Today I am going to try something new. I am going to try and post some pictures! 

This first picture is of Mom with her newest buddies. Mom's friend Ruth has been giving her frogs to remind Mom that she is not alone. FROG stands for "Fully Relying On God." Let me see if I can get this right, now. The little pink frog is Jethro. He is the first frog and was with Mom through her lung surgery. The darker green, floppy frog is Hercules. I think his job is to give Mom strength. The frog with the heart and the bow tie is Romeo. He is the latest addition.

The next picture is just the frogs. Is it possible to look at them without smiling?

And last, but certainly not least, this is the edible bouquet that Pam sent Mom. It looks even lovelier in person. You would not believe how gorgeous the fruit is. Just look at those strawberries!

Today Dad gave Mom the absolute best Valentines Day present ever. In fact, it is probably the best anytime gift, ever. He surprised Mom by joining a gym! That's right. He did it all on his own without anyone knowing. No one even suggested the idea to him, so it was a huge surprise. I am so very proud of him.

As for the rest of the day, Mom went to her aerobics class this morning. She said that her friends were all very happy to see her. And, they are making her a ceramic garden frog to add to her "Fully Relying On God" support group. In the afternoon, Mom and Charlie made a trip to Barnes and Noble. They had a good time together looking at books and talking war. (Mom is very knowledgeable about WWII and especially the Civil War. And, Charlie is interested in that stuff, too.)

Tomorrow, Mom and Dad are headed back up to Froedert. They will be taking an X-ray of Mom's lung to ensure that it is healing properly. Then, she meets with Dr. Gasparri, Mom's surgeon, to remove the stitches. After that she will pick up her wig. I am very excited to see her new hairdo!

Finally, I would like to leave you with a quote that my mom read to me today. It says it all.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain."

Keep on dancing, Mom.

I'm not going to say how Mom is feeling today. I will let you decide.

This morning Mom received a beautiful edible bouquet from her good friend, Pam Mosher. Mom was telling me that it is absolutely gorgeous. She took a picture that I will post later when I get the photo from her. Not only is it exceptionally pretty, but apparently the fruit with it is divine. Thank you so very much, Pam!

Later Mom went to yoga class and later to book club. I didn't ask her who she went with, but I have a feeling she was hanging out with another good friend, Pat Dolan. Pat has been extremely supportive in every way and a regular bosom buddy in their retirement.

When she returned home from those activities Pat Mangi stopped by for a visit. Pat made some delicious soup that Mom said is full of veggies. A visit from a dear friend and some healing soup—Just what the doctor ordered. Bless you, Pat!

This evening Mom helped Amanda, granddaughter #2, with her homework and watched part of a movie with Dad. Her plans for tomorrow include aerobics and a date with her son-on-law, my hubby, to their favorite place—Barnes and Noble.

Mom seems to have had a pretty good day. No swelling. No dehydration. She is very tired, but that is expected. Dad drove her to church this morning. She can drive herself, but I think she is just being careful. Mom told me on Saturday that Dad is really stepping up to the plate — taking care of household chores, driving her to the endless appointments, shopping for things that she needs, and just being the wonderful man that he is.

This morning my good friend Kathy gave me a beautiful blender to give to my mom. Kathy is getting a new one and she immediately thought of giving her gently used blender to my mother. Everyday I feel so lucky to have such caring people in our lives. 

This afternoon I received a very kind email from Mom's friend Helen at hospice. She had many wonderful things  to say about Mom. She also inquired about the comment tool on this blog. After reading her email, I checked the comment tool and it doesn't seem to be working. I will figure out how to fix that and put a note somewhere visible on the blog when it is working. Thank you very much, Helen, for bringing it to my attention!

Tonight I stopped by my parent's house. Mom was talking via Skype to my brother Craig, his wife Madeline, and Mom's youngest grandchild, Eliana who live in Minneapolis. Eliana was doing a wonderful job of making "MiMi" smile. Mom was just oozing happiness listening to Eliana describe all of the activities surrounding her fifth birthday. She will definitely have sweet dreams tonight. So will I.

The day didn't start out quite as we had planned. Mom experienced dizziness last night and she suspected the reason—dehydration. When I picked her up this morning she no longer felt dizzy. But, when we arrived at Froedert they ran her vitals and confirmed—dehydration. They gave her the option of trying to rehydrate at home or to receive a couple hours of fluids intravenously. We both felt most comfortable going the IV route.

Although Mom has been working really hard to stay hydrated, and sips on water all day, the diuretic that she received earlier in the week to help reduce water retention worked a little too well. So, it may be a balancing act for a while to get her right where she needs to be.

While at the hospital today, they gave Mom a shot that will stimulate blood production. A common side effect with this medication is achiness in the bones, where the blood is created. Of course, not everyone experiences this pain and we are hoping that Mom won't. But, if she does, she has some medication she can take.

We are building up a huge stockpile of foods that Mom can graze on. She has never been a big eater, so we decided that small meals several times a day are the best. Today at Whole Foods I picked up some more superfoods. Pat Mangi suggested Almond butter, so almond butter is now part of the cuisine. (Thanks for the suggestion, Pat.) I also got Mom some protein powder that she can add to smoothies and shakes, some acai powder (Mom is not keen on fruit, so I thought the powder would be a nice option), some green tea, and bananas.

Other than today's dehydration, Mom is doing very well. Even the clinician commented on how good she looks. Kevin said the same thing today when he came home from work. As I was leaving, Mom said that she was going to take a nice nap. I am very proud of her for taking such good care of herself.

Keep at it, Mom! We love you!!

You will all be very happy to know that Mom is doing well. She is tired. Probably more tired than she wants me to believe. But, for a woman who just had three days of chemo, she looks wonderful. She had an appointment today at Froedert, but decided to reschedule it for Saturday because of the snow. Her and I will be going to the Cancer Center tomorrow so that they can give her a shot to promote white blood cell growth. Then, we are going to Whole Foods to stock up on yummy, goodness. I am looking forward to our time together tomorrow. Sweet Dreams, All.

Before I share Mom's day with you, first I would like to share one of Conrad's life rules. (Conrad is my 8-year-old son and Mom always finds Conrad's perspectives on life to be entertaining. You may, too.) According to Conrad, the 7th life rule to remember is: Never jump out of a helicopter without a parachute. I have no idea what rules 1-6 are. But, I think I better find out—soon!

Today was the last day of the first chemo cycle. Yay! Mom is still doing well, but she did have a concern this morning. As I said in yesterday's post, she was experiencing some swelling around her ankles last night. We looked that symptom up and learned that water retention can be a side effect. This morning when she awoke, her face was also swollen. She called the hospital right away and they told her not to worry, but to tell them when she came in today. When she arrived at Froedert, before they prepared her daily concoction, Mom told them about the swelling. They said she did the best thing by telling them before treatment began. This allowed them to add a diuretic to her IV. When I saw her tonight, her ankles looked much better. She was still a little concerned about her face, but I think the swelling will continue to diminish. If not, we just need to call. The nice thing about Froedert is that she has someone to call, anytime of the day, any day of the week.

Mom ordered her wig today. She said it is slightly lighter than her current color with a similar cut. I am sure she is going to look fabulous! Did you know that insurance sometimes covers wigs? Apparently it is a "prosthetic, full head scalp". (I tried to look that up online, and all I found were some Green Day song lyrics.)

Mom also purchased a couple of head wraps. I like her head wraps so much, that I am considering getting one for myself. They are actually very fashionable. And, I have always thought that women who wear head garments look very classy.

As always, I am amazed by the many wonderful people who surround us with their caring thoughts and gestures every day. Marg Pias from church sent Mom a wonderful letter today. Not only did she encourage her in this battle, but she also wrote about the squirrels eating the bird seed. It is amazing how everyday conversation can be so healing. Also, a couple of girls from work got me a sweatshirt that says "Fight Like a Girl" with a pink ribbon on it. I am so touched by that gesture that I will never forget it. I decided to give the sweatshirt to my mom, not because I don't love it. But, because my mom is the real fighter in this. "Thank You" to all of you who go out of your way to ask how Mom is doing, to send us a recipe, or to let us know when something we need is on sale. We are so fortunate to have all of you in our lives.

Drat. (That is the nice word for what I want to say.) I just spent 20 minutes writing my daily post and I deleted it! Again, Drat.

Here are the basics of my original post. Mom's second day of chemo went well. She is feeling fatigued, but that is certainly to be expected. Her ankles are also slightly swollen. She thinks that is partly due to sitting for long periods of time. Sitting is not a favorite past-time of Mom's, as most of you know. Regardless, I am going to look up that symptom in my books tonight. And, Mom will report it during her treatment tomorrow.

Mom was happy about one thing today. Tomorrow will be her last day of chemo for more than two weeks! Actually, she was happy about two things. After her treatment tomorrow she has an appointment at the Wellness Center to look at wigs. I told her that she really needs to splurge on this purchase. (Are you listening, Mom? Go all out! Get what you want!) I am a bit sad that I can't be with her tomorrow to help her decide. But, if the people at the Wellness Center are anything like the other people at Froedert, she is in excellent hands.

Today Carley sent us some wonderful recipes. Thank you, Carley! Let' see, there was a chickpea salad, granola, baked oatmeal, and chicken tortilla soup. Yum!

Mom also met with the dietitian today and received a packet of information, recipes, and nutrition advice. I told Mom to look through everything, pick out what sounds best, and we'll make it!