Today

Today was Jenn's service, and it was a beautiful one. We couldn't make it to the graveside service for two reasons: One, I forgot Ivee's feeding tube, and we were already an hour late feeding her, and two, Emmett hasn't been feeling well. He just needed to come home and get some rest. We guessed leaving Ivee's feeding stuff at home by mistake, (which I have never done in 10 months of feedings) was a sign just to go home. Emmett and I have really been pushing Ivee's vocabulary. Trying to get her to say different stuff. She most of the time looks at us like we're crazy. Well, of all days to start verbalizing, and loudly, it was during Jenn's service. She wouldn't be quiet. Em and I decided it was okay though. That's how Jenn would've want it...having Ivee just jabbering away. Kevin, Meredith and Jacob are doing just wonderful.
Just one week until we leave for St. Jude. Then I guess we'll know what is going on inside that baby's head. We pray for a clean MRI! I guess if it is clear, we can officially say that Ivee is in remission. We still covet your prayers. We'll discuss future swallow test in the next few months. Her voice is seeming so much stronger. We'll also have a ENT visit, and I suppose the doctor will scope her to see how her vocal chord is doing. Her eye has been off lately, but today it looked pretty good.
Homeschooling has been interesting this first month. I think the kids have realized that mommy is a harder teacher than anyone else. We begin books 2 next week. Praying for a easier month now that we know kinda what we are doing.
Watching the AU game against Florida. Crossing my fingers as we speak.
Okay, getting good...gotta go.

I just wanted to make a quick note this morning. My friend Jennifer went HOME last night to meet our DADDY face to face. I'm sure she was greeted by a host of people who have been waiting for her. My emotions are back and forth this morning. My earthly mind and body are sad and mourn for her and her family, but my spiritual soul is excited and rejoice that she is whole again and will suffer no more. Please, please hear me when I say that I am thankful to all of my friends here on my blog for lifting Jennifer and Ivee up in prayer. Ivee is still improving, and she surprises me everyday. This road is an emotional struggle for me everyday, but knowing that you all lift us up in prayer is a reassurance that you are never alone...even if you feel it. God Bless you all!!!

I always liked rainy days....

Unlike the "Carpenters" rainy days don't usually bring me down, but Monday's can. (Sorry if you don't know who the Carpenters are. Your childhood just wasn't as fulfilling without them :) JK) Anyway, we have received alot of rain here, and I will not complain about it. It is refreshing, and much needed. Of course, my tomato plants are no longer producing, but my other plants are enjoying the watering from heaven instead of my water hose. Ivee is doing well. She has been sleeping alot cause of that six week mark, but I think it is starting to taper off. So, I'll probably get less done, but that is okay. She is a good baby.
I have so many thoughts today, and sometimes my heart is heavy. Okay, alot more that sometimes. I find myself longing for easier seasons, but with trials and hardships comes perseverance and growth. It is a hard month for many of us. My dear friend Jennifer is not doing well. She has taken a very sudden turn for the worse (in comparison to a few weeks ago). Her daughter Meredith wrote the sweetest blog. It is not the writings that you expect from an 11 year old. She blessed my heart. Their family is ready for the end now, and Jennifer is ready for complete healing. Meredith overheard her praying for God to take her home this week, and she says it is time for mommy to go meet Jesus. She doesn't want her to suffer any longer. What strength God has empowered their whole family with. They lost their cousin, Jody, to lung cancer a few weeks ago, but they do not walk in fear. For very soon Jen will go meet Jody in that eternal home. I beat God can't wait for her to get there. (She has only been on loan to us all you know. That's what I have to remember about my Ivee no matter what happens.) So to my prayer request. Pray for Jen to have comfort while she is still here. Pray for her husband and children: Kevin, Meredith and Jacob. Pray for those of us who need to support them in anyway that we can, and pray that God will reveal what each of us need do. (Meals are already provided through December and as long as needed. Thanks for pulling that together Emily and others.) And lastly, pray that Jen's life and death will be a testimony for the lost, hurting and scared. I'll keep all of you posted for those who are my prayer warriors. God bless you all, and if you have the chance read Meredith's blog in my links section "The Busby Family." Good night

6 week mark

Ivee has hit the 6 weeks post radiation point. They told us that at that time she will want to sleep all the time. It's true. Her poop also has began to smell like radiation poop again. It's pretty disgusting. We'll get off that subject. Below is a pick of her Sunday afternoon as she fell asleep on big sis while mom and dad painted up stairs. It was adorable.

This is her taking her first bath the other day. She blew out so badly that I had no choice but to put her in the tub. She didn't cry, but it wasn't that enjoyable for her.

This is Ivee in her new chair that her mammaw and pappaw gave her. It is too big for her, but she will sit in it (supervised) and rock it, the best that she can.

So close I can... Smell it?!

Yeap, the mudding, taping, and sanding is done thanks to our friend Doug. Now Emmett is up stairs right now priming the walls, and I can smell every inch of it. Aaaaahhhhh, the smell of progress. That means, hopefully, the walls will all be painted this weekend, and then we'll tile the bathroom, call the carpet people, and wait for them to get there stuff together. Once, they are done, I can move Brittney upstairs, and try to get my home back... back from being the horrible junkyard it has become. If I have to dust or sweep one more time, I think I'll scream. It's just the worst thing to dust one day, and then wake up the next day and not be able to see Sponge bob clearly on the t.v. screen, cause secretly over night some horrible dust monster came and pooped an inch thick coating of dust on everything. Okay, I'm fine. Really.

I was looking at some pics of Ivee today trying to find a recent one to print. I came across her birthday pics from May. I'm going to post one below and let you compare it to the one from my last blog. It is simply amazing how wonderful she looks now! I couldn't help but cry. You know you've had a hard year, and so has she, but you sort of forget along the way. Then you see what she looked like on chemo, and well, your heart just wants to sob. Not sad or happy tears, just those....I need to let it out.... tears. Like that time on Everybody Loves Raymond where his wife Deborah just needed a good cry. I never knew what she meant by that, but it always made me laugh. I think I get it now. Well, enough jabbering. Here's the pics. Have a great night or day.

This is the day of her actual birthday in the hospital (USA C&W). She looked so sickly. All puffy and her eyes all red. If I remember correctly, she had a g-button infection as well. But she never fussed or complained!

This is from out party at home. No hair anywhere except for that little sprig on top. No eyebrows or eyelashes. The poor baby lost it all.

Now look at me. So much hair, and I'm so happy. She is such a good baby. I can't imagine a better personality from a child that has been through what she has. I call Ivee and the other children my little Ependymoma Warriors.

Our First FULL Day

Today was mommy first day back at work (part time), Brittney and Ethan's first day of trying to read on their own in schooling, daddy's first real day at his new job, and Ivee's first day at mom's day out in a year. So, we Foley's had a full day. I left work around 3:00 pm and decided to let the kids play at the park for 30 minutes since they had a long hard day of schooling. We'll catch up tomorrow on anything they really needed to nail down. So, Wednesday will be a full day as well. Below are some pics of Ivee at the park swinging. Her fun lasted all about 5 minutes, then she was ready to get back in the car and watch some more NEMO!

Something has her interest here. She was just "hanging" out.

Hey Mommy!

And this shot is for Paula. They are still pretty big, but we are trying out our Nemo jammies tonight. I think they look pretty cute! Nighty night : )

* Just a schooling note. Ethan hasn't been liking the Foley Elementary School in the first 6 days, and he doesn't much like his teacher, Mrs. Foley. He says it is hard. By the time we get to math, usually the last subject of the day, he has had enough, especially of subtraction :( Anyway, to the point. He had subtraction of place values yesterday (ten and one values). He just began to give the 'Ethan hates life' look and attitude, and I told him all about how you have to know this stuff when you grow up cause you'll use it. He told me he didn't need to know it when he grew up. So I asked him what he would do then, cause you have to get a job to pay for your house and stuff when you get big like mom and dad. He told me, "I'm going to live with you." After I stopped laughing, I told him that he would want to grow up and get married and have kids, and he couldn't live with me. Then he informed me he wasn't going to do that so that he could live with me and play games on his gamecube. I said, "Who's going to pay for you to buy the games? Momma's not paying for them." He couldn't answer, so I told him he had to know this stuff so that when he grew up he could get a job to make money to buy a car and drive to the store to buy more games. Needless to say... he did his math.

For those who are still with me...below is a link to a St. Jude article. I involves Ivee's doctor of radiation oncology, Dr. Thomas Merchant. It is a great article that lets you in on some of the advances that the research at St. Jude has made in areas that directly affect Ivee's and other childrens lives. If you have 3-5 minutes, take a moment and read it. http://www.stjude.org/brain-tumors/0,2577,466_2099_9620,00.html

I'll be updating soon about the Tric-athon that the Faith Family Preschool is having in honor of Ivee for St. Jude.

A Special Request

I ask for a special prayer request. Please pray for Erin Roderick. She is a 3 year old with the same cancer/tumor as Ivee. She has had another recurrence, and they are going to try a new treatment on her. They are praying that insurance will cover it. It is a pretty lengthy explanation, so for a short synopsis from her mom, visit their site. www.caringbridge.org/visit/erinroderick . This treatment hasn't been tried on an ependymoma before, but on a cancer similar to it. She (the mom thinks) may be the first ependymoma patient it is tried on. So...this would mean more research for Ivee's cancer. Thanks everyone.

And just a heads up...one of my best friends is working on a fundraiser in (possibly) November. She wants to raise a charitable gift for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Ivee's honor. I almost cry thinking about it. After learning that funding has been cut over the years for Children's Cancer Research, and that most advances made in cancer research for adults come from the research they do on children's cancer, it means the world to me for this opportunity to happen. Just to know that we are helping to save not just children's lives, but to better the lives of all cancer patients. It gives me a complete HOPE to know that any amount of money can help fund the science that we need to extended Ivee's life, and the lives of the other little ones I have come to love. Did you know that the average gift to St. Jude is only around 23 cents. No amount is to big or little! (Yes, God does still use science for good :) It does have a "good" purpose. I had to throw that in for all you who know that I hate most science specials on t.v. What bologna!)

Now that I have rambled, got on my soap box, and made almost no sense, I will let you all go. God has made you very near and dear to my heart! Even those I have not yet met, but have found to be an inspiration to me. All the parents of my little "ependymoma warriors". You are always in my thoughts. God bless.

National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September is National Childhood Cancer Month

Of course, everyday is awareness month at our house. There are some links that I would like to leave on here. One is a touching video on youtube.com. If you have 5 minutes, watch it and spread the word.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGS4yE5v9rM

This is Ivee's hand print on display at the Ronald McDonald House in Memphis. I already have the links for Ronald McDonald House in my links column. There is also a long term housing facility, The Target House, for patients and families who need to stay at St. Jude for 3 months or more. Some families live there for over 3 years. Financial support is needed.

ALSAC is the fundraising organization for St. Jude. It takes almost $100,000 to run St. Jude a day. So support is always needed, especially in the area of research. Over the years, funding has been cut by the government, so it takes personal financial support to make some research happen. There is a link for St. Jude on the left. Take some time to visit their site, and see how you can help. It doesn't take much time or money to become a supporter.

My sweet Ivee showing how flexible she is.

We want to say thank you to every single person who made the last ten months of our lives a little easier. And today our hearts go out to the families who have lost a loved one to this disease. A special I love you goes out to the wife, son, and family of Jody Caraway. Jody passed away yesterday battling lung cancer at the age of 33. Emmett and I meet Jody in college, and though we have not seen him in a few years, our hearts break for his family. God bless.