Summer break and the status quo

 

We are surviving the first full week of summer!  Per the usual, our girls have attempted to cram an entire summer worth of fun into the first week of summer *sigh* 
Activities have included, but not limited to:  
Multiple sleepovers
Multiple friends at our house
Adventureland trip with friends
Getting our above ground pool running
Shopping with friends
Lots of time with our neighborhood friends
Puppy snuggles
Random store trips since V can drive now! (Walmart, Target, Hy-Vee, thrifting, etc)

Overall, the girls are kicking off their summer with a bang.  Viv is doing some part time work this summer helping nanny for a friend of ours and she's applying to work at ChildServe PRN.  Scarlett will be spending some time at volleyball camp this summer and doing some babysitting/pet sitting as well...and whatever chores I'm willing to pay her for!  

The dogs (Murphy and Millie) are continuing to do amazing overall!  They do growl a bit if startled, however are doing great with going to the bathroom outside, sleeping in their kennels, and wanting snuggles or sleeping the rest of the time.  We already have a million pictures of them on the couch, sleeping on the floor, or otherwise cuddling.  

As for Tom, his 2nd round of chemo is done and *knock on wood* has been pretty similar to the first.  Minimal side effects--a little bit of GI symptoms and mainly the cold sensitivity in his hands.  He wore stretchy knit gloves (cheap winter gloves) on Thursday and Friday last week, including sleeping but was able to go without them on Saturday.  I also purchased a heated pillow that's rechargeable/portable that he can take to chemo with him or use on the couch.    

We do have a referral to the genetics team to see if Tom's pancreatic cancer has a genetic component that we need to be concerned about for our girls and/or future grandkids.

The biggest concern continues to be Tom's eating and weight management.  For those that have seen him in person, he's hovering around 160lbs, which is roughly what he weighed during his sophomore year (age 16) I'm told.  He was around 230lbs back in Nov 2024 and 180lbs on 4/25/2025.  The dietician has told us she'll be concerned at 150lbs.  My kitchen is a bit of a disaster with protein drinks/calorie boosters pretty much everywhere at this point and Tom is rightly annoyed on a daily basis with my offerings.  We are also trialing some medication to increase his appetite, however we aren't seeing much success yet, so we'll see.  This week has been slightly better and he's eaten a few things that sounded good (Fazoli's and KFC) which neither is something he typically wants.  But at this point--if he wants it, we're going to get it!  

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