Friday, July 31, 2009

Blood Transfusion

On Wednesday I went in for my regular radiation appointment and then saw the doctor, which I do every Wednesday. Dr. Chen took one look at me and said that my blood count was low because I was so pale. He told me I needed to go and get a blood test. So, after Gloria's birthday party I went and had my blood tested and it turned out that I was, to quote the nurse, "about a quart low." So, on Thursday the nurse sent me to get "type and cross matched" so that today I could get a blood transfusion. This morning David and I dropped the kids at Sarah's house (THANK YOU!!!) and headed to radiation. After that we went straight to the oncology infusion center and sat there for 3 hours while I got my very first ever blood transfusion. Before I was even done with the first unit of blood (I got 2) my color was better. We are hopeful that this transfusion will keep me out of the hospital this round of chemo.

As for the rest of this week, it has been great. On Monday we took the kids swimming at the club and we ran into some friends and had a good visit. On Tuesday the kids had a primary activity at the church with the youth and I got to go and pick them up. I got to see some of my friends and show off my cool red wig. It was really nice to see them and visit. Wednesday was Gloria's birthday party and it was wonderful to have a good turnout of her friends and their moms. Thursday was low-key and I got a good nap - yay me! Then today after my transfusion David and I went to lunch at Panda Express and now we are just chillin at home. It has been a good week and I am looking forward to next week when my sister is coming to town. Next weekend we are headed to Dillion's beach with the entire Morgan Clan and we are really looking forward to that! So all-in-all another good week. Another week of radiation down and things are going well.

***Just a side note, if you happen to call and I don't answer, it is because it is hard for me to talk on the phone these days. My hearing is getting worse and the phone is really hard to hear and understand people on. Hearing loss is a side effect of chemotherapy and they are not sure yet if it is permanent or just temporary. If you want to get ahold of me the best way is email, I am an email addict and check it multiple times a day - although sometimes it might take me a day or two (or even a week) to respond! My email address is really easy: kacicox@hotmail.com. Feel free to drop me an email anytime! Thanks for all of your love and support!!

Happy 4th Birthday Gloria




The day after Hyrum's birthday we got to celebrate Gloria's birthday. For her birthday we got her the cutest tea set that she saw back in January and cried when we left the store without it. We also threw her a princess birthday party - after all she is the resident princess here.

Here she is posing with her Hannah Montana pinata! She loved that it was pink and purple and that it was "Hamma Nontana." It didn't hurt that it was full of tons of candy!

She got great presents and was sooo happy to have them. It was really hard to wait for the time to open them. The two that got the biggest response: scissors (who knew?) and the nail kit - see the picture below! She was so thrilled to have her own nail polish! Gloria is such a girly-girl.
Gloria is full of energy and loves to be around her friends. We are constantly asked by her when she gets to go to a friends house and play. Gloria loves to have her hair done, her nails done and change her clothes thousands of times a day. Her favorite colors are purple and pink and she will wear anything in those colors. She loves to put on her dresses and wear sandals. She is my girly-est girl and I love it! Gloria loves to dance and make people laugh. She really enjoys making a mess in her room and letting her big sisters clean it up. There are times when Gloria and Nephi go missing and we seem to always find them in one of the bedrooms, with the door closed and Gloria dictating to Nephi what they are playing. Nephi loves the attention and Gloria loves to be the "big" kid. I love this kid and think she is so funny. She comes up with the craziest stories to tell and laughs at all her not-so-funny jokes. It is fantastic!!!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy GlOrIa!! I LoVe YoU BuNcHeS!!!!

Happy 9th Birthday Hyrum!


He's 9! Already!! On Monday, the 27th, we celebrated Hyrum's birthday. He actually got lucky and got one of his presents a few weeks early. He has been reading Harry Potter for the last few months. He was really looking forward to seeing the 6th movie and at the last minute I decided that I would take him to the midnight premiere. He was so excited. We went with Grandma and Grandpa Morgan and met Uncle Jarrod and cousins: Eli and Jonah at the theater. Grandpa bet the boys a dollar that they would all fall asleep in the movie, they didn't and all earned a dollar at the end. Hyrum thought the movie was fantastic and loved having the big soda and popcorn as well as all the candy that got passed around. It was really a fun night.

Then on Hyrum's birthday he got a new motor scooter. He has wanted one since Vilate got hers and he was so excited to have his own. He had a great time riding around the apartment complex with Vilate.

We kept with tradition and made Hyrum his own cake - chocolate with purple frosting -
which he promptly shoved his entire face into. There is nothing like being 9!

I am really grateful for Hyrum. He is a good boy. He loves scouts and playing video games. He is enjoying reading Harry Potter - thank you JK Rowling. He loves to play baseball and is an amazing pitcher, he's got the whole stance down - it's really cool to watch him pitch. Hyrum does a great job of keeping his room clean and organized, most of the time and, when he wants to, can be one of the most helpful people that I know. He loves his little brothers and sisters and really likes to hang out with Faith most of all. I am so glad that Hyrum is in our family and I love getting hugs from him. I hope that he enjoyed his birthday!

I LoVe YoU HyRuM - HaPpY BiRtHdAy!!!!!!!!