Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Deep Breath

I started off the day calling the oncologist at Strong. I spoke with a very nice nurse and explained my concern. She was going to email our doctor and her nurse and they would get back to us. I still haven't heard back (5pm). I'm praying constantly to stay cool, not get worked up. I'm sure things are fine, we just need to be sure. If I hear from the doctor later tonight, I'll post again.


I had to share this picture of Allie. It's official, all 4 of my kids get into trouble and make messes. Oh Allie, I had such high hopes for you (ha!) While making dinner I heard thumping coming from the Eli, Cara, and Brady's room. This is what I found:

She had wheeled her way into their room, taken diapers off their shelf and was reaching over and grabbing their laundry basket. Also notice the tiny puff on the floor on the right side of the picture. I swear those things just stick to her and we find them everywhere. And we can't forget the classic,"Look at what I did mommy!" look on her face! She is SO funny!

Monday, June 29, 2009

Not Sure if I Should Be, But I'm Worried

You know by now that I'm a worrier. This is something I'm always trying to work on, trying to take things to God first, before I even start to worry. So, here I am, asking you to pray. This is probably nothing, but given the life we've lived in the last 5 months, I'm on red alert I guess. I've noticed for the past few days that Brady's tummy looks really distended. Also on his left side (surgery was on his right side) his rib right above his tummy seems to be sticking out. I've kind of just let myself quietly wonder about it for the past few days, but today at bath time it was just very noticeable. So...what to do.


I'm a wreck inside, this is where just spilling it all to God comes in! I find myself just wandering through the house talking to Him constantly in my head. I'm sure I'm overreacting....

Matt and his mom noticed it too, so Matt and I think we need to get it checked out. I knew the day would come when I would have to call "somebody" about "something" and I wouldn't know who to call. I've decided to put a call into the oncologist at Strong tomorrow and see what she thinks. We haven't talked with her since our post-scan meeting in May, she isn't even aware of our discussion with the NB team at Sloan after our scan. So I guess this is a good opportunity to get her up to speed and see if there is cause for concern.


So friends, please pray for us. I'm sure it's nothing, hopefully just a tummy full of cookies:) Nonetheless, I feel unsettled...


I'll leave you with a smile. Here are my three amigos sitting on the rug, eating snack, and watching our favorite show "Imagination Movers" this morning. I love when they all do the same thing, at the same time:)

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Silly Kids

I love days like today. Both Matt and I were home all day...we all went to church this morning. I just love being there with my brood. As difficult as it is to get there and to keep everyone somewhat quiet and happy throughout, I love to be there together. We rushed home after church to squeeze in a quick lunch before naps. PB & J is becoming our Sunday lunch tradition!! The kids all took a 3 hour nap...ahhh! Matt took one too and I even dozed offf for a while!


No PT this week. Allie has a follow up for her ear infection on Wednesday. She is doing SO much better! I can't say enough about the miracle Maalox/Desitin diaper cream.

A few pictures to make you smile as you say goodbye to the weekend. I asked the kids to show me their favorite "friend" that they sleep with:

Cara and her BabyBear





Eli and Snuffy (lovin those fake smiles!)



Brady and Elmo!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Out to Dinner

Tonight the Williams family went out to dinner! Well, kind of...


We loaded the trio into the wagon and Allie into her stroller and walked to the "other side of town." Remember in our little town with only one stop light, that is about one mile. I told the kids we were going to get french fries, to which they replied, "Walk to Donalds (Mc Donalds)?" We picked up Grandma on the way and ended up at Alli's Cones and Dogs, a cute little counter service place new to our town. We sat outside and enjoyed hot dogs, burgers, fries, and of course ice cream on the way home. Oscar the Grouch dined with us too (Brady)! It seems in a family with 4 small kids, someone is always in a bad mood. It was fun despite the crabbiness!


Eli wanted to wear his sunglasses!




Summer is for ice cream!





Don't forget to check out the sign up for our Alex's Lemonade Stand! CLICK HERE

Friday, June 26, 2009

Rumble, Rumble!

Weird weather day again today. Started off sunny, then cloudy, then rainy, then thunder, then A LOT of rain, more thunder, then sun, then humidity! My kids and I spent a solid 12 hours together today...YIKES! I don't often have to pull an "overtime shift" as I call it.

We fumbled through the day with some fun, a few tantrums, a handfull of timeouts, a few handfulls of marshmellows, some chalk drawings on the side of the garage, water table play, way too many episodes of Barney, a Santinos pizza (yeah!), and finally daddy home just in time for bed!

The kids are very funny to listen to these days as they try and explain the world. Today as they chattered during the thunderstorm, Eli kept saying, "Rumble, rumble in the sky!" A little later he came into the living room and said,"What's happening on Barney?" As I was changing Cara's diaper today she proudly pointed to it and said,"Oatmeal, peas, and pizza in there!" Those are three things she ate today...ha!

Plans continue for our Lemonade Stand...to find out how you can help, CLICK HERE!
Happy weekend:)

Thursday, June 25, 2009

You Guys are GREAT!

I can't believe how many people have emailed me or left messages since I posted my volunteer sign up for our lemonade stand! Once again I am in awe of the giving nature of our friends! Several have offered to work at the stand, offered to buy supplies, and offered to bake. There are many more areas of need, but I have no doubt that God is going to do big things with this project:)

Every single time I think about selling lemonade I think about the families that I know that have a child battling cancer. I think of Stephanie who is 8 months pregnant with her second child and is back forth from Iowa to NYC for weeks at a time as her daughter Dakota fights for her life. I think of Aaron who reached out to help Matt and I in countless ways as we faced our trip to NYC. All the while, his precious son Eli has been fighting this disease for 2 years, all while being away from his mommy and brother back in Iowa. I think of my new friend Laurie who lost her amazing son Michael to leukemia... My friends, I thank you for realizing how important it is to me to do something to honor these warriors and these families. I pray, I pray every day for them. I'm so honored to do so, and I'm so excited to do this project to raise money to improve treatment options for children with pediatric cancers.



No big family news today. Allie continues to get better every day. I took her with me to Jackson school this morning for the end of the school year breakfast. Yes, I've been on maternity leave for 2 1/2 years, but I still love my school family:) She was an absolute doll and it was fun to spend time with just her!



You can CLICK HERE to link to the Alex's Lemonade Stand sign up sheet!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Are you Brady's Mom

edited: I fixed the link to the Alex's Lemonade Stand information!!

It's official, I've lost my identity to my two year old son. In the last week while out in public, two people have asked me,"Are you Brady's mom?" It really cracks me up! Listen Brady...let's not forget you still wear diapers and I can outrun you! At least for now:)

Today's Health Report: Everyone is feeling pretty good around here! I have to spread the word about the magic diaper rash remedy that a blog reader told me about (THANK YOU SHELLEY!) I squirted a whole tube of Desitin into a tupperware container and added some Maalox liquid antacid (probably about 3-4 tablespoons). It is amazing! Her little bum is looking SO much better. I also have started her on Culturelle which is an over the counter probiotic which restores the good bacteria to her digestive system that the antibiotics have stripped away. She still has some diarrhea, but much better than the past few days. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for her and for all of the good advice!

I have finally put together some information about our Alex's Lemonade Stand. If you are interested in helping, you can CLICK HERE. Also on the blog is an official Alex's Lemonade logo that you can click on to find out more about the organization.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Fun (and a little bit of his own agenda) at PT

I thought I'd share some pictures of Brady at PT. He works really well with PT Linda, but I guess like any two year old, chooses to do what HE wants. He will have a two week break from PT and I know he is going to miss it!



Brady is standing on a mat that is a little bit squishy to help him work on balance.





He trusts Linda a lot and allows her to touch and help him.



Go Brady!





Brady does a lot of practice going up and down stairs.




Lots of fun too!



After PT Brady, Allie, and I went to the doctor to have Allie checked out. Both ears are still infected which means she needs to start a new antibiotic and be on it for 10 days. Thanks to some blog reading friends (Laura and Shelley:) I have some "hopeful" remedies for the diarrhea and diaper rash...we'll see.



We had a fun afternoon outside after naps today. If you have toddlers and don't have a water table, RUN to the store and get one! When weather permits, we take our snack out to the patio and then play until dinner time. Today the kids got a real treat for snack...doughnuts!



Cara showing off her new swimsuit!



Monday, June 22, 2009

Brady's on the Move!

Another week, another series of new explorations for Brady! Today he was walking backwards quite a bit (that's a new one!) He is trying to climb on everything and seems WAY less reluctant to take risks (like diving over mommy's legs with no worries that his head might meet the hard wood floor!) One thing that I know is frustrating him and holding him back a little is the 1/2 inch shorter he is than Eli and Cara. There are a few things that I know he realizes that he can't do that they can. They are able to make a basket in the hoop up on their tippy toes, he just can't do it. Before bed I have the kids put their sippies up on the counter, Eli and Cara can just barely reach to do it, Brady tries so hard, but just can't quite yet. Of course, for Matt and I, we see all of the many things he CAN do, and we sit in amazement. But in the mind of a little boy with two siblings his same age, I know he gets frustrated. In time Brady...

Allie continues to struggle with tummy troubles. She's not eating well, sleepier than usual, and just off. I'm taking her to the doctor tomorrow on our way home from Brady's PT session. Let's just hope we can get through the drive to Rochester, PT, and the drive to the doctor without a blow out:(

Until Tuesday...

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Church, Tractors, and Laundry!


Church this morning, then off to Touch a Tractor at the Genesee County Airport. The kids got to see airplanes (really tiny ones!), all sorts of tractors, a fire engine, and a helicopter! Eli especially was amazed by everything he saw. Here are some pictures of our day:
Brady watching the helicopter take off!







Eli is in awe! Notice Brady's spikes?


We came home to LOTS of laundry, cranky kids, and a baby who felt terrible! Oh well, it was worth the fun! Allie continues to have terrible diarrhea and now an awful diaper rash. We stopped the antibiotic on Friday night and called the doctor Saturday morning. They told us to take a 24 break from the antibiotic, do the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast), and then do one more day of antibiotic. Well, the diarrhea hasn't stopped, so we just can't give that medicine to her again. She is in pain, not eating well, and really sleepy. This week will start off with a call to the doctor, go figure!
Happy summer everyone!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Happy Father's Day

In honor of Father's Day I thought I might take this chance to tell you about someone that I don't often talk about on the blog...my hubby Matt. I don't exclude him on purpose, but rather respect the fact that he is much more private than I am. But sorry buddy, it's Father's Day and I'm going to tell everyone what makes you a great dad! You deserve the recognition!



1. The first time I realized that Matt was a great dad was when I was pregnant with the triplets. As a grew from big to huge to mammoth, I would struggle to do day to day tasks while being at home during the day. Sometimes I would apologize that I didn't get much done, to which he would always reply, "Meg, your ONLY job is to incubate!" He cared so much for Eli, Cara, and Brady before they were born.



2. When the triplets did arrive, they spent their first two weeks in the NICU. While recovering in the hospital, Matt would spend the night with me. When I woke up every morning, he was no where to be found. The nurse would inform me that Matt had gone down to the NICU at the crack of dawn to make sure he got to feed the babies first thing in the morning.



3. I need sleep, I'm miserable without it. By the time the triplets were 3 months old, I was crying throughout every night feeding. I just couldn't handle being with them all day, and then being up twice during the night. Right about that time Matt took over night feedings all by himself. Since then he has sleep trained all 4 children during the night. I can't think of a more selfless thing to do for your wife!

4. Matt cares about the details when it comes to caring for the kids (sometimes a little too much!) If he comes home from work and the kids are in their pjs, he will ALWAYS ask, "Do you have onesies on them? What if they get cold? That's it, I'm putting onesies on." And he does...


5. When Allie was born, Matt was totally smitten with her from the first minute she was born. He spent the next 4 days asking everyone at the hospital, "Have you ever seen a more beautiful baby?"

I could make a much longer list, but I just wanted to give you a glimpse of how blessed we are to have Matt as the daddy in our family!

God took my husband, an only child, who had never changed a diaper in his life, and turned him into an amazing father. He is more proud of his four children than any father I know....


And Daddy....we are proud of you too!

We love you,
Megan and Eli, Cara, Brady, and Allie XOXXO Happy Father's Day



For Matt's present, I had our favorite photographer Laura (momentsphotographybylaura.blogspot.com) take that awesome shot of Matt and Brady walking and put a beautiful poem on top of the picture. I couldn't figure out how to resize the finished product on here, so instead I'm putting up the picture and the poem separately. If you know our story, Brady's story, then you will understand how special the words to this poem are...


Walk a Little Slower Daddy
"Walk a Little slower, Daddy." said a little child so small.
I'm following in your footsteps and I don't want to fall.
Sometimes your steps are very fast, sometimes they're hard to see;
So walk a little slower Daddy, for you are leading me.
Someday when I'm all grown up, You're what I want to be.
Then I will have a little child who'll want to follow me.
And I would want to lead just right, and know that I was true;
So, walk a little slower, Daddy,
for I must follow you!!
- Author Unknown


Friday, June 19, 2009

Sleepy

I was out late tonight at a rock concert (really I was). At the last minute I decided to join my brother at a concert sponsored by my church. It was like serious head-banging music...I felt old and a little out of touch. There were two Christian bands (both did great!) that performed and in between I got to speak to the crowd briefly about Brady. We sold some Brady bracelets and coupon books that were left over from the Wendy's fundraiser. Any money that has been raised recently and anything we do additionally over the summer will all go towards our Alex's Lemonade Stand donation for pediatric cancer research!

Please pray for Allie as her stomach is not tolerating the antibiotic well at all. I need to call the doctor in the morning and see what they want to do. My poor baby... Brady was "throw up" free today, and despite being a little grouchy, is getting back to himself.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Alex's Lemonade Stand Sign Up

This is where you can find information about how to help out with our Alex's Lemonade Stand.




To sign up or if you have questions, you can leave a comment after your post (type comment, choose anonymous, don't forget to put your name in the post) or email me at mwilliams91@rochester.rr.com.



There are three ways in which we need help:

1.Volunteers to work at our stand.

2. Sponsors for the products that we need to have our stand.

3. Volunteers to bake "lemon-themed" goods to sell at our stand.


You can also donate directly to our Alex's Lemonade Fund by CLICKING HERE. You can help find a cure for pediatric cancer!


STAND VOLUNTEER LIST (I will be updating this list daily)

**3 Volunteers needed in each time slot, unless indicated***
Sunday September 6th
10:00-12:00am Sue Moore and daughters (time slot filled)

12:00-2:00pm Indian Falls United Methodist Church (time slot filled)

2:00-4:00pm Danna Gominiak, Lynn & Wes Wilson (time slot filled)

4:00-6:00pm Greg & Claudia Gelder, Stefanie Clark , Nancy Hamm (time slot filled)

6:00-8:00pm Peggy Lamb,Anne Engel, and Kamilla Kabel (time slot filled)

8:00-10:00pm Bates Family (time slot filled)



Monday September 7th (Labor Day)

10:00-12:00am(During parade-4 volunteers needed) Michelle Sczudlo & family (time slot filled)

12:00-2:00pm (After parade- 4 volunteers needed) Lori Penepent & family

2:00-4:00pm Tracy Puzan + 2 (time slot filled)

4:00-6:00pm Maier Family (time slot filled)

6:00-8:00pm Baxter Family (time slot filled)

8:00-10:00pm (help take down booth) Ron and Sandy Williams (time slot filled)



Volunteer Bakers (Bake "lemon theme" goods and drop off to me Saturday Sept5th) I'm open to your ideas, we just can't do lemon meringue pie as this will be sold at the Methodist Church Tent.
***more than 1 of the same type of thing is OKAY!!***
1. Lynn Wilson (lemon bars)

2. Kay Emanuel (lemon cookies)

3. Rosalie Mangino (lemon cupcakes)

4. Danielle Riggs (lemon bars)

5. Nancy Hamm (lemon bars)

6. Michelle Sczudlo (lemon poppyseed bread)

7. Amy Bolton (lemon pound cake)

8. Laura Luft (gluten-free lemon cupcakes)

9. Ann Marie Suttell (lemon cookies)

10. Ruthie Snyder (lemon blueberry bread)

11. Amanda Morrison (lemon cookies)

12.



SPONSOR LIST (Items below are needed to run the stand. I'm not sure on amount yet, I will be working on that soon. If you know of an organization who would like to help, please contact me mwilliams91@rochester.rr.com)



1. Water--- Culligan Water, Akron NY (thanks Grandpa!)

2. Lemonade (Country Time or similar brand) -I think we have enough:)

3. Large bags of Ice Heather Landers

4. Coolers (to borrow)-- Jodi Peters, Heather Landers

5. Big insulated dispensers (Gatorade-style) for lemonade Rosalie Mangino and Rachael Latour

6. Helium for Alex's balloons to decorate our stand--Rachael Latour

7. A large sign to go across the front of our stand (printed with the Alex's Lemonade logo)--looking for a sponsor for this, or someone who has a connection:) --Joe Capan

I will continue to update this page, so keep following the link from the main page of the blog.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR HELP!!!









Thursday, June 18, 2009

Could it be that Brady is starting to feel better. I'm happy to report that Brady broke his 5 day throw-up record but holding everything down today! I can't say he was back to himself, quite the contrary. He was pretty grouchy all day and very picky about eating. I really hope he will start to feel better soon! We have one PT appointment next week, then a 2 week summer vacation. Allie continues to feel better everyday, although her stomach is quite sensitive to the antibiotic.

Other interesting news today. There was a bank robbery about 4 miles from our house in the "next small town over." The bank robbers somehow ended up on foot, two were apprehended, and one was running loose somewhere within 2-3 miles from my house. Of course I had no clue this was going on, after all they don't interrupt Imagination Movers or Sesame Street with such breaking news. So at nap time, I headed up to Target, while my mother in law stayed with my sleeping kids. When I saw a state trooper and about 20 police cars and media along side of the road, I got a little nervous. Twenty seconds later when my van was being searched by the state trooper while he held a shot gun, I thought maybe I should call my mom and see if she knew what was going on. Once I heard the big news, I called home, told Sandy to lock my doors, and continued to Target. This bank robber wasn't going to stop me from hiding out for an hour or so at my little oasis. The whole way home I saw state troopers at each field with shotguns and binoculars. Come to find out robber #3 was apprehended along that same road I was driving on within minutes of me driving by. All of this excitement in our little neck of the woods...By the way, I've heard the robbers apparently got their get-a-way car stuck in the mud somewhere and while "escaping" on foot they left a money trail behind them. HA!!!

Well, plans for the lemonade stand are in full swing! Here are a few more details:

Dates: September 6th (Sunday) and September 7th (Monday-Labor Day)
Location: Oakfield Labor Daze Celebration at Triangle Park
Times: Sunday 10:30-10:00pm and Monday 10:00am-9:30pm

In the weeks ahead, I'll be looking for volunteers to work 2 hour shifts. We will also be coming up with a list of products that we need and would like to find donations for. I should be receiving my planning packet from the foundation any day. So excited!!!

If you haven't already, please check out the video that I posted yesterday! There is also a link to the Alex's Lemonade Stand on the right side of the blog where you can click and read a lot more about this amazing foundation!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Lemonade Anyone?

First things first...Brady threw up again this morning and seemed kind of sluggish all day. This is the weirdest stomach bug ever! If he throws up again tomorrow morning, I'll put a call into the pediatrician. We have missed PT all week, but it has been impossible given how yucky he feels in the morning. Allie seems to be doing much better on the stronger antibiotic!

Since Brady's diagnosis Matt and I knew that for the rest of our lives we would support the cause of curing pediatric cancer. It's hard to do that when you are in the midst of the battle...but we were always talking about ways to "pay it forward" and make a difference in the world of family's affected by pediatric cancer. Now that we have had a few weeks to take a deep breath, we are ready to start helping!


We are pleased to announce that our family will be organizing an Alex's Lemonade Stand this year at the Oakfield Labor Daze Festival (our local summertime festival).



Who is Alex? Why are we selling lemonade? Before I explain any further, please take a minute to watch this video that will introduce you to Miss Alexandra Scott and her dream of helping to cure pediatric cancer, one cup at a time. Turn on your volume and CLICK HERE In her short 8 years, Alex lived a BIG life. She courageously fought Neuroblastoma while raising 1 million dollars for pediatric cancer research!



Our goal is to provide lemonade to our customers for whatever donation they choose to make to help in the fight against pediatric cancer. The Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation is a not-for profit foundation that provides funding for pediatric cancer research grants. Since Alex began with her lemonade stand, the foundation has raised 25 million dollars in research money!

Matt and I feel led to do this for so many reasons. We are doing this to honor Brady who courageously has battled this disease for 5 months. But we are also doing this to honor so many children and their families who have fought this disease for years, sometimes more than once, and often times loosing their precious child to cancer.



I will have a lot to share about this project in the coming months. We will set a fundraising goal soon, set up an Alex's Lemonade Stand page on their site, and start organizing volunteers and sponsors for the products that we need. Of course that means I will be asking for your help!! I will have more specific information about how you can help soon! In the meantime, if you would like to be involved or have any suggestions, please feel free to email me at mwilliams91@rochester.rr.com.

Please join me in praying that God will lead us in this project and we will be able to share our family's testimony and help an important cause at the same time!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Great News!

I called Sloan today and finally just asked the surgeon's office for the direct number to the pathology department. We absolutely need to know the results of the pathology studies done on Brady's tumor. They were going to call me back with the number, but instead...they called back with the results! Brady's tumor was tested and came back NMYC non-amplified which means he is still in the intermediate risk category. It's all very complicated, but the bottom line is this is GREAT NEWS! Had it come back NMYC amplified, we would have a much higher risk of recurrence and a lower survival rate. We are praising God for another piece of wonderful news!!!

Sick of Sick

Williams family health report:

Brady--threw up in a big way at 8:20am, is clingy, looking white as a ghost, canceled PT for today

Allie--was up constantly throughout the night, lots of gunk draining from her ear. Took her to the doctor, the verdict? Double ear infection and a ruptured ear drum on her left side. A stronger antibiotic, with "upset stomach and diarrhea" as side effects. Wonderful...

Cara and Eli---doing great!

I made an appointment for Cara to see a different eye specialist on July 8th. I feel good about it and hope we get to the bottom of things. There are so many people around me going through far worse right now. When I feel bad for myself, I think about the dear families with children at Sloan who right now, today are battling for their child's life. I just have to keep plugging along and be thankful that we are all here, together:)

Here is a link to an article I wrote for the Make a Difference To One site. You can check it out HERE Remember to scroll down.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Today's update:
No word from Sloan. I definitely need to call them tomorrow, just didn't have a chance today.

The eye doctor's office didn't have power this morning, but we were already on the road when I got the call. Cara and I spent some time at fellow-triplet-mom Jill's house which is only a mile away. When power came back on we headed over there only to find they were closed until 12:30. We went and got lunch and then waited until 12:30 to see if they could get us in (our appt was at 10:55). We did get in, but didn't get any answers yet again. During our conversation with the doctor, it became clear that he had somehow recorded that during her last visit her head tilted to the right when looking far away. This just has NEVER been the case, but I couldn't convince him otherwise. I have brought picture to our Oct, March, and June visits all showing the head tilt to the left. Despite this, he is calling it a "variable head tilt" meaning that it changes. I was very frustrated because this is not what we have seen for the past two years. Her left eye also tested significantly weaker than her right eye which supports my hunch that something is wrong with that left eye, thus the reason she tilts her head to the left so she is only using the right eye when looking in the distance. I'm starting to think that I need to bring an advocate to every doctor's appointment! This doctor wants us to come back in 4 weeks and check it again. After talking about it, Matt and I decided to get a second opinion from an eye specialist at Strong. God gave my little girl those two beautiful brown eyes and I want to make sure that they are the best they can be!

Sickness report: Brady threw up two times this morning right after breakfast. A few yucky diapers today too between he, Eli, and Allie. Aren't you glad I share all of this with you?

Until tomorrow...

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Sunny Sunday


Is it too optimistic of me to think we might be out of the woods with this stomach bug? We had one throw up today(Brady right after breakfast again) and no yucky diapers. Everyone ate, played, and slept as usual. We'll see...

It was a fun day of letting the kids play with the garage sale finds I picked up on Saturday morning. The kids just love their "new" tool bench and puzzles. I also picked up footie pjs for Cara for this winter for $1 a piece and a Lands End winter coat for $8! I love bargains:)
Matt and I are really trying to reorganize our home. If you have never been to our house it resembles a very large toy box...think toys and books strewn throughout. Although we pick it up every night, within 30 minutes of morning play we are right back at "toy box" status. We don't buy them a lot at all, but every little treat from grandparents is times three, every gift for birthdays and Christmas is three...that adds up to a lot of stuff. Now you add in the baby and her things, and you have one cluttered place! I got a neat new book rack and a storage unit from Target and we are hoping to get things organized tonight! It's funny how as they grow you need to find room for new things like crayons, markers, and playdoh.
Tomorrow I'm taking Cara for her 3rd appointment with the eye specialist. Just to remind you, she has been tilting her head to the left for over a year now. She does this only when looking at things in the distance, like the tv. She had an appt in October and another in March. The doctor thinks it is 4th nerve palsy, but wanted to keep monitoring to see if it resolved itself. It almost seems as though she may be doing it a little less, but I think we are just getting used to it. I tried to really pay attention to it this weekend, and she did it almost everytime she looked in the distance. Surgery is required to correct it, so we will see if the doctor wants to keep waiting or go ahead with the surgery. Or appointment is at 10:55, then we will go out to lunch together:)
I am expecting to hear from Sloan tomorrow regarding the NMYC results. I was talking the mom of our friend Nathaniel who had a similar surgery at Sloan the week after Brady. They somehow messed up his results as well, and they are trying to sort it out.
Here are some pictures from our day today (These are for you Grandma Tony!)
Loved this view from our patio today...sunny and 75*


We brought our snack onto the patio today! Cara was being a stinker!


The kids are loving our water table this year. What a difference a year makes...last year Brady wasn't walking and really struggled to do these types of things. Not this year! Go Brady!



"Airplane up high Mommy!" said Eli

Dream baby was there too!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

3 Down, 3 to Go

The Stomach Bug versus the Williams Family...right now the score is tied at 3 a piece. Eli, Matt, and I are looking at each other wondering which one of us is the next to fall victim!!!

Actually the kids are doing okay considering. They are eating and playing almost like normal. Brady ate a great breakfast and promptly threw up. After a few seconds he told Matt, "Daddy clean it up!!??!" Then he went about his day. My dear husband did great this morning, as always, even with a few sick children. I found some great deals at some garage sales and enjoyed a quiet lunch at Panera Bread (yummy yum).

We were looking forward to maybe going to a parade tonight and to church tomorrow. But alas, the health status of my 4 children dictates our plans once again. Looks like we are going to stay put and try and get rid of what ails us!

Some exciting news: I wrote an article for a blog called Multiples and More and am featured there today. You can CLICK HERE to read it! I'm feeling a little like Angela Lansbury hunched over my type writer these days, but I truly enjoying writing!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Finally Friday

Another week down! I was really hoping to hear from Sloan today regarding the last test result (NMYC). It has been 2 1/2 months since the surgery and this test is supposed to take 2 weeks! Obviously there has been a mix up and they are very apologetic. I called today, but they still don't have the result. They are hoping to have it Monday. Exactly where is this lab, where is this tissue sample, who are these people working on it? Makes me scratch my head...



Today started off with a bang! When I came down the stairs Matt was plopping the kids in their highchairs and leaving for work. When I looked at Cara I knew something was wrong. For one, she looked awful, and she couldn't wake up! She literally sat in her high chair asleep! She has had diarrhea for two days, but other than that was fine. This morning her diaper was dry and she was very listless. I woke her up a little and managed to get a few sips of Pedialyte in her, then put her back to bed. About 5 minutes later she threw up. Ughh....I put a call into the pediatrician and they told me to just keep waking her every 30 minutes and having her sip the Pedialyte. By later morning she made it off the couch and tried eating some lunch. She took a good nap and then by dinner time, felt fine. We'll see if this bug continues to attack the rest of us...



Have a great weekend! I'm off for a morning to myself tomorrow. Planning on hitting some garage sales and just wandering around a few stores!

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One of our greatest Brady fans needs our help! Her husband and his band are in a competition sponsored by Kingdombound. They need votes in order to move on in the competition. Click here to vote. You will have to enter your birth date and complete an email verification in order to vote. The band is called PS100 and you will have to scroll way down to find them and vote! Thank you!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

My Tribute to Pizza

Dear Santinos, my local pizza joint,

I would like to take this chance to thank you Santinos for being a part of our family. It is about once a week on a day when I can't take one more crying child, one more dirty diaper, and one more tantrum that I look to you to make my day just a little easier. You see, planning dinner each night is a tricky task with 4 toddlers underfoot. What a joy it is to pick up the phone, dial those precious numbers (948-5266) and know that in 30-45 minutes dinner will be served. All I have to do is open the box, cut three pieces into tinier pieces, and throw it at my hungry brood on a paper plate. Ahhh...Santinos, you make me happy, you make me a better mom!

With love,
Megan


ps...As I sat to write tonight I didn't have much to say, but the half-eaten box of pizza sitting next to me on the counter gave me such inspiration:) Happy Thursday everyone!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

All Smiles

Not too much to report from our place today. Sickness seems to be hanging around as Allie is still pretty congested and unhappy. Cara seems to have some sort of stomach bug now too. Somebody remind these germs that it is almost summertime!!??!

Brady just seems to be all smiles since his surgery Friday. Other than the occasional Brady-I'm-as-stubborn-as-a-bull-when-I-want-to-be episodes, he is just the happiest boy. He just walks around the house all day, playing, talking, giggling. Eli, Cara, and Brady are all in this great stage where they are starting to use their imaginations! I love to hear their morning-chatter after breakfast. Lately they usually pack up the play shopping cart or doll stroller and say "Bye Mommy, Goin to the baseball game." When I ask, "With who?" They answer,"Go with Grandpa!" I also spend many minutes of the day pretending to eat the delicasies that my trio cook for me in their play kitchen. Some of their favorite dishes to "cook" for me are peas, macaroni, and chocolate milk. I love it!

PT tomorrow!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Psalm 71:14

Psalm 71:14
But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.

This verse really sums up what goes on in my mind lately. Some days it's like a battle between the praise and the fear! I LOVE this verse because of how it handles both of these feelings for me and reminds me that God has taken care of it all! I hope and pray every day for better days for Brady...continued progress physically, no recurrence of cancer, and as few physical effects from his spine surgery later in life as possible.

And my praises!!!
1. Brady is HERE!
2. Brady can move his limbs!
3. He is home!
4. He can walk!
5. He is done with treatment!
6. He is a bright, intelligent, boy!
7. In 5 months his little light has shown so brightly in the lives of so many!

And I have 3 other kids I could write my hope/praise list for! I am working on trying to think of life this way...instead of what I'm pessimistic and optimistic about, what am I hoping for and what can I praise God for. Neat stuff....

Brady report: Brady had a great time at PT today. We got to go to the gym at the Al Sigl center and there were many fun things for Brady to explore. He is working on endurance, walking up inclines, balance/stability, and strength. In just a few weeks the therapist thinks he has made huge strides. We already had to rewrite his goals because he met them already!

We took Allie with us to PT today because she was up most of the night very fussy. We had an appointment with the doctor on our way home. Her ears were clear, so the doctor thought it may be a new cold coming on along with teething. Yuck...

I got an email from Sloan today. They are expecting the final results from the NMYC test back on Friday or Monday. There was a mix up somehow, so they were resubmitted. The last piece of the puzzle before we can breathe a little easier for a few months. Matt and I have decided for sure to do our scans at Sloan. Now we have to decide if we will wait 6 months, or if we go with the initial recommendation of 3 months. We still aren't sure what made the doctors change their recommendation, or if it is just two different opinions. We have a little while to think about it...

Monday, June 8, 2009

Rub a Dub Dub, Triplets Back in the Tub!

Happy days! Today Eli, Cara, and Brady were reunited in the bathtub for the first time since January. Remember Brady had to have his bath in two inches of water in the sink due to his Broviac! Within two minutes in the tub Brady said, "Brady happy! Next to Eli!" Matt and I were so thrilled to see them all in the tub together again! This was one of those things that deep in the darkest part of our hearts we wondered if we would ever see again. God is good! Enjoy the show:
A picture we have in our bathroom!

Reunited!



This one shows all the hair Brady has grown in the last few weeks. And those eyelashes! You can see the small incision area under tape of the left side of his chest which is where the Broviac came out.



Brady washed El's hair...

Eli washed Brady's hair!

One thing's for sure, this is the best bath Brady has had in months!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Williamses Every Which Way

Today our family did something for the first time. We split our family up three different ways and went in all different directions. Our day:

8-10am Everybody up and get ready to go.
10:30am Grandma Kathy picks Cara up for the day. They went to church, lunch, to grandmas, and then to do some shopping.
11:45 Matt, Meg, Eli, Brady, and Allie leave the house and head to Sunset Bay. We drop Allie off with Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Ron at their cottage. Allie wasn't feeling well again today, a little fever and runny nose!
2:30 Matt, Meg, Eli, and Brady continue driving to Erie PA to go to a birthday party. Happy Birthday Carter.
6:00 Arrive back at Sunset Bay, Burger King in hand, and give the boys a quick dinner at the cottage. Matt, Meg, Eli, Brady, and Allie drive home.
8:15pm Arrive home where Cara is already asleep in bed. Get everyone else settled and ready for bed.

Brady report: My once completely reserved and clingy mamma's boy was a happy-little-partygoer! A few minutes spent warming up and he was walking all over the place even amidst quite a crowd of people. Minnie Mouse was a surprise guest at the party and when Brady saw Minnie, he bolted away from me waving, and saying, "Hi Minnie, Hi-i-i-i-i!" The new tradition of backseat bickering continued part of the way home from Erie. Today's debate, does Daddy drive a van or a car. Of course, Daddy usually drives his car, but on family outings he is the captain of the awesome van.

It sounded something like this:
Eli: "Daddy drive the blue van."
Brady: "No! Daddy drive the black car!"
Eli: "Daddy drive the VAN!"
Brady: "NO! Daddy drive the car!"
Eli: (almost crying) "Daddy drive the VAN!"
Mommy: "Who wants to watch an Elmo DVD?"

A great time was had by all! What a busy weekend. Matt and I are tyring to get the house in some order since we really slacked on household chores. All in the name of fun...bring on summer!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

We hit 100,000

It's official...Steps for Brady has made it to 100,000 hits! That means that Brady's sweet face has been seen 100,000 times on computer screens across the world in the last 5 months! Thank you to everyone who continues to follow Brady's story. Thank you to everyone who prays for him and for our family!

Walk for Life



Not sure what I was thinking when I decided we would all walk this morning at 9am at the Walk for Life. That meant getting everyone up, ready, and out the door by 8:30. We made it and coffee in hand we walked for a great cause, All Babies Cherished. It was about a two mile stroll and the perfect sunshine and cool breeze made for a delightful time. My mom joined us and we saw our friends Lynn and Niki along the way.


Dream baby was there too!

Tonight we are celebrating another milestone in Brady's cancer battle...NO MORE TUBIES! He will only have 1 more bath in the sink, and by Monday night we will be able to put him in the tub!! When we ask him where his tubies went, he says,"All gone, dah-tah (doctor) took um!"

Friday, June 5, 2009

Festival of Hope

Well, I did it! I made it through my speech and song at the Festival of Hope. It was a beautiful evening and a great priviledge to be able to share Brady's story. Here are a few pictures:

Matt and I (does this count as date night?) Actually we did squeeze in dinner beforehand and ice cream on our way home.







At the end of the night hundreds of luminaries are lit in memory of those who have lost their battle with cancer and in honor of cancer survivors. The luminaries line the track and Matt and I took a long walk around to find my mom's candle and Brady's.


A wonderful end to a wonderful day! Tomorrow we are off to the Walk for Life!

Surgery Update

Matt and Brady are on their way home from the hospital. Surgery started early at about 10 and by 10:45 Matt was back with Brady. He was already eating cookies and drinking juice! Hooray!



Brady boy is home and happy. He is eating scrambled eggs, toast, and peaches!!!




Thursday, June 4, 2009

One More Time Tubies!

Surgery is scheduled tomorrow at 10:30. It shouldn't take more than 30 minutes as they just have to take out those darn tubies! Matt is taking Brady for surgery and I'm am holding down the fort here with Eli, Cara, and Allie. Please pray for Brady as he can't eat or drink until after the surgery, for his safety under anesthesia, and for a smooth recovery.



Today was a busy, fun day. Brady and I went to PT this morning. I'm starting to kind of cringe as I watch Brady be somewhat defiant these days. When PT Linda asks him to do something, sometimes he does, sometimes he says "no!", and sometimes he just goes and does something else. I know this is typical 2, and don't get me wrong, I love seeing Brady assert some control in his life, but I also want him to be a sweet, compliant boy. Not so sure that is in the cards for our hero Brady.



Three fantastic gift baskets were devivered to our house today!

Our amazing gift baskets from the angels at the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation. Thank you!!!




The kids were totally distracted from eating lunch by all of the new things in the baskets! We had fun trying sunglasses on Allie as she ate lunch!
Sweet baby Allie (7 months tomorrow) enjoying some green beans and her new sunglasses


The three amigos trying out their new hats, sunglasses, and beach chairs.


Brady and I flushing his tubies for the last time tonight. I was a little sentimental honestly. Notice Brady in the picture below cleaning his tubie with the alcohol pad all by himself. I kind of let the rules of a steriel procedure slide tonight! By the end of it, I had Brady saying "See ya tubies!" Isn't he a cutie?



The Festival of Hope is tomorrow night. I think I finally finished my speech and practiced my song a few times. Please say a prayer for me as I'm nervous to step out from behind my computer and speak in front of a live audience. I just want to convey Brady's story in a way that glorifies God and honors my precious boy. Matt and I will be lighting a luminary at the ceremony tomorow night in honor of Brady Andrew Williams...

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Link to Dailiy News Article

Click Here to read the article from today's Daily News about Brady and the Festival of Hope

Two more days with Brady's tubies! I have to admit I was a little sentimental tonight as I flushed Brady's Broviac. The two of us have had quite a bit of alone time while taking care of that thing, and some laughs too! Brady can completely tell me the whole process of what to do and now is even starting to do a lot of it! I'm certainly not going to miss having to pull that dressing off once a week while he screams and having to bathe him in 2 inches of water in the sink. We are wondering if the three amigos will even all still fit in our bathtub! We'll see! I call tomorrow for Friday's surgery time.

I'm really behind on planning my words for my speech Friday night. I could talk for hours about Brady's story. I have to find a focus for what I want to talk about. My pain priority is convey a message of hope through Brady's story. It is difficult to know that there will be many there who have lost a loved one to cancer. Please pray that God will use me to inspire hope in those who are there.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Surprise Call from Dr. L

I realized this morning that I never posted this last night! Oops!

The exciting news first! At about 5:30 tonight I answered the phone and I hear, "Mrs. Williams? This is Sloan Kettering calling, Dr. L will be speaking with you in 20-30 seconds." And sure enough, there he was. He was calling to tell me that he reviewed Brady's scans when they arrived last week, and that the tumor board reviewed his case again today. Here is a summary of their meeting:

1. There is a small amount of tumor still left in the foramina (spinal column area). Having another laminectomy (surgery) is the only option to remove it. However this is very invasive. The tumor board feels that given Brady's intermediate risk status, that it is more reasonable to leave this piece of tumor in there.

2. They estimate that somewhere between 95-99% of the tumor was removed! Hallelujah:)

3. The area where the big tumor was in his chest "looks good."

4. The tumor board recommends rescanning him in 6 months. This differs from the 3 month timetable we were originally told. Matt and I have to really think about this one. Dr. L does not want us to continue doing CT scans. He discussed with me the risks of repeat radiation due to CT scans, something we haven't considered until this point because the scans were necessary. He thinks that MRI scans of the chest should give a good look at the chest and spine area. If something shows up, then a CT can be done.

5. Dr. L kind of "encouraged" me to bring Brady to Sloan for the scans every 6 months. I think Matt and I are seriously considering it. There are many reasons to consider it. Sloan doesn't use intubation during an MRI, Strong does. The radiologists at Sloan see WAY more NB cases than Strong, so the scans will be read by people much more familiar with this disease. The flip side, of course, is that by scanning in NYC we will again be fracturing ourselves from our doctor here at Strong. I think we will continue to have that sense that no one is in charge. A lot to think about.



Tonight we celebrate this wonderful news. Tonight we look ahead to Friday's surgery. I can feel God's amazing grace pulling the storm clouds away from our family. I know this road is so long, certainly there will be times of trial ahead. But I'm so happy that God gives me days like today when it is just impossible not to shout praises to Him for all He has done!!!

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We had a great time today with the reporter and photographer from the Daily News. Hopefully the story (and picture) will run Thursday. The photographer loved the Williams kids! I really think Allie stole his heart :)

Monday, June 1, 2009

Out of the Mouths of Triplets

Some quotes from my trio lately:

While playing with Allie in the living room this evening, I tickled her and said "Hey there jelly belly!" After playing this game with her a few times, Brady came up behind me with his shirt pulled up and said "Hi pizza belly!"
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Our kids have become very into singing the Happy Birthday Song. After putting them down the other night I could hear Eli singing in his crib. I went to the door and listened, this is what I heard: (Sung to the tune of Happy Birthday)
Ah-Pee Bir Day To Yooooo
Ah-Pee Bir Day To Yooooo
Ah-Pee Bir Day to YOU Nuffy (his Snuffleupagus that he sleeps with!)
Ah-Pee Bir Day to Yooooo
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I tend to say the same little "pet phrases" to the kids. I say "Hi handsome" to Eli, "Hi princess" to Cara, "Hi cutie" to Brady, and "Hi Allie Ballie" to Allie. Imagine my surprise when Cara came up to me last week and said "Hi princess!"
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Every morning Matt gets the kids up before going to work. The first thing he does when he goes in their room is put up the shade. Lately Brady and Cara have been arguing over the weather forcast. It sounds something like this:
Brady: "Sunny day!!!"
Cara: "Cloudy day!"
Brady: "SUNNY day!"
Cara: "NO! CLOUDY day!"
Brady: "SUNNY!"
Cara:"CLOUDY!"
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This is such a fun age! I love hearing all that they say each and every day!

Tomorrow we are not going to PT after all. Our PT had a meeting and wanted us to come later, but we already have another appointment. A reporter from the Daily News is coming to do a story on Brady in an article about the Festival of Hope. I'm praying that the photographer will use a great shot of JUST Brady. I plan on making his as adorable as possible to help my cause, perhaps I'll just stay in my pjs! I'm so proud of my little man!