom right of the video to view full screen...much better that way!) :)

Re. my treatment schedule, I just heard today that insurance finally granted the pre-approval for radiation, so tomorrow I'll go in for a preparatory CT scan.

Man in Motion

Today Leah & Freddy, Kerry, and Nanny B. headed back to where they came from.  Nicholas spent the afternoon helping Nanny clean her place before taking her to the airport!

Bye Week

We had lunch at the Cliff House yesterday after picking up Kerry from the airport.  It was pretty foggy so it's hard to see that there is actually a beach out there behind us!

(We think Nicholas is being a little dramatic about his recent cold)