Shayla has peach fuzz!!

Yes, believe it, the hair really is growing back! If you look at her with the light you can see a soft glow of fuzz just above her skin. I think her hair follicles are a bit excited after such a long period of induced coma! There are tiny bumps all over Shayla's head now where I think those follicles are waking up and saying, "hey, there's something ready to sprout here." Anyway, it is fun to see. She has 'teeny-tiny' eyelashes and her brows are growning darker and longer.

Today she had a fitting for her 'permanent' obterator base form. It is shiny and silver. Now the dentist will ship it off to the obterator-makers and they will put the acrylic over it and attach 2 teeth where the two permanent molars were pulled as part of her tumor removal surgery. By Christmas she should have her two BACK teeth again.

Oh, one last thing, Shayla got to meet Glenn Beck today, too. We shook his hand and he signed his book for us (and a gazillion other people in one hour's time!) So now she can send him a signed copy of the calendar and they can both can say they know someone famous. :-)

p.s. I am told the calendars come out next week!

What to Feel?

Life is a journey...DIG IT!

Wow what a journey it has been. I can't believe it's finally over. I'm so glad and happy. I could cry! When i finished i had never felt so happy in my life, i felt like i had everything i could possibly want...besides a horse of course. I feel like my old self for the most part, my shoulder is sore from the surgery but hey i don't need lovenox in a couple of months.

Now everyone might be thinking "is she back in school"? OF COURSE I AM! when i can go that is and not feel like a freaking zombie the next day! No i haven't started seminary reagularly but i did go once. BIG mistake. i think i slept till noon the day after, from that and a full day of school. so that would be from 6:30-2:30. for those of you who don't know what seminary is, it is a class that my church teaches, about the Book of Mormon and the Bible.

i don't exactly like being behind in school so that makes it hard for me to work to catch up. especially when i have other things more important on my mind.

it's 11:00 so i got to go to bed loves to all

XOXO
shayla

P.S. wow that was the longest one i've ever posted i think

Shayla is PORT-LESS!

It is 11:23 am (MST) and Dr. Adrian Curnow just visited with me. Shayla's port is out and all is well! The surgery took about 1/2 an hour for removal. I know, I know, it is almost 2 1/2 hours after the surgery time I wrote about last night. Well, WE WERE HERE at 7:00 am! Dr. Curnow didn't come in to Shayla's pre-op room until almost 10:30, so he got a late start (and we were his first scheduled surgery for the day!). I was told he had an emergency in the PICU, so we will forgive the lateness.

This time was soooo much different! Shayla was chatting with the nurses, Child Life specialist and the anesthesiologist and laughing; happy. Today's surgery closes a very large chapter in Shayla's life; and I saw the file--no kidding, it is about 10 inches thick!!!!! Lucky for those of you reading this blog, you get the "condensed" version for easy reading! I think the blog is more interesting reading than a medical file anyway!

Building Bears and Visiting with Santa

Last night (Wednesday, December 3rd)Shayla was able to go to Build-A-Bear and create another loveable plush as a gift from the company's CEO to Make-A-Wish kids here in the Boise area. Very nice, classy lady! Thanks Toreen! Three of Shayla's younger sisters came along to be a part of the excitement and they were ANGELS! Of course, I threatened them with the wrath of Mom if they should complain. Besides, we did get to see the REAL Santa Claus and he gave us all a cookie and candy cane--Mrs. Claus must have made the cookies, they were soft and chewy oatmeal raisin!

As you look at the pictures you will see that I failed to take an all important picture of Shayla with her finished created companion! I will have to get that one tomorrow before surgery if she lets me. I can tell you it is a cute floppy-eared dog she named "Angel".

It was great to be able to visit with some of the parents we have become acquainted with because of the cancer, and see that there are many fighting this monster together! It just makes me sad to see so many little ones going through such a tough time! The sibs, too are having a rough time of it and it is sometimes harder when the cancer-stricken child is getting lots of gifts and attention and they get nothing.

I had explained to Chelen that she was not to ask for a stuffed toy of her own, that Shayla was getting this because of the hard time cancer has been for her, etc. Later, when Mariah started to whine, just a little, Chelen repeated to her what I had said earlier. She gets it. Maybe doesn't like the idea at all, but Chelen gets that cancer is far worse than not getting a stuffed Build-A-Bear. Mariah and Elloryn, on the other hand...well in Elloryn's case at least, let's just say that Two is a hard age already and being in the stuffed bear store and not allowed to take a bear home like all the other kids she sees, well that just is more injustice than one little girl can handle. Luckily she had her melt-down, throw herself down on the floor and wail episode as we were finishing up with the store clerk!

Lucky for Elloryn Santa was way down at the other end of the mall (at least a half-mile walk, no kidding!), he may know when we are 'bad or good', but he also knows when it's just too much to deal with anymore.

I remember many days like that. Too much to handle. No more today, Lord, please. I said that occasionally. Now I look back and realize I truly had it easy. How much did HE carry for me so I could breathe a little bit? I am afraid to find out when I meet Him at His throne. I am thankful He is willing to, and already has compensated for my weaknesses in spirit as well as body.

Shayla is getting 'unplugged'!

In less than 6 hours from now I will be taking Shayla to St. Luke's again for surgery. This time it is to be celebrated: The portacath is coming out!! Dr. Curnow's office called late this morning to tell us a cancellation came up, which made the way for Shayla's surgery to take place. Did we want the slot? DUH! Of course! I didn't even wait to ask Shayla when she got home from school or wake Jase to find out what he thought. This is a 'no brainer'. The sooner we get the port out, the sooner she can stop the twice daily belly injections of Lovenox to prevent more blood clots!

So, we check in at 7:00 a.m. and the surgery is scheduled for 9:00. We should be home around lunch time.

Calendars are ready for orders!

Okay, so you have been waiting on the edge of your seat for the calendars, and now you can finally get your TWELVE-MONTH calendar for only TEN DOLLARS!! What a deal, that is less than a dollar a month! PLUS, you get to have some great pictures of Shayla and the other Courageous Cancer Kidz hanging on your wall for a whole year. So how do you get one? Easy, just fill out the order form and send in your check to Roni Reed (her name is at the bottom of the order form along with necessary tax id and foundation info). Roni is the founder of the organization. If you want to order, or want to help spread the word, EMAIL ME! and I will forward the form needed.

I have been waiting for the photographer to get back to me so I could post the nice pictures on the blog, but I haven't heard back, so I copied Camille's idea and took digital pics of the photos on my monitor as it went through the slide show! That's why they are a bit on the blurry side. However, it gives you an idea of what you will see on the calendars. They are all black and white photos of the kids.

Thanks!