Finale

It's day number 4 and it's really the last day for me to be confined, thank God! Tomorrow afternoon I'll be heading down the shore to spend the week in Seaside Park with my parents and Pat and the kids. Not only am I excited to go on a real, not forced, vacation for a week but I am so excited to spend time with my family and to see the kids again! I've always joked about how I would love a week or two by myself, no kids, no nothing, well I got that this week. While I did enjoy sleeping late, I did not enjoy being sick by myself and only being able to talk to my kids over the phone and see them via cell phone pictures! (Just in case you were wondering, Nicholas is not a stellar phone communicator! Typical man! ;) ) So by tomorrow morning I'll be safe to be around others because the danger of passing on the radiation will have passed!
Thanks to everyone who checked back daily to see how I was doing and thanks to everyone, especially Pat and my parents, who really were wonderful in taking care of me and the kids...even if it was from afar! Thanks for the emails and the calls and the offers to rent radiation suits and hang out....Clooney was enough!
So, next week we'll be on vacation but when we get back I am sure we'll have tons of photos of the kids on the beach, with Grandma and Pop-pop and with friends that we'll get to spend time with while we'll away!! Thanks for Listening!

Clooney

Well, I debated sharing this with everyone but I just had to....George Clooney stopped by today! He said he had heard I was lonely and he didn't care about the radiation as long as he could spend some time with me and clean my house. I told him that if he felt it would make him feel better he could stay as long as he wanted and even use our pool! He was hesitant to let me take this picture of him but he finally agreed after I promised he could clean my bathroom AND my closet!! Don't everyone come rushing over to hang out just because Clooney came over....he's mine!!













(And yes, I am well aware that I'm nuts but I'm also bored and feeling yucky!)

The Third Day

Well, day three is in full swing and to put it quite bluntly, I feel like crap! (That's the G-rated version, you can imagine the R-Rated one!) I did not sleep well last night despite being quite exhausted and when I woke up this morning I was not feeling well at all. My stomach and my mood are both in the crapper! I only wish that the weather matched my mood, aka gloomy and rainy, instead of sunny and chipper! Although it is quite warm out so I wouldn't be outside anyway considering my complete aversion to the heat!!
According to a friend of mine from Ohio who had this same radiation done a number of years ago, what I'm feeling is pretty normal and supposedly it does get better. I'm absolutely keeping my fingers crossed! I did discover last night, while doing some vacation research, that there is a Nuclear Power plant within 10 miles of where we'll be on vacation. I'm a little excited about this because as my mom pointed out, I could set off the detectors in the area! I'm not sure why this is so exciting but it is to me! Again, yes I'm quite off my rocker! I do have to share that my friend Jen completely and totally understood why I kept the bat under the pillows before I explained it! That did make me feel better and made me think that maybe I'm not completely nuts OR Jen and I are whacked out totally and that's why we're friends!! I have every intention of continuing to sleep with the bat and I'll even put it next to my bed once Pat returns! As for now, I'm going back to watching the classic Cosby show and hopefully mustering the energy to clean and do lesson plans!
As always, Thanks For Listening and fee free to email!!

Day 2

Well, day 2 is just about over! Last night was ok. It was definitely nice to sleep in this morning but I think the loneliness is starting to really set in! I did have a nice short visit yesterday. Heather had to come back to pick up her jeep because it had a tire run flat on her way here on Monday. So I was able to chat with Heather, her husband Dan and their friend Niki. Of course, to make sure they were protected, I had them stand at the curb while I stood at the front door. It was nice to have some human contact although I wish they could be here tomorrow or Friday!
Physically, I'm feeling ok. My stomach has been a little queasy but nothing major. And I've got a sore throat that seems to be getting worse. From what I've read, both of those things are quite normal. So, yes, day 2 is just about over and while I don't mind completely being alone during the day, although it is a little hard, I do mind the nights. Last night I slept with the lights and tv on as well as having my wooden Louisville Slugger under the pillows next to me. Why under the pillows you ask. Well, if I just kept it next to the bed or visibly on the bed next to me then whomever was clearly coming to get me would be able to use it against me! And yes, I am well aware that I'm off my rocker.....I think it's the radiation.....!

10.49 Millicures

Well, I'm back from the doctor and starting out on my first night alone in a VERY LONG TIME!! I had my, hopefully, last dose of radiation today. It was 10.49 Millicures, hence the title! It should take around 6 months to have the full effect of destroying most, if not all, of my thyroid. Over the next couple of weeks I'll most likely experience an increase in severity of my symptoms and then most likely have them drop off and change. Over these next few days I'm pretty much confined to my house, alone. I'll be consuming enormous amounts of water to help the radiation work its way through my body and I have to remember to always flush twice! :) I think right now, about an hour into this, the most annoying part has to be flushing twice! I have to flush and then wait for the toilet to stop running and gurgling, etc. and then flush again. Thank God that's the most annoying part so far!
I have a lot of reading to do over these next few days! My friend Heather was great enough to buy me three books that I've been waiting to borrow from her. I read the first one, "Something Borrowed" and I loved....only two more to go! My Dad also gave me the biography of Billy Joel which I am very excited to get into! I'll have to save at least one for next week while we're on vacation!
So that's that so far....I'm sure my boredom will get worse and I'll be back to update more, although I do hope that the updates don't get worse....ie my side effects get worse! And I'm sure they'll get more interesting.....

Our Little Activists and A Sibling Death Match

Addie is dressed in her Red onesie today to show her support for ending and preventing AIDS in Africa. We wanted to spread the activism message to everyone so here are a few pics! Next up will be our support showing for the activism group Girls Fight Back (GirslFightBack.org). We're getting ready to teach Addie her first self defense tactics!
As you can see she may need those tactics sooner than later for help against her big brother, Nicholas. I had Nicholas holding Addison for a few minutes in order to snap a few shots. It quickly progressed into an all out death match between our two children. Addison was no match for Nicholas, she immediately took him down and then challenged him to a cage match! He was much too scared to accept. Addison is victor! (Sorry the pics are a little blurry...shaky hands make for a shaky camera!)

A Couple of Days

I've been trying to take more pictures as of late. These past few days we've had a few things going on. I've been getting the kids and Pat ready to head down to Grandma and Pop-pop's house for the week while I have my radiation treatment. Today, my friend Heather came over and we went to lunch and then hung out for awhile. Unfortunately for Heather she ran over a piece of wood which punctured her front tire and flattened it completely. Luckily for me, though, I was able to meet Heather's best friend Niki and also Heather's mom! Tonight, I was taking a few pictures of Addie on her play mat when Nicholas began to beg for me to take a few shots of him. These are the best of lot! There is also a very cute shot of Addie and Daddy watching what I can only assume is PTI or SportsCenter as they are both staples in our house.
Enjoy!

Some Solid Foods....

I wish I had a few pics of this but sadly, the camera was not in arms reach! Addison has been eating "solid" foods as of late! She did have prunes a few months ago to help with constipation and she has been eating cereal, in many forms, all along. But over the past few days we've introduced fruits and it appears that she really loves them! So far she's had pears, peaches, and apples and has gobbled each of them down on every occasion! She screams bloody murder in between each spoonful but is quite satisfied by the time we get to the bottom of the container! I think we'll try bananas and sweet potatoes next, for a little adventure! I'll be sure to get a few shots of that!!

Typical Friday Night

It's been a pretty typical Friday evening in the McGeary-Stella household. I got home from work around 5:30 and we had some dinner. Nicholas, while eating his requested bagel, fell asleep in his high chair. Nicholas decided around 2:30am last night that he wanted Mommy and started screaming. After a lot of negotiating and finally the promise of juice and a book he went back to bed. Lucky for Mommy she was able to get in a late night shower around 4am! It is quite the rare occurance that Nicholas wakes in the middle of the night and when it does happen he almost always falls asleep in a strange place, ie the high chair, the next day!
We also took Nicholas' exersaucer out of retirement tonight and it appears that Addison likes it. As I write this she is playing with the musical toys on this wonderful giant diversion! I have to say, and I know other moms will agree, the exersaucer is probably the best babysitter/distraction around, except for Grandma and Pop-pop, of course!
So that's a pretty typical evening here. Pat is working tonight and tomorrow night and most likely Sunday. I'll be at work tomorrow, too, and Nicholas and Addie will be spending the night at Grandma and Pop-pop's. Sunday and Monday we'll be getting the kids ready for their week with dad at grandma and pop-pop's while I have my radiation. So, we have a full couple days ahead of us followed hopefully by some relaxation!
We hope everyone else gets in some relaxation, too!

Not so Glowing Anymore...

I went back today, just give you an update if you're interested, to the doctor for a bunch of tests. As my new friend, AJ, the very nice and very difficult to understand Radiologist said, "You are hyper, baby!" Thanks AJ, how about we go over something I wasn't already aware of! I received confirmation today that I have advanced Graves' Disease with tumor "complications". (I have two tumors, small, on the left rear side of my thyroid)
What I had done over the past two days was this: I swallowed two radioactive pills which are supposed to only be absorbed by the thyroid. I went back today and found out that my thyroid absorbed 75% of the radiation. (10% is the normal level) (Last year, during my very first dose of radiation, my thyroid absorbed 95%. We now know I was pr4egnant at that point and that affected the absorption rate!)
I found this out by having a number of nuclear pictures taken of my neck and thyroid by giant machine that, while completely open, scared the living crap out of me! :) So, next week it's time for the big one! I take a high dose of radiation which should destroy my thyroid as well as the disease, at least that's what we're shooting for!

In other news Nicholas and Addison had a fabulous day with the best babysitter ever, Erin! They went to Grandma and Pop-pop's too while I was at the doctor. Later on, Pop-pop took us to dinner at one of our favorite place, Firehouse. Nicholas was an absolute angel and ate a ton of macaroni and ice cream and then immediately went to bed when we got home!!

I'm Glowing

Well, as some of you know I've been dealing with some health issues since before we found out Addison was coming along! Today, I began the journey that will hopefully lead to a cure. I had my first dose of radiation today that will help to determine how much more I need next week. Today's dose, while you have to sign your life away in order to take it, is completely safe for me and everyone around me. Although, I am so itchy right now I want to crawl out of my skin! Next Tuesday I go in for hopefully my last dose of radiation which should, if effective, alleviate most of my symptoms. Next week I will be secluded in my house while Pat and the kids stay with Grandma and Pop-Pop. I am not allowed to really be around anyone for an extended period of time since I will be so radioactive. Feel free to email me as I'm sure I'll be bored and quite lonely! I do have to say thank you to a few of our really great friends and family members who, while not necessarily close by, have been there for me and our entire family over the past year but even more so over these past few months as things have "escalated"!
I know this post and probably the next few over the next two weeks aren't as happy go lucky as the ones about the kids, but I really wanted to share with everyone because it seems like every time I mention this to someone they tell me about their own thyroid problems. So, I wanted to be able to be there for someone else just as I've had people be there for me! Thanks for listening and stay tuned for some more "glowing" news! ;)


I'd take a picture of myself but sadly, I'm not really glowing! When I get my homeland security card though, I will definitely photograph that!!

More Baptism

Here are a few more shots from today! A few pics of Addie with one of her godmothers, Aunt Megan. Then Mommy and Aunt Megan with Jamison and Addie and of course there's Nicholas with his cousin Matty, playing in the pool! Enjoy!

Addison's Baptism

Addison Hilda Stella was baptized today and it was a wonderful day filled with family and friends! Addie was baptized this morning at St. Jude church and then we all went back to our house for a big celebration with tons of family and friends who were beyond generous! Thank you so much to everyone who came to celebrate with us and stayed and had tons of food and fun!!

Here are a few pictures of the day from planning and setting up to completion!!

A Week of Fun

We've been pretty busy this past week. I've been working so Daddy and our favorite babysitter and friend, Erin, have been spending a lot of time with Nicholas and Addison.
Nicholas had a bit of bad week spiking a fever of 103 in the beginning of the week and then battling a low grade one the rest of the week! No fun for his July 4th!!
On Thursday, we went down to Grandma and Pop Pop's house to welcome them home from their trip also to celebrate our 4th anniversary with my Aunt Margaret and Uncle Dominick who are up from Florida for a few weeks! It was great to have Addie meet them!
Last night we went out with Uncle Geoff and Aunt Jen for a much needed break and some fun with great friends! Sadly, we were having so much fun we forgot to take pictures! :)
Today was our Block Party unfortunately, Mommy left early due to not feeling well at all courtesy of 95 degree weather and Addie not reacting well to the heat. We did get a chance to take a few pictures of her in bumbo though, so that was fun!!
The week ahead is sure to be even busier as Addison is being baptized next Sunday so we're spending the week preparing!!

Potty Training and Baptisms

Well, really only one baptism...but we started semi-actively potty training Nicholas. It's not working great yet but we'll get there!! We took a few shots of him on the potty for the first time.

In addition to potty training, this week we also went to our friends Geoff and Jen's, aka Uncle Geoff and Aunt Jen, son's baptism. Tommy was born about 3 weeks before Addison and we've already planned their wedding! ;) Here are a few shots from the baptism, not too many from the party after because we were having a really good time and didn't have a chance to grab the camera. We also included a few shots of Addie in her pretty white dress from Aunt Kelly and Nicholas begging not to be photographed even though he looked so handsome in his plaid pants!