Jude Stomps It Out

A while ago we watched a DVD of Stomp and after a few weeks of fermentation, Jude seems to have taken inspiration. Acquiring some noisy shoes he can wear in the house (thanks, Oma!) probably contributed, too.

This particular performance was given in honor of my Dad's birthday last week. Happy Birthday Dad! Love you!

Who Are You?

Here's a little secret about bloggers (that is, me): we are itching to know who is reading our stuff. I have a doodad on this page that tells me how many people are reading but I don't know who you are.

I started writing this blog almost four years ago just before Owen was born. (That poor guy has had every month of his life catalogued here.) My original intention was to keep in touch with grandparents and birthfamilies and friends who were far away. That amounted to about a dozen readers.

Then we moved and the number of out-of-town friends grew.

Then we moved again.

And I was diagnosed with cancer.

Now I seem to have more than a dozen readers.

If you are so inclined, I would love for you to leave a comment (by clicking on the "comment" button at the end of this post) or become a follower using the doodad in the left column. Hearing from you adds to the fun for me.

P.S. The snapshots are a bonus today: the boys all ready to watch a 3-D T-Rex movie at the Field Museum.

Robin

Owen is a big fan of the superhero costume. It is common for him to put on a Batman or Robin costume and carry on ordinary activities.

In the pictures here, he is costumed in preparation for picking Jude up from school. It's an hour or more until pick-up time, but Owen wanted to be sure he was ready so that Jude would "be surprised." Meanwhile, he is digging into the playdough to find dinosaur bones using professional paleontologist tools from a kit Sam got at Christmas.

Me: Owen, you want to take off that mask so you can see better?

Owen: No! I need it! I want Jude to be 'prised!

No Mo Chemo

It is done! My last chemo treatment was a week ago and I'm starting to feel like it's really over. We've been at this for six months and I'm so accustomed to it that it's hard to comprehend that I don't have to hook up any more. I feel relieved every day.

Yesterday the boys were off of school for Martin Luther King, Jr. day. We celebrated by taking the train from Waukegan to Evanston (home of our alma mater - go cats!). It was great fun. The boys were excited coming and going.

The end of my treatments gives me occasion to look back on the long list of people who helped us get through these months - family and old friends who took entire weeks out of their lives to stay with us and take care of the kids while I slept and moped around the house. New friends from Bethel who brought us meals, entertained our children, encouraged us. People from every corner of our lives who prayed for us, sent us notes of encouragement, shared our sadness about a crummy situation. My doctor, who has been compassionate and attentive; the nurses who took great care of me and remembered the details of our conversations from one treatment to the next; the receptionist who learned my name and always greeted me warmly.

Ben and I have needed every ounce of love God has shown us. Perhaps that - noticing that God is with us - is the blessing of miserable circumstances.

Last Chemo - Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is my last chemo treatment. I am expecting to be cancer-free after this, so this is the absolute farewell treatment. I sit for an infusion on Tuesday, come home with a pump full of drugs infuses over two days, and return that on Thursday morning. It's all recovery after that.

That this is the last round has not spared me the usual feeling of dread in anticipation of being sick. Even when it's the last time I expect to be chemo-sick, it still sucks.

I'm adapting to the buzz cut. I really don't care for it. I associate this kind of haircut with political statements about feminism, and cancer is no political statement. But I am appreciating the convenience. My hair doesn't get mussed when I sleep or wear a hat. It dries very quickly. There is no bad hair day - it looks exactly the same every day.

So there's that.

Cee! Ess! A!

Today's deal from Groupon, the über-hip daily deal web site (based in Chicago!), is a box of organic produce delivered to your door. Yes, I bought it. Who doesn't want some socially responsible produce to appear at their front door?

It reminds me to tell you about a new adventure coming up at the Squires house: a summer subscription to a local farm's community supported agriculture (CSA) program. We pay up front for, in our case, 18 weeks of produce from the farm. We've signed up with a farm near us called Dea Dia Organics. Every Friday afternoon I'll go pick up a box of whatever they've harvested.

"Whatever they've harvested" is the adventure part. I looked at a list of what's been in the box each week for the last couple of years. Some of it is familiar - carrots, cucumbers, spinach - and some of it is less so - turnips, all kinds of greens, spigariello liscia. Ben is skeptical but supportive.

I've considered doing this for several years but the timing has never seemed right. First there were new babies (almost) every summer. Then there was a new home and the boys were too small to eat raw carrots or leafy greens.

Now, I think we're all on board. I love to cook, I like to try new foods & recipes, I want our family to eat more veggies. The boys are as vegetable-skeptical as any kids, but they are also intrigued about the origins of their food. I think part of the deal with this CSA is that we could visit the farm.

So far all we've done is write a check. The harvest begins in mid-June. I'll let you know how it goes. If you live near me, I might also leave a few turnips or some fennel on your front porch.

Chopped Off Mane, #3

I hope this is the last stage of hair cropping. I posted about cancer haircut #1 and #2. Today I got another cut and the clippers were involved. Clippers! I have pretty much the same haircut as Sam.

This is a weird experience for me. I cannot remember a time when I did not have a LOT of hair. Even Sam seems perturbed by this. He's asked often lately about when I'm going to have curly hair again, and he's even lobbying for me to have long hair like he sees in our wedding pictures.

At least I'm saving money on hair care products.