Life as a Lewis

I have had a horrible time sleeping the last 7 or 8 days, but I finally got a good 7 hours last night. After going so long without sleep, it's just enough to make me feel like a complete zombie this morning, of course, but I'm glad to get some sleep in. Rory and I have decided we must get out of this house so we're going to run a few errands this morning. Maybe the extra activity will be enough to wake me up. That and the Starbucks we're going to pass on the way. After the first week of school, we almost always head out to our favorite local Mexican restaurant to spend our Friday night relaxing over a bowl of free chips and salsa (okay, actually we do this at least once a month, not just after the first week of school). Chemo and my crazy stomach has put a minor disruption on our little Friday night routine. As in I think we've been once since my surgery in March. And while it seems as if school has been in session forever, this is actually Brian's first Friday...

What I might remember about round 5 is the crazy nausea or the night I spent on the floor in my bedroom hugging the trashcan or the fact that the neuropathy has now extended to my hands or that I just wasn't sure I could even get out the door for bloodwork on Monday, but what I know I'll remember about Round 5 is the wig shopping and our sister's day in the middle of it all. Saturday Becky and I met Elizabeth at Kalamatas (for my first Mediterranean dining experience) for lunch. Despite the nasty chemo taste, it was still delicious enough to make me want to try it again - next time without the added medicinal aftertaste. Chicken salad with fresh fruit and a pecan honey roll. Next up was The Help, which was fantastic. We all enjoyed the book and I was so excited that the movie came out while Becky was in town. It's one of the very few movies that I can say brought a book to life. I'm rarely satisfied with books made into movies (hello, Twilight), but this one wa...

We had a tragedy at our house last night. Cuddles ran into the street and was run over. Now while I may not have formed any sort of lasting connection to the kittens, Camden and Rory most certainly have. Camden was just distraught, and it was pitiful to have him crumble into my arms and sob and sob and then finally try to pull it together. Rory kinda pretended to be sad, but we quickly learned she just didn't understand what had happened. When it dawned on her that Cuddles was actually dead, she was inconsolable. I'm talking sobs that wracked her body so hard she couldn't breathe. It was honestly one of the hardest parenting moments we've had. Our kids are lucky enough that this is the first real grief they've suffered, but there was nothing we could do to make them feel better. Camden said, "I just wish you could make her undead." and then proceeded to tell us he was going to need to take a box of kleenex to bed with him because of all the tears (which is...

Becky flew in to spend the weekend with me, and we met up Friday after my Neulasta shot. The Wig Shoppe came highly recommended by several of my fellow chemo patients, and I'd been wanting to try it out. Not so much because I really wanted a wig, but because I was interested in having someone who knew what they were doing give me advice on scarves and possibly to have a good laugh at the wigs and at least try them out. I knew that Becky would be the perfect partner for this trip. Up first is this one. Ummm, no. After a few other missteps that we did not even bother to photograph, this wig came along. I have to say that it's the one most like me. I think we all agreed that it looks like me and was fairly realistic looking. It's also very expensive. Hair don't come cheap, people! This one was Camden's favorite, although obviously it is way too much hair for me. This one is actually cuter than the picture. It's just a half set of hair that is made to go under ...

Look who started soccer practice last night? And I must say that she was more than a bit excited. According to Brian, she actually did really well, especially on the whole being aggressive and stealing the ball bit. :) We're bad sport's parents and were very unprepared so she's wearing Camden's old shorts (which were much too big), Fancy Nancy tennis shoes instead of cleats, and Camden's old shin guards which were so big that they almost came up over her knees making her unable to run, not to mention using Camden's old flat ball from when he was in 4-year soccer. You better believe I'm buying a pink ball and she'll have cute hair ribbons in time for her first game.

I'm a couple of days late, so what. :) My friend Amy (who happens to not only be an old college friend, but a fellow adoptive mama) is the winner of my little give-away. And funny story about the give-away. I chose Sonic because I've been craving rootbeer floats the last couple of weeks. I made the mistake of having a rootbeer float while under the influence of chemo and let's just say I may never eat another rootbeer float in my life. Shoot me an email with your address, Amy.

Chemo Round #5 has been a bit of a bear and I'm feeling very behind with blog posts, announcing give-away winners, pictures, etc. I have several fun posts in mind for the week, but in the meantime, here are a few pics from last week. Me and Tina on our way to chemo Thursday A very tired but happy Rory with her playdate, Ms. Jenne. What do you do on Saturday mornings? My kids play on the deck with the kittens in their p.j.'s. Aunt Becky and Rory on their Dunkin' Donuts date. Aunt Becky and Camden on their Sonic date. 469. fresh, clean sheets 470. watching Rory sleep at naptime 471. high fives from Rory as she sends Camden off to school 472. picking Camden up on his first day of school 473. lunch with friends 474. laughing around the supper table 475. family storytime 476. listening to Rory boss her kittens around 477. booking photo shoots 478. a cool morning 479. phone conversations with a friend that include nothing more serious than potty training and nap habits 480...