Day 160

Monday January 24, 2011

Sweet Angels!

Sharon (my friend) came over this morning to hang out with Nina while I took Teddy to school. Teddy was in a conflicted state. He said he missed his friends but also wanted to spend time with Papa Gordy and Nana. I said we would have lots to do together after school and he reluctantly agreed. Not only did Sharon get to hang out with Nina, she got to meet sweet mop-head (as Nina refers to her) Molly ;)

Nina and Sharon combing Molly the Mop Head!

Before I knew it, it was time to head to the oncology office so Nina could have her Avastin treatment. As we walked to the car, she screamed and hollered. It was one of her most glorious tantrums. She cried and screamed the entire drive over to the office. Sharon (my mother-in-law) tried to encourage Nina by reminding her that she was the bravest girl in the world and that God loved her.

Nina screamed and cried all the way down HWY 101, all the way down Mission and Bath Streets, all the way thru the parking lot, all the way up the elevator, and all the way to her treatment rooms. Gordy (my father-in-law) joined us in the treatment room. The looks of profound sadness and heartbreak in Sharon and Gordy's eyes were so palatable that even the nurses commented on them!!

In the midst of all of this, Nina and I trucked along! I lifted her out of her stroller and placed her onto the bed. Pam (our nurse) quickly accessed her port (not without Nina screaming so loud the walls practically shook). As soon as her port was accessed, Nina stopped crying. My poor sweet baby! The anticipation of the needle just creates such fear, even though it hurts less than a mosquito bite. The rest of the treatment went fine, as it always does. We watched a Strawberry Shortcake video, played some games, and talked to Papa and Nana.

Around 2:25pm, Gordy left to pick up Teddy from school. Teddy is always so happy when Papa Gordy picks him up. It is such a treat for him and he really delights in it. When we got back home, Gordy pulled me aside and told me a beautiful Teddy story. Apparently, as they drove home from school, Gordy had a Christian radio station on. Teddy turned to Gordy and said unelicited, "God music just opens up my heart!" Gordy told me this story breathlessly as he relished in the wonderful heart and insight of his darling grandson!

We spent the rest of our afternoon as I had promised Teddy, hanging out with Papa and Nana. Teddy really enjoyed walking Molly to the grassy area so she could go potty. He loved seeing her run and giggled at how she looked like a bunny, bouncing along the grass. Around 4:30 pm, Nina took Molly out to potty again and this time we were joined by Katie and Cami. We all "oohed and awwed" at Molly's cuteness. Nina especially loved seeing Molly chase me up and down the tiny mole hills and got a huge kick out of me zig-zagging because inevitably it would chase Molly to trip over her own paws :) Each time she did so, she was so amazingly cute that we all would burst into laughter.

After taking Molly potty, Nina was exhausted. We returned to the house and Nina said she needed to take a tiny nap. This time, it was Nana who laughed and agreed, noting that she needed to take a nap too. Every one settled into naps. As I picked up around the living room, Nina shouted out to me, "Hurry mama, take a picture of Molly." As it turns out, she was right, I needed to take a photo. Molly was passed out (from all that running....all 10 minutes of it!) and hanging off the pillows....too cute!