What's Been Happening....

  This is the board they put Ted's counts on. He got platelets today.  The white blood cells are going up a wee bit.

 Ted ran the clippers over his head today,, his hair was starting to fall out.  I kind of thought he would not have to do this.

  Got a sweet card from Layla.  Her mommy makes little dash letters and lets Layla draw over them . So sweet.

  I missed the 5th grade class picnic this year. I felt sad about that, I been helping Angie with this for years.  Here's the class on a climbing rock in the park.

  My granddaughter Lynzie, here with Luke (g.grandson) and Angie...helped out . She brought her boys, Luke  and  Max, and also brought Layla. They had a chilly but fun day.

  On Mother's day , my daughter Kathy picked me up to go to lunch and then we walked and saw 4 great horned owls. You may be able to make out two of them , sorry not such a good photo. But it was exciting to see them.

 This is what I see while in the hospital with Ted.....long lines of traffic backed up on hwy 65.  Hope all those people made a pit stop before this.
   Ted will be going to the off site place soon. For about 2 to 3 weeks. With two or three appts back to the hospital each week. Praying no emergency runs at all.
  I am so thankful for my grandson staying at the house and the neighbors helping with the yard.  There's a lot to keeping things up. I am thanking all of you for your wonderful prayers and good thoughts.  There are times when I think I can not take another day of this....but some how some way I get just enough push to continue. I can almost see the good side of this journey. Bless all of you. XO

Bone Marrow Transplant....

  This is the bag of stem cells and red blood cells, over 1100 cc.'s.  It was delayed  because of the airport....so Ted got started at 4:40 am  instead of 3:00 am. We do not know the donor. It was a 26 year old man, from Europe. We are so very grateful for his kindness.  Males are preferred, ages 18 to 44 years.

  Ted decided to just try to sleep. He had had five days of chemo and a radiation the day before.

 He gives his  "V"on to Victory sign. He has stayed positive which is truly helping.

 I have to wear a mask and gloves while in the room...even sleeping in these. For I stay with him in his room.

  This is his blood works. W=white cells really low now. H=hemoglobin really at a good number still. P=platelets, which is dropping . The drs. say Ted is on track and yet some think he is doing much better than most.

 I came home for a couple days to do laundry, make household payments, pay the roofer as he did finish while I was gone.  I took the longest hottest shower I could stand when I got home. Those G.I. baths are not enough. (baby wipes) I came home to spring . The crabapple has bloomed.

 The flowering plum bush. too.

 The neighbor's dogwood tree is so pretty. The apple and pear trees also.

 My lilacs are the best they have ever been.

 The little red Japanese maple looks good too. The skies are just wonderful the past three days.

 Ted's son sent this picture to me. This is Ted today. Heath and his wife Nowal went to spend the day with Ted. The dr. told Ted today he was doing very well. He looks very good here. , he had just walked the halls. He has to wear a mask and gloves when he goes into the halls.
   Thank you Nana Diana for your prayer requests. We are so very grateful to all who have prayed for Ted. You mean the world to us. Please keep helping us thru this . Thank you. XO

Family Time...

  Daughter Angie (middle) gave a casual Easter dinner for family. Here she is with her children Jake and Sierra. Her husband might have been in the garage at this time or taking a nap. Not all my daughter were well enough to come to dinner.

 Daughter Karen came with hubby Jeff and her daughter Savannah.

 Ted and I came and had a great  time. There was plenty of good food and laughs.

  The great grandsons  Max and Luke look cute in their Easter ties. They did not come to the dinner at Angie's.

  The weather was nice enough for them to play outdoors in their backyard.

 Thursday, Ted goes into Francican Hospital in Indianapolis. He will receive five days of chemo in preparation for the bone marrow transplant. After five days he will get the transplant and possibly three more days of chemo to keep his body from rejecting the bone marrow. He is in a good frame of mind, staying up beat.  Please keep us in your prayers dear friends.  So thankful for our wonderful neighbors who will be taking care of things here.
  Hope all of you had family time this past weekend. Make time for family when ever you can. XO

Busy Times.....

  Ted has mowed twice. He wears a mask when doing the lawn.

 Once he gets his bone marrow transplant, I will have to hire someone to mow.  He isn't to be doing things like that while recovering.

 Luke's gym class had a fund raiser for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

  Luke stayed active the whole time.  All the children climbed, ran, and jumped....oh to have some of that energy.

 Big brother Max and cousin Layla, jumping an a trampoline. All smiles too.

 The next day, they all met some army airmen.  Max looks shy here. LOL

 Luke tries out the pilot seat.  I have a pic of Max doing that also.

  Then there was an Easter egg hunt. Layla with her pretty mommy Emily.

  The roofer came this week and got started. He will have to wait till the rainy days have moved on. It's raining today and predicted to rain all day tomorrow.

  It is greening up around here . The willow tree looks pretty against that blue sky.

 The neighbor's little apple trees are getting a hint of green. Soon they should bloom.

 We  had a very pretty sunset sky one evening.

 Granddaughter Savannah won second place with her art work. (  flower picture in colored pencil )So proud of her .  Hope that girl sticks with art all her life.
    We have a week before Ted goes in the hospital for his bone marrow transplant. Praying all goes smoothly.  Thank you to all ,who have prayed and will pray for us. Your prayers are precious gifts .  XO
 

So Far, It's A Go.....

  Wednesday we went to the Franciscan hospital in Indianapolis . Ted had a battery of tests, lots of questions and answers too.  This is a huge complex on the  southside of Indy. You know all the way around the bypass 465....which people drive like it means 46"500".

  This is the room of the nurse navigator. Her name is Tammy. She will be with Ted throughout his whole time and procedures here. Tammy did tell us of the 12 point matching system, Ted and his donor matched eleven points, with the twelfth point being a minor one.

 Dr. Anand Tandra will be his number one doctor. He did a bone biopsy on Ted Wednesday. Told us all the scary parts of the transplant. Plus the good .

 This is the waiting room , where granddaughter Sierra and I waited for Ted to have a pulmonary test and an EKG.

  He had x-rays also. Then we went over his case with a social worker. No offence, but what are their jobs really? All I have talked with are confusing. She was telling us we need to find rooms to be near the hospital....in Indianapolis during May...are you kidding me. With the Indianapolis 500 Race events. Pray for us.
   I have a few numbers to call and try to find some answers. Ted will be going into the hospital the last week of this month and go thru chemo to get his resistance to zero, to prepare for the transplant. I am terrified myself. But I pray.  I try to relax...I am not sure I even know what that means anymore.
  Prayers for all of you. XO

Time Flies.....

  This is the very first picture I ever posted. That was 8 years ago.  I have been blogging 8 years. I see that I have not changed my blog much at all. LOL. But thanks to all of you for following.  This picture is of Emma in the lily garden at her house.  She was older than this picture when I started blogging.

  Now my little granddaughter is fifteen.  She has a birthday this very week.  I am still in shock about her being 15.

 I am showing some photos of her. Oh you know she would be saying "NO ,don't show those ".

  I had braided her when she spent the night.  She has thick hair like her mom.

 We would do crafts. This is some little playdoh things she made while here visiting, a few years back. Teens don't spend that much time with us any more.

  Emma was always' papaw 's girl. They are pals forever.

 Some of her drawings . I have always liked the long tailed cats she draws.

 There's an annual Hot Dog festival in the town near where she lives.

 Here she is with a childhood friend.

 She was into cheering for a couple years.

 Out to lunch with papaw and I.

 Emma loves animals. Here she hold Izzy, the cat.

 Shh, do not tell...I am posting some of my favorite photos of her. Oh that baby hair do.

 This is when got a hair cut.

 I love the sweet dress she is wearing here.

I think I will always love her pictures with Santa. Happy birthday Emma Pooh. You are our sweetheart.
   Pray for us tomorrow. It's the all day testing at the Bone Marrow Hospital.  Granddaughter Sierra will be taking us and staying with us the entire day.  Thank you everyone. XO