every captive thought

Today was a great day...now known around our house as "Jude Day". We celebrated how far Jude has come in the last year.  He got his favorite breakfast of donut holes and favorite dinner of pizza.  He also got this from James. We spent a lot of this beautiful day playing outside.  There were so many times today that I would look at my watch and think back to what we were doing 1 year ago...12:00 sonogram, 1:00 Dr. Ross tells us it's cancer, 2:00 CT, 3:00 Dr. Honey's office to discuss plan, 4:00 admitted to hospital, 8:00 signing papers about death, chemo, organ donation, etc, 10:00 looking at CT with oncologist...up all night praying and crying curled up with Brad on a tiny cot.  It was absolutely the worst day of our lives.  But today we praised the Lord for how well Jude is doing, for the things we've learned along the way, for the friends we've made because of this, for drawing us closer as a family, for sharpening our focus on the kind of parents we want...

It’s been one year today. One year since we heard those life-changing words, “Your son has cancer”. One year that our gracious Lord has lovingly and patiently walked us step-by-step through the drudgery of learning to live a life different from what we had imagined. One that includes having a son with cancer. One that includes countless doctor’s appointments, specialist, oncologists, sickness, fear, worry, anxiety, tears, joy, relief. A new life that has opened our eyes to how precious life is…how precious every small milestone is, not to be taken for granted. One that makes old worries and concerns seem insignificant and distant. The first-time Mommy concerns I had with James don’t even cross my mind with Jude because he has taught me how precious life is…how precious my children’s lives are. I want to live fully in every moment of their childhood and lives. I don’t want to miss a moment. Jude Quinn, You are a miracle and a blessing.  You stare cancer in the face and la...

I took Jude to see Dr. Honey today for his 18 month well-check.  Ironically, it is exactly one year to the day of his 6 month well-check when Dr. Honey found his tumor...in the Candy Land room...I will never forget.  We didn't know it was a tumor at the time...at least I didn't.  All we knew was that we would be taking him to the hospital the next day for a sonogram to see what was going on.  That was a long, sleepless, worry-filled night.  The worst was yet to come.  And deep down, Brad and I both knew it. But today was his 18 month well-check.  A full year later.  A year ago I didn't know if Jude would be alive.  Today Dr. Honey and I sat across from each other with Jude between us and we were both a little teary.  What a year.  He is doing so well and I am so grateful to the Lord.  He is in the 10th percentile for his weight and 75th for height.  Dr. Honey still hasn't heard from the oncologists in Dallas so we have...

When we checked into our hotel in Dallas last Tuesday I couldn't help but notice that we were right next to a massive construction site.  (Hence the free upgrade to a room with a balcony).  I was a little concerned but they stopped working before bedtime so I didn't think it was too big of a deal.  But we didn't have the same luck the next night.  They worked through the night with floodlights and jackhammers!  I am not kidding.  I finally got up at 2:00 am and looked out the window to make sure what I was hearing was really happening and it wasn't just a bad dream.  Sure enough...I have the worst hotel luck in the world.  Jude and I did not get much sleep at all and were both super cranky pants in the morning. But we went to our happy place (La Mad) and had a good breakfast to get ready for our appointment with the oncologists.  After getting his labs done Jude perked right up as we waited for the docs. He even tried to play on their c...

I'm glad today is done and Judie Bug is sound asleep and resting well.  Because I am early everywhere I go, Jude and I made it to the hospital in record time...an hour early.  I just wasn't sure about the traffic after yesterday.  But it is a good thing we were early because the first appointment of the day didn't show up and we got their spot!  In the waiting room   Lately I have noticed a little eye and facial drooping on Jude.  I called the hospital yesterday and left a message for the oncologist to see if she might want to add some scans to the list today since Jude would already be sedated.  Thankfully, she got the message in time and was able to get the extra scans added for his head and neck.  That more than doubled our time at the hospital today.  We were there from 7-1:30.  However, I am so grateful they were able to accommodate us and add on the extra scans.  I am the only one who was grateful though. They put the p...

Today was a beautiful end to a great weekend.  We had a DELICIOUS lunch at Mom and Dad's.  The boys got to play outside because it was so nice.  I was glad for them to burn off some energy and get some fresh air...it is so good for them.   Jude loved going down the slide. When we went to Children's in November I saw several of the children wearing beads.  I asked about them and they are called " Beads Of Courage ".  They are a way for the children with serious illnesses, like cancer, to tell their story.  Each bead represents a different milestone or procedure.  I know Jude is too young to get it now, but he will eventually appreciate it.  I am proud of him for how much he has been through and goes through still.  He is so strong and he doesn't even know it.

Jude and I left Tuesday and went to my sister's house.  It was nice to have some time to catch up before we went to Children's the next day. Jude swam in Care Care's tub... Watched the game with Uncle Andy... And enjoyed the heck out of some s'mores.   We left Wednesday morning to go to Children's. This was a much better appointment than last time.  He was such a sweet boy while we waited, especially considering he hadn't eaten since the night before. Running laps in the waiting room Time for a breather Played the piano We were both bored and tired Jude crawled in the "dirty toy" bin The MRI lasted about an hour then they brought him back into the little room I was waiting for him in and they recovered him in there. I asked the RT how many sticks it took to get his iv in.  Of course it only took one!!!!  Much better than the 14 it took them here.  It is so nice to work with people who know what they are doing. Jude finally woke ...