Update on Papaw

Papaw has begun radiation treatments on his spine. Over Christmas he was in some pretty severe pain. After a trip to the doctor, it was determined that the tumor on his spine was pressing on the vertebrae and causing the intense pain. Daddy was given some medicine to help which made him pretty loopy and sleepy. After meeting with his oncologist, it was determined that radiation therapy might be helpful in relieving some of the pain. The radiation will not cure the cancer, but will hopefully shrink the tumor some so that it is not pressing on the spine with such force. We are praying that this works so that he doesn't have to be on such a high dose of pain medication. Daddy is now sporting a new tattoo as they have to "permanently mark" the spot where the radiation is delivered. His tatt is just a small cross...nothing too fancy. He is experiencing some side effects of radiation with constant fatigue being the main one.
I feel completely helpless being 2.5 hours away. I know it's not about me...but I feel like I could do something if I were closer. I praise the Lord for my Uncle Larry who has been a huge help getting Daddy to his appointments so that Mamma can work some. Kolby and Meredith have been lifesavers too.

Joshua was dancing with Addison in the kitchen the other night and I couldn't help but think of how I used to do the exact same thing with my daddy. And how during my teenage years when I was "mad at the world" Daddy would start dancing around like Bill Cosby singing some Motown hit just trying to get me to smile. It always worked despite my best efforts....and it still does. I've always seen him as invincible. And I've always believed that he could and would fix anything. So it hurts this girl to see her daddy hurt and not be able to fix it. But I am so thankful that God has a plan. And though I don't understand it, I know and trust that in the end it will all be good.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Christmas, Sickness, and a girl named Bobbie Sue

Things are beginning to settle down here at the Todd house after a whirlwind holiday season. It started on Christmas Eve. Parker and Addison both had to be escorted out of the sanctuary during the candlelight service. Parker hit his head on the pew and was yelling "I hit my head-bone! I hit my head-bone!" Addison took a bottle during the service, but failed to get a good burp and decided to let us all know about it right before we sang Silent Night. Then it was back to our house where we hosted all the Todds for dinner. Joshua had spent the entire day smoking his inaugural Christmas Ham. We all gathered in the kitchen to bless the food. As Mr. Dan, (Doodad) began to pray Parker began to whine. A whine that sounded very much like his fake whine that he does to get attention. After the "Amen," everyone begins to fix their plate while Joshua and I reprimand Parker for his behavior during the blessing. As we are scolding our child, he lets out a shriek and proceeds to throw up all over me and the floor right in the middle of the kitchen where our guests were gathered. While I changed clothes, Parker throws up again all over Joshua and his bedroom carpet. So, Joshua and I spent our lovely holiday party cleaning up vomit and tending to a pitiful little boy. I heard the food was good.

The next morning was a whirlwind. Parker appeared to be better so we rushed through Santa in order to get suitcases packed and loaded to head to the mountains. A snowstorm was headed to Mamaw and Papaw's and we were in a race against the clock. The clock won. By the time we got our house cleaned up from the night before, clothes washed, suitcases packed, and car loaded...there was already 2 inches on the ground in Rabun. After a minor meltdown on my part, we enjoyed breakfast at Moma and Doodad's and a LONG afternoon nap at home. The next day the snow stalled and we headed north. We spent 5 days with Mamaw, Papaw, Uncle Kolby and Aunt Mere. It was wonderful.

Before Christmas, we took Parker shopping at the Dollar Tree. We told him to pick out a present for each member of our family. It took him a few minutes to figure out that we were NOT shopping for him. Once he got in the groove, it was quite humorous. He definitely made a connection between present and gift with Uncle Kolby and Doodad. Everyone else....totally random. Here's a rundown....

Moma: Bath loofah with handle

Doodad: Back scratcher

Mamaw: Doggie Clean Up Bags

Papaw: A blue "whistle" (as Parker called it...also known as a recorder)

Uncle Kolby: Fishing Rod Game

Aunt Mere: Snowmen Headband

Uncle Jason: Black cowboy hat

Uncle Jacob: Clown sunglasses

Aunt Bethany: Pink Pig Piggy Bank

Uncle Ike: "Lucky in Love" CD

Aunt Beth: Star shaped pop light

Uncle Larry: Ethnic Angel figurine

While at my parents, Parker discovered my old Fisher Price record player. Mom had some old 45s and Parker became our D.J. His favorite record of choice was "Bobbie Sue" by the Oak Ridge Boys. He played it non-stop and demanded that everyone dance. Bobbie Sue played for 5 days straight. And then Aunt Mere showed him the YouTube video of the actual Oak Ridge Boys and now we watch that at least 50 times a day. He asks for "Baaabee Sue" daily. He does have some good moves though.

Oh. And it was Addison's first Christmas. Poor second born. Here she is smiling with her stocking at Mamaw's. So pretty. So content. She turned 2 months on Christmas Day. Her 2 month stats: 12 lbs, 23.5 inches and has slept through the night twice now. I love her so!

Mission Impossible

• Sneezing with your eyes open
• Finding a word that rhymes with purple
• Slamming a revolving door
• Getting a decent family photo with a 2 year old and a newborn

Oh well.... Merry Christmas from the Todds!

Shutterfly

I have used Shutterfly.com as my primary picture printing site since Parker was born. The pictures are always high quality and you can always get a great deal! Right now Shutterfly is offering 50 free Holiday Cards to bloggers. When I stumbled upon this promo I was so excited! I wanted to send out a birth announcement for Addison as our Christmas card this year. This promo will allow me to choose a beautiful design to introduce our sweet baby girl!

While I use Shutterfly primarily for prints, I've also ordered large prints and gifts too! I designed Parker's birth announcement on Shutterfly and I've made a calendar for the grandparents. The possibilities are endless and you can be sure the quality will be exceptional!

And if you are a blogger...you NEED to get in on the free card promo! Find out more info here: Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly http://bit.ly/sfly2010

More Pictures!

I know she's mine...but isn't she just beautiful!?!?

One Happy Great-Grandma!

I'm pretty sure she's got her Papaw wrapped around her little finger!

Papaw's sweet babies!

Four Generations!

Bonding

Parker has warmed up to Addison being home. He's very loving and wants to hold her all the time. He gets very distressed when she cries! It is very sweet. Here's a video of him "sharing" his toys with her. He couldn't quite understand why she couldn't catch the football!

Addison Claire

Addison Claire Todd

October 25, 2010

2:49 PM

7 lbs, 11 oz 21 inches