wonderful end of 2006

Well, it has been a long, rough year, but the holiday season has been quite wonderful. We were very excited to welcome Mr. Simon Christopher Howes into the world a little early on December 21! He is absolutely wonderful and we could not be more excited for proud momma and daddy, Stacie and Zach.

Our Christmas festivities went off without a hitch and were very enjoyable! On the 23rd, we traveled to Warwick to spend the day with the Aabs and the Carabines and had a very nice day. Christmas Eve we were at The Emery's with everyone, which is always wonderful. This year, on Christmas day, we had all of the Parto's over to our house and had a very relaxing, fun day. The day did have a few sad moments. Of course, we were reminded that Grandmom was not with us this year, but I think that she was definitely here in spirit and watching over us as we enjoyed each other's company, just as she would want it.

Sean had an appointment at NIH on the 22 and more good news came our way. The tumor is stable, with possibly minor shrinking, that we will not notice until a later time. Sean has now begun to ween off of the steroids (woo hoo!) little by little. Our next appointment is toward the end of January and we are looking forward to more good news.

For those of you who haven't seen Conlon's blog, the link is:
http://conlon-tracyann.blogspot.com/
Check it out, he has been updating as often as possible from the Middle East.

We hope that everyone has had a wonderful Christmas Season and that everyone will have a fantastic, blessed New Year!

update on mom mom

Well Mom Mom is home tonight. After the angioplasty, the results were inconclusive and they sent her home, with really no more information than she went with. She is feeling better, but still no answers about what may be going on. Hopefully it was something that has passed, and will not be an ongoing issue, but I guess we will have to wait and see. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers.

my "other" grandmother

Well, after a bout of infection, followed last weekend by chest pains and general discomfort, my grandmother (Mom Mom) went to the hospital yesterday morning. The doctors ran a series of tests, including a stress test, to determine the cause of the problems. The results from the second half of the stress test show that there is some sort of blockage in one of her arteries. She will be transferred to St. Joe's hospital (another local hospital that specializes in heart procedures) first thing tomorrow morning where she will have a heart catheterization. As we find out more information, I will be sure to post updates. Please keep my grandmother and my family in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks!

Another Thanksgiving

Well another Thanksgiving has successfully come and gone! We had the annual gathering at our house again this year and everything was great! Conlon and TracyAnn were the first guests to arrive, when they came into town last Saturday. We spent the whole week with them and had a blast! We got to spend Conlon's birthday with him and went to Kobe's Japanese Steakhouse to celebrate with some friends. It was so nice. On Wednesday Sean had an appointment with Dr. Fine at NIH and got tremendous results! There has been significant reduction in both of the tumors (brain stem and cerebellum) and the new drug seems to be working away. Unfortunately, he is not feeling a ton better, which is hard when you get such good news. But we are taking it day by day and looking forward to Sean feeling better soon! It was great news to celebrate over Thanksgiving. The Aabs and the rest of the Carabines were waiting for us when we got home on Wednesday and we enjoyed the rest of the weekend with them! On Saturday we gathered at the Emery's to make our Christmas candy, which is always a nice kickoff to the holiday season! Now it's back to work after a LONG break :( and getting ready for Christmas.

for those of you waiting...

here is an update on the two of us. Nothing much is going on here at our house. We are getting ready for Thanksgiving and all of our visitors. We are having our foyer and hallway painted, which looks great! I guess we actually have been pretty busy. Tomorrow is Friday and I have survived my first American Education Week and all of the visits that come along with that. I also survived my first set of parent-teacher conferences which went terrifically! This week has been challenging at school but next week is a very short week, so I am looking forward to that! Last weekend was Stacie's baby shower, which I had a hand in planning and it went great! She was a little surprised and we had a very nice time. Sean has been busy lining up our next home improvement projects which include getting the foyer painted, expanding our living room, and closing in our porch. These are things we are very excited about and can't wait to have finished. On the health front, Sean is doing a little better, seems to have a little more energy. We go to NIH next Wednesday before Thanksgiving for an MRI and appointment. We are looking forward to finding out how things are progressing. Conlon and TracyAnn are coming in this weekend, joined by the Aabs and the rest of the Carabines on Wednesday. We will be sure to post another update on Wednesday after the appointment.

good news

Hello everyone. We know it has been a while, but we have been holding out on updating until today. Sean had an MRI on Monday and we met with Dr. Fine today. Now, a month after starting Avastin, the results have been great! The tumor is greatly reduced in size and we are seeing improvements in the scans. Unfortunately, Sean's symptoms have not improved very much but the doc did say that he will be able to go down to 1 milligram of steroids as opposed to the 2 he is on now, which he is very excited about. Thank you so much for all of the positive thoughts and prayers, every little bit helps and we could not be more thrilled with these results! Please keep praying and sending good thoughts!

oops!

I know it has been so long since there has been an update! I apologize. Thank you to those of you who continue to check, even though I have been neglecting this.

Anyway, things are going well. Sean is doing about the same. He started his Avastic treatment on Monday, but doesn't feel better yet! We don't expect to know if there is any change in the tumor until the end of the month when he has an MRI and consultation with the doctor. But he is trying to keep his spirits up and get through this, as we all are.

Work, for me, is great! I love the kids, love the people that I work with and am enjoying going to work everyday (although I never thought I would say that!). It is going very well and I am learning a lot, still, and getting to put into practice all of the things I have already learned.

Other than that, everything here is pretty much at the status quo, nothing is really changing at this point. So we hope to see everyone at some point or another and I will try to be better about posting updates to the blog! Stay safe and happy...

finally...

Everyone has been yelling at me for not updating the blog, but with everything going on it has been hard to find time. But now I have a day off and I have no more excuses. So here is the update...

Sean is doing fantastic after his surgery. As it turns out, the new area where they did the surgery was not only necrosis, but it was also tumor. So Sean is now officially eligible for clinical trials. He will actually be starting a clinical trial of Avastin at the end of September. This is a drug that is currently FDA approved for colon cancer and will shortly be approved to treat a number of other types of cancer. The trial is currently being offered at NIH, Duke, and UCLA and they have had some pretty impressive results. Sean will be able to go off the steroids, as this drug has a positive steroid effect, because it reduces the swelling in the brain, without all the nasty side effects. Eventually the hope is that the drug will cut off the blood supply to the tumor, thus killing it off. The trial is for 12 months, but if it is working he will remain on it indefinitely. The treatment consists of an infusion every two weeks and MRIs every four weeks. We are all very excited about the possibilities.

School is going well, finally starting to calm down a little and I am getting into the swing of things. I love my teammates, they are so nice and so helpful, it makes such a big difference. I have 16 in my class and it is a nice little class. Still feeling overwhelmed, but everyone keeps telling me I will probably feel that way all year! So I am adjusting. But everything really is going well.

This weekend we will be going to NY for Sean's cousin, Tony Long's wedding. We will get to see Conlon and Tracy Ann, Brigid, Alex and the kids and celebrate Gracie's birthday. So we are looking forward to it!

I will try to be better about updating and keeping everyone in the loop!

quick update

This is gonna be short, but loaded. Sean has had his biopsy turned brain surgery and is recovering amazingly. The doctors determined that it was scar tissue from the radiation Sean had years ago that was acting up, so rather than performing just the biopsy, they removed 80% of the effected tissue in the cerebellum. He is doing awesome and came home today after surgery on Monday.

In other news, my beloved grandmother passed away yesterday morning. She was at peace and my grandfather and my dad were there with her. We spent the whole day together as a family, and it was quite a nice day, reflecting and remembering how wonderful she was.

This morning we received word that my grandmother's sister, who has been fighting illness for about two years, passed away also. They were very close and we like to think that they are somewhere together having a drink and playing cards!

I also started school on Monday, and quickly got kicked out by my fantastic teammates yesterday when they heard about my grandmother. They have taken my class and split them among themselves for the remainder of the week so that I can tend to family matters. I could not ask for more caring and wonderful individuals to spend my days with.

SO needless to say it has been a busy week and will be an even busier and emotional weekend. But we are managing quite well. But for now I am off to spend time with my amazing husband whom I haave missed very much this week.

mixed news

Today Sean had an appointment with NIH. The news we received was mixed. On the less sunny side of things, there is more growth in the usual spot in the brain stem and there is a new, unclaimed spot on the cerebellum...which leads to the good news, strangely enough. The good news is that the doctors may be able to perform a biopsy because the new spot is close enough to the surface. This is something that Sean was never able to have before so all of his diagnosis and treatment to this point has been almost guesswork. This biopsy could open many doors to new treatments and a lot more information about what's actually going on in that head of his. So his docs at NIH will be reviewing the case with the top two neurosurgeons next week and we should know mid-week if they will be able to perform the biopsy and when. We are definitely looking forward to that.

new little emery

We officially have a new addition to the Emery clan! This is Nicholas James, born August 8th! Terry and Judy, my aunt and uncle, have been waiting to adopt a baby for a while now and their baby has finally arrived. My uncle is still in Ohio with the baby waiting for paperwork to be processed and they will be home this weekend! Nicholas is the first baby in the family since my sister Courtney, who is now 11 years old. Everyone is super-excited and cannot wait to meet the little guy!

more photos from the weekend

photos from the weekend

another one bites the dust

Sean's brother Conlon was finally taken off the market this past Saturday! He and Tracy Ann were married in Montauk, NY in a beautiful secluded location surrounded by family. We were fortunate enough to be able to join in the festivities and had a great time. Tracy Ann was a lovely bride and Conlon, Sean, Brian, and Tracy Ann's brother Robert were all decked out in uniform. We finally got to meet Tracy Ann's mother and brother, who are wonderful! It was a warm, but fantastic weekend. The kids got to dress up in costume for the wedding, so we were joined by a pirate David and Princess Emma. They looked great and had a very good time.

This week for us, looks somewhat uneventful (thank God). I will be getting ready for school with a few meetings and hopefully some time in my classroom. Sean will be relaxing after a few busy weeks.

An update on Grandmom: she had her biopsy, bloodwork, and CAT scan last week and according to the scan the tumor is not decreasing in size, and is possibly larger, despite the fact that the swelling in the leg has gone down and she is feeling okay. They are having another family meeting with the doctor tomorrow so hopefully we will have more information and a plan by tomorrow evening.

same, same

This week everything has been pretty stable here at home. We are preparing for the weekend, our trip to East Hampton for Conlon's wedding! So we have spent the few days that we have been home running errands and trying to re-coop. Sean had an oncology appt. Monday to check out some of the exhaustion and low-energy issues he was having on the trip. His doctor put him back on low-dose steroids for a short period of time. They have since made a big difference, thankfully, and he is feeling much better now.

It has been around 100 degrees all week and I am looking forward to fall's cool weather more and more everyday! Hopefully this weekend it will be a little cooler and more pleasant.

I will be heading into my classroom next week when we come back from NY. Yay! I did some shopping for my room this week at Learning How and got to spend some of the gift certificates I have been holding on to. Super excited about starting, and a little nervous and anxious. But more excited, I think.

Just a quick update on my grandmother: The swelling in her leg (which was caused by a bloodclot caused by the tumor) is completely gone and the leg is back to its normal size. She is also walking around the room with no help and without using the walker. So she had a cat-scan today, which I am not sure if they found out anything from, and she has the biopsy on Friday, which should be very telling. So continue sending prayers and good thoughts, the entire family appreciates all of the support we have received. Thank you all.

back on dry land

Well we returned home last night at about 10:30pm. The trip home from Seattle was uneventful and overall the trip was wonderful! We have a lot of good photos and some good video to share with everyone. Last night was rough because even though it was 2am, our bodies were still telling us it was 9pm! And this morning I woke up and my equilibrium was still messed up so up until a few hours ago I still felt like I was swaying like on the ship. Yay! :( Anyway, we are very happy to be home, but we won't be here for long. Sean and I will be going to East Hampton Thursday or Friday for Conlon and TracyAnn's wedding. Before that I have to shop for school, get into my classroom and start organizing and preparing, and meet all of my fellow teachers to pick their brains. So incredibly overwhelmed with all of that stuff.

Tomorrow we are having a crab feast with my dad's cousin Mark and his family from California, so that should be entertaining. I spoke to my grandmother on the phone this evening and she sounded great! I asked how she was feeling and she said she was having a great day, maybe her best day so far. So if you check the comments from the last post my mom left an update of the whole situation. We should have some more information sometime this week. Anyway, we are happy to be home and now we get to prepare for our next trip!

cruisin' to ketchikan

We are currently en route to Ketchikan, Alaska and it is another rough day on the ship. This morning we woke up to find Hubbard's Glacier outside, which was truly an amazing sight! Of course, we took a ton of pictures. Yesterday, had a true Alaskan experience (or so everyone kept telling us) in the cold and rain on a river. We boarded a jet boat in the Chilkat River in Haines, Alaska and headed out through an Eagle and Wildlife Preserve. It was about 60 degrees maybe and raining. And with the wind blowing when the boat moved, we got an added treat. But we did see a few bald eagles and a baby moose. Well worth it. Sean loved the little adventure, while I was a little less crazy about it. All in all it was a good time. We had a weenie roast afterwards at the boarding spot, compliments of the tour company. And, our tour guide, Amy, looked EXACTLY like Jessica Biel, uncanny!

In Juneau, on Sunday, we went out on a tour boat for Evening Whale Watching, which was fantastic! We had a hunch that we would see something great because it was a guaranteed sighting or we would get money back, but I don't think that even the tour guides had this in mind for us. Almost immediately out of the harbor, we came upon a total of 8 humpback whales feeding. It was awesome, we spent about an hour watching them and following them, and got some amazing video and photos. We went out a little further and were able to see some harbor seals, which was just an added bonus!

That is about all for now, at 75 cents a minute for Internet access (which Sean keeps reminding me). We will be home before we know it. Tomorrow is Ketchikan and our seaplane adventure!

almost to juneau

Well, it has been a long trip so far, and we have only been on the ship for two days! It all started when we left the harbor in Seattle, and a woman needed medical attention so they turned around, and let her back off the ship. Then once we got going again, the water was so rough that everyone spent most of the day sick yesterday. They even had empty sick bags just lying around in case you needed them. Our trip was delayed again when they stopped Friday night in Victoria, British Columbia, to let another guest off because he fell on deck and needed medical attention, which has delayed our arrival into Juneau. Sean and I relaxed in the morning yesterday with massages and facials (very nice). But it was still cold and rough all day. We headed back in late afternoon to take a nap and once we woke up, I was sick as a dog, for the rest of the night. Not sure if it was motion sickness or a virus, but I am feeling much better now. So hopefully, the trip will get better. It is almost 4pm and we are about two hours from Juneau now, where we will be doing some whale watching tonight! So please send us your best wishes and good prayers for a better trip than we have had so far! See you all soon!

sunny in seattle

It is sunny and 80 here in Seattle, not what I expected, but pleasant! We arrived yesterday afternoon--two hours late and after a very rough flight--in Seattle. After a little rest we headed out for dinner. Today we went to the Space Needle and rode the Gray Line tourbus around the city. It was not as much as we would have liked to do, but Sean is feeling beat and we are now both battling colds. Anyway, Seattle is a lovely city, lots to do, great views. But, it is funny how the more places you've been the more places seem the same. As we were in the cab on the way to the hotel yesterday I thought...hmmm, this looks a lot like Chicago, and Baltimore! Oh well, it is nice to be able to add a pin to the map of places I've been. Tomorrow we board the ship a few blocks from our hotel at 1pm and leave Seattle at 5pm. We are so excited to head to Alaska. We should reach Juneau on Saturday afternoon, which is our first stop.

Well, we hope that everyone at home is doing well and coping with the heat! Hope it cools down a bit before we get back to MD! See you all soon!

off to alaska...

Well everyone, we are leaving first thing tomorrow morning headed for Seattle, final destination, Celebrity Cruise to Alaska!!! We are both so excited and looking forward to some great sightseeing and relaxing (much deserved)! We will be returning on the 28th, but keep checking the blog, we will try to post updates and maybe some photos! Mom, if you are reading this, feel free to post comments to keep everyone updated about Grandmom. See you all soon!

it's been a good day...

Today was a good day...went to the Parto's for crabs and visiting with Grandmom. Everyone was in good spirits and Grandmom was having a pretty good day. She has really been enjoying her new fancy recliner and has begun to get used to the hospital bed.

Sean is feeling okay, seems to have come down with a cold today. So we went to Patient First tonight to get him some antibiotics so we can knock this out before our trip on Wednesday.

Courtney is here with us to spend a few days and we will be traveling to the Aab's in NY for Emma's 3rd birthday party tomorrow!

kicking along...

Well everything here is kicking along...My mom posted a comment on Tuesday's post to update us on my grandmother's situation, she seems to be doing pretty well. Please check it out. (Just click on comments under Tuesday). Another busy day here at home though. Sean is going to get measured for his new Marine Corp blues that he will be wearing for Conlon's wedding, which is pretty exciting! I have never seen him in his dress blues and I can't wait to see all of the Carabine boys dressed to a tee! Also having the girls of Stamp Club over tonight, which will be a lot of fun. Well, I guess we better get this day started!

Well, another day here at the Carabines and, as always, there's something going on. As if managing Sean's health situation and all of the goodies that come with being on the steroids isn't enough for us to handle, we have found out that my grandmother has cancer. The official word is that she has weeks left and here we all are trying to manage that news. She is amazing in the way she is handling this, better than the rest of us, I might say. She just came home from the hospital yesterday and is settling back in nicely. My grandfather and uncle went and bought her a really nice recliner, since she is unable to sleep in bed, and she seems to be loving it. Overall, this is going to be extremely difficult for all of us, since we have not lost any of our grandparents to someone so close to us. Right now, we're all managing as best we can...

why a blog?

Well, there is always something happening here at home and this would be an excellent way for us to communicate that with everyone without making a thousand phone calls. But more than that, I thought that this would be a good way to document the things that happen in our life, a way to capture the smaller details of our days. So I hope that you will all enjoy getting to read about the daily happenings at the Carabine house as we enjoy sharing them!

Stephanie