Tucson Children's Museum

During our 4 week stay in Tucson, my mom & I took Jaxon to the Tucson Children's Museum. I was really excited because they had a dinosaur exhibit and I knew Jaxon was going to LOVE it. He did love it, but not more than the real, live firetruck. He could not get enough of it! We spent 2 hours going back and forth from the firetruck to the dinosaurs and back to the firetruck. I had to drag him from the firetruck to see the other exhibits and we'd only be in there for a few minutes before he wanted to go back to the firetruck or dinosaur room.

I driving!

Riding the TPD motorcycle

Driving Mama to an emergency

Jaxon driving the firetruck to the dinosaurs!

Here's a video of Jaxon going into the Dinosaur exhibit for the first time.

I love this video, because Jaxon was talking to the dinosaurs! I love his facial expression. Whatever he's saying it seems important!

With Lola in the Dinosaur roomJaxon named the T Rex "Alvin"! Where'd he get that?

Hi Alvin!

Before we left he had to have a snack with the dinosaurs.

Being Diego

While Jaxon was in Tucson with my parents, he discovered Dora the Explorer and Diego. They are his new favorite cartoons. Dora & Diego both wear backpacks when they go exploring or rescuing animals. A few months ago I bought Jax a backpack to put his animals in, but of course he wouldn't wear it! He wouldn't even let me zip it up. Well, once he watched Dora & Diego he decided wearing his backpack was the way to go! While with my parents he liked to wear his backpack and go on adventures. He'd grab a flashlight and go looking under the beds, or in the closet, under the covers, even in the shower! While I was in Albuquerque, Jax went on an adventure with my mom into her shower and she caputured it on video. It is too cute. My favorite part is his footwear!

Night Time Visitor

Last night, Brian went to bed at around 11:00 pm and I stayed up to catch up on Facebook & some blogs. At about 11:20 I heard Jaxon crying so I shut off the computer and went to check on him. I was just expecting him to still be asleep, give him a pat on the back and be on my way to bed. When I walk in the first thing I see are his big brown eyes looking at me through the crib rails and I hear,

Jax: "Mama, I scared." OOOHHH poor baby, he must have had a bad dream.

Me: "It's ok. Go back to sleep."

Jax: "I need see Daddy."

Before I tell you what went through my head let me tell you about our "sleep rules". Since Jaxon was 3 months old if he cries while sleeping we soothe him in his crib. We rarely ever take him out. If he is inconsolable or sick, then I will sit with him in the dark, quiet room and rock him until he falls back to sleep, but this doesn't happen often. And our 2nd sleep rule is that Jaxon does not sleep in bed with us. He has never once fallen asleep in our bed. With the exception of when he was a newborn, it was 4 am, he was screaming and the only thing that calmed him was cuddling with Brian.

That being said, this is what went through my mind when Jaxon asked to see Daddy.

"I could yell for Brian to come to Jaxon's room, but he's already sleeping and if he does hear me he isn't going to be very fond of getting out of bed."

"Well, I could carry Jaxon to our room through the brightly lit hallway so that he can see Daddy, then I'll take him back to his crib."

I opted for option B. As I was picking him up I was thinking, "This is going to backfire I just know it."

We head up to the bed he sees Daddy and says, "Jaxon yay down wif Daddy."

Yup, I knew it. Backfire.

I lay him down next to Brian and he cuddles against his daddy.

"Mama yay down wif Jaxon. C'mon Mommy under."

So I lay down next to him and he cuddles up with me. I'm not going to lie, I am enjoying Jaxon in our bed. He smells so good and his breathing is actually calming. This is one of those times that I want to bottle up the moment and open it up when Jaxon has graduated high school and gone off to high school, or when he's married with a family of his own. I want it to last forever. Now I understand why Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt have a gigantic family bed!

This is my favorite part though...

Jaxon: "Mama pet me." hilarious!

I run my fingers through his hair and "pet" him.

Jaxon: "No down."

He takes my hand and puts it on his leg, then he takes my free hand and holds it. How sweet is he?

I think he is asleep so I stop petting him.

Jaxon: "Pet me on yeg peas."

This kid is too much!

I leave him in bed with us for about half an hour then put him back in his crib. At 2:45 am I hear him crying again so I go check on him.

"Go Daddy's bed."

Oh yeah, that wasn't happening again as I much as I wanted it to! So I pet his leg instead.

Hanging out on Mama's bed in Tucson.

Here We Go Again

I have finished the 2nd round of the radioactive iodine treatment! Wooo Hooo! Here's the scoop:

I did the first 2 weeks of the low iodine diet in Tucson at my parent's house and on Father's Day Brian & I flew to ABQ for the last week. That week I was unable to take my thyroid medication, let me tell you, that was MISERABLE! I didn't think it was going to be bad since last year I was off of it for 2 weeks, but an hour into it I felt terrible! I was exhausted and I slept 10 hours! My eyes were twitchy, my hands shaky, my heart was beating a mile a minute, I was was dizzy, out of breath and was getting hot flashes. I kept asking Brian, is it hot in here? Seriously, awful.

I then had to get showered and dressed to go to Dr. Edwards office to get a shot of thyridosine (sp) which apparently was a very low dose of my medication. I was fully expecting a shot in my arm, oh no, the shot had to be on my butt! I asked if it would hurt and she said, "Oh no. It'll be just a little prick." My hiney it was just a little prick! I left there limping and was sore the rest of the day! It did make me feel a little better, but I didn't leave the couch rest of the day. Tuesday was the same thing, expect the shot went to my right butt cheek. Luckily this one didn't hurt as bad. Plus, blood work where the phlebotomist couldn't find a vein and poked me more than she should have. GRRR!

Wednesday was the BIG RADIOACTIVE DAY! No medication and no shot, just a radioactive pill and an ultrasound of my thyroid area. This pill was a much lower dose than last years since it was meant as a "tracer". So I didn't have to leave from the back door and I didn't have to sit in the back seat while Brian drove me home. I was even able to be in the same room as him!

Thursday I felt really good, for some reason I had my energy back and I was like a domestic queen! I cleaned 3 bathrooms, did 2 loads of laundry, cleaned the fridge, freezer & pantry, vacuumed, mopped, got caught up on my picture albums, ordered the first edition of the blog and read a few chapters of a book! I haven't done all of that in one week let alone one day!

Friday was the next BIG DAY! The much-anticipated and all-important BODY SCAN. I checked into the hospital at 7:30 am sharp, the nuclear med chick took me back at 7:35 am and I was on the machine by 7:40 am. Now, let me explain this machine. It is much like an MRI machine, but it is open, whew! There is a "camera", which is a big metal square, that lowers to the place it needs to scan.

Like this, but without the box around the circular part

So I get in and the tech, Lisa, reminds me that the camera will get VERY close to my face and asks me if I'll be ok. "Oh yeah, I should be fine. I didn't have a problem last year." Super. I start my iPod with my special "Body scan Playlist" and I'm good to go. Lisa says, "Relax, listen to your music, close your eyes and you can even take a nap if you want." Perfect. No problem. I do all of that, except the nap part. After listening to a song and a half I get an itch on my shoulder. "Should I scratch it? Nah. I can wait until the camera moves." You see, the camera was literally an inch from my nose! I remember from last year that it moves down my body after a few minutes. Well, I wait and wait and of course the itch is getting worse. "I have to scratch it!" I barely lift my hand to scratch the shoulder and I feel the camera. Then I realize I don't hear anything, not the machine, not the computer, not Lisa moving in her chair (last year, the tech sat near me at the computer and watched the scan and told me what was happening). Hmmm. this is weird. I open one eye, notice the camera, "That's pretty close I kinda feel like I'm in a coffin. Don't think about it, your fine, Anabelle. You went ziplining for goodness sakes!" Then I look toward the computer, no Lisa, nothing on the computer screen, the lights are off. I look at the clock on the wall, 7:45 am (I got in the machine at 7:40). I start to listen and I hear Lisa DOWN THE HALL! "Breathe, you're fine." Um no I wasn't. I FREAKED OUT! I felt this need to get out of that machine as fast as I possibly could or I might die. I couldn't control this overwhelming panicking feeling. I slid my happy little radioactive tooshie out of that machine as quickly as I could. I was shaking and short of breath, it was crazy. At 7:55 am Lisa walks in. I'm like, "I'm sorry I panicked." All she could say was, "How did you get out?!?! Most people just scream." Oh. yelling for help could have been an option, but getting out was much faster. I have no idea how I got out because there really was no room to move. I guess it was the few years of Pilates I did. Anyway, she promised not to leave me again, I'm sure she thought I was a nut job who was going to escape. The rest of the test went well. No more panicking, I was relaxed and chatted with Lisa the rest of the hour. Yes, one hour of lying still with a camera an inch away from my body. After the scan I had more blood work and then off to see Dr. Edwards for the results!

Once again, I could not have gotten better news. He showed us last year's scan, which showed a little bit of thyroid tissue and this year's which showed NO THYROID TISSUE! Which means no place for the cancer to take hold! Yipee! And just like last year I felt this enormous sense of relief, which I didn't realize I was stressed about, and got teary eyed. I would have cried had I not wanted to look like a wussy. I honestly don't know why I felt so relieved. I knew going into it that everything was fine and there was a very slim chance of having any thyroid tissue left, but I guess I do a good job of fooling myself (maybe that's why I had a cold sore this week! All of the stress I was bottling up!) The ultrasound was also normal and boring. YAY!

So now, I see Dr. Edwards every 6 months for the next few years, do a yearly ultrasound and will have another radioactive pill & body scan in 2 years. I get one summer free of the low iodine diet. Whew! I cannot say enough how blessed I feel to have had such good doctors these past couple of years. There are not enough words to express how I feel about them and my parents for all of their help. They have selflessly taken care of me and Jaxon for weeks and weeks on end. And let me tell you, Jaxon is not as easy this year as he was last year! I know they are as happy as I am about having next summer off :) Hopefully a four year old will be less active than a two year old.

I was able to eat a "normal" diet and take my thyroid pill after the appointment. This entire week I was thinking of what to eat. I had settled on going to an Italian restaurant and having fettucine alfredo. Creamy, cheesy and delicious! Well, at the last minute I changed my mind and chose fettucine carbonara. How could I go wrong? It had bacon and was creamy and cheesy. Boy, never doubt your first instinct. The carbonara tasted like cardboard! I was so bummed. Oh well, I had a huge chocolate chip cookie (or 2) from the Nestle Toll House down the way. That made it all better.

And now I am off to get on a plane to see Jaxon and Lucy! I cannot wait.

Lots of Friends!

Jaxon & I have been in Tucson for 2 weeks now. I'm here to prepare for my next round of Radioactivity. This means I must deplete my body of iodine and go on a Low Iodine Diet (LID)for 2 weeks before I am to take the Radioactive Iodine pill. The LID consists of no dairy at all (no chocolate, milk, cheese, yogurt), eggs, soy, seafood, or iodized salt. Which pretty much eliminates any and all processed foods and eating out. So we're at my parent's house where my mom has been very busy making me homemade meals every night, careful not to include any of the above ingredients! She has even made homemade bread, peanut butter, sorbet and fresh beans. The BEST treat has been the Wacky Cake. Chocolate cake made with cocoa powder and no eggs or milk. It is actually VERY GOOD and tastes exactly like a "real" chocolate cake. This made me a happy girl! :)

But, I digress. Being in Tucson means catching up with dear friends and their kiddos. I have been LOVING this! We have been busy busy going around town playing with new friends.

First we went to Breaker's Waterpark with the Bunch Triplets.

I have NO pictures of the four of them together (well, just one, but I'm in a bathing suit and not looking particularly "fit". Ami, did take a plethora of pictures, so you may want to jump over to her blog to check them out.)

First one in the water, or the "ocean" . Yes, Jax called the pool the "ocean" and there was no one to make him think differently!

Ethan & Hunter enjoying the fountain

Me & my boy on "My turtle" as Jaxon called it

Next, we visited the Fisher kids.

I had Baylee in Kindergarten and now she is in 7th grade! Gosh I feel old. I'd like to say that was my first year teaching, but sadly I had already had a few years under my belt.

Jaxon & Trynnity, apparently Jaxon is going to be Trynnity's husband since he played cars with her. He has been talking about her an awful lot lately... Uh oh Hunter, you have competition!

From left to right: Devynn, Jaxon, Trynnity, Baylee & Prestton. Prestton wasn't so much wanting to be part of the group. Devynn & Jaxon

Cute little Prestton

Joaquin came over another day

I thought this was the cutest thing. Joaquin didn't know what to think!

We got together with my friend from college, Becky, and her two girls, Abigail & Kaitlyn.

Abigail & Jaxon started a band!

Kaitlyn was the backup dancerKaitlyn decided to play guitar tooAnother Bunch Triplet playdate!

Having lunch together. PB &J for the babies & chicken nuggets for the big boy.

I love how Ethan turned upside down to look at me!And what's a date with Ami & the triplets without a trip to Target!

Let me tell you, this was THE MOST chaotic Target visit we have ever had! Jaxon and Hunter were yelling at each other for fun, each kid took turns crying for no apparent reason & pulling clothes off the racks, and jumping in the cart part (which is not very safe)

Mary holding Ethan (it was his turn to cry for no reason) Jaxon, Hunter & Colton in their respective carts.

Jaxon happily drinking my green tea and Ethan back in the cart with Hunter.

Jaxon playing peek-a-boo with Hunter, or maybe they're yelling at each other for sport. Either way it has bad news written all over it!

And that's all! There were a few people we missed :( but maybe next time around...December maybe?

Post-It!

I know it's not "Post-It Note Tuesday", but I just had to get this off my chest...

While the Cat's Away the Mice Will Play

That's what Jaxon did while his Mama & Daddy were in Hawaii! Jaxon & Lucy stayed with my parents ("Yoya & Abu") in Tucson and had loads of fun. Well, Jax and Luce had fun, my mom got laryngitis, an ear infection & pink eye.

Jaxon & Lucy played with bubbles & in the water table every morning.

Catching bubbles

Lucy likes to drink from the table & maybe steal a toy or two.

If Lucy can drink from the water table, why can't Jaxon?

He also tried getting in the water table.

He ate ice cream

He wore "Abu's toe boy hat" (cowboy hat)

He climbed in the furniture

He went "night night on floor with Papi"

Jaxon also had to "work" at "Yoya & Abu's" house. Our poor little guy has asthma, so he has to do a breathing treatment twice a day every day.

Breathing and watching Dora. He d oes his best breathing sitting with Abu.

"NO more breafe!"

Gotta love summer!