I wanted to share some tidbits about Cole's involvement in the political process. Cole really got into the spirit of things. We listen to alot of NPR and whenever they would talk about Obama or McCain (which is always), he would start talking about them. Mike got a McCain bobblehead at a minor league baseball game this summer and Cole sai, " John McCain, I have to change your diaper". And then he told McCain he was "in trouble" and put him in time-out-- IN THE REFRIGERATOR. And still even now, whenever we open the door to get a snack, there is John McCain nodding approvingly at us. Then we took Cole to the polls when we voted and he cried when we left saying he "want to do America again". Check out the video below (I cut it off a little too soon- sorry).

Soupy-Man

Its a bird. Its a plane. Nope, its Colden!. Cole pronouces Superman as Soupy-man (really funny to us). He really got into the spirit of it this year. We are fortunate though that by the next morning he had forgotten all about the candy he had gotten!

Cole is getting really good at counting- up to twenty and can do his ABCs really well. His latest and greatest is to tell us "I'll be back in a minute". Nothin else to report from here- just work, eat, play, sleep. I posted a bunch of pics on the ficker site so check them out if you want (see the link to the right- More Swabo pics). Peace.

Oh yeah- Gas here is $1.93 (if it goes much lower, I think people might bathe in it 8-) and it flurried this morning. Booooo.

Congrats and Best compliment EVER

Congratulations to our friends, Brent and Abby, who tied the knot this past weekend in Chicago. We wish them all the happiness and laughter life has to offer.

We brought Cole with us to the wedding and we had a blast. He wore a little suit and tie which was sooo adorable! After I was finished getting ready, Cole paid me the best compliment of my life. I walked downstairs in my dress and Cole looks at me and said "Mommy looks like a princess." OMG- my heart melted right there. Who would have ever guess that after 36 years the nicest compliment came from my 2 year old. Ah, life is sweet.

All is well in STL. On Saturday we went to the Taste of St. Louis which was like a Hot Dog Stand compared to the Taste of Chicago- although there was a Big Foot truck. I thought I would just share some pics from the Air Show. Hope all is well with everyone!! Enjoy-


PS- GO WHITE SOX!!

HI everyone. Things are fine with us. We went to the Giants game last weekend and had a BLAST!! We went early to watch them warm up down close to the field. Cole wore his Manning jersey and I wore my Shockey jersey (yes, I know it's a little outdated but it's all I had). Surprisingly, there were TONS of Giants fans there. In our section, there was the constants chant of "Let's go Giants". Then after the KILLED the Rams, we saw the team bus and watched the players get on- we saw Brandon Jacobs, Jeff Feagles, ELI. Unfortunatley, we didn't bring a camera. Cole had a great time and cheered loudly for the good guys.

Tomorrow, we are going to the Air Show at Scott Air Force Base which should be pretty cool. The Thunderbirds will be there. Not much else new around here. Just feeling good and LOVING it!! Hope all is well with everyone reading this.

Go Giants!

Apolgies for no posting in a while- but, I guess, no news is good news. I found out last week that the remaining half of my thryoid isn't working and so I have to take hormone for the rest of my life. No problem- tons of people have to take it too. I'm fine.

Cole is a maniac lately. So much energy. Do you ever wonder what happens to us- that we were capable of having so much energy at one point and now.....? He's good at singing his ABCs but I can't get it on tape- the camera is MUCH more interesting than an ABC song.

We got tickets to the Rams v. GIANTS game Sept 14 and we will also see the Bears play. Did you read that Rob? we're going to see the SUPERBOWL champs!!!! On that note, the other day Cole came downstairs after getting dressed in his Manning jersey (thanks, Cavs) and yelled "Go Giants". Mom went nuts. What a good boy!!!

Hope all is well with everyone out there. Thanks for continuing to check our blog!!

Done and Done

I am happy to announce that I am offically finished with my therapy!! I'm sure I won't go through that again for decades, if ever, again. I will have a CT scan in November then see the doctor to make sure I'm okay. So for now life goes back to normal- as if Mike and I can remember a "normal" time. Hope all is well with everyone out there. Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers during this time.

BIG BREAKING NEWS

COLE IS FINALLY GOOGER-FREE!! That's right, he has finally given up the pacifier. YIPPIE!! We told him the standard thing- that a fairy came and took them to the babies that need them. Saturday was nuts with many horrendous meltdowns (especially in the car) but as time went by it got better. Now, whenever he asks where they are, we say, "You know where they are, where are they?". He says "with the babies- I'm nice". He even took his naps and slept all night without it. We are very proud of our boy doing such a hard thing. It is amazing how much more he talks to us now. And it is soooo much easier to understand him.

Some cool/funny things to share:

1. We went to Purina Farms this weekend where Cole milked a real cow! How is it he's terrified of a kitten but he will yank on a cow's teat? Poor cow. (we forgot the camera- what kind of parents are we?!?!)

2. Cole put his head through the arm holes of one of Mike's tank tops yesterday and spun around saying he was a "princess". Because the shirt is so long it looked like a dress, I guess. Mike promptly turned the shirt to the back and convinced him he was Superman instead- much better. I have to admit that Cole pretending he was "a princess" made me squirm a bit. Superman is much better.

3. I turned around yesterday and saw Cole singing- into his thumb like it was a microphone - with his eyes closed and dancing around. It was so cute!

I need to apologize for not keeping the blog up to date. I have received several emails asking for updates. As for me, I only have one treatment left on Friday. The oncologist assured me that I would almost certainly been in remission for the next 2 years so if we want to have another kid we should try then. We need to wait at least 4 months so I can get another scan. But then we can start trying. Other than that, no news on that front. I continue to feel great most of the time- the worst is just being REALLY tired the day of and the day after treatment.

Thanks to all who have left comments on the blog- Mike and I love reading them!

Apologies for not updating this in a week. Not much has happened, no new news. I had my second treatment on Thursday which went well. It only took 3 hours and I slept almost the whole time- they load with up with Benedryl to mitigate any allergic reactions.

I am happy to report that I am starting to feel better than I have in years- literally. I have more energy than I've had in a long time. I actually worked 3 whole days this week!!

Thanks to everyone for the cards and treats- especially Nick and Anne, Joanne and Steve. A special shout-out to Andrew and Meg who send me about 5 pounds of strawberry licorice- NICE.

Hope all is well with everyone reading this. Feeling better all the time thanks to your thoughts and prayers. Later...

PS- I have uploaded a bunch of pix on Flicker from our trip to the STL Botanical Gardens with Poppy and Cindy. If interested, click on the "More Swabo Pictures" link to the right.

HAPPY 4th of JULY!!

Yesterday's doctor's appointment went really well. There was "no evident disease" (commonly called NED) in the PET scan which means I'm in remission. We still are going forward with the Rituxin treatments since I am so young and there were more aggressive cells found in the pathology. I asked the doc if this was curable and about the chances of relapse. He said that follicular lymphoma is not curable and the changes of relapse are "100%". Really, 100%, not 99%, who says that? He went on to say that I will DEFINITELY have this again in the future but it could be 10-20 years before it needs to be treatment. I will have PET scans every 3 months for the first year, every 6 months the second year, and annually every year thereafter. Very similar to after the brain tumor, huh?

I had the first treatment yesterday which took 7 hours. We were about 2 hours in when I started to fell my throat swell and get scratchy and I felt like I had the worst flu of my life. They immediately stopped the infusion and gave my more Benadryl- then we had to start all over again. After that things went smoothly with no more side effects. I have 3 more treatments- each Thursday for the next 3 weeks.

Cole just fell down on his face- he look up at Daddy and said, "I need to be more careful". Perfect, he's starting to parent himself- just what we wanted 8-). Everyone go and enjoy the hotdogs, beer, and fireworks. Later...

PET scan

This morning I had a PET scan (positron emission tomography) to detect any small tumors. I find this test so cool because the premise of it is so basic but the technology of the imaging is extremely elaborate. The basis of the test is that cells need sugar to replicate. I got some radioactive sugar by IV then had to sit quietly for about an hour while the cells took up the sugar. Then I went in the scanner for about a half an hour. Since cancer cells replicate quickly compared to normal cells, they absorb more of the radioactive sugar than normal cells. The scanner detects the radioactivity. They scanned from my head to my knee caps- a total of about 3000 images. I wasn't able to see the scans but the doc will have the results for tomorrow's appointment.

Tomorrow I will see the oncologist to discuss the scan and my blood work. I'm sure everything will be fine and the scan will be clean. Then I start the Rituxin (antibody) treatment. This first infusion will take about 6 hours. Good thing my Dad is going with me 'cause it will be BORING!! I hear a knock on the door...... Dad's here!! Later!

Too good to last

Today I am back to feeling super tired. I cannot even begin to explain the exhaustion I feel almost all the time. I feel like I'm moving through molasses and it takes all my energy to do anything. The thought of even having to shower in the morning makes me want to cry. Even though today is back to "normal", I cling to the euphoria of yesterday as a promise of things to come once this is over.

On a more positive note, I would like to tell everyone what a great husband I have. He has picked up all the slack, cooking, taking care of Cole, without a single complaint. He won't let me do anything on the days that I'm tired. Who knew "in sickness and in health" would be so soon applicable to us? But I am glad and blessed to have taken those vows with him. I thank God every day for bringing us together. Thanks, Mike. I love you.

Thanks for today...

God gave me extra blessings today as I felt GREAT- the best in months. Must be all the well wishes and prayers!!! At the recommendation of the oncologist, I started taking folic acid- maybe it took a couple of days to start working. Or maybe my body and thyroid are settling back after surgery.WHO CARES- I feel great! I actually made it through a whole day of work and we went grocery shopping afterward!! Mike thinks it's because we gave a "little extra" in the collection basket at church this week.

Thanks to all who have sent cards: Mitzi & Pops, Jack & Gloria, Brent & Abby, Mandi (my Terre Haute BFF), Wendy Cain, Laura Sofere and family, Joanne and Steve, the Chris Krahulecs, Barb Kelley and the STL Pfizer crew, and Dad and Cindy. I also want to thank everyone for the comments on this blog. I didn't think about it before, but they really cheer me up. I had no idea so many people love me. 8-)

On another note, Cole is regularly using the potty before bath time and will periodically go potty at "school". Mike and I are sure he will be potty trained before he gives up the googer (i.e., pacifier). Yes, he is still suckin on his binky (please no lectures- we know we have to get rid of it!). I included some cute pics below.

Even if tomorrow is rough, I will be grateful for today!!

Oncologist Appointment

Today I meet with Dr. Hu (pronounced Who- countless jokes there, I know), my oncologist. First, let me say how weird it is that I have an oncologist. The good news is that they couldn’t see any other affected areas on the CT scan. However, the doctor pointed out that this is not a real sensitive test so I have to go in for a PET scan next week. The bad news is that they found some cells that have transformed into a more aggressive type of lymphoma (from Follicular to Diffuse Large cell lmphoma). I have to start some treatments with monoclonal antibodies starting on Thursday- which is really ironic becuase that's what I work on (different antibodies than the one I will get) everyday at my new job.

It’s amazing that every time we go to a doctor there is still another test to do which will provide more information. I had some blood work done today which will help further classify the cancer type and the PET will help with the staging. The doctor just seemed concerned about the fact that I’m symptomatic, the more aggressive cells, and my age- usually not seen with younger people. Next Sunday (July 6) is my 36th birthday- I’m glad I’m still considered to be “younger”. Well, happy birthday to me- you get to start cancer treatments!! I honestly don’t care about the cancer but they BETTER be able to do something about the fatigue. I’m sleeping 12 hours a night and taking a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.

My dad and his wife, Cindy, are coming out next week for the 4th so he will be able to go to the treatment with me (about a 6hour infusion). We are very happy to see them (and thankful for the timing)- especially Cole- everyday he reminds us that Poppy is coming.

Thanks for the Swabowski clan who sent a get well cookie arrangement- you know it won't last long in this house. The trick is to eat them before Mike knows they are here!! Well, that's al for now. Take care and have a great weekend.

Oh, by the way- Strawberry Twizzlers makes everything better!!

The latest

For those who haven't heard, we found out recently that I have non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I had a mass in my throat that I thought was a goiter. I was feeling incredibly tired all the time so I went to get it checked out. After an ultrasound that was "worrisome for malignancy", they removed half of my thyroid (6-13). The pathology came back as lymphoma. This was totally unexpected. We thought at worst it would be thyroid cancer which is just a treatment of radioactive iodine and you're pretty much done. I had a CT scan of my neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis yesterday to see where else the cancer may be. We meet with the oncologist tomorrow to learn about the treatment which, I guess, depends on the stage of the cancer which they can deduce from the CT scan. We are expecting some chemotherapy and possibly some radiation.

I thought it may be somewhat therapeutic for me to blog about what's going on with me. I am a big believer in being open as someone may learn something from me or someone may have some helpful advice for me. After the initial shock of everything, Mike and I are very optimistic that everything is going to be fine- just getting from point A to B may be a little bumpy. We appreciate all the thoughts and prayers of everyone. I will try and keep this updated as things develop.

Birthday highlights

Here are the promised pics of Cole's b-day. We gave him a play kitchen which he loves. He makes lasagna every night for dinner- how thoughtful!! Some of Mike's family came down this weekend to celebrate. The last pic is of all the kids- Cole, Brooke, and J.T.

New Contact Info

For all those interested, here is our new information:

114 Chantry Drive
O'Fallon, MO 63366
636-240-1042

Cells are still the same:

CC Cell: 708-308-7678
Mike Cell: 708-341-6036


Today's Cole's 2nd birthday- pictures will follow!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAYTON!!!!

My neice turns two today. Wish we were there.....

First week

Well, Mike and I survived our first week of work. This was harder for Mike as he hasn't worked a full week in 6 months and he claims to have not gone 2 consecutive days without taking a nap. Cole is still having a hard time at daycare but I know he will adjust- I was just expecting it to take less than 2 weeks.

Cole has started having something like Night Terrors where he starts yeling and thrashing around- like he's having a tantrum in his sleep. It is so hard to wake him out of it. Has anyone heard of this in a toddler? It really freaks me out. When we go to the doctor for his 2 yr check up I'm going to talk to her about it. I hope we can do something about it.

We are slowly settling into our new routine. We are spending the weekend laying low and orgainizing the house a little bettter. Below is a video of Mike teaching Cole how to case. Thanks to Uncle Jim who got us a fishing pole for my baby shower. It is one of my favorites....

Swabos land in STL- Earth moves!!

We are all moved into our new house in STL!! The move went very smoothly, thank goodness. We have finally unpacked the last box this morning and are in the final phases of straightening things up. Just in time as Mike and I both start work on Monday. I am so excited to start my new position but it will be so hard to go back to working a regular work week after the past 6 months. Cole finished his first week of his new day care. The mornings are rough with all the screaming and crying but it is slowing getting better with each day. Maybe by Christmas he will be okay with it 8-)

Apparently, STL was so excited to see us too that the ground actually shook!! J/K. I know everyone has heard about the earthquake this morning. Here's our take...

Mike and I were sound asleep when we were awakened by the house shaking. I just laid in bed wondering what was going on while Mike was telling me to stop shaking the bed. Not believing that it was really an earthquake- it is the Midwest after all- we were afraid that we bought a lemon of a house with something seriously wrong with it (ah, the rationality of middle-of-the-night thinking). As I had never been through an earthquake before, I was pretty freaked out. The shaking was remarkably rhymic. We turned the radio and TV on wanting to see if it was an eathquake but there was nothing on. It wasn't until Kyle called us that we knew what happened. Crazy. We hope all our friends in Terre Haute are safe- I think they were closer to it than us.

Hope all is well with everyone!! Later.

Cole counted to ten

After dinner last night I said to Cole, "Let's count". I had to prod him a bit by giving him "One" but he continued to ten- with a detour at four where he threw a seven in there. He likes to add an extra seven or nine whenever he wants to- even when we're doing the alphabet. He's cute doing the alphabet too. Although he doesn't really know the whole alphabet, he knows when to say C, J, K, P and can do S-Z. He gets all kinds of messed up between L-O. Just thought I would share!

Cole vs. Pillow

Cole seemed to have something against one of our family room pillows the other day. There's not much else to say about this video. Enjoy...

Does one Ballon constitute a "Festival"?

Apparently in Terre Haute, it does. This past weekend Indiana State University held a "Balloon Festival" (you will understand why I use quotations in a second). There were supposed to be 12 balloons with 2 special shapes- one was a polar bear which I was excited to see. We decided to go to the "Sunset Glow" to see them. When we showed up, only one balloon was up. We stayed for a half an hour- it was freezing cold- and left. As we were pulling out of the parking lot, they took the balloon down- it wasn't even dark yet!! Nice "Sunset Glow". Although we understand NOTHING could compare to the ABQ festival, one balloon? come on...

Terre Haute has reached a new low. Yet, we still took pics. I'm also posting a pic of Cole in "Mommy's shoes" because I think it's cute.

SWABO PARADE!!

We have started a new tradition in the Swobo household- an "End of the Day Parade". We all pick up an "instrument", sing a song, and march all over the house. Cole gets so excited and he starts chanting "Parade, parade, parade". I have to admit it's more exercise than I care for near the end of the day. But seeing Cole's eyes light up gets me off my lazy a*# and march around.

Happy Easter

Hi everyone. I hope you all had a happy Easter today. We had a quiet day in Terre Haute. It snowed off and on all day and was very cold. Cole was a maniac in Church. Whenever we said "Shhhh" to him, he would put his pointer finger to his lips and say "Shhhh" back. It was really cute. Like the dufus you know I am, I accidently deleted some of the Easter pics, including all the ones of him dying eggs. I could cry right now. Here are some that remained... our finished eggs, and the basket the Easter Bunny left.

Our new house!!

Thurs and Fri this week we were in STL looking for a house- actually a suburb called O'Fallon. We found two we really liked, but one we loved. We put in an offer and after some negotiation, mainly over the closing date, they have accepted. So we got the house!! We close on Apr14 and can't wait. I have uploaded pictures from the listing to the flicker site (click on the "More Swabo pictures" link on the right). Take a look.

Hi Ho Hi Ho

It's back to work I go...

My paid leave is officially over tomorrow morning at 8A. Booooo. Anyone not in the first wave of layoffs has to start working 40 hours. Mike is in the first wave and will be officially laid off on Wednesday. So back to work I have to go- even though there is no work for me to really do. I would rather get on with our move and start my new job but I still don't have a start date.

Mike decided to accept the position at Sigma Aldrich- he doesn't have a start date either.

Well, I better get to bed. Tomorrow's going to be the longest day in 5 months for me!!

Westward bound

After four stressful months, we have decided to relocate to the land of the Arch- St. Louis. I was offered a position with Pfizer Research and Development at the Chesterfield, MO site. It means a nice raise, promotion, and a fantastic relocation package!! I don't have a start date but I'm guessing I will begin around the middle of April.

Mike will officially be laid off next week. But luckily he has already received an offer in STL and has interviews with two other companies later this week. Thankfully, we did find daycare for Cole. There is a Kindercare associated with Pfizer which is only 0.5 miles from the site. It seems like a great place for him!

We figure by the end of this, we will have recieved 7 job offers between the two of us. We are sooooo blessed. We thank God for making all this happen for us! Thanks to all of you too who have prayed for us during this time. We really appreciate it!

The only downside was turning down the position in Groton which meant not moving home near Mom, Dad, Granny, Aunt Pat and Uncle Joe, Jody, and Mike. I was really looking forward to living near family again- sorry Mom- even though you are happy for us, I know I'm breaking your heart.

The decision to move to STL really made more sense for us financially, more opportunities for Mike, and for my career advancement. We are so excited about moving to STL. It is such a family-friendly city. There's the zoo, aquarium, two children's museums, science museum, football, baseball, hockey, NCAA March Madness (yeah, baby) and bunches of other stuff. Everyone should find something they want to do there- so start thinking about visiting us 8-)

We'll keep you updated as we go along. Thanks again for keeping us in your thoughts.

The invisible crib rail is no longer

At approximatley 4:45 this morning, Cole started crying in his bed. I went in an got Elmo off the floor, tucked him in and said "Night night". Well, this didn't go over too well with (as Rob and Jen would call him) Coliolio. He started screaming and took things into his own hands. With Elmo in one hand, and Cookie in the other, he made the trek through the dark to our bedroom. Akin to political pundits on FOX news discussing the primary results, Mike and I are trying to figure out how this development will effect our future. Is all privacy gone? Will he do this every night now? Will he "catch us"? I already wish that rail was back.

Cole, George. George, Cole.

The computer is back and so are the pictures. I have uploaded Christmas pics and some form the Mystic Aquarium (from when we were there in December) and from the Indianapolis Children's museum to Flicker. Go to the "More Swabo pictures" link to the right.


We went to the Children's Museum this weekend to meet Curious George. It was cool. Cole was soooo excited to see him. He kept pointing to him saying "Monkey George", which sounds more like "Minkey Shores". But when we got close he flipped out!! I don't blame him as those costumes are a bit creepy to me too. We did get some pics though- see below.




Cole is doing well. He still goes to "school" during this uncertain time. We didn't want to disrupt his schedule plus he really LOVES seeing his friends everyday. Mike and I are still weighing our options but need to make a final decision in a couple weeks. I may have another opportunity with Pfizer in St. Louis which I am exploring. I feel like a ping pong ball most days deciding on one thing and then something comes up which changes the scenario. Although stressful, we realize how blessed we are with options. I just pray we decide to do they best thing for our family. Well, that's all for now. Please enjoy the pics and the video below of Cole opening a Christmas present at Nanna's house (Mike's mom)- be sure to watch for the happy dance about three quarters of the way through it, it's a subtle little shimmy.

Pfizer Update

We were told today that the facility is decreasing staffing from 800 to 140. In particular the Chemistry lab is going down to 0 employees. Well, that's easy enought to figure out. Still, this is not the official notification of job loss, just a "business update". The official layoffs are to start the first week in March and come in waves of approximately 200 people every two weeks. It's a good thing I was offered that job in Groton!

Big Boy Bed

Last night we converted Cole's crib into the toddler bed. He slept in it- no problem. I slept so badly because we couldn't find a guard rail to fit and I was listening for the THUD all night. In the morning, he started the Mommy chant for me to come get him. I walked in and he stood up in the middle of the mattress and held his hands up in the air for me to pick him up. I tried to get him to climb down to me but he didn't understand. It was like there was an invisible crib wall up. It was so funny. Anyway, I can't believe how big he's getting. BTW- a little cute Cole trivia. When we ask him a question, in the rare event he doesn't say NO, he says AYE instead of yes. I have no idea where he got this from - neither Mike nor I do it. Who know we had a scottish kid?

A (not so) brief update

Alright, I know I have been too lax about the blog lately (Rob really lets me know this everytime I talk to him 8-). Our computer is in the shop so I can't put any pictures up. I know I owe you guys pictures from Christmas. Speacking of which, Christmas was a lot of fun for Cole this year. He would tear off tiny pieced of wrapping paper, then once he realized there was a present under it, he would start tearing big pieces off. It was amusing to Mike and I. We really appreciate all the great gifts we got!

We have been very busy in January. We went to CT between Christmas and New Years and had such a good visit with my Dad and Cindy, Mom, and Granny. While there we went to Mystic Aquarium and Cole loved the fishes. A week after that, I was back in CT interviewing for a job at Pfizer in Groton. On my way home, I missed my connection and had to spend the night in Dulles Airport.

Mike got a job offer in Menomonie, WI, which is about 1.5 hours east of St. Paul, MN. So we all went up there for 4 days for a decision trip where we looked at daycare, houses, etc. In the end, we turned it down since there were no jobs in the area for me. The day after we got back from this trip, I had a phone interview. Mike has had several interviews in the past couple months.

We got news Thursday that there will be all-employee meetings on Monday followed by departmental meetings. Hopefully, these meetings will be more than "We have no new news". The general sentiment at work is that these are THE meetings where they will announce the plant closing and give us our walking papers. Fine with us.

And finally, and most importantly, the Giants didn't choke (yet). Last year, Mike's team went to the Superbowl and this year my team is going. Not too bad. Let's hope the Giants don't play like the Bears did!!

We hope all is well with everyone!! Don't forget to leave comments if you want or email to cswabowski@gmail.com.