Merry Christmas!

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Lame Things That Happen Sometimes

Last night my car was broken into for the second time in as many months. Thankfully I had no purse, wallet, or ipod in there. They did, however, get some random things, including my diaper bag, so they made away with some pretty sweet #2 Huggies. I'm not sure of the street value on something like that, but they pretty much scored. Actually, in all seriousness, the diaper bag had these ( --> ) very cute baby sunglasses in it, for which I paid no small sum at Janie and Jack last summer (my one summer splurge, and the only thing I can afford at Janie and Jack). So then my ho hum attitude about them not getting anything worth much faded as I started to mentally add up what they DID get, that is valuable not to them, but to me. It goes something like this:

Bob Diaper Bag: $75
Huggies, Scented Bags, Wipes and Wipe Dispenser, Hand Sanitizer, A Toy or Two, Pacifier, etc: $15?
Set of Three TyBooks: $38
Velvet Handbag for formal evenings: $40?
My favorite lipstick: $25
My favorite lipliner: $30
Seville's Sunglasses: $13
Christmas Presents for Jared: $26.99
Box of Avery Labels: $28.99
Stamps: $26.70
The Last of my Christmas Letters: $5
Envelopes: $5
Custom Return Address Stamp: $30

TOTAL: Approx. $359. And that's not including stuff I haven't realized they got yet and Jared's relatively new iPod that was stolen a couple months ago (another $400).

CURSE THOSE THIEVES!! I hate thieves. That's not Christlike, I know, but I have to wonder if they'll look at our Christmas letter and see that they stole from someone who has cancer and a baby. Probably not. I don't think they'd care anyway.

Anyway, all this is to say that if you don't get a Christmas letter from us, it's probably because you were one of the stragglers whose address I didn't confirm until a couple days ago, and then yours was stolen. Since I probably won't be visiting Kinkos in the next days, I will post our letter for all to see (I was gonna post it right here, but then I realized that's not a very Christmassy introduction, and don't want a downer "Merry Christmas" post. So I'll post it on Christmas Eve or something, when I'm not feeling bitter and we've all had some time to calm down.

Gluttonous Cute Pictures

This is the view I get while brushing my teeth. And rather frequently throughout the day actually (can ya stand it?).

Seville in her Christmas Dress. It was a gift that's been in her closet since I was pregnant. I love how foofy it is! (I know. I'm eating my pre-baby words.)

Here is a terrible picture and you can't see much, but it is Jared's head: he is growing little hairs. The funny thing about his hair re-growth is this: I expected that when it grew back whiskers would be whiskers, hair would be hair, etc. Not so! Everything is a fine, soft, baby-hair-like peach fuzz, no matter where on his body it is. And it's blonde! So he has hair on his face that's like a little kid's, and the hair on his head is super super soft and white. We had heard that it may come in a different color or curly or something. It's not long enough to tell yet, but we'll see.

Seville Meets Her First Skunk

And since she loves all animals, she immediately took to him, having no sense of a normal adult's hesitation.

Here she is trying to pet him (Toby). Holding him is Kadra (my brother's girlfriend).

(yes, she's wearing real silk and velvet - a holiday outfit my parents brought home from Beijing a few weeks ago. Fancy, huh?)

Toby belongs to some friends of ours, and this was the first time we met him too. He's actually very cute (anything that uses its hands to eat gets bonus points on the cute-o-meter). And never fear - he's been "de-scented" - so in the picture above where he is pointing his little skunk butt and tail at Seville, he is actually harmless.

A Family of Geniuses

My family is full of geniuses (just call us the Pixton-Tenenbaums). First Amy with the TyBooks, then Clay with this idea! I got an email from him today. I was so impressed with his idea, I had to share:

Guys! I have an awesome idea for a new product/invention (Amy thinks she's so smart with TyBook). You know us men and fathers of multiples have our pet peeves too, and as they say, pet peeves are the mother of invention. Anyway, my pet peeve is never being able to find one of the three cordless phones we have in the house without scrambling all around in a panic when it rings, trying to listen to it, not finding it in any likely places, yelling at my kids to be quiet, waiting for the next ring, etc. Who wants to go through that every time the phone rings? Not me. I don't believe any man does.

But I've thought of a solution, and I believe technology has just reached the point that it can happen. I'm going to invent a phone that is physically tied to a spot in the house. That's right, it can no longer get lost! Just follow the string, and there you go! Piece of cake. But did you think I was going to use just any string? No, it will be a rubberized, curly retractable string, to minimize tangling (I'm a genius!). Never again will we have to hunt for a ringing phone!!! To make things even more convenient, I will make it with a hook on the base part, with a special sensor, so that if it ISN'T on the hook it will beep loudly until you put it back! Foolproof!!

This phone does everything, you're thinking. But I haven't even told you my best most revolutionary feature. This phone's battery will never die! That's right, it will NEVER DIE, because hidden inside the curly cord will be a tiny wire that carries the signal from the phone to the actual phone lines. No need for a battery! (Books for babies--HA! This will revolutionize the WORLD!!!) To top it off I will make it in a stylish black with a nice big handle for ergonomics (instead of today's dinky little things that just get lost in between couch cushions like a quarter), with a nice prominent round mouthpiece and earpiece, permanently affixed so you don't have to even open it! Talk about easy!

Now just when you thought I've thought of it all and then some, haven't you ever accidentally hung up on your conversation-mate because your face pressed a button, or pressed a button and it beeped and the person on the other end asked if you were still there, or you accidentally quick-dialed some number and you can't figure out what's going on and your conversation is basically ruined? Well no more! Because with this new phone (look out, iPhone) the buttons are all on the part that's connected to your wall or sitting on your desk! So that will never again be a problem! (I'll be accepting investments immediately.)

Speaking of Apple products I plan to roll out a model with an extremely easy-to-use user interface which consists of a kind of scroll wheel, except a physical, three-dimentional one that you can put your fingers in, to dial numbers. Kind of like an iPod, only more up to date. Truly ahead of its time. But like I always say, where there's a will, there's a way, and the brilliant minds of our day drive technology and advancement to new heights.

So that's my new invention. Please keep this a secret for now, as I'll be soon entering the process of applying for patents, etc. (Jared, I'll be giving you a call.) But I wanted you all to be able to share in my excitement. Do let me know what you think!

Clay

Wanted!

Wanted!
Under Penalty of Law!
The Evidence:

The Crime:

So, the other evening I found the above item in Seville's diaper bag. Alarmed at being in possession of such incriminating evidence I asked Jared, "what the heck is this?"

There was a big sigh. Then, "I'll tell you what that is..." he said, and proceeded to fill me in on the dreadful details.

That afternoon Seville accompanied us to a meeting with our mortgage broker. Having her along wasn't our first choice, but she's a really good kid. We figured she could crawl around his office while we chatted about grown-up things. Of course, she mostly wanted to crawl around on our legs and under our chairs, despite the acres of office available to her that were not riddled with wooden, sharp-cornered, obstructive furniture. Still... she did pretty ok. OR SO I THOUGHT!

Turns out that while I excused myself to powder my nose, Jared was talking to Mr. Broker and looked down to see that Seville had torn half of the 'DO NOT REMOVE' tag from underneath Mr. Broker's fancy guest-chair that Jared was sitting in. Mr. Broker couldn't see this, because he was behind his fancy voluminous mahogany desk. Jared, embarrassed at her behavior or his lack of paying attention or something, nonchalantly hid the evidence in the diaper bag under some cheerios and a stuffed bear. As he bent down, to his horror, he saw that the other half of said evidence was dangling for all to see from underneath his nether-regions. Seeing as he had already begun to weave the tangled web (how do you explain half the tag hanging, the other half deep in your diaper bag?) he tried to carry on the conversation as if nothing was happening, while using one hand to silently wrench the rest of the tag -- illegally, I might add -- from the fancy chair. What Mr. Broker thought Jared was doing so heartily with his hand under his derriere I can only guess. But he was either professional enough to act like he didn't notice or else he was oblivious enough really not to. By the time I re-entered the room, the crime was complete.

I wonder... if Seville commits anything more serious as a young adult, will she manage to get daddy wrapped up in that one too?

The Criminal Record:

Surveillance cameras also caught the suspect below:

Removing EVERY SINGLE pink tissue from the box while I was on the phone (the pink ones are my favorite, and you can't find them all the time. sniff) Obviously, it was too cute to stop her.

Giving Thanks

Last week I was telling a friend that Jared's scans came back clean, that he was in "clinical remission" and we're very relieved and happy. He said, "you have a lot to be thankful for this year!" (referring to Thanksgiving). Of course, I agreed, but added, "as does anyone. And how much more thankful, those who did NOT have cancer before becoming healthy, right?" "Good point." he said.

Which made me think about how we tend to be most thankful for our day-to-day lives after something has upset them. It's always a crisis that makes us appreciate the little things. I'm not sure that I like the idea of imagining all the bad things that could happen in order to appreciate the blessings you have now, but somehow it seems necessary sometimes.

So this is a reminder to me and everyone to give thanks for the things you normally take for granted. Thank God for your health today. Thank God for your family, your home, your job, your car, your friends, your country, your freedom, your faith, your body, your mind, your education, your opportunity, your hair, your feet, your fully-functional pinky finger. Thank God for all.

And thank you all, readers and friends, for everything you've done for us. It's made a world of difference. I explained to my family on Thanksgiving that the help we received didn't play out like lots of different bits of help. It played out like everyone contributing to a collective pool of support that carried us forward through this ordeal. Thus little and big things alike were essential to making it. We really can't thank everyone enough.

First Steps!

Thanksgiving morning Seville took her FIRST STEPS!! With a little coaxing from daddy she struck out and a step toward him. He tried again and got three whole steps! Of course we freaked out on her and are soooo proud!

Since we were with family these last couple days (mine), everyone wanted to see the miracle, and within48 hours she was stepping up a storm, going as many as 10 contiguous steps at a time. She thinks she's a total rockstar. And she acts like it's so much fun -- you'd think she was snowboarding or something (that will come, my precious, that will come. Mommy will see to it.)

(This is all very exciting, but like the crawling thing, also scary. How soon will she be just tramping around the house?)

I'll have to get the video off my Dad's camera for you. But in the meantime, trust me. It was awesome.

Cured!

Well, it's official. I'm cured - or as the medical people put it, I'm in "clinical remission." Cancer's gone. It's time to get back to normal life - whatever "normal" is - I'm not sure I really know anymore. But I am happy about everything. I never had any doubts that my treatment would be successful, but it is great to know that it's officially over.

Those of you still following this blog know that I haven't personally posted anything in a really long time. The last chemo treatment and the subsequent recovery period took a lot out of me. But more than that, in the last several weeks it has been difficult trying to make the transition from cancer patient to normal person. My biggest mistake is that I tried to make the transition too soon. I figured that I'd be my normal self within a few short weeks after the last round of chemo. I was wrong. So, I've taken the last couple of weeks to really just lay low and let my body (and my mind) recover from all the chaos it's been through in the last several months.

Perhaps my biggest discovery is that after 4-6 months of inactivity, inactivity has become the status quo in my life. I kind of feel like I have to learn how to be a normal, functioning member of society all over again. It took me roughly 20-some odd years the first time - hopefully it won't take that long the second time. I'm back at work, re-involving myself in church-related activities, and trying to be helpful at home. I still need to figure out how to find time for exercise, leisure and paying the bills. It's kind of a slow process, but bit by bit I'll get there. It's hard, but it's not dramatic-hard like cancer. It's boring-hard.

I almost feel like I need to say goodbye to all of you. I mean, this blog isn't going to die or anything - Skye is a faithful and dedicated blogger. But to be totally honest, I'm not sure that I have it in me to be a true blogger. Providing cancer updates was a compelling reason for me to post - I appreciated the fact that people wanted to know how I felt and how I was doing. But now, I'm not so sure I have any particular messages for the world. I don't know. I obviously want to stay in touch with people - I'm just not convinced that blogging is the right forum for me to do that. We'll see - I'll keep an open mind about it and see where it takes me. Maybe I'll leave the family updates to Skye (since she's good at that and I think she likes to do it) and I'll post random thoughts on occasion. Actually, at some point in the near future, I'll probably post some post-cancer thoughts and reflections. So, stay tuned if you're interested.

Anyhow, I guess I am saying goodbye in the sense that I'm saying goodbye to cancer and goodbye to posting updates about my fight against it. There's no more fight. It's over. I win. Today is a good day.

Keeping Our Fingers Crossed

Jared has a series of scans tomorrow. They're to tell us whether/how well the chemo worked and whether there's any cancer left in Jared's body (no=very good, yes=very bad). I'm pretty sure that the way modern medicine works, the radiologist won't tell him anything about them, and we'll have to wait until our appointment on Wednesday with the Oncologist. Still, I'm hoping for some good news.

Autumn Leaves

Her first time in a leaf pile. And one of the best afternoons of my life.

Halloween!

We didn't hold our planned party on Halloween because we both came down with a crazy sudden fever this week. Thankfully we already got to party at my friend's haunted mansion last weekend:

Indian Summer

Every October in Oregon we get a sweet Indian Summer. Jared hasn't been up for any serious outdoor activities yet, but we did celebrate with some simple family-style outdoor fun.

Jared naps in the park. Seville tries to eat Halloween Candy through the wrapper (not this year. sorry, kid.)

Still making a go at that candy.

We even took Seville on the youth Corn Maze outing on Saturday. Can you believe all that blue sky?

"We're not lost! I swear!"

Seville doesn't really get the "head in the hole" concept.

First Tooth!

On Friday Seville joined the ranks of people who need dentists (I'm sure my brother-in-law, Jason, will be pleased)(he's a 4th year dental student). As a mom, I'm super excited about anything new, so I'm sooooo proud of her for cutting a tooth! I'm also a little sad. The days of the toothless baby are o'er. (Also I know that the biting of certain of my body parts is almost inevitable, so I'm a little on edge now.)


okay, you have to look reeeeally closely to see it, but I swear it's there! It's just a little nub. But it's a sharp little bugger!

I hope my efforts in getting this picture are appreciated, by the way. Jared thought I was crazy and that I'd never catch it. I almost thought he was right. Here's a sampling of the about 50 thousand pictures I took before the one with the tooth in it.

(I know. This is a neurotic parental post. Bear with me here)

On the Up and Up

Since Jared hasn't managed to post yet, I thought I'd fill in the curious.

The few days after chemo are always rotten for Jared. But they get gradually better and better. And this time, they'll just get better and better... and better... and better, etc. Celebrity Dr. Nichols says it takes roughly a month to get to 90% recovery (what about the last 10%? He didn't mention it. I wonder if it's like that last 10% of your pregnant weight that takes ages and ages to get rid of-?). Anyway, Jared should be able to eat like a horse come Thanksgiving. And hopefully he'll also be able to play football. And go to work. And do fun things. And give me foot rubs (did I say that out loud?).

As for lasting effects, there are a couple potential ones, and we'll just have to wait and see. He has some nerve damage and is losing feeling in his hands and feet. It was severe enough last week that they adjusted his drug regimen to try and minimize further damage, but it got worse anyway. Apparently your nerves generally recover in 6-12 months, but it sounded like if it gets bad, it could possibly be a permanent problem. We'll keep our fingers crossed (even though Jared can't feel his. ha ha! just kidding. that was morbid. sorry. Our lives are a black comedy lately and sometimes it leaks). Anyway, that and fertility. I guess we have to wait 6-12 months to find out whether he has any boys left after all this.

"But is he cured?" is the question I'm sure you're all asking (guessing based on live conversations). Again, we have yet to find that out too. In about a month they'll do another set of scans, and then we'll talk to Celebrity Dr. Nichols about what he sees. Hopefully nothing. Except a shell of a tumor (which apparently takes a long time to go away, even once the cancer is stopped). And then we'll have periodic scans for many years to come. As of now, though, we have every expectation that they'll find zero cancerous activity in a month, and we'll live happily ever after.