Week 11, 12, 13, & a bit about Joel

It seemed a little silly to hit you all with two posts so I thought I’d roll it all into one. I’ll start with Joel, I believe I mentioned before that Joel had a long drawn out test to see if he was producing Growth Hormone (GH). We received his results a couple of weeks back and he is not. Tomorrow we head to the hospital to pick up his prescription, device to administer the injections, and have a training session on how it all works, and Joel will get his first dose.

I explained to Joel why he needs it, and how it is a ‘poke,’ he seems to be taking it all in stride and I hope when he gets the first dose he can keep his positive outlook. To answer some questions we have received, it is a daily injection, which he will take until he stops growing, he will be monitored closely by us for any changes in health, as well as, seeing the endocronologist every 4 months. They x-ray Joel’s hand to monitor his growth plates. As he grows his dose will grow. Once he has stopped growing he may not need to take it any more. However, we all continue to produce GH so it is possible that he will need to remain on a small dose even as an adult. GH helps with your energy level once you have stopped growing.

This is a new area for us and we are still learning, I fell like I have become a mini expert on Medulloblastomas but the endocrine world is still fairly new to us. I will update tomorrow after we have been to the hospital.

Week 11

I have to laugh at myself 3 weeks is an improvement over 5! Last week I started this post and was all proud of myself until I realized 2 weeks had slipped by instead of one. Even then I still didn’t finish the post and so here I am today doing 3 weeks at once…. ummm… again.

12/03/13 Joel and I headed into Ottawa and hung out at Sofia’s house for a while. Joel and Sofia met through the oncology world, they are both being treated at CHEO and have become good friends.
photo credit Sofia’s Mom (Alison)

13/03/13 No picture

14/03/13 No picture

15/03/13 No picture

16/03/13 The post before i took a picture of a huge egg and a tiny egg, the big one was of course, a double yolker, and it is difficult to see in this picture but the little round looking yolk is actually a swirl of yolk and egg white, so that circle is the whole egg! Very tiny egg.

17/03/13 Dave can correct me if I am wrong but this might be our second litre of syrup made, the sap is still running and we are still making more syrup! (At the writing of this I think the kids have already used up 2 litres or close to it, some did get spilled, and another good chunk was used in an experimental recipe 🙁 I am hoping for 10 litres, we will see)

photo credit Dave

18/03/13 This was a picture of the egg in the middle front row, it was kind of a funny bluish grey colour. Must be one of our olive eggers… has a bit more of the blue gene and less of the brown…

Week 12

19/03/13 It snowed all day long went to go out the door and I had to give it a good shove.

20/03/13 The next day was beautiful and sunny and it was a gorgeous winter wonderland that went rather unappreciated on the 20 th of March.

21/03/13 no picture

22/03/13 no picture

23/03/13 We went to an event held by Starlight Children’s Foundation and that night to a Seder Supper at church there were many pictures taken that day, and this one is by far not the best picture of the day. Yet, there is something about all the shadows in this picture that I just like!

I am supposed to share just one picture a day, but I had to share this one taken by Cole’s Mom. Someone said they look like they could be brothers, and Cole’s Mom said, “They’re chemo brothers.” It is a blessing to see how far these two fellas have come. It was a sweet surprise for my kids to see Cole and his sister Abbey that day!

photo credit Lisa

24/03/13 There is no real story here I just like this row of bending birches, I think I want to go back when we have Spring weather, and take a picture of them. Perhaps again in Summer and Fall.

25/03/13 Here we are on the 25 th of March with far too much snow, as far as I am concerned. Joel is sitting on top of the picnic table because the snow is still right up by the seats.

Week 13

26/03/13 I love a big round moon!

27/03/13 I have heard from a few of you that I do not post any pictures of me. That is true because I am almost always the one with the camera. I prefer to be on that end of the camera. I decided to take a silly self-portrait.

28/03/13 I love to be doing something with my hands, this is a bunny foot in the works.

29/03/13 No picture

30/03/13 Sap cooking down. Each year Dave seems to change things up with his cooking it down set-up. This year has been the most interesting to watch his progression, we have had some high winds to deal with. The plan is to perhaps build a playhouse that could double as his sugar shack in the winter, with an old woodstove. (I think.)

31/03/13 This year I had my parents and brother over for Easter supper, we also celebrated my Mom’s Birthday. Here is the birthday girl with two of her snugglers.

01/04/13 The finished bunny. I never seem to give myself enough time to make things, I need to start planning out my creative time, I think. She may have taken a little longer than I thought but I am very happy with her. Hannah has named her Juliet.