Cooper's Going To Be So Confused

Cooper says, "War Eagle!"

And then he cheers, "Go Cats!" at his first ever tailgate!

The D Word

I hate the "d" word. You know the one I'm talking about. It should be a sin in and of itself. DIET. Ugh! I hate saying it, typing it, reading it, seeing it. Most of all, I hate doing it! But, it's a fact of life. I have some serious weight to lose - baby weight and hypothyroid weight. So, here goes nothing ...

One month ago, I started the Advocare 24 day challenge, and I started calculating all my food in the myfitnesspal app on my iPhone. Since then, I've lost 8 pounds. The funny thing is, I would have lost more, but I had a couple of cheat days where I gained 2 pounds here and a pound there. Darn cheat days! They so aren't worth it! My goal over the next month is to not have ANY cheat days. We'll see how that goes. I'm hoping to be down 20 pounds total by the end of October ... so, 12 more pounds to go in the next 6 weeks. That's 2 pounds a week - a totally healthy weight loss.

I've been walking since I started this weight loss challenge, but this week, Jared and I kicked it up a notch and started couch to 5K. I have a hard time running because it jars my shoulder so bad. This may or may not work for me, but at least I'm trying. If it doesn't, I'll go back to walking and doing my elliptical. The point is to get my heart rate up, so either way, I'll be happy to just get some exercise in!

I'm also considering the It Works wraps. Anyone used those? I'd love to hear about your results?

We have family pictures scheduled for October 28th, and I really don't want to spend money on pictures that I'm going to hate because I look awful. So, wish me well! I love getting healthy!

Girl's Night Out

So, last night I had a girl's night out. And, it may be one of the most fun GNO's I've ever had. They (whoever they are) say that things change as you get older, get married, have kids ... Blah blah blah, right? Well, "they" may have been right in some aspects.

In the past, GNO would have included a seriously fattening and probably expensive dinner, wine and/or martinis and/or margaritas, a movie, lots and lots of gossip ... You get the picture. But, as I've gotten older, my priorities have changed a lot.

Sure, I was out until almost midnight. And, well, let's face it. You can't have girls night without a little bit of dessert (or in last nights case, lots of it)! But, never, ever did I think that GNO would include ME learning to KNIT! Who am I? My grandmother? Whatever! I'm throwing all judgement out the window. Knitting is for the cool kids, and I'm joining the in-crowd!

Not only did I learn to knit, but I'm also learning to scrapbook and coupon. Life isn't just about me anymore (although I'm a firm believer that "me time" is important for everyone). My fun time now includes making fabulous scarves, preserving precious family memories and saving the fam lots of money!

And while learning new hobbies was fun, and I'm super excited about them ALL, the thing I enjoyed the most was socializing with beautiful, Christian women. God has truly blessed my family and me with great new friends and a wonderful Church. Now, that's good stuff! I'm looking forward to the next GNO - mom style!

10 Things That Made Me Smile Today

"I just love to smile. Smiling's my favorite." - Buddy the Elf

1. I woke up to the sweetest little face smiling back at me.
2. I lost 1 lb yesterday. Yippee!
3. I checked an important project off my list.
4. Jared and I both ate very healthy all day.
5. Cooper LOVES his new food - blueberries!
6. Myfitnesspal app - keeps me organized and accountable!
7. Did 40 minutes on the elliptical and 80 crunches. (This probably won't make me happy tomorrow.)
8. Both Cooper and Jared are feeling MUCH better today!
9. This thought from Joyce Meyer: True confidence doesn't come from perfection, it doesn't come from having no flaws. True confidence comes from knowing that God is with you.
10. My family - in general - they all make me so happy. Every. Last. One. Of. Them.

What made YOU smile today?

Love,
Rian

Why the name change?

Why the blog name change? Well, that's easy. Anyone who has been following our blog is well aware of the year we've had. But, if you're new here, this is the breakdown:

January - Got a stomach virus that led to LOTS of blood work (I have the best OBGYN in the world). My thyroid levels were off, so my OB sent me to an endocrinologist. Found a nodule on my thyroid (I was 28 weeks prego).

February - Was admitted to hospital for pre-eclampsia and was put on bed rest for 3 1/2 weeks.

March - Delivered a perfectly healthy baby boy via c-section at 37 weeks, Cooper James Edwards.

April - Learned to be a mama to a baby with a milk allergy. Lots of formula changes. Poor fella was miserable most of this month. In the middle of all this, Jared's dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 Renal Cancer. He had one of his kidney's and 1/3 of his lung removed.

May - Biopsy of my thyroid nodule was benign. A few days after a partial thyroidectomy on May 18, we learned the biopsy was wrong. I was diagnosed with follicular thyroid carcinoma (my 2nd run-in with cancer in 13 years). On May 31, I went back into surgery for a completion thyroidectomy. In the middle of ALL this, Cooper had to have an ultrasound of his esophagus and an upper GI. That was scarier than any cancer diagnosis for this mama. Turns out, he may not have a milk allergy after all (and then again he might, but we aren't testing those waters). He was diagnosed with severe reflux. Meds and new formula ... He's much better! Oh, and I quit my job and started my own work-from-home-marketing biz!

June - Attempted to recover from 3 surgeries in 3 months, got Cooper feeling better. Jared's dad started his chemo pill and is feeling much better. Things are starting to feel more like normal.

July - Started and completed my treatment for thyroid cancer including a low iodine diet, becoming ridiculously hypothyroid and undergoing radioactive iodine therapy. Had to be away from Cooper and Jared for 2 weeks. Isolation - worst part of this whole shin dig. Cooper stayed with my sister. We facetime'd. It was better than nothing. Oh, and did I mention that my calcium dropped down to stroke level, and my phosphorus was too high. I feel like I'm 100 years old.

August - Got my calcium and phosphorus straightened out. GOT COOPER BACK!!!! Jared caught a cold. Cooper caught a cold that turned into Croup. Cooper spent his first night in the hospital for Croup. Yes, Croup. It's not just a cough like most people think. It's when your airway closes, and your child can't breathe. It's dangerous and scary! Also, Cooper cut his first 2 teeth at the same time. And, last but not least, somewhere in there I tried to recover from my cancer treatment. (Insert laugh here.)

Now, it's September. Jared is sick again. He's on his way to the doctor right now. Cooper is beginning to show signs of his cold disappearing. And, I'm tired just from typing this!

I went through all of this not to complain. Trust me. I don't ever want you to think that I'm bitter about anything that has happened in my life. I'm not. I'm a believer that all things happen for the good of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All things. Not just the good things. I will always do my best to either find the good in every situation or at least praise His name knowing that good will come out of it.

So, now that it's September, and I'm hoping all of our sicknesses are on the mend, I'm on a mission to have a healthy family. But, my focus - and this blog - will not just be on health and wellness. When I say that I'm on a mission to find our healthy road of happiness, I'm talking about a lot of things: eating better (and not to the extremes of some folks - we WILL have chocolate on occasion), exercising, laughing, spending time with each other, spending time with family, spending time with friends, enjoying more with less, having our finances where they need to be, growing our relationship with our Heavenly Father, etc. To me, a healthy happy means we love each other, we give our whole life to God, we teach our son the true meaning of life. It's pretty much having our life as "together" as possible ... all while having loads of fun! So, stay tuned. The Edwards family is on a mission (or at least the mama is and everyone else has to tag along)!

Yummy Chicken Noodle Soup

So, for some reason, I woke up today with the desire to cook. I don't know if it's because our world has been so crazy lately, and I just wanted some comfort food or what. But, either way, I'm glad I did! I made chicken noodle soup for dinner, and it was delicious! Here's the recipe ...

Ingredients:
4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 bag frozen broccoli spears
1/2 bag frozen cauliflower spears
1/2 bag frozen corn
1/2 bag frozen carrots
1/2 bag egg noodles
5 cups chicken broth
1 can cream of celery soup
salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley to taste

Directions:
Combine chicken, broth and seasonings in crock pot on low heat for 4 hours. Add veggies and continue cooking for 2 more hours. Turn the heat up to high, add noodles and cook for an additional hour.

Serve with corn muffins.

So easy. So delicious. And the husband actually ate it even though it had all those veggies in it! Ha! That's a score for this girl!

P.s. I put the rest of all the veggies in one big ziploc bag and froze them for the next time I decide to this make this soup.

Treatment update - I goofed!

Ok. I told y'all my treatment is confusing. Apparently, so much so that I got my schedule wrong. Here's the update:
Monday - blood work, CT, tracer dose of radioactive iodine
Tuesday - full body scan to see the results of the tracer dose (The dr keeps saying the scan will show where the cancer has spread. I keep saying IF it has spread.) After we get the results, I will take the big mama dose of radioactive iodine.
Thursday - another full body scan to see where the iodine went (Remember, it will soak into any remaining thyroid cancer cells, so if it's spread, we'll know exactly where, and the iodine will kill it.)
My 14 days away from Cooper will begin on Monday. It's definitely starting to sink in, and I could seriously use some prayer. I know he's in excellent hands. After all, the hands that raised me, raised the heart of the one taking care of my sweet baby. And let me tell you what a heart my sister has! I am beyond blessed and thankful to have her! Cooper will be happy and will have a blast with Aunt Kelly, Uncle Jay, Madi and Mal. But his mama is certainly going to miss him. Handing him over on Sunday night may very well rank in the top 2 of the hardest things I've ever done in my life.
Love Rian - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Not even one shade of grey in this list!

It's true. I'm on Facebook, Twitter and other social sites a lot during the day. I mean, hey, I get paid to be on there! And, yes, I see all of your posts about the books your reading (hello Fifty Shades of Grey). Well, I thought I'd give you a glimpse into my nighttime reading.

Be jealous. Be very jealous. It's a wild world I'm living in these days!

Well on my way to treatment...

I'm well on my way to treatments! On Sunday, I started my low iodine diet (lid) and stopped taking my thyroid hormone replacement. It's not been too bad so far.

Going to the grocery store to get the foods for my low iodine diet was out of control ridiculous. I have a list of all the things I can't eat, but it would have been a lot easier to have just given me a list of what I can eat. The list would have been a lot shorter. Ha! Here's what the doctor gave me (and no, you don't have to read all of this - it's just for the affect to explain how long the list is):

Avoid the following foods, starting when instructed by your physician before your radioactive iodine test or treatment. Continue as instructed until after your radioactive iodine treatment (often for about 24 hours after). These foods and ingredients are high in iodine (over 20 mcg per serving, according to researchers' presentations at our conferences).

• Iodized salt and sea salt and any foods containing iodized salt or sea salt. Non-iodized salt may be used. For example, Kosher salt is okay unless the label says that it is iodized or sea salt.
• Seafood and sea products (fish, shellfish, seaweed, seaweed tablets, kelp). These are all very high in iodine and should be avoided.
• Foods or products that contain these sea-based additives: carrageenan, agar-agar, algin, alginate, nori (these food additives are seaweed by-products).
• Dairy products (milk, cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream, powdered dairy creamers, whey, casein, other dairy products). Note: Nondairy creamers often have iodine-containing ingredients, too. 
• Egg yolks or whole eggs or foods containing whole eggs. Egg whites are acceptable, because they contain little or no iodine. 
• Commercial bakery products. Avoid bread products that contain iodine/iodate dough conditioners (usually small bakery breads are safe; it’s best to bake it yourself or substitute with Matzos). If you read labels closely, you may also be able to find crackers made only with flour and water. While a few commercial bakery products have tested low in iodine, manufacturing processes can change over time.
• Red Dye #3. However, Red Dye #40 is OK. We suggest that you avoid red, orange, or brown processed food, pills, and capsules. Many red, red-orange, and brown food dyes contain iodine and should be avoided. 
• Most Chocolate (for its milk content). Cocoa powder and some dark chocolates are permitted. 
• Some Molasses. Avoid if sulfured or blackstrap, which is concentrated and has a bitter taste. It's okay to use the milder, fairly sweet unsulfured molasses usually used in cooking and that is the type most often available in grocery stores in the USA. Sulfur is not related to iodine. However, it's a term used on molasses labels. Some diets don't make distinctions between kinds of molasses and say to avoid all molasses.
• Soybeans and most soy products (soy sauce, soy milk, tofu). However, soy oil and soy lecithin are both okay.
• Some beans besides soybeans.The National Institutes of Health diet says to avoid these beans: red kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, and cowpeas. Other diets do not limit beans.
• Some diets diets say to avoid rhubarb and potato skins. The inside of the potato is fine.
• Iodine-Containing Vitamins, and Food Supplements. Also products containing iodate or iodide. Check the label and ingredients and discontinue completely if iodine is included. Most vitamins with minerals contain iodine.
• If you are taking a Medication that contains iodine, check with your physician.

Limit the Amounts of these Foods

Some diets from thyroid cancer specialists and researchers recommend limiting the daily intake of foods that are moderate in iodine: 5 to 20 mcg per serving.

• Fresh meats. Up to 3 ounces per day of fresh meats such as chicken, beef, lamb, and veal are fine on the low-iodine diet. Whole cuts tend to contain less iodine than do ground meats. Also, check the package label on meats, including whole turkeys, turkey breasts, turkey cutlets, chicken. Many food makers inject broths into turkey or chicken. The label may not indicate whether the broth contains iodized salt. If you are not sure, go to your local butcher for fresh turkey, or chicken.
• Grains, cereals. Up to 4 servings per day of grains, cereals, pasta, and breads without iodine-containing ingredients are fine on this diet. The iodine content depends on the iodine content of the region where the grain was grown. Homemade baked goods and cereals are best on this diet. If you use processed foods, read the labels carefully to avoid iodine-containing ingredients. Also, remember that labels are not always accurate or up to date.
• Rices. Like grains, rices vary in the amount of iodine depending on the region where grown, so rice should be eaten only in limited amounts. Some low-iodine diets recommend avoiding rice. Basmati rice has been mentioned as the best for the diet.

Well, now that you get my point, here's what I can eat:

• Fresh fruits and veggies.
• Egg whites
• Unsalted peanuts
• Diet Coke (woo hoo)
• Potatoes
• Kosher salt (can I get another woo hoo)
• And, well, that's pretty much it. 

I'm having to cook a lot. For breakfast, I usually have an egg white omelet with mushrooms and peppers. For lunch, I usually have sliced squash and zucchini baked in the oven with a little olive oil, kosher salt and paprika. Then for dinner, I have boiled potatoes and corn. My snacks are unsalted peanuts and fruits. It's really not too bad. The worst part is having to cook for every meal. I'm used to popping a lean cuisine in the microwave! I'll be on this diet until the 27th.

Life with no thyroid hormone replacement meds hasn't been too bad so far. Sure, I'm starting to be a little more tired, but I'm tough! It would be nice if I could lose a little weight eating the way I am, but my doctor told me not to count on that! So. Not. Fair. Ha ha! I guess since I don't have much/any metabolism going on right now, I'm not burning anything off - even fruits and veggies! 

So, that's a quick update. The first few days haven't been too bad. I'm ready for the 27th though. I've started making a list of the foods I want. They include, but are not limited to:

Chicken and dumplings & corn pudding- only my sister's do! YUMMY!

Mexican cheese dip and tortilla chips

Pizza from Papa Johns with cheese sticks and garlic butter

Brussels Sprouts (My friend Melissa's recipe - made with bacon - YUMMY)

The new KFC chicken bites with mashed potatoes - KFC mashed taters are the bomb!

Country fried steak

Chang's spicy chicken from PF Changs

Cornflake candy (my sweet husband made a huge batch the night before I started this diet, and I only got a small bite)

Manicotti

CRAB LEGS!!!

Bloomin onion and Alice Springs Chicken with a baked potato (loaded) 

I'm sure that list will get longer as I continue this crazy diet, but I think it's a good start! And, yes, I know. I can't eat like that forever. But, heck! I think after this, I deserve a couple of good meals! 

Moments like this

There are some moments that I wish I could freeze and make them last a lifetime. Tonight, I'm lying here in the bed with Cooper in my arms. He's sound asleep and snuggled up so tight. I know I need to put him in his bassinet. But, honestly, I'd rather stay awake all night and just watch him sleep. I love him more and more every day.


Love Rian - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Treatment Update

Hi all! I've had a lot of people ask, "what's next" in regards to my treatment. I am so thankful to have so many family and friends who love my precious little family and me and care about what we're going through. So, anyway, since it's kind of a lot to tell, I'm going to give the really brief overview here.

Thyroid cancer is crazy. Seriously. It's not anything like most other cancers. First thing I want you to know is this is NOT going to kill me. My doctor explained to me that I have a much greater chance getting hit by semi on the busiest road in Lexington than dying from follicular thyroid carcinoma. I likey!

I always preach getting a second opinion. They are so important. I found that to be true the first time I had cancer, and I found that to be true again this time. After having my completion thyroidectomy (the first time I had surgery, they only removed the left side), I learned about a thyroid cancer doctor named, Dr. Ain. Most doctors who treat thyroid cancers are endocrinologist who treat all diseases of the endocrine system. Since thyroid cancer is only 2% of all the types of cancer in the world, guess how many cases these endocrinologists treat on a regular basis? Not many. So, when I heard about this doctor who ONLY treated thyroid cancers, I was all about getting in to see him.

My sister went with me to the first visit, and Dr. Ain spent three hours in the room talking to us and educating us about the thyroid and the four types of cancers that affect it. I'm sure many of you have spent three hours at the doctor's office before, but how many of you have actually had a doctor sit down with you and explain what's going on with your body, how he's going to treat it and answer all of your questions for that long? He was really wonderful, and we both left there feeling a lot better about what we were going to be facing ... and a little overwhelmed with all the info! ha ha!

Remember me telling you that all thyroid cancers are only 2% of all known cancers? Well, of those 2%, follicular thyroid carcinoma accounts for only 2% of that already small number. I'm unique. We've known that for years. (I'm smiling from ear to ear knowing that my family members who are reading this are thinking oh boy!) Seriously though. How crazy is that? Here's what stood out from what the doctor told us:

1. This type of cancer is slow growing and has probably been there for quite a while. I asked how long, and he said there's no way of knowing. But, it's probably been there for several years.
2. It's also a spreader. Don't let that freak you out! That sounds bad, but it's okay. I'll explain in a minute.
3. It doesn't respond to chemo or radiation. It only responds to radioactive iodine.

So, because of all of this, here's my treatment plan:

Since my last surgery, I started taking a really low dose of thyroid hormone. On July 8 (my birthday), I stop taking my meds, and I begin a low iodine diet. The reason for this is because in order for the radioactive iodine treatment to work, I have to be free of thyroid hormone and iodine in my body. On July 24, I take a tracer dose of radioactive iodine. Immediately following, I have a full body scan to see where the cancer has spread. The radioactive iodine looks for any thyroid hormone remaining in my body. And since I don't have a thyroid and I'm free of all meds, the only remaining thyroid hormone left in my body will be what spread before my thyroid was removed. Make sense? So, then on July 26, I go back in for the big mama dose. The amount that I receive will be based on how much it has spread. Beginning on July 24, I have to go into isolation. I'm going to stay at home, locked in my bedroom. I have to be at least six feet away from Jared. And, I can't be around Cooper at all. He's going to stay with my sister for those two weeks. It's going to be so hard to be away from my family. I plan to FaceTime every day, so I can see his sweet little smile and hear his fabulous laugh! Prayers will be greatly appreciated during this time. And I plan to dive into my work and a couple of good books.

The way the radioactive iodine works is complicated, but the short of it is that your normal thyroid soaks up iodine. Too much iodine kills it. So, if there is thyroid hormone (remaining cancer cells), it will soak up this iodine and kill it ... dead! Sounds good to me!

When you have this type of thyroid cancer, you're never really considered in remission. There can be thyroid hormone cancer cells sitting around dormant in your body that will decide to come alive at any time ... tomorrow, in a year, in 10 years. But, when they do, I'll just repeat this process and kill them dead too. So, that's okay. I will continue to follow-up with Dr. Ain as often as needed. As long as I have clean scans, the follow-ups will become further and further a part never to exceed more than five years.

The next month is not going to be terribly fun. When I stop taking my meds, I will be become hypothyroid. Apparently, this is going to make me very tired, a little irritable and cold. To be honest, the doctor said I would be miserable. He doesn't know me very well though. I WILL keep my positive attitude, and I will NOT let this get the best of me.

After my treatment, I get to start taking synthroid. The doc says I'm going to feel the best I've ever felt in my life. I. Can't. Wait. He said I probably don't even realize how bad I've been feeling because it's just been my normal. So, you can imagine how excited I am about this next phase! Pretty. Stinking. Pumped.

Sorry. I know this is a lot of information. Imagine, I told you I was giving you the short version, how much info there really is. In fact, I'm reading two books about it all right now. One was written by my doctor and his wife (a thyroid cancer patient herself) and the other written soley by his wife. Pretty cool, huh.

Thanks for all the prayers, y'all. God is good! I'm working on a post that will tell you just HOW good He really is! It's amazing how He's taken care of me of the last few years and preparing me for this, and I had no idea. Stay tuned!

Rian

Thirteen

Today would have been my 13 years cancer free anniversary. I know that God has a plan and a reason for why I'm not celebrating today. And whatever it may be, I'm ok with that. I've always asked God to use me and my life to bring others to His kingdom. I want my life to be a testimony of faith and love and grace and mercy. So, even though I'm not celebrating an anniversary of being cancer free, I'm still celebrating Him! To God be the glory!


Love Rian - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

To Cooper: Love You Forever

One of my favorite things to do with Cooper is to read to him. We read lots of books, but my favorite one is called Love You Forever. It's about a mother's love for her son. The story says: I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be. It's the perfect book for a mother to read to her baby boy. It's so special, in fact, I don't even let Jared read this one to him. It's just for mommy and Cooper! Sometimes, I read it and tears just flow down my face. I am so blessed to have Cooper in my life. I cherish every moment we have together, and I look forward to reading him this book for as long as he'll sit in my lap and listen to it. I know he's just a baby, but the look in his eyes when I read those words lets me know he understands that I'll love him forever. I'll like him for always. And as long as I'm living, my baby he'll be.

Blessings

It was the beginning of January, and I was sitting at work when I got the worst pains EVER in my stomach. When you're pregnant, you assume everything you feel in your tummy has to do with your baby. So, of course, I went into panic mode. Jared came to get me, and we rushed off to my OB. Long story short ... lots of bloodwork, an ultrasound and an hour on the contraction monitor revealed that there was nothing wrong with Cooper. And an hour later, we realized I had a stomach virus. Nice. And, although it was the worst stomach virus I've ever had, at least there wasn't anything wrong with Cooper. And, five days later, I was better.

In the meantime, we learn that my thyroid levels were all out of whack. I had to see an endocrinologist, and he told me that I had a nodule on my thyroid which is why my blood work was all jacked up. As a cancer survivor when someone tells you that you have a nodule anywhere, you automatically "go there." You start to worry. You just can't help it. The worst part was that we couldn't do the biopsy until I was 2 months post pardum. So, we had to go through 4 months of not knowing. We chose not to tell anyone except my sister. We wanted the focus to be on Cooper and not on worrying about me.

And, in the meantime, Jared's dad got sick. Wow. That was hard. We worried about him, and in the back of our minds we wondered if we'd be going through the same thing in a couple of months. But kept calm and stayed positive and stayed quiet about our situation. It was too much for the rest of the family to handle. No need to worry everyone if there wasn't anything to worry about.

Fast forward a little ... Cooper just turned 7 weeks old, so it was time to schedule my biopsy. Jared and I headed over to the doctor's office, and he did the biopsy right then and there. He explained to us that the majority of these nodules are benign and never cause problems. I think he quoted me 95%. Two days later, I got the call. Benign. Hallelujah. But then, that same day, I heard from a friend whose mom was at the hospital having her thyroid removed because although it was benign, it was getting bigger and causing problems. Except it wasn't benign at all. When they got in there to take it out, they found cancer. And a lot of it. Hello God! Thank you for the message. I called the doctor back immediately and told them to schedule my thyroidectomy. They tried to talk me out of it, but I said please just schedule it. It was labeled elective surgery.

This past Friday, I had my elective thyroidectomy (lol) and a rather large nodule was removed along with the left side of my thyroid. On Wednesday, I found out that I too was diagnosed with thyroid cancer despite what the biopsy said. Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma to be exact.

How can anyone say they don't believe in God? I've seen his hand in my life on more than one occasion. I went to the doctor with a stomach virus. Who knew that would save my life? I thought, at the time, I was dying! ha! And, if I had listened to the doctor and ignored the message God sent through my friend, the tumor would still be in there, and we'd never know. But, because of all of this, we caught the cancer really early. I have a 98% chance of survival. I'll take those odds any day.

I go in next Thursday to have the rest of my thyroid removed. The next 4 weeks will be rough. I won't be taking any thyroid meds, so I won't have any energy, I'll be grumpy and cold. My doctor explained it like this, "you're going to be the most miserable you've ever been in your life." Great! After that, I have to take a very high dose of radioactive iodine therapy, and I'll be in isolation for two weeks. No Cooper. No Jared. That's going to be the longest two weeks ever. It's going to be the hardest two weeks ever. After that, we'll do a scan to make sure the cancer is gone. Then, I'm finished. I'm healed. Halelujah.

Please pray. It's been a rough year so far. But, it's also been a great year. After all, God has blessed me with a beautiful, healthy baby boy. And, He found a way to save my life from that mean ole cancer. Life can always be worse. I'm thankful God is always with me. My favorite poem is "Footsteps" - It says this, "When you saw only one set of footsteps, it was then that I carried you." Sometimes I feel like I'm always being carried. God is good. All the time.

Time is running away with my heart

Is it possible that time actually speeds up when you're happy? It seems as though the night comes as quickly as the mornings begin. And, I find myself begging for just another hour. My days used to be filled with the hustle and bustle of alarm clocks, phones ringing, meeting reminders and email alerts. Now, they are filled coos and ahhhs, cries that mean I'm hungry and cries that mean change me, vibrations of bouncy seats and songs from swings. My life has changed beyond anything I ever imagined or was prepared for. The last 8 weeks have been the happiest days of my life. I know that sounds so cliche, but it's the truth. And, those of you who have children are probably reading this and smiling in understanding. Cooper James Edwards entered my world at 3:52 p.m. on March 13. He weighed 8lbs 13oz and was 20 in long. My life will never be the same.

Before he was born, I wrote him a letter. The short story of it said this ... "I can't wait to meet you. I hope you have ... I hope you are ... I'm going to love you forever and ever." Well, now that he's here, it's the beginning and the end of the letter that I realize are all that matters. I no longer care whose eyes he has or which personality he takes after. He's Cooper. And, he's perfect. He's mommy's little snuggle bug. He's the spitting image of his daddy. And, boy oh boy does he melt my heart all day, every day. And, I love him so much. No, I mean I REALLY love him. It's as if God cracked open my chest during delivery and stretched my heart in order to make room for the amount of love that I would have for him the minute I laid eyes on him. I'll never forget that moment for as long as I live.

Ahhhh ... Life is good. No, wait, life is PERFECT. And, for those of you who are thinking, "yeah right, no one's life is perfect" ... Let me tell you, this is my version of perfect! I have prayed for this little guy for as long as I can remember. God granted my every want and need when He answered this prayer, and I thank Him every day!

I'm sorry for not giving updates over these last 2 months, but I've been busy enjoying my precious little boy. I'll try to do better. I promise.

Love and blessings,
Rian

Cooper in 4-D

Watching movies/television shows in 3-D is all the rage these days. In fact, you can even buy 3-D TVs now. I can just see it now ... Jared and me piled up in the den - him in his recliner, me on the couch - in our jammies - wearing those hideous 3-D glasses and feeling a little green by the time we try to climb the stairs for bed time. Motion sickness. Yeah, that doesn't sound like anything we're going to be doing for a while.

We may not like to watch movies in 3-D, but seeing our little man in 4-D was an opportunity we couldn't pass up! We invited our families and headed over to Baby Belly Spa. What. An. Experience. If you're pregnant, and you have the opportunity to do this, go for it. Spend the money. It's worth it.

Here's a little glimpse into how we spent our Saturday morning with Cooper ...

At first, I thought Cooper wasn't going to cooperate. He had his little hands up over his face like he was trying to shade himself from all the light. Nap time, I guess. Then came his entire leg. He's way more flexible than his parents. Take a look:

You can see all of his 10 little fingers (and the umbilical cord is that weird tail-looking thing)

Look at that foot resting on his forehead! He's got the cutest little toes I've ever seen!

I'm guessing room is limited these days ... But he did, finally, put his little leg down and started to cooperate with us.

One of the funniest moments of the whole experience was this:

Little rascal stuck his little tongue out at us!

I'm pretty sure he's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen.

Wouldn't you agree?

This beautiful little boy will be gracing us with his presence in just about 10 weeks (give or take), and we can't wait. It was such a blessing to share this experience with our amazing family. There were a few special people who couldn't be there, but we know they were there in spirit and in our hearts. We love you all!

New! Thirty-One Spring Products

So, this weekend I attended my first Thirty-One event: The Spring Product Premiere. Wow! Wow! Wow! I can't begin to tell you about how excited I am for all the new things coming on February 1st! Here's a sneak peek:

New Catalog:




Cindy's Top 10:




BIG, NEW Hostess Rewards:
















New Hostess Exclusive Products:












Who wouldn't want to earn all of these fabulous products and rewards?!? Let's schedule your party!

New Products and Prints:








And A Totally New Enrollment Kit:




Who's as excited as I am?!?!? Call me today to schedule your February party, and I'll help you earn lots of free and half price Thirty-One products. Hurry! Dates are filling up quickly!

Cheers! Rian - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Meet My New Best Friend

I can't believe I never knew these could have so much power over my life! They make me happy. I love my tums.





Cheers! Rian and Jared - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone