Mornings and procrastinating and matching

Last week I was sick for a week.  I had a cold/cough/fever/energy thing that left me in bed for a few days and bedraggled for a few more.  It’s so very ironic that I caught this bug when on my longest break from chemotherapy in more than two years.  In theory, my immune system should have been peaking in strength.  I liken it to people who get let down headaches on the first day of vacation: I subconsciously stopped willing my body to be healthy in spite of itself, and thus it crashed.

The hardest part of that week was processing my scan with Maren.  “What if your small tumors get bigger and bigger and bigger and then your organ(s) don’t work any more and you die?” was her question.  Other kids ask, “Are there monsters under my bed?” and the parent gets to shine the light under the bed: no monsters!  I hate, hate, hate not being able to shine the light on our monster, that it won’t ever go away, and that she has to live with her monster.

After a few days of operating as less-than-stellar due to the sickness, I woke up ready for the morning routines.

I went into my bathroom, and laughed as Greta came charging in: “MOM.  Are you making the lunches right now?”

Seeing as I’m standing at my bathroom counter brushing my teeth, I shook my head, No, I am not making the lunches right now.

Greta, “PHEW!  OKAY!  Maren and I are making the lunches, so don’t do that.”  She whirls off again, “MAREN!  DON’T FREAK OUT!  I STOPPED MOM FROM MAKING THE LUNCHES.”

There is never a dull moment with Greta around.

I emerged from my room, and saw them in their bathroom together.  Maren gives me a smile, and says, “Morning!  We’re doing matching sister day: half buns in our hair, and matching sister shirts.”

Greta, “AND THEN WE’RE GOING TO MAKE THE LUNCHES!”

“I love it,” I said, grinning.  “You guys are rocking this morning.  Thank you so much!”

We really like our mornings.  The two school buses come just before and just after nine o’clock, so it is a relatively late start to the day.  This  lets us sleep in, or have pre-school playtime, or do piano practice, or do morning homework.  At least once-a-week, our affinity for sleeping in means that one or both girls miss the bus.  I drive them, and it’s no big deal.  We don’t stress about things like making the bus every day.  Other families make the bus every day; I admire those families; we are not that family.

While they are at school, I have been turning over closets and changing seasonal wardrobes for the girls.  To fill in their gaps, I’m buying size 14/16 girls shirts for Maren — the last size in the girls department (next up, the junior department!) — and size 8/10 shirts for Greta!  Holy moly.  Giant small people live with me now just so you know.

Today I woke up, and my immediate thought was, “Crap!  We forgot to do Greta’s Star of the Week poster over the weekend!  Whoopsies!”

I vaulted up, because, obviously.  Visions of markers and racing to the corner store to pick up yet-to-be e-sent pictures danced in my head.

Both girls were sound asleep because we do weekends well and we say yes to adventure.

They got up and dressed and moving.  Greta, praise the Lord, charged out of her bed motivated to do her poster, so she dressed in record time and bolted downstairs and sat at the kitchen island with her poster whilst I made breakfast, packed lunches, and helped prompt her for what belongs on the poster.  My favorite answer of hers was, “Things I am good at”: being brave.  Yes.  Yes, yes, yes.

As is the case with every elementary school project, we also needed photos for the poster.  I walked around the house and took pictures out of frames to stick on the poster.  Tell me I’m not the only parent who has done this.  I was honestly proud that there were reasonably updated pictures in frames available for stealing.  Go me!  This should be obvious, but we had more than enough notice to not have to scramble for this project  —  her teacher is a goddess of organization.  My parents and college roommates can testify to my powers of procrastination, a legacy I am proudly passing down to my children.  I really do work best under pressure.  Greta rocked it like a champ, because that’s how Greta rolls!

A prayer request: For the first time in five and a half years, my insurance is denying the approval for the drug that my doctor recommends, specifically: Ibrance.  Please pray that the powers that be at United Healthcare would sign the appeal forms to allow me to get this drug.  My team is working through the appeal, and I admit I am nervous.  If it is denied again, the only option will be to self-pay.  However, I have a policy of not worrying over things I can’t control, so my way of coping is asking you to pray that it would all work out.  It is Pinktober, and I encourage you to not buy pink ribbon products, but instead to donate to cancer research if you are so motivated.  Dr. Wonderful is literally out of drug combinations that target my type of cancer — I need more options.  Thank you!