I started to title this post, First Day of School and A Trip to the ER.....but that was such a long title.  Well today will be our first day of school and Dave and I took a little trip to the ER during the night.  I woke up at 2:15 with him standing beside the bed.  He was having pain in his chest.  I called 911 and they came and checked him out.  His blood pressure was really high so they wanted to take him to the hospital and check him out.  When they asked me which hospital, I said MDA....they said which local hospital?.....I knew that...I just really wished we were near the MDA ER right then.  But we went to RMC and they checked him out thoroughly and even called and talked with the surgical team at MDA.  Everything looked fine.  So the big question is why was he having chest pain.  We are relieved that there was nothing wrong.  We will talk to the surgeon's office later today.  He is still having a lot of pain but we assume this is normal.  So that is how we spent our night.  I was thankful to be able to call Kim to run over and stay with the kids.  Now I am going to cook a yummy breakfast  for our first day of school.  Just when I think everything is back to normal....I am reminded how cancer really does change things.

home

We have been home for a little over 24 hours now.  Yesterday brought alot of emotions for me.  I had almost a sad feeling as our plane taxied to the runway.  There was a sense of relief that the surgery was over but still a sadness to be leaving Houston.  When we got home my mama helped me get all the clothes out of the suit cases put away and all the suit cases put in the closet.....way back in the closet.  I feel like we have been living in limbo since last September.  Last year we spent the first week of September on pins and needles waiting on biopsy results.  Then we spent the rest of September and first of October waiting on an appointment at MD Anderson.  The rest of the story is history.  As I was putting away clothes yesterday and getting everything in order, there was definitely  sense of closure.  We will still have to travel to Houston for scans but for the most part we are done.  This makes me sad in some ways.  Even though some of the hardest days of my life were spent there during this past year, it was a special time, a time probably never to be repeated. Don't get me wrong,  I hope the cancer part never is repeated.  But the time we spent as a family and the friendships we formed and the way we saw God work in our lives was so special.  

OK...this is something that makes me laugh.  I've told you how Dave laughs outloud watching tv.  We were watching The Office tonight and he laughed and it made him hurt.  So it ends up being a laugh/cry sound.  He has done this several times.  Don't think I'm being mean....he thinks it's funny too.  It's just good to hear him laugh.  He is doing really well although he is still very sore.  Our kiddos were very glad to see us.  We enjoyed spending the day with  them.  It's finally back to school time for us on Tuesday.  I think we are all ready.  Abby is going to be in the play Little Women in December.  She will be playing the part of Amy.  I can't wait to see her performance.  Erin and Abby are taking piano this fall and Erin is continuing with violin lessons.  Samo has aspirations to play the drums, but until then he will be playing football and taking karate.  We are also participating in a co-op this fall.  Abby is taking a Civics class and a Composition class.  Erin and Samuel are taking a Nature class and a Composition class.  I am excited and ready to begin this school year. 

Time to head home

Tomorrow  is the day we are heading home.  We are actually getting to go home a few days ahead of schedule.  Dave has had a good day.  He is moving slowly...but he is moving.  He has taken several walks down the hall today.  Sarah and Ron brought dinner to us tonight.  We had some sweet time with them tonight.  They wouldn't want me to say this....but this is my blog, so I can say what I would like :)  They have been wonderful!! Such good friends to us.  We are going to miss them.

Dave is already dreading the travel time tomorrow.  Riding on bumpy roads is no fun after surgery.....and Houston sure has some bumpy roads.  Hopefully everything will go smoothly.  Alrighty then.  Time for me to hit the sack.  Can't wait to see Abby, Erin, and Samo tomorrow. 

Dave is getting out the hospital today. We are going to spend the next two nights at a hotel, and if all goes well, go home Wednesday. He is sore. That is probably an understatement. He is having some pain. He can always tell when it's time for pain meds.....sometimes he can tell way before it's time. But he is really doing so well. He looks good, his hair is coming in (although it is very fine, thin hair). I got him a new hat the other day. He has this navy blue Houston Texans hat that he has worn everyday since treatment began. I think of that hat as the cancer hat, so I thought we should retire that hat and start life after surgery with a new hat. We will put that hat up and remember this time in our life when we run across it in the future. Maybe I'll find it when I'm cleaning out a closet in a few years, when all of this is a distant memory.

Sunday

He is doing very well today. They will probably release him tomorrow. He was able to take a nice hot shower today, which always makes you feel better. The hospital is boring on Sunday's. Not that it's really fun any other day, but it's especially boring on the weekend. Hope you enjoy the video.

Don't forget to turn down the music.

Saturday Night

Today has been a good day.  A friend we met during our first week at MDA came for a visit.  She also has Sarcoma Cancer and began treatment the same time as Dave.  We had the best visit with her.  Dave had his epidural removed today and was taken off of his pain pump.  He is having some pain tonight as they try to adjust him to his oral pain meds.  After they unhooked him from everything, he walked some and even went down the hall to get a cup of coffee.  Dave's mom and my parents have been out here with us this week.  Since he is doing so well, they are planning to go home tomorrow.  Dave will probably be released within the next day or so.  We are planning to stay in Houston for a couple more days to make sure he is doing ok before we fly home. We are very pleased with his progress, but he still has a lot of recovering to do. 

Can I just tell you how hot it was today in Houston.....106 !!! Thankfully I didn't have to be out in it.  Today was Samo's first football game and it was hot there too.  I was so sad we had to miss it.  His Uncle Bradley has been taking him to practice and he took him to the game today.  I talked to him after the game and he sounded so excited.  He made an interception!!  Wooohooo!!  I can't wait to get home and cheer for him.  I miss all three of the kids terribly. I am ready to get home to them....just a few more days.

Friday Morning

Dave is continuing to get better and better.  He got out in hall and walked 7 times yesterday.  He tries to sit up as much as he can.  He still has the epidural and pain pump so he gets really sleepy when he is still.  The average stay after surgery is 7 days.  He is still on a liquid diet but hopefully today he will be able to move to some solid food.