Elder Shelley, are you out there? I don't know what I'm doing here! Grandma

Great News…..

The neurosurgeon recommended “fractal radiation” (might have misspelled that one) instead of surgery—for now.  He will go for probably five weeks, every weekday for micro bursts of radiation up in Olympia.  He’ll go back to the same place he got radiation treatments for one of his cancers.  He’ll get tired  of that drive, but we both like the idea of no surgery.

Lis, you won’t need to fly down to hold my hand and drive me to see your dad in the hospital, and we will surely miss you.  Remember that we will love a visit from you at any time, as we would your sisters and brother, etc.  Thank you so much for making that offer to come down.  We love you.

Return of the Alien…

Newel’s pituitary tumor has returned as big (or bigger) than last time.  He noticed something wrong in his peripheral vision.  His doctor had him get an MRI and when we took it to the neurologist, we got to see it.  I didn’t even have to ask where is was.  It’s at least the size of a walnut. Our hearts beat a little faster; we knew what this meant—another surgery just like the one four years ago.

The really good surgeon who performed the last operation is long gone, but our neurologist rates the two others in Olympia highly.  We’re just waiting for an appointment for an interview with one of them.  The other one is booked through June, and we just can’t let that tumor grow for that long.  It’s already impacting the optic nerve.  It’s also reaching up into his brain.  That’s a no-no.

We’re both concerned, but since we’ve been through this once before, we know what to expect and aren’t as freaked out about it.  Those are my words, describing my reactions, Newel’s would probably be a bit more sanguine.

Journal entry:

Since I can’t find my 2010 journal anymore, this will take it’s place.  It may be old news to others by now, but Janet had our 15th grandchild on April 27th—a girl named Inge Elise.  Eric sent me pictures, and she is a chubby little cherub! 

What caught my eye (after Inge, of course) was the look on Britta’s face in each photo where she is looking at her new baby sister. I can’t put it exactly into words—there was a look of wonder, of tenderness, and maybe a little left-over fear from viewing the birth.  It was a whole new experience for her.  I just loved the look on her face; it kept drawing me to her in each photo.  I wanted to pick her up and hold her.

I’m really looking forward to holding Inge and seeing her with her eyes wide open.  I can’t tell who she  looks like yet.  It’s good to have one more baby in the family because the older grandkids are growing up too fast and taking their first steps out into the world—away from grandma!

Bryce is about ready to fly to Hamburg, Germany, if he isn’t there already.  He spent the requisite time in the MTC, where they educated him  about his new mission—the culture, the language, and how to be a good missionary.  I’m really looking forward to hearing from him and he progresses.