Finally....the slideshow!!

FINALLY!

First I have to apologize that I haven't blogged all week! I was working on a slide show of all the pictures we took of our trip to Philadelphia and I can't get it to work yet. So for now I will just post some of the pictures and I will keep working to get the slide show of about 75 pictures that I want you all to see. Maybe I will figure it out soon!

That said, we had such a great time seeing TJ and Lyla and, of course, Lori and TJ, too! The weekend went by way too fast!

I ended up getting on a flight Friday that didn't get in until 1:00 a.m., and Ted and TJ were at the airport to meet me. (Thank you so much!) When we got to their house, the babies had waited to be fed until 2:00, so I got to see them almost immediately upon arrival. They are absolutely adorable! They are VERY good babies!

They are being fed every three hours, and as Ted says, "It's a slick operation." Their house is converted for now into a full-time nursery and they are doing great! Lori looks unbelievable ... and is a great Mom, enjoying every minute!

Hopefully, I will figure out how to get the slide show to work so that I can share all the pictures soon! (Tina)

GRANDPA TIME!

Ted arrived safe and sound in Philadelphia! I just talked to him, and he sounded great and said he had a good flight. So grandpa is on the way to meet Lyla and TJ right now!! I am hoping to join them tomorrow, so I may not blog until Monday ... so please don't worry if there's no new post ... we are going to be busy holding babies!! (Tina)

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, A GOOD DAY!

Today Ted went to the doctor for a checkup. His numbers were up a little ... and good enough that he didn't have to get any blood or platelets! Yeah! The doctor told him they would like for him to get another chemo treatment. This one is called Treanda. At first the doctor said he could get it the week of Thanksgiving, but after talking about it, they decided to hold off until the following week. So he is scheduled to receive it the week after Thanksgiving. He was really happy to hear that!

Ted told them about his plan to travel and the doctor was fine with it! So that's where things are today. All things considered, it was a good day! (Tina)

LEAVING ON A JET PLANE!

Ted's numbers looked good today! He is feeling good, and we are looking forward to a relaxing weekend.

And now some really exciting news ... drumroll, please ... Ted has booked a flight for next Thursday (Nov. 20th) to go to Pennsylvania and see the grandbabies! I am hoping to go, too, as soon as I get off work on Friday (going standby and trying not to use my vacation time.) And if all goes as planned, we will return together on Sunday.

So our specific prayer needs for the week to come are:
1. Please pray that Ted continues to grow stronger and will be able to travel safely.
2. Please pray for the individual that will eventually be the donor of the stem cells that Ted will receive.
3. Please pray for Ted's doctors and health care team to continue to make decisions in his best interest.

We are so humbled already by this experience and so thankful for all that we are receiving! (Tina)

NOT THE BOOST HE WAS HOPING FOR!

All things considered, I am feeling pretty good today. I didn't exactly get the boost I was hoping for with the blood transfusion. I was only able to run 5 miles instead of the 10 I wanted to run. (not!) I must have gotten the blood of a lazy man that stands in line at the Carter Blood Bank and sells it for wine money. (Ted)

That's what Ted asked me post ... so there it is. As you can see, he's a little disappointed in the outcome after spending 5 hours on Monday night getting red blood cells and platelets, only to end up now with an upset stomach to go with the fatigue. Ughh! His next appointment is Friday to give blood again and check the numbers. (Tina)

A LONG DAY

The weekend was a tough one for Ted. He predicted that he would have to have platelets again on Monday ... and he was right. His appointment today was at 2:30. He was told that he would need to get platelets and blood. So he went to the hospital and checked in, and proceeded to get one bag of platelets and two units of blood ... finally just finished around 10:45. A long day.

On the bright side ... when I came home before meeting him at the hospital, I checked the mail, and we had received a DVD of Lyla and TJ! I brought it to the hospital, and since we had the room all to ourselves, we were able to watch the video. It was a video of their drive to the hospital and checking in, the babies first bathes, and even included their trip home and seeing them being fed. A picture is worth a thousand words, but hearing the sound on the video and the shout out to Grandpa was priceless!! It was precious! Thank you Lori and TJ!

Ted says to wish everyone a Happy Veteran's Day tomorrow! "I was protecting this country while you were all playing in your sandboxes."

Thanks Ted ... and Happy Veterans Day to all the Veterans!

DINNER AT TONY'S

Today Ted didn't have any dr. appointments. He worked most of the day and rested a few hours before we went out to eat. If you've been here to see us, you've probably been with us to Tony's. That's where we had dinner tonight. (I know the picture isn't too good, but I thought those of you that are addicted to the blog would like to see it anyway! The waiter took it for us.)


Tomorrow Ted goes to Baylor Dallas for an EKG and a chest x-ray at 9:00 a.m. This is more of the tests that have to be done to get ready for the transplant, which they are saying may take place around the middle of December.

A GOOD DAY

Ted is doing good today ... he looks really good right now He didn't
start out the day like that, though. He headed in to work around 6:30
this morning, and he wasn't able to stay too long. He said he just felt
bad all over. He came home and laid down for a while.
He had a doctor's appointment at 1:30. They checked his blood ... said
that his numbers look good. Then they gave him fluid (via the port
again) and he was home around 4:00. The doctor gave him a couple
of prescriptions for the fatigue/nausea ... so hopefully that will help him
feel even better tomorrow! I know he's not feeling great, but it is a
huge improvement over the last few days. (Tina)

ELECTION DAY

We are up a little earlier than usual this morning. I think it's a combination of adjusting to the time change and also due to the fact that we go to bed earlier than we used to. We got up around 4:15 ... both of us consider ourselves "morning people", but that's a little too early!

Ted is looking very good today. He did go to work yesterday and then to the dr. for the shot, and they also gave him fluid (via the port) to keep him hydrated. He came home after that and rested. So things are really status quo for right now. We are watching the morning news and Ted just called the guy on TV a bad name ... he likes to "tell off" the people on TV. I know it's passive aggressive, but it works.

We are (as I'm sure you are, too) really tired of the political stuff! We both early voted. Since you all enjoy the pictures, here is a perfect one for today. One of our favorite blog fans has a birthday today! The year she was born was also Election Day ...


Happy Birthday Missy!

THE WEEKEND

These are pictures of our grandchildren dressed for Halloween.

Here is Channing (Pippi Longstocking)


This is Princess Campbell!


And here are our littlest pumpkins! Lyla and TJ.


Those are the pictures that brought a smile to Ted's face this weekend!

He isn't feeling too good right now. I can only describe it as being like a really bad case of the flu, just generally achy all over. He's trying to rest as much as he can and eat whatever he can to keep from letting his stomach get empty. He slept most of the day Saturday and has slept a little on and off today in the bed, and then he will move to the sofa for a while. Judging from the last time he had this same chemo, it was Wednesday before he was feeling good again. He will go to the dr. tomorrow and get a Neulasta shot. They will also take blood to check his red/white counts. He does plan on going to work tomorrow.

It was a beautiful day today in Texas (I think 84 degrees or so) ... and he did sit outside and get some fresh air for a bit!

Thank you for all the prayers and words of encouragement! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family and so many friends who care! (Tina)