There's a kind of a sort of cost

"There's a kind of a sort of cost, there's a couple of things get lost" -Glinda, Wicked

When I entered into the world of Apple, I didn't realize the cost. Not the monetary cost, but the cost of having constant connection to the social networking world at the very tips of your actual fingers. There was rarely a need to use my REAL computer anymore. So what's the cost exactly? Not blogging as much. No keyboard :: no blogging.

Oh yeah. And I had a baby.

There's a lot to say. Some of it will obviously have to wait. Or you'll be sitting here through Christmas reading it. After all, it's been since June 14th that I've posted.

So let's get down to it, shall we?

First on the list....

NEWSIES!!!!! It's coming to Broadway!!!! I say "coming" like I live there. I guess I should say "going" to Broadway. Unfortunately it's an Nederlander Theater which is not one of my favorites. But it's housed quite a few of my favorites, so I guess it's only fitting.

Have you guys read any of the latest blogs from Compassion's trip to Ecuador? Oh holy moly. There's some powerful stuff in there. Read some of them here. Or you can click on the Compassion Ecuador banner on the right hand of the page. My particular favorites are from Ann Voscamp this year.

Speaking of Compassion. We'll be offering the opportunity to donate money towards water filters very soon. These water filters will go directly to our church partners in Kenya. They provide clean water (no dirt, no microbes, no sickness!!) for an entire family for life! In fact, our local water expert Charlie Anderson did the math and he said it would make clean water for 65 people for life!!! And they're only $55!!!!! Crap dang. Sign me up! I want to be a part of that story in heaven!! So hold your horses, it's coming soon.

Ok, we'll do this again soon. It's been nice talking at you. :)

Dad's Noggin

Here's a brief update of what's going on inside dad's little noggin.

For those of you who don't know, since January he's had double vision since January that has affected his far away vision. An MRI was done, and he was sent to a neurologist. The MRI was negative at this time. The neurologist started him on a medication for ocular myasthenia gravis that appeared to be helping for a short period of time. At this point he started seeing a neuro-opthalmologist to follow up with the possible diagnosis of ocular MG.

At some point a few months ago it got worse. So he tried a week of steroids and kept taking the medication. It improved fairly significantly but after he stopped taking the steroids, the vision returned as it was.

Last weekend, the double vision continued to worsen and began affecting his upclose vision which was very frusterating for him, as you can only imagine. Another MRI, this time with and without contrast was done and showed a small meningioma in his caverous sinus.

A few definitions for you:

Meningioma: this is a tumor that can have several different presentations. Only a very slight percentage invade the actual brain tissue. An even smaller percentage are cancerous. His is neither.

Cavernous sinus: this is located in the base of your skull and although the name is confusing to some, it's not a sinus cavity that houses your snot during allergy season. Simply put, the cavernous sinus is a little area that houses a lot of blood vessels and is where your 6th cranial nerve (the ocular nerve) travels between the eye and the brain. Hence his vision symptoms.

On Monday morning, he, mom, and I met the neurosurgeon at UTSW to formulate a plan. As expected, he told us that it is likely benign (and he knows this based on the location and presentation). He also said that the cavernous sinus is not a place they like to operate because of the nerves that run through there. Operating on a tumor there would likely worsen his vision and it would be a permanent worsening. Obviously not our goal. So with those things in mind, he suggested radiation therapy. Radiation will either halt the growth of the tumor, lessen the size of it, or blast it to smitherines, but there's no way to know until you do it. This will most likely be a one time radiation treatment that is done by a radiation oncologist. (Again, no...that doesn't mean this is cancer. They are just the doctors that do the radation.)

Dad will meet the radiation oncologist for a consultation next Friday to discuss the options. And we'll take it from there.

The one peice of info that I didn't see coming was that the neurosurgeon isn't sure what his sight will be like even if the tumor goes away completely. It could return to normal, get a little better, or stay the same. This depends on if the nerve there has been damaged or if it's just irritated and compressed by the tumor.

All of that said, here's how you can support him in prayer:

• that he maintains a healthy attitude emotionally and spiritually
• the radiation blasts the tumor away permanently
• his eyesight improves or even returns to normal

We appreciate your care and concern!

Brain Tumors, Rain, and The Month of June

IMPORTANT EDIT: Unfortunately I allowed the term "brain tumor" that was being used incorrectly over and over to penetrate my syntax. It is absolutely NOT a brain tumor but is very difficult to describe in other terms unless you are familiar with skull anatomy. (Yes, it's more than just a big round piece of bone...) In short, the tumor is nestled in the base of the skull where the optic nerve lies.

It's June. Hopefully not the month of our little June. She's not done cooking. We don't want her coming out like a half-baked biscuit, now do we? The Neverland Nursery is coming together peice by peice. The walls and ceiling are painted, and we've got the carpet guys coming out Monday to measure. Hopefully that'll be done real, real soon. I want our hallway cleaned back out!

We're still moving along. She's definitely doing more moving than I am. Yesterday while mom untangled years of wiring behind our TV set (and I helped by holding a flashlight), I watched my belly move around like the Alien was about to pop out of my abdomen. Apparently she was tired of floating on her head. And just so you know, she does this in the middle of the night, too. Not that I'm sleeping much anyways.

For those of you who don't know, my dad has been struggling with double vision since early January. He's seen various doctors and specialists, and nothing has worked. It got progressively worse to the point that it affected his close up vision this past weekend warranting a repeat MRI (this time with contrast). And what do you know...

A brain tumor.

Yeah, initially I was telling people not to say the "T" word, until I read his MRI report myself. There it was - the specific name of what type of tumor they thought. (Sorry, not revealing that info here. We haven't seen the Doc yet and I don't want you people getting all google happy on me.) The early good news is that it is RARELY cancerous, and they even used the word "small" in the report.

Monday morning he has an appointment with a neurosurgeon in Dallas from UTSW that we'll be going to. No, that doesn't mean he needs brain surgery. Neurosurgeons are obviously the experts in brain tumors so they'll make up the plan of care and we will basically do what they say.

All prayers are appreciated. In case you didn't know, there's a swarm of brain tumors affecting pastors these days. Sounds like a mighty plot. Thankfully, we've already won.

On the otherside of things....tomorrow is our first shower. Yay! Baby things for baby June! She's excited, too, she just doesn't know it yet.

WARNING: SOAP BOX TO FOLLOW

Is it really the end of May? Oh dear.

Mom and I went to register this past weekend, and wow. Some of this stuff people buy...give me a break. Some of it is great for a busy mom who needs to cut some corners on time, and some of it is just flat out lazy!! Geez louise. That's why I have job security. No need to actually watch them with some of this stuff on the market. And then when they climb up on the TV set and pull it over on top of themselves or "miraculously" get in the backyard for an afternoon swim, everyone is shocked at how they accomplished that feat!

And then time to register for a carseat. Luckily I work with just the right people for this info. The Injury Prevention Coordinator in my office made a few recommendations (and no, any carseat isn't just a carseat) - there's entire conferences on carseats people. Seriously. So now I will get on my car seat safety box for a second. New recommendations from AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) is rear-facing car seat until 2 years old. The previous recommendation was 1year-18months old AND at least 20 pounds. That means if your 8 month old is 21 pounds, they still sit rear facing. BUT!!!! Now they say if they can stay rear-facing until 2 years or longer (as long as their knees are off their chest) then that is the best practice. This is all based off muscle and bone development for their little cervical spines and the repeated injuries we see in this age group. And I can also attest to some pretty severe facial injuries in forward facing kiddos, too.

And for crying out loud - put your kid in the backseat with BOTH a lap belt and shoulder strap until they are 13. Yes, 13. Just do it. Don't ask me why. If you really don't believe me on this, I'll tell you some stories. Not one or two, but lots of stories. Cervical spine injuries aren't jokes. Feeding tubes and a urinary catheter every 6 hours aren't jokes.

Ok. I'm done with that.

I am having fun looking at tiny little clothes and planning the nursery. A Neverland Nursery. Oh yes yes yes. Complete with the London Clock Tower, pirates, mermaids, and of course...fairies.

"When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about. That was the beginning of fairies." JM Barrie, from the book Peter Pan.

Don't You Wanna Put Your Face In That?

This is my last post about our Disney World Babymoon. So for all you non-fantatics, take a chill pill.

The bats, although somewhat rated-R, are seriously one of my favorite exhibits in the Pangani Forest Trail at Animal Kingdom. I love bats. Always have.

And seriously, don't you want to just put your full face in that wing??

I would.

For free.

Mmmm...I bet it's silky.

Fine. I'll stop being weird about the bats.

I haven't blogged in a while (and I still hate that word...blog...blogged might even be worse) because of the constant sickness. There wasn't much to say other than, "Well, I'm 14 weeks pregnant now and still puking my brains up," and then later, "Well, it's 23 weeks now, still vomiting all the time."

But the progesterone fog has lifted and I am feeling close to myself again. Except for the constant stretching, not fitting into clothes, incessant reflux, and the alienesque-ness of having a life form squirm inside you. But other than that...

In all truthfulness, we're just happy as clams.

And who wouldn't be when you get to buy stuff like this....

You'll be happy to know those ruffles are as soft as that bat wing.

Sorry. I couldn't help myself.

Count down to meeting little June: 13 weeks, 4 days

Updated Ranger Tickets for Sale

Here are games we are going to sell for face value on StubHub. If you would like to buy them from us directly, you can also have our season ticket parking pass for the game.

Great seats. Section 37, Row 16, aisle seats 1 and 2.

Games currently available (list will be updated periodically):

Wednesday April 20, 7:05 Los Angeles Angels (Dr. Pepper autograph Wednesday, Dollar Hot Dog night)
Saturday April 23, 7:05 KC Royals
Friday May 6, 7:05 NY Yankees (Firework show)
Tuesday May 24, 7:05 Chicago White Sox (Thirsty Tuesday)
Wednesday August 24, 7:05 Boston Red Sox (Dr. Pepper autograph Wednesday, Dollar Hot Dog night)
Friday August 26, 7:05 Los Angeles Angels (Firework show)
Sunday August 28, 7:05 Los Angeles Angels (Blue Bell $1 Ice Cream, Rangers Football for 13y and under)
Wednesday August 31, 7:05 Tampa Bay Devil Rays (Dr. Pepper autograph Wednesday, Dollar Hot Dog night)

I swear we don't have anything against the Angles. Or LA for that matter. Except Kobe is my 2nd least favorite sports figure in all of history, next to only Barry Bonds. Anyways, it just fell that we can't go on those days. Sorry LA. And late August is pushing me having a big ol' belly that doesn't want to sit in the sun. Or having a brand new baby...either way....sorry August Rangers.

Tickets are face value $62 each except for the Boston game which is face value $69. The Saturday night Yankee game we're selling on StubHub for $145, but we'll offer to you for $125 each. (Some wacko online will pay it if you won't.) Each game comes with our season ticket parking pass and a free program (and a coupon for %25 off a tshirt).

Email me if you're interested. imdavysgirl@gmail.com

Let's go Rangers.

The Show Must Go On

Tonight is the last night for Story Songs. A sad night it will be.

Monday was great. Great audience. Great energy. Great performances. Great reviews.

Wednesday.....well....let's just say 2nd night ain't the same as Opening Night. Just the way it is. (Keeping down more than a pb&j sandwich in 24 hours would have been helpful too....)

But the show must go on.

And it's got one more night.

So many people have come out to see me/us/Betty Lynn Buckley, and I'm eternally grateful for your love and support. It has been an exquisite ride and I'll be very sad to say goodbye to my songs tonight. At least at this level of performance.

Where to go from here? Well...mommyhood. It's been a bit of a rough pregnancy, constant sickness, palpitations...time to take a break for a little bit. I'll miss it.

One more shot at my "11:00 number" and it'd be awesome if you came! If not to see the constant display of honed skill and talent, maybe to see if I make it through without hitting the floor like a fish out of water.

Tickets can still be bought at the door or you can call the Modern Art Museum at 817-738-9215 and pick them up at "Will Call." 7:30 curtain time. Be there or be square.