Valentine's Day

A few people, including my OBGYN, have asked if I am concerned about the new baby developing brain cancer and if I am doing anything to prevent it.  This has been a good opportunity to explain and clarify a few things about Michael's cancer. 

First, the kind of cancer that he has is not something that could have been prevented.  It was not caused by anything that I did or didn't do in pregnancy, anything I've been exposed to or he was exposed to.  Second, it was not caused by genetic issues.  My kids do not have a higher risk of developing this kind of cancer than any other child. 

This kind of brain cancer that Michael has, as far as all the research has said, is purely a statistical anomaly.  As our doctor put it, "Each of us grows a brain, and there is always a certain percentage that something goes wrong."  Brain cancer like Michael's is not increasing within a population (yes, other cancers are, but not this one) but instead holds steady across any given population.  If there is any increase, it would very minimal and be due to better healthcare, such as in 3rd world countries with better doctors and advanced imaging equipment being able to detect it.  Before such equipment is a available, a child with brain cancer like Michael's is probably thought to die from some sort of intestinal disease because of the incessant vomiting (which we know is caused by pressure in the head, not by a stomach issue).

So no, I am not doing anything special for the new baby nor am I expecting brain cancer to happen again in our family.   But saying that, I will admit that there is a certain amount of anxiety that accompanies this pregnancy.  I'm sure every parent that has a child born with special needs or goes through what we have would have similar anxieties and worries that everything will be alright this time around.
 
Valentine's Day becomes so much fun as the kids grow older.  Everyone seems to get into it more and more.

This year we did a couple of fun things the kids loved.  Tim and I teamed up and made pink blueberry pancakes and trimmed them into heart shapes for breakfast.  Tim also picked up strawberry Hershey's syrup for their milk.  A friend gave us fun valentine plates and table cloth. 

 For dinner we made Fondue (reminiscent of the 18 months I lived in Switzerland as a missionary.  Just the smell of the cheese just makes me feel happy) and finished with a heart shaped jello cake topped with whipped cream and strawberries.

The weather has been so mild this year in Fort Collins.  This week the kids asked to take the easel outside to be inspired by nature for some painting.

And the kids couldn't resist turning the basketball hoop into a horse and riding it around the house.  The crazy/fun things that kids do!

Sarah had her 1st Grade concert at school and got to dress like a blue bug.  She was a ball to watch because she loved every minute of performing her show.  Whitney and Spencer have been dressing up like bugs since her show; there's nothing like whatever an older sibling does the younger ones think it's super cool.