Our Hilarious Taylor!

Taylor has been cracking us up lately with the things that she says and does. She is so vocal and, being a 3 year old, says anything that is on her mind! For the past couple of months, I've been quickly typing in the things that she says on my phone, and I've accumulated quite a bit of interesting quotes to share!

This is how she came into our room one morning: completely naked except for her princess dress up clothes. Note her trademark sock gloves.

The famous "guilty" picture... she cut off a piece of her own hair while pretending to be Rapunzel. Luckily, she cut off about 2 inches in the front so it just looks like she grew out some bangs!

 Quotes and Conversations:

-"Hey Dada, I like your eyeballs!"
-"I smelled the candle too hard and it stopped. It was an accident." (She blows out of her nose instead of in to smell things!)
-"Hey mama, I think that maybe I should turn into a donkey."
-"Mommy, when you get smaller and smaller and I get bigger and bigger, I will take you shopping and put you in the shopping cart so we can buy a warm popcorn maker." (instead of the hot popcorn maker that she isn't allowed to touch)
-"When I turn into an airplane, I will have wings and I will fly to Baltimore."
-"This is the hardest thing I will ever have to do." (reach for a candle)
-"Ohhhh mama, this room is gorgeous!" (the utility room in the basement)
-"Hey mom, I tried to put my underwear on my nose but it wouldn't stay. Isn't that terrible?"
-"Mom, when I get bigger and bigger, I would like to touch that popcorn maker. And also, a butt."
-"I hope that there are no mean kings at Maddy's doctor appointment."
-"Hi mom! I'm Diego and I have saliva!"
-"Great, now I can go fall in love with my baby sister."
-"Here mom, I will close the gate so that no mean puppies come up to our bedrooms."
-"Hey mommy, you are a stinky guy. You better go take a shower."
-"Here mom, I will hold on to your shirt so that it won't fall off."

-(smoke detector beeps once)
Taylor: "What was that?"
Me: "Oh just the smoke detector."
T: It only beeped once! That was weird. (shouts) Hey smoke detector! What was that all about? (pause) Oh, he said he was just checking on us! Thanks, smoke detector!

-T: "Hey mommy, did Jesus make the snow?"
M: "Well, Jesus did help."
T: "Wow! That was so nice of him! Thanks Jesus! I really like that guy!"

-T: "Dada, will you please unbuckle my pants?"
D: "Why??"
T: "Because I ate too much."

-T: (crying) "Mommy, Gianna hurt me!"
Me and Erica: "What happened? What did she do?"
T: "She broke my heart."

5 Months Old, Valentine's Day, and Updates!

I have a feeling that most of my blog posts for the next 3 months are going to have the following themes: about 2-3 weeks behind, multiple updates at one time, as many pictures as possible thrown in, and slightly rushed! Such is life for a working mom! Anyway, here are some Pavelka updates: 

5 Months Old! 
Madelyn is 5 months old now! She is truly the happiest baby ever. She is constantly smiling and is extremely social. She is very close to rolling from her back to her tummy - she just needs to figure out how what to do with her arms! But she does get around - she has been waking up on the opposite side of the crib, or completely flipped around from how I placed her. She loves standing while holding our fingers, and sits up with assistance. She also laughs and giggles often, which we love! When she gets really happy, she kicks her feet frantically. She loves music and playing with mommy's hair, and watching her sister do anything! She sleeps through the night, still getting up around 3am for a quick feeding. Maddy has tried rice cereal and oatmeal, and we are going to try some veggies very soon! She is such a fun, easy-going, delightful baby! 
Her hydronephrosis is still in check, and the surgery date is still scheduled for April 9th. Dr. Smith continues to assure me that it is a procedure that babies do very well with. 

Eating cereal!

I love cuddling with my daddy!

Good morning, mommy!

I've learned to move around... this was the opposite way that mommy put me down for my nap!

Princess Madelyn! The first of many times that Taylor will play dress up with her little sister!

 
Valentine's Day
For Valentine's Day, we made a valentine-themed treasure hunt for Taylor, which was super fun. We laid out several paper hearts that had something that we love about her written on each one. At the end of the hunt was a Repunzel backpack filled with Repunzel items (thank you, Walgreens clearance section!). She has been obsessed with the movie "Tangled" and so she was very excited when she reached the end of the hunt! 

Excited and surprised!

Reading some of her hearts

"Snow" Much Fun!We were so excited to finally get some snow... well, Taylor was at least! She finally got to build her first snowman with her friend Evelyn! 

...And this is what spending the day in the snow will do!

 


Other Updates
Sam has begun chemo again, and is doing fairly well. He is done with round one, so 25%! May 13th is the estimated end date. We can't wait!
Finally, I know I have said it before, but I am so behind on phone calls, emails, texts, etc., especially now that I'm back to work, so thank you for your patience! I promise I will get back to everyone!
Thank you again to everyone for your continued support. We would not have been able to get through this without you.

Cinderella's Ball, and Other Updates!

Cinderella's Ball
On February 7th, Sam and Taylor were able to attend Cinderella's Ball together at the park district. It was a double date with our friend Ross and his daughter Maya, and they met up with Jeff and Serena from our neighborhood as well. Sam was so happy to be able to go (my brother Eric was on standby just in case he wasn't feeling up to it!)! Sam said that the girls had a blast eating and putting balloons on a large vent and watching them stick. They got to meet Cinderella too! Apparently there was very little actual dancing, but they had a blast anyway! Sam did say that he witnessed Taylor walk up to a table and lick the frosting off of someone's cupcake... looks like we have to reinforce some table manners (and have a talk about germs, too!).

Getting ready for their date!

Meeting Cinderella!

So happy with her princess crown!

Taylor with her friends Maya and Serena (sorry Tonya, I stole your pic!)

Dancing queens!

Sam Update: 
Sam is completely off of pain medication, after almost 3 weeks of weaning and painful withdrawals. He will begin chemo on Friday, and he will head to Baltimore in March for a few nights for some check-ups and a minor surgery to remove the filter in his leg.

Maddy Update: 
Madelyn's last ultrasound showed no change in the size of her kidney. Her doctor has scheduled her surgery for April 9th. I will be bringing her in every couple of weeks for an ultrasound to monitor her kidney prior to the surgery.

Happy at daycare! (Sorry Erica, stole your pic too!)

Other Updates: 
I have gone back to work! The transition was tough, but I will say it is nice to have the distraction, and to be up and showered before noon! Now if we can only add about 5 more hours to the day, I'd be set... :)
Taylor has begun a behavior chart at home, as well as a chore chart, and a potty chart. We are trying to enforce rules a little bit more, as she has begun to challenge us a little bit more lately! We are STILL having trouble potty training her, which has been one of the most frustrating things! She has been in potty trained with #1 since before she was two, but she still waits until she has a pull-up on at night to go #2, which then keeps her awake longer and gives me twice as much work to do when putting her to bed.
We did have a very interesting night the other night though. My Aunt Maureen was babysitting for us, and when we came home, we realized that Taylor had pooped in her pants, dumped it in the master bathroom potty, wiped herself down with a towel, changed into new pants, and then went back to bed! There was very little mess, too, just a few spots on her bed and on the floor. I'm still dumbfounded as to how these events went down! So, I'm not sure if we can count that as making progress or not?!?

Overall, things are very hectic at home right now, but there is light at the end of the tunnel!

4 Months Old!

Madelyn is now 4 months old! She continues to be the most easy-going baby ever. She is sleeping very well, usually falling asleep around 8:30pm and sleeping until 7:30am, sometimes waking up at around 3:00am for a quick feeding. She tried cereal for the first time a couple of days ago, and she loves it! We've been giving it to her once a day, and plan to add a serving of oatmeal soon. She can roll from her tummy to her back, and is very close to rolling from her back to her tummy. She found her feet the other day, and she loves playing with them! She absolutely LOVES her sister - she lights up whenever she hears Taylor's voice, and smiles at whatever she does! Here is an update of her stats:

Height: 26 inches (96%)
Weight: 14 lb. 5 oz. (66%)
Head Circumference: 41.9 cm (76%)
Clothing size: 6 months
Diaper size: 2

Maddy likes...
Playing with her hands, putting her fingers in her mouth, grabbing mommy's hair, reaching for a toy, cooing and babbling, laughing at daddy when he "raps", tummy time, standing on someone's lap, sitting with assistance, watching and listening to her sister, rolling over, smiling at anyone who talks to her, sleeping, feeling new and different textures, "talking" to people, eating cereal, splashing in the bathtub, hearing music, listening to people singing, cuddling.

Maddy dislikes...
Sudden noises, being hungry, being overtired, scratching her face (which she does all of the time and doesn't realize what's happening), getting her nails trimmed.

Update on Maddy's kidney condition (hydronephrosis): 
We spoke with Maddy's urologist, Dr. Smith, the other day, and despite what he told me at last week's appointment, he still wants to try and wait until Maddy is 6 months old to do her surgery. I guess that, after 6 months, the chances are more likely that they will be able to do the procedure through her ureter, without making an incision. So Dr. Smith is going to schedule the surgery for early April, but will monitor her every 3 weeks until that point. If he feels that her condition gets worse quickly, he will intervene and do the surgery right away. So, MORE waiting! We are getting frustrated with the urgency, followed by the waiting, but we do trust that Dr. Smith is making the right decision for her.

She loved bundling up and going for a walk

Getting ready for her first solid food feeding!

Ready to eat!

Yum!

Taylor was a very helpful big sister and gave Maddy her first serving of rice cereal. She missed her mouth a couple of times, but did a great job overall!

Looking at her toys during tummy time!

Relay for Life, Sam & Maddy Update

Madelyn
This morning, Maddy and I went to see Dr. Smith, her pediatric urologist, for a checkup and ultrasound. I had secretly been hoping that the ultrasound would show that her kidney had magically repaired itself, but unfortunately, the results were the opposite of what we had wanted. Her kidney is now at 55mm - about triple the size of her right kidney - and now her ureter has become enlarged as well. Yesterday, she was crying in pain for about 30 second, and then urinated and stopped crying, so we are thinking that it is beginning to be painful for her as well. So, tomorrow Madelyn is going to go for her 4 month check-up, and then off to the hospital for some pre-op testing. Her surgery will be scheduled as soon as we get the results; Dr. Smith would like to get the surgery done as soon as possible. We're obviously nervous about our little girl having surgery and being put under anesthesia, but we're also relieved that we are finally going to get this done, and that it will be one more medical issue that we can put behind us.

Sam
Sam began chemo last Friday, and unfortunately did not do well this round. By Monday, he was so uncomfortable that he called Dr. Rubin, his oncologist, late Monday night, and Dr. Rubin cancelled the rest of the chemo for this round. He has still not recovered - he spent most of yesterday and today in bed. He has had no appetite or energy. Dr. Rubin did some blood tests, which didn't reveal anything, so we are all thinking that it is a combination of the chemo, blood thinners, and pain meds. He is still on Dilaudid and a high dose of Oxycontin. So per Dr. Rubin, we are going to wait until Sam has weaned off of these meds and feels normal before discussing chemo again. We will talk with Dr. Rubin later this week to get more information on what he thinks is the best course of action.

On a happier note, Sam was able to go to the MCHS Relay for Life this Sunday, which raised $13,000 for cancer research! He had a blast visiting with his students and fellow teachers. His mom, brother, and nephew came out to see him as well, which he loved. We were very proud of him for making it out and doing the Survivor Lap.

Just a quick note to all of our friends and family: Sam really LOVES visitors, texts, emails, and phone calls from everyone! He apologizes for messages he hasn't returned, but know that he loves reading or listening to them all, and they really brighten his day. Please keep contacting him as much as possible. I know that everyone is very busy, but we always welcome visitors as well - friends and family have a way of getting Sam out of any kind of funk he might be in. Our doors are open!

And finally, we are SORRY for any thank you notes, emails, or phone calls that we have yet to make. We have received some amazingly generous gifts, and we are very touched by everyone's thoughtfulness. We also apologize for anyone whom we have forgotten to email, call, or text back. Please know that it is not deliberate, and that we appreciate all of it!

Walking, Rolling, Somersaulting...

So far, 2013 is coming along very well! Here are a few updates:

Sam
Sam has been doing wonderfully at home! He has almost weaned off of his pain medication, and is walking around the house without his walker now, although he does like having it close by. He goes to physical therapy 3 times every week, and it seems to be helping him tremendously. Tomorrow, however, he does start chemotherapy again. He will most likely finish up the last 5 rounds, to make 12 rounds total. We are hoping he will be finished with all of this by the end of April. During chemotherapy, Sam does love having visitors, so please feel free to come by - please just call beforehand to make sure that he not having an exceptionally bad day.

Madelyn
Maddy rolled over for the first time on Saturday, January 5th, and has not stopped since! Anytime you put her down on her tummy, she rolls over onto her back. She seems like she is very close to rolling the other way, too! She is sleeping wonderfully- usually falling asleep around 8 or 9pm and sleeping until 7:30am. Every now and then, she gets up around 4am for a feeding, but not every night. We also stopped swaddling her, so she is sleeping in a sleep sack. We will be going in a week to her urologist to have another ultrasound done on her kidney. 

Now that I can roll over, I love tummy time!

I also love my exersaucer!

Taylor
Taylor begin gymnastics last week! She loves it! She was in a Monday evening class, but got into a Saturday morning class that will begin this weekend, so she will be at a new place. We are really happy that she is involved in a class that will hopefully teach her some great social skills and get her moving. 

Ready for gymnastics!

Trying on mommy's shoes!

Cheryl 
I know many people have been asking, so I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be returning to work on Wednesday, February 6th. It's going to be hard being away from my family during the day, but I am looking forward to seeing my students and coworkers again! 

Welcome Home, Sam!

Well, what a poetic way to end 2012 - Sam came home on New Years Eve at around 1:00pm. I have not been putting details of his surgery or time away on this blog, so here is a recap:

On December 2nd, Sam and I flew to Baltimore. We went to the Ravens/Steelers game, dined at Kona Grill (delicious!) and had massages at 921 Salon & Spa. It was our "date" before his surgery - we wanted to have some time together to relax and have fun because we knew we had a long road ahead.

On December 4th, we took a cab to Johns Hopkins at 5am to get Sam checked in for his first surgery. The surgery took about 14 hours, and they successfully removed part of the tumor, and began building the cage to replace the vertebrae. I left that day to come back home to be with the girls.

After the first surgery, Sam developed a blood clot in his lung and was having trouble breathing, so they put him on blood thinners and gave him a breathing tube. His second surgery was supposed to be on December 7th, but it was delayed because of these complications.

On December 7th, my sister, Taylor, Maddy, and I flew to Baltimore to visit Sam. We spent the weekend taking turns spending time in his room, since children are not allowed to be in the hospital. It was a wonderful trip and the girls did great on the plane!

On December 11th, Sam went in for his second surgery. During this second surgery, they removed the L4 vertebrae and tumor, and completed the cage and synthetic vertebrae. Sam developed another blood clot, so they put a mesh screen in his leg to keep them from traveling to his lung. He also had some trouble with swelling in his stomach, so a tube was put in his nose down to his stomach to keep it empty. He was very uncomfortable. I came to visit him for the day on December 14th, and during this time he was able to get the tube taken out and felt much better after that! He was moved to the inpatient rehab center at Johns Hopkins on the 22nd, where he began a regimen of intense physical and occupational therapy.  I visited him again December 26-27 and he was already walking with a walker, and practicing going up and down the stairs.

He came home on December 31st and has been adjusting to being back home again! We missed him so much and are so happy to have him back here! He loves spending time with the girls, and is amazed with how much they've both grown just in the month that he was gone. He has been doing great with recovery. He gets around the house with a walker, and can go up and down the stairs (very slowly!) on his own now. We are very proud of him and his strength and determination.

Thank you so much to everyone who has helped out during this past month. We want to particularly thank Sam's mom, Gloria, for staying out there for the duration of his stay at Johns Hopkins. We are extremely thankful and grateful for the love and support shown to us by our family & friends (and even complete strangers!). I can't say it enough - thank you, thank you, THANK YOU.

What can I say about 2012? Many of the events of this year have shaken us and left us feeling very vulnerable. This holds true not only for the things that went on in our lives, but in the lives of our friends and family, and in the news as well. However, we were given a precious gift in September when our daughter, Madelyn, was born, and she and her easygoing, happy personality have been the biggest blessing. We also feel that we've been shown so much compassion, love, support, and strength by others that we will leave 2012 taking only that with us. So we begin 2013 with the will and determination to rebuild what we've lost and learn from the love that has been shown to us during this past year.

If I were to pick a theme song for 2012, it would be John Mayer's "Heart of Life", purely for these lyrics:

"You know it's nothing new, bad news never had good timing
But then the circle of your friends will defend the silver lining.
Pain throws your heart to the ground, love turns the whole thing around.
No it won't all go the way it should, but I know the heart of life is good."

Happy New Year everyone! May God bless everyone with health, happiness, and joy in 2013.