I'm back with photos!

I didn't talk about my TV debut yesterday. Man was I nervous. I'd sweated and drooled with ponies and dogs all day and there was no mirror in sight! The wind was unreal, so hair control was at an all-time low but I was intent on thanking everyone publicly. Of course, once I got started with the lovely lady from CTV, I just melted into a puddle, losing everything I'd gone over in my head the entire night prior. Ah well. I think I got the gist of it across. It was surreal, seeing myself on the screen and hearing about our story from a third-person perspective. At least it was a happy and hopeful story, amongst the crap happening all around us. Every day I'm reminded of how fortunate we are.

One of the awesome bumper play rooms:



The evil dunk tank. Filled with the fire hydrant, it was frigid!!

One of the three trooper ponies in action:

The other awesome bumper room:

Some of the many craft tables:

Some of the many prize tables:

The official ferry vehicle, usage donated by Lawson Sales on the Perimeter Hwy:

Official T-Shirt venue, established by Kaleb's Memere & Pepere (Grandparents):

Amazing tribute table created by my sisters-in-law, Steph & Jackie:

If anyone has any photos of the amazing performing dogs, please email them to me! hpemms@mts.net. They need to be small files for my little laptop. I was otherwise pony-occupied and missed the darned show! I did hear that it was fantastic!

Wow.

I’m still reeling from the Fun Day. My aching feet are finally parked up, slathered in moisturiser. All the chaos, condolences and laughter are still echoing in my head, even while this dark room is filled only with the ticks and whirls of Kaleb’s machines. The stark contrast and my tired body pulls me toward sleep. Still, I’ve been dying to post for days and finally have a stolen moment!

What a monster this day grew to be!! The ladies worked tirelessly for weeks on this. As it got down to crunch time, just how much was donated really became apparent. Endless amounts of people just kept sending more and more items for the silent auction. I think there were close to 80 prize compilations – not individual prizes, mind you. There were just heaps and heaps of great stuff.

Although I know many are still feeling quite ragged from the day running us, it’s definitely safe to say it was a raging success. The pony rides never stopped the entire time. The jumbo bumper rooms were always full and had waiting lines. Both the auction and craft halls were teaming with bodies snapping things up. The dunk tank was never still. We had a skeleton crew of volunteers to start us out, but when people saw a need, they certainly stepped up and filled it!

I’m not sure we’ll ever get a count on how many people actually came out, but it certainly seemed like hundreds! Thank you everyone for coming and for making this day the wonderful success it was. You’re all just fantastic family.

Tomorrow I will have time to go through my camera and post some shots!

We're Packed.

Feels good to get started on another round. Maybe it's cause I just watched the Wolverine movie... I am SO ready to kick some serious @$$!

I'm enjoying the difference from our last move into Ground Zero. I'm packing leaner, smarter... gotta still bring the TP from home - that budget hospital stuff exfoliates the parts like nothin' should. Yikes.

We're a little leery of which room we'll end up in. There are definitely rooms we would prefer over others. Seems like such a trivial issue, when held up next to why we're there, but environment really affects you when you spend your entire day staring at the same walls. Sharing a room is NO cup of tea, especially when the people on the other side of the curtain have a totally different schedule than you do... Finally get the kid to sleep and their's is up, your kid is so exhausted he sleeps through the screaming but you certainly can't. Share a TV and listen to SOAPS all day... GAHG. Also, double rooms have no bathroom... march your heineken down the hall, slippers toothbrush 'n all. Woot.

Yet more shots of the Man...

Picture Time

Gearing Up for Another Round.

We spent the morning in the hospital today, getting tests and scans done. Great news, all around. His kidney and scapula lumps are almost completely gone, as are some bone discrepancies in his skull. The bone of his shoulder is on its way to healing and his blood counts continue to climb. Tomorrow he goes under for a marrow test and chemo injection, then home for a day before being admitted on Friday.

We’re really enjoying this stage of his development. He doesn’t seem to be suffering any set-backs due to treatment, which is great. If anything, the large soft crib will be where he learns to crawl. He’s so close and so frustrated by his own lack of progress. It’s quite funny to see. He's also often ready for a good wrastle, which is loads of fun. We roll around with him on the ground or in a bed and he just eats it up. Oh, and speaking of eating, the veracious little monster doesn't stop! He's up to two solid meals a day and what seems like endless bottles. We're definitely going to be on three meals a day right away and I can't WAIT to start our garden veggies with him! I've also got a list of cancer-busting veggies we're going to chow on. ...well, he is. Mommy is still a big veggie-phobe. Shhhh.

On a personal note, I’m finding a bittersweet development to all this. I haven’t had so much time for my own pursuits since I was single. While I cannot commit to a regular schedule that allows me to work with clients, I do manage to find several odd pockets of time to ride my horse (even if it’s just round ‘n round the arena while baby sleeps) and go to the gym, which is something I’ve been longing to return to for years. I would love to let loose the joy at having these hobbies returned to me, but there's an immoveable lid sealed on top of my enjoyment. I feel productive and able to fix something, finally... but I can't let go of the circumstances that bring me to this door.

The membership was something I struggled with getting. I have a difficult time justifying the cost in lean times, but the alternative honestly was a therapist, and potentially meds. I’m a person whose mental health really suffers without physical activity. A few of you will understand the weight of this chemical activity. Lack of work combined with extensive days sitting in the hospital room made me a quite batty the last round. This time, I plan on hitting the gym in the evenings, after my day shifts with Kaleb. Our little local facility is very reasonably priced, open 24 hours, has fantastic equipment and membership can be cancelled any time, if I find it isn’t working out. It took me no time at all to remember my days with a trainer and to whip up a plan again. I’m so excited it’s all I can do not to go every night!