Update

I have been meaning to update for awhile now and with no success. Life is just so busy. The girls are crazy and I NEVER have a minute to breath, let alone sit down for a child-free minute to myself. Ha. 

So, I'll just start with a few things:

1. The girls are all good. They drive me crazy and honestly some days I think they are going to be the death of me! The are talking non-stop and I can barely keep up! They are getting bored with things and then fight with each other, which in turns makes everything much worse. I can't come up with enough stuff to keep them busy and still get things done and make the household run. It just never ends and it's such a struggle to balance it all and trust me, I try. I think I have a pretty good handle on things because I am so OCD, but when it all catches up with me...I sink quickly!

We have gone to the county fair, the cabin last weekend, the farm/pumpkin patch and I haven't blogged or uploaded photos of anything. Yesterday, I finally took the photos off of my camera and there were 365! Phew...so I am slowly going through them, editing and uploading to them to post. Stay tuned, I promise they will all be posted before my surgery.

2. My surgery is one week away (more on that in a min). Tim and I have been preparing in so many ways. We've been doing major clean outs and it's so nice! I love getting rid of junk that just piles up...and then it becomes such a pain, so you just shut the door, ect...(please tell me I'm not alone...)! We loaded up a truck full of junk that went straight to the dump on Saturday and boy was it needed. Tim steam cleaned and mowed the grass, got all the leaves up (the girls loved helping rake leaves!) and we have started getting all of our fall stuff up. I still have some meals to prepare and freeze, more cleaning to do, grocery shopping to do, meal plans for the kids, schedule updating/printing for our "helpers" to read....ugh, it never ends. I need to keep going...

3. Not to mention, if things weren't crazy enough, I am doing all of my tot-swap stuff so that my friend can pick up all my stuff next week. It starts the day of my surgery and to be honest, I can't afford to miss it. I need the money, and I need all this stuff gone and out of my house. I collect stuff for 6 months and I can't miss it or I will have twice as much next time and that just isn't okay! With five girls and all the clothes and toys, it's like a job to keep up with it all, I swear! Sometimes I feel like I am drowning in clothes, toys, stuffed animals...I am so thankful for my friend who is helping me out and taking all of my stuff for me!

4. And the surgery of course has been on my mind. It's getting closer and on Wednesday I go for my pre-op. I have to go all the way to that hospital that I am having the surgery at for it, which kinda sucks but I'll take the 1.5 hour quiet time in the car, alone! :) My surgery nurse called me last week and we started talking for awhile. (I was going on and on, contemplating having the surgery, telling her my fears...I have five little kids...blah, blah, blah...and she basically put it all in perspective for me.) She said I cannot wait any longer for the cancer will get worse. Of course I know that, but it still scary. She gave me my actual diagnosis of Stage 0 Cervical Cancer. So of course, that was a little shocking and it's been hard for that to set in. The doctor did give me the "technical" term but he didn't put it bluntly like that, other than saying something needed to be done "right away". She explained to me that I have a chance of having a higher stage after biopsies are done after the surgery, and then we go from there, then. As always, it's a waiting game. But to say I am not a little scared is an understatement. I have so much to prepare and get done and really I have no clue how my household is going to manage without me. Seriously...I know it may not sound like it's a big deal, but IT IS! I've learned that I can only depend on me and what I do...so being out of commission...I'm not good at it and it freaks me out! It's all becoming a bit much and today I was ready to melt down. UGH! One day at a time...one day at a time....I just have to keep telling myself that it will all work out, but really, how?! UGHHH! 

Sorry for the rant...it's been one of THOSE days. I'm eating a bunch of chocolate chip cookies, watching the news and hopefully will be able to fall asleep!

Romp n' Roll Fun!

This past Sunday I took the girl's to Tristan's 1st birthday party. Tristan is the grandson of my close friend, Diana. (Background- Her daughter and my sister went to school together from Kindergarten on up, so her and her husband and my parents are friends. She had hard pregnancies with her children and she became someone I could talk to when on bed rest with the triplets. She visited me on bed rest, in the hospital before their delivery and has been someone I can count on, turn to and trust. When we used to live in Poolesville, she was one of very few that would come over and see the girls and someone I could ask many questions too-since she works at a Pediatrician's office.) So I wasn't going to miss this party and have a chance to take the girls to a fun place they had never been before, called Romp n' Roll. It was seriously so much fun! I wish that place was in my basement! 

I'll let the photos do the talking. We had a blast and I think it's safe to say that my girls are going to be gymnasts and/or basketball players for sure...now if only I had enough money to enroll them each in the gymnastics classes...(only a small fortune)! They loved swinging from the bars and climbing over the obstacles. I really couldn't believe how good they were at everything, for never seeing some of the stuff before...they definitely pick up new things very quickly and really have no fear.

Sorry for the overload of photos...they just had so much fun!

FYI - Maddy - #1, Claire - #2, Natalee - #3

I could not believe how good Claire was at making baskets and I was so sad that Tim wasn't there to see her! She did awesome and he would have been SO proud of his almost-three-year-old shootin' hoops so well!

This photo is AWESOME! I hope when the girls are in high school and all playing basketball on the Varsity team, I can look back at this photo and say, "I knew they would be good players, just look at them at two?!!!!" And I love the pig-tails too...

Two of three triplets for sale.....

Contemplating - Which one of my sisters should I smack first with this paddle?!

It's safe to say Claire and Maddy were obsessed with this trampoline! I need to get one for them for sure!

She was saying, "Momma, WATCHHHHHHH"

Can we say...hoarder! 

My girls were obsessed with the juice. They NEVER get juice so of course when they can have, they do not put it down for a second! 

Hysterectomy

I know it's been awhile since I've updated about my hysterectomy/cancer issues. So, here goes:

I went to the oncologist on September 3rd to talk over my results of my colposcopy and biopsies.  He said something for sure needs to be done, and done very soon. He suggested I either do the hysterectomy or a cone biopsy. I asked him about what I've read regarding having a cone biopsy and then it being much harder to detect cancer in the future and he said for sure it is MUCH harder to detect cancer after a cone biopsy. He stated that if I was to get cancer after a cone biopsy, it is likely not caught until very late. That sealed the deal for me. I have too much life ahead of me to still worry about it, even after having a procedure done. TAKE IT OUT! So, he agreed too, if that was my wishes, that it would be best. 

We talked for a few minutes regarding the surgery and what it entails. He said of course their is a risk in hitting my bladder because I have had two c-sections and two laparoscopies, but that there are risks in every surgery. Duh, thanks for the reassurance doc! He said he can in fact try to do a laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy, but he won't know for sure until he's in the OR. 

Everything will be biopsied and examined once it's out of me to make sure there is NO cancer anywhere, and if there is, we go from there, then. He said there is always a chance that they miss the cancer cells on the colposcopies, so we just have to wait and see. 

As for now, they will take my cervix, uterus and tubes, hopefully leaving my ovaries. I talked to him about how Dr. R (who delivered Emily and Anna) said that he saw endometriosis in me during my c-section., which still blows my mind considering how easy we got pregnant with Em and Anna. I asked if he could look around and examine the area and make a determination if my ovaries needed to come out or anything else needed to be done while he was in there and he said he would. That made me feel really good. I don't have time to have another surgery to get rid of endometriosis and since I am still going to have my ovaries and therefor still have hormones, endometriosis can still grow and cause me problems! Errrr.

So my surgery has been scheduled for October 9th, 2013 at 10:30am. I have to be there at 8:30am and the hospital that I have to go to is two hours away. I am not looking forward to the day before "prep" if ya know what I mean. Blah. So, that should be a fun start, liquid diet and living in the bathroom all day before. Blah. I will be in the hospital for 1-2 days providing everything goes to plan, even though my instructions say 3-6 days. Then I hope to go to my parent's house for a few days to recover and stay in bed. Isn't exactly the vacation I was looking for. I can't do stairs but once a day for the first week and no driving for 3-4 weeks!! The nurse was very firm with me that this is major internal surgery and not like a c-section. She said I must have help and take it easy! I almost died of laughter and then told her I have five little girls, 2.5 years and younger. Must have help? Riiiiight..does this lady know who I am??

So....with a month to go, I am going to make lots of meals, try to plan some help for me and the girls, get everything together....and hope for the best.  I am going to miss the girls so much but I try to not think about it too much right now. I know this month will go so fast. I have to remember that this is the best option for me, right now and I need to be healthy for my girls and my husband. I want to live a long, happy life that does not involve cancer, so I am going to do whatever I have to do to make sure of it. I am definitely scared. It's totally different having surgery when you have children that need you. I'm Momma and we all know, no one can do it like Momma. I hate being a burden to anyone and asking for help just isn't what I like to do. I don't want to depend on other people to help me and my family. I just hate that, but I know this time I am really going to need help in so many ways.

I have 28 days left. Good gracious. I have a lot to do to prepare! Thank you for all those that have been keeping me and my family in your thoughts and prayers, it is appreciated so much. 

Our First Family Hike!

This past Sunday morning, we finally went out on a family hike. I had been wanting to take the girls to Cunningham Falls State Park for awhile to see the waterfall, but I didn't know how they would do with a 1 mile hike. We took them on a few walks (where they actually walked) and they did great but hiking in the woods was going to be a little different, even though it's a pretty easy trail. 

We wanted to get a backpack for Emily since she is still little and she would get tired quickly on a hike, but Tim was refusing to let us buy one. And honestly, I didn't want to spend a fortune on one if we got on a hike and it all became a disaster and we never used it again. So, this past weekend, I found a really nice, and barely used backpack carrier at a yard sale for $5, which I ended up only paying $3.50! Best deal of the year! :)

So, Nana graciously came with us and we packed some snacks and water and off we went. 

And wouldn't you know, they girls did great! Emily loved the backpack carrier. Anna slept the whole time in the Baby K'Tan. The girls walked the whole time. Mommy, Daddy and Nana survived and got some exercise  and all was good! The waterfall was pretty disappointing since it is late summer and we haven't had much rain, but the girls still liked being outside and exploring nature. We saw LOTS of caterpillars and bugs, rocks to jump off of, flowers, trees, dirt...ya know, nature!

Here are some of our photos from our first hike! We will definitely be doing many hikes this fall!

Happy girl!!

When we got back to the car it was snack time!!

Such a big girl!

After we left the park, we went to a local orchard to get apples, corn and peaches before heading home for lunch and naps! A wonderful Sunday morning and I look forward to many more family hikes!