MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

The Luckiest Person Ever…

Normally, Melissa is in charge of the blog, but for once I decided to write to tell you about our Christmas week. Though my health may not be so good at the moment, in many ways I feel like the most fortunate person in the world. At the start of the week, Melissa and I had almost given up on getting our new house by Christmas. We went to visit my family in White Pigeon, Michigan for the week. But then on Tuesday we found out that we could close on the house on Thursday, Dec. 23^rd. Somehow we managed to set up closing for that morning and get movers for that afternoon. My family was so nice. Even though they had decorated their house for Christmas and prepared for us to stay for the week, they were willing to change their plans in the middle of the week, help us get settled at our new house, and celebrate with us. As we were at closing, Melissa’s sister Amy, her husband Dan, their friends Eric and Julie, and our friend Manu came over and decorated our house, inside and out, for Christmas. They (the “elves” as we called them) strung lights, put out reindeer and a train, and put up our Christmas tree, fully decorating it with new ornaments. We are so thankful that the elves infused Christmas spirit into our new home. Melissa’s parents set up our kitchen, fixed Bryce’s bed, and did everything we needed around the house. Our awesome real estate agent, Jim, along with our neighbors, both stopped by and gave us flowers. To top it off, Bryce had an amazing Christmas! He got to meet Santa Claus, opened more gifts than we could count, and will be very hard to separate from his new train set. I’m so amazed by how many people were willing to make this Christmas so special for us! I have the most wonderful wife, who did everything she could to make us all happy. Bryce is the most amazing child and I love him so much! And we have family and friends who are more generous and loving than I could ever imagine.

PS

We have many others to thank for generous Christmas decorations for keeps and on loan; Aunt Linda and Uncle Dan, Meagan and Tom, Brian and Caryn, Katy, Joanna, Christine, Levine family, Mom and Dad and of course Dan and AMY! Thank you all so much. Pictures to come of the decorated house. Enjoy the video of Bryce opening some presents.

Melissa Update

So I don't often update the blog with entries about Melissa. But this one will be an exception. A few months ago (July) I submitted a grant proposal to the NIH (National Institute of Health) on my research. They read all the grants and score the best ones. Mine was scored highly and will probably get funded. This means I have job security for the next three years and hopefully a little more money. Plus it's also a very prestigious honor, meaning it will probably boost my resume a little in the future. For 2011, I hope to publish again and see where this line of research takes me. If anyone is interested in what the actual project is, please let me know and I will post a little blurb. As a little teaser, it has to do with regeneration of the heart.

-Melissa

Scan time again

Alright, its been 2 months and 4 treatments so its time for a scan. Shaun will get a CT scan today but probably won't have the results until next Monday when he goes in for his next treatment session. Shaun hates these new drugs and for good reason. Poor guy hasn't had much appetite or ability to keep food in him (sorry, TMI). So lets hope for a different regimen of drugs that are more tolerable yet still effective.

Thanksgiving is this week and despite Shaun's diagnosis, we still have a lot to be thankful for. We are so very thankful for our friends and family for being so supportive and generous with their time, homes, food, and love. We love you!! And of course, we are unbelievably thankful for our beautiful little boy, Bryce. He is growing up to be such an amazing little person; inquisitive, loving, smart, and really funny. He doesn't say "m" very well so he still doesn't call me Mom. Instead, he's adopted "Bomb". I'll take it. I don't mind being the bomb.

Stay tuned for results from Shaun's scan and hopefully an update on a possible move before Christmas!

Picture is of Bryce after his most recent haircut (today, thanks Grandma!)

Happy Halloween!

We had a wonderful Halloween! Bryce dressed up as a gnome and did a great job trick-or-treating. As soon as we put his whole costume on he was really excited and kept the beard and hat on the whole time!! This was quite the feat considering every time we put it on prior, he took it off within 30 seconds. I think it helped that Eliot was dressed up too (as an astronaut!) and he wanted to be in on the fun. Most not quite 2 year olds would quit after a few houses, but not Bryce. He was eager for more candy and liked being able to pick his own from the bowls. He never hesitated when told he could take more than one piece. But he was always polite and said a lot of "thank yous".

Shaun update: today starts session 3 of chemo. He is doing really well and if the theory is correct and the worse the rash, the more effective the chemo; the drugs are really working! I'm impressed at how well he is doing and keeping a positive attitude and a sense of humor about his poor skin.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Introducing Shaun William Thistlethwaite, Esquire.

Shaun passed the IL Bar Exam.

Chemo Drug Cocktail

After discussing with Shaun's oncologist, we now have a new cocktail of chemo drugs to try out. I think there are some real advantages to switching up the drugs. For one, he won't be on the drug that causes the neuropathy. He will also be on a relatively new drug called cetuximab. Its a target specific drug against cells expressing EGFR (for all my sciency friends who read this). By blocking the growth signals to the tumors, we hope they will shrink. The major side effect (they all seem to cause varying degrees of awfulness) is an acne type rash. Studies show some correlation between the severity of the rash with the effectiveness of the drug. So hopefully the next time you see Shaun he will be hideously ugly with a nasty rash on his face. Ok, Shaun could never be ugly, but we can hope for effective treatment. They will evaluate in a couple of months and then maybe in January or so we will see if another surgery is an option or if we even want to go that route. Chemo starts Monday and will be every other week. Lets hope for effective drugs, minimal discomfort, and strength through this hard time.

Bryce and his canyon

Shaun, Bryce and I took an impromptu trip out west to see Zion and Bryce Canyons. I think it is fairly obvious why we chose to visit Bryce Canyon and if you don't know what it is, you should google it. Or look at our pictures to see how amazing a place it is. We flew in and out of Vegas and drove to Zion and then Bryce canyons. There are lots of stories from the trip, but I'll just tell you that we had a wonderful time and got lots of fresh air. The air was pretty thin in areas so maybe we starved those tumors for oxygen and the trip was therapeutic in more than just a psychological way. And for good measure Shaun ate a lot of plant life just in case they have anti-cancer benefits not discovered yet. Anything that helps.

One of the big features of our trip was to see the stars at Bryce Canyon. Its been said that you can see 10 times as many stars there than in any other open field. We can attest to this now. True, we didn't actually count the millions of stars, but we did lay out above Bryce Canyon after dark and was amazed by the sight. If you ever want to feel infinitely small, that is a good place to go.

Hiking was also a big part of the trip so its a good thing we had a hiking backpack for Bryce. Now Shaun and I are both in reasonably good shape (him better than I) so we expected to be able to do the easy to medium hikes without any problems. Well I guess when you add 35 pounds of dead weight (he slept in the pack a lot) on your back, it makes things a lot more challenging. Add the elevation changes and steep cliffs and we were in for a challenge. But we powered through and got some amazing views of the tops and bottoms of canyons. The trail down Bryce canyon was a bunch of switch backs down the face of the canyon (see picture) then we got to walk around the actual canyon floor which was covered in fir trees. Such contrast from the red rocks surrounding the beautiful green trees. But what goes up must come down or I guess in this case the reverse. We had to climb back out of the canyon. Luckily Shaun had Bryce for this stint because it was really hard! But we made it! And were totally exhausted the rest of the day.

Enjoy the pictures. I think the Natural Bridge was my favorite view, but they are all amazing. I will have more in snapfish if anyone is interested.

Picture, family and Shaun Updates

Well, the summer is coming to an end which I can tell by the household hanging out at a Wheeling High School football game tonight. As it cools off, Shaun, Bryce and I want to spend even more time outside. This past weekend we visiting my sister Amy and her husband Dan. Bryce still is pretty wary of his Uncle Dan, but we did see some sweet moments when they held hands by Lake Springfield. While in the capital of IL, we enjoyed the State Fair!! Bryce got to see lots of animals which normally he just hears his mom and dad imitate (poorly). His eyes lit up when he heard all the sheep and was in total awe of the little ducklings. Finally, he could see yellow ducks like in books and his bathtub not the brown ones out in the lake.
We also got to hangout with Shaun's friend Ravi and his wife Jen who also live in Springfield. Their daughter, Naya, is about 2 months younger than Bryce so they were perfect playmates. They even shared a first kiss. It was precious, and all caught on film. Bryce needs to learn to keep his mouth closed, but otherwise, adorable. We wish we weren't so far away so Bryce and Naya could play together more often, they really played well.
Also this week, Bryce went to the Brookfield zoo and showed me all his favorite spots. The weather was cool enough that all the animals were out and about, including the bear sloth that has not moved in over 25 years! (According to a guy who has been going to the zoo that long and claims he has never seen him move). Despite some huge molars coming in and a bit of a cold, Bryce was the perfect little boy at the zoo. We all had a wonderful time.
So thats the Bryce and family updates. As for Shaun, he is doing well, really strong but preparing to get stronger before his next round of treatment. His latest scan found some whatnot on his liver so his doctors are working together to devise a suitable plan of attack. Probably surgery and possibly chemo before, after or both. We should know more in the next couple of weeks. Look out for Shaun as he buffs up on P90X and eats 3000 calories a day to prepare.
Enjoy the pictures.

Ugh!

I can't find the camera anywhere!! On my to do list for this weekend was to find the camera/flip so I can update the blog with pictures of Bryce's bedroom and our activities of the weekend. I failed. But, we had a wonderful time at the Morton Arboretum. Bryce loved the windmill and the water pumps. I love watching him play in nature, no toys or distractions. Just time for him to explore and use his imagination. I think those are some of his happiest times, hanging with me and his dad out in the middle of some trees with a stick in his hand. Thanks for a lovely weekend Bryce and Shaun! Love you!!

Ahhh, summer time.

Ok, so its been a month since I posted anything, sorry. We have of course been busy and have several new updates to share. First, we moved into the "lake house" in Arlington Heights with the Dunn family. The move went relatively smoothly, nothing a little spackle can't fix. We are getting close to having everything put away, but not quite there yet. But the house is great, we've all enjoyed the backyard and the proximity to the park. After every meal, Bryce heads to the back door and wants to play outside. And of course he loves playing with all of Eliot's toys, he is lucky Eliot is good at sharing. Pictures of the house will come once it is "done" and Shaun finishes painting Bryce's room. Spoiler alert: its a Winnie the Pooh 5 hundred acre woods theme and super cute.

Last week Shaun also took the bar exam. YAY!! He is finally done studying. It was a lot of work and a lot of memorization, but he feels confident he did the best he could. Results are posted in October. Until then, he gets to relax, play with Bryce and take care of the house. Oh and try to find a job, that would be nice too.

As far as Shaun's health, he is committed to doing the P90X program (in 90 days this time) and eating better. The bar exam took a tole on our eating habits, but he is back to eating good food, working out and overall living a very healthy lifestyle. We don't know what the future holds with his cancer or what further treatments he might need (if any!), but we are willing to do what ever is necessary to get him healthy.

This weekend a high school friend will be taking some family photos for us. The last photo shoot with her was a great success, but we didn't get any pictures of just Shaun and me. This time around, I wanted to of course get pictures of the whole family, but focus on Shaun and my love for each other. We celebrated our 7th anniversary this year and can only hope for 50 more.

Better Thal family picture

something was missing in the last one, this one is much better.

Nurre Family Reunion

Bryce and I had a great time visiting with my mom's side of the family this past weekend. Since she has 8 brothers and 2 sisters, it gets to be a pretty big group. In total, I think 52 family members were present. It was held at a cabin in Tennessee near Gatlinburg so there was lots to do including a white water rafting trip. Amy notoriously falls out of rafts and true to form, her streak continues. The weather was perfect though and the cool water felt great. While at the cabin, Bryce got to meet and play with his second cousins (Amy will correct me on this saying they are actually cousins once removed, whatever that means). It was a great chance to catch up with family which is always nice. Unfortunately, Bryce was teething a little bit which tends to make him a little clingy. He was awarded the "I Love my Mommy" award by Uncle Bob and Aunt Ellie. Shaun missed out so he could have some alone time to study for the bar. As my Uncle Ken says, why does he need to study to get into a bar, he just needs to come here, we'll teach him!

This week has also been eventful for the house sharing situation. The Dunns took possession of the house this past weekend so Shaun and Jenny have been slowly moving some boxes in. We let Bryce and Eliot run around the empty house and I think both kids enjoyed such freedom. After a few little touch ups here and there with paint and cleaning, we will start moving in! Once we are settled in visitors will be more than welcome.

Summer time fun

Bryce likes the water and is so glad Grandma and Grandpa got him this pool. So far this summer he has played in the pool, in the sprinkler and went to the splash pad (think water park with no pool or slides, just water spraying everywhere). Thanks for taking the photos G&G!

Brothers and Sisters

This past weekend was super busy, but in a good way. We got to meet the newest addition to the Dunn family, Xavier Christopher. How quickly I had forgotten how small newborns are. Xavier is small enough to tuck in one arm and is light as a feather. He's absolutely perfect and we can't wait to get to know him as he grows. The first thing Eliot announced to us as we walked in the door, "I'm a big brother!". Indeed he is and obviously a great one at that.

Our other weekend activies had to do with another big brother, and sister. Shaun's dad (Bill) was in town with his big brother Glenn and big sister Gayle. It was so nice for Bryce to meet his great aunt and uncle. Plus it was such a beautiful weekend that we were able to spend a lot of time outside. Bryce even got to ride in the backback as we walked around Lake Arlington, our future stomping grounds. It was nice to see the family dynamic between Bill and his siblings. Even after many decades living across the country, they can still kid around and tease each other like all siblings do. Bill: "Its nice to have you here, you make me look so much younger". Glenn: "Are you on the all sugar diet?" Here is a priceless picture of the Thistlethwaite kids on the swings.

Update on Shaun: he's doing GREAT!! They took out his staples last week so he just needs to continue to heal and take it easy. But he is feeling so good, we have to remind him to take it easy. The bar exam is in 48 days so major studying has begun. I need to hurry up with this post so he can get back on the computer. More pics and videos of Bryce to come next entry.

He's coming home!

The doctor is releasing Shaun from the hospital tomorrow!! He's already walked all around the hospital and is eager to get out of there. Shaun is such a trouper! Bryce and I are excited to have him home and cancer free (knock on wood).

Whoo Hoo Positive Results...

So Shaun is doing great in recovery now. The doctor told us he had the best outcome we could have expected. They did find four little spots of cancer but they were all on surfaces, not invasive. So no organs or parts of organs needed to be removed. In fact, they did the entire procedure laproscopically, so no big incision. They did the shake and bake procedure and the doctor seems very optimistic about the outlook. So maybe this is the cure we've been hoping for. We haven't seen him yet but the doctor says he is awake and talking. We should be able to see him in about an hour or two. Thanks for all the good thoughts and prayers!

Nervous but ready

Ok everyone, lets hope for a good night sleep before the big day tomorrow. I will try to let people know once I get notified what the doctor finds. Good night!

-Melissa

The Big Show

So its that time. We've been planning for this from the beginning of Shaun's treatment. Once chemo is over, a surgeon would look laprascopically for anything in his abdomen. If he finds anything, he's going to go right in and cut it out then proceed with the "shake and bake" procedure I've mentioned previously. Its where they inject the abdomen with warm chemo drugs and shake Shaun around for 60-90 minutes so it coats his insides really well. Then they drain it and he's off to recovery. So like I said, it's that time. Originally, this procedure was scheduled for this Tuesday, but its been rescheduled for MONDAY, MAY 24th. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing (more time to worry about it and the results, but also more time to enjoy good food and nice weather). I guess I favor the latter. Please keep Shaun in your thoughts and prayers for this procedure. We are hoping he is all clear, but this procedure could be the cure we are looking for. Either way, we are hopeful and keeping a positive outlook on things.

In other news, Shaun had one of his best golf games in recent memory yesterday with his dad (4 over par; 76). Hmm, could professional golf be in his future?

Even more pictures

I can't help it, Bryce is just so darn cute, I've got to share with everyone the goofy, silly, weird pictures we have of him.
The caption for the first two pictures " Don't mess with me and my fort!"

Picture Time

Some are old, some are new, hope you enjoy!