Abby says the darndest things ...

We have an Elmo bath mat that we use to keep Abby from slipping in the tub. It has rubber decals within the layers of rubber. The decals are of Elmo with sandbox toys, beach balls, seashells, etc.

We are on our second bath mat since the first one "wore out" due to too much use in water (essentially, it ended up gross, so we made the switch).

Well, I was giving Abby her bath tonight and the bath mat had shifted so she could lift up the corner. She lifted it and looked at the suction side of the bath mat. The adhesive attaching the decals to the bath mat was turning black (you can see the adhesive since the decals are attached within the rubber layers of the mat).

Abby took one look at it and said, "Poop."

How observant.

Flips the bath mat over again.

"Poop."

What could I say?

"Yes, baby, that looks like poop, doesn't it?"

Flips the bath mat over again.

"Poop."

We'll be getting a new mat.

What seemed like a good idea at the time ...

... has clearly revealed to me it was not.

I got down on the floor to play with Luke. I am now "stuck", uncomfortable and trying to will myself to stand up.

At 31 weeks pregnant, I am officially operating like someone twice my age, grunting and struggling to make any major moves (e.g. getting into bed ... getting out of bed ... standing up ... sitting down ... getting into a car ... etc. etc.).

Okay. I can do it. Here I go ...

Good prognosis!

Luke and I had our appointment at 10:30 this morning at the Animal Cancer and Imaging Center in Canton. It was a consult appointment after he had the mass removed from his tongue a couple weeks ago. I've definitely been nervous about it because I don't want to hear bad news, but I was also excited because it would mean answers - something I haven't really had a lot of since the whole thing started.

First thing's first - I really liked the place. It was in a great location tucked away from everything. Then they had a kitty room (since dogs and cats both attend this place), which was great. Though he could have walked around the kitty run, Luke, of course, opted to hide in his carrier behind the cat bed.

It didn't take too long for us to get into an exam room. The girl who weighed him and spoke with me initially was very, very sweet and commented on how handsome Luke is (I never know whether to say thank you since I obviously have nothing to do with his looks).

The oncologist came in shortly thereafter and proceeded to give me great news.

Essentially, the tumor Luke had on his tongue is one in a million. Most oral cancers in cats are aggressive and spread to other areas at a rapid pace. This type of cancer (a fibrosarcoma) doesn't typically spread, though it can be difficult to remove it in its entirety.

The tumor was sent to Colorado State for evaluation, so they know that it wasn't fully removed because there weren't "clean edges" around it. This means there are still cancerous cells within his tongue.

They took Luke back and sedated him so they could fully check his mouth and throat and make sure there were no other legions. They also did a chest x-ray to confirm nothing had spread to his lungs, heart or surrounding edges.

It was all clear!

Since all we are dealing with is the cancerous cells on the tongue, the surgeon checked Luke's tongue and said he was a candidate for additional surgery. The surgeon will remove a larger portion of the tongue to more than likely remove all of the cancerous tissue. Once that portion is removed, it will be sent to Michigan State for analysis and - if it has clean edges - Luke will be considered cured!

The surgeon came to see me before I left and had such a liaise fare attitude about it because it was such a low grade tumor that I felt immediately reassured about things. He is confident he will be able to remove all of the cancerous cells.

Thank you to everyone for all of the thoughts and prayers regarding our kitty! We are relieved he will more than likely be just fine.

In other news ...

• Abby is currently obsessed with sippy cups. We currently have four on our counter because she needs to keep trying new ones.
• She is also obsessed with her "thats" (pacifiers). She needs to be holding two with one in her mouth.
• Her big-girl bed arrived today. There are positives and negatives surrounding this. Positive, she loves our bed and says "night night!" when she's on our bed. Negative, she will be able to get out of her bed. Yikes.

Feeling better

After an evening with the family, I am feeling a little better about Luke.

He is definitely acting himself and actually seems to be acting much better since the surgery (he had two teeth and the growth removed).

He is eating just fine and wants to play. All good signs I hear.

It was one of those things where I just had the feeling everything wasn't going to be okay when I knew we had to send that growth for biopsy. I just had that uneasy feeling. All of the reassurance I was getting wasn't working and I think that's because - deep down in my gut - I knew everything wasn't perfect.

Now that I've received the news, though, it's almost calming because that tug at my gut has been confirmed and now we can move forward from there. I now have a different tug in my gut: that everything is going to be just fine.

I'm nervous about having that perspective, but I have it nonetheless. Aside from that, I just need to trust that I will be taken care of and comforted no matter what happens with him.

This event is just one in a long list of events that has made this a rollercoaster of a pregnancy. Such polarizing differences between Abby and Little Man.

With Abby, it was that elation of a first pregnancy. It's like it's an event - a wedding or something like that. Everyone wants to know what is going on with the pregnancy, you register for gifts, have showers, you know your life is going to change dramatically.

With baby no. 2 (especially so soon after baby no. 1), the reaction of telling people I was pregnant was something along the lines of, "Oh. Wow. That's nice. You wanted them close together, huh?"

Since those less-than-exciting responses, my dad has had major heart surgery and a stroke and has been on the mend since November (when I was about 11 weeks along), my work life has been insane, we had a slight scare on our anatomy scan and now this issue with Luke. Oh, and did I mention I have a rambunctious toddler?

It's been crazy and distracting to say the least!

It's almost like the fact that we will have a baby in less than 10 weeks is just a fabrication. I haven't really been focused on this pregnancy at all. We still need to get a double stroller, a toddler bed for Abby and those teeny little newborn diapers :)

I'm really excited, though, that's for sure! I'm also nervous about this whole "boy" thing.

But that's for an entirely different post.

Tough News: Luke's growth is cancerous

I received a call from the vet this afternoon and Luke's growth is (was) cancerous. It is a neurofibrosarcoma and I'm heartbroken.

I was really hoping to get a chipper call that confirmed a clean bill of health but that didn't come. As soon as I heard the vet's voice on the other end, I knew I wasn't going to get good news.

I have to take Luke to a cancer center on Tuesday to talk about next steps. Of course I've looked up this type of cancer and it's apparently locally aggressive, meaning it doesn't really spread, but it's also very difficult to get through surgery. Think of tree roots that implant themselves and make it difficult to get all of them out.

The vet that did Luke's surgery is optimistic since we got it so early, because of his age and because of this specialist she is sending us to. Still, it's difficult to look this stuff up and see things like a three-year survival rate being optimistic.

Worst of all is the idea of separating him and Leia. They are littermates and have been together their whole lives. In fact, they were inseparable since birth. Like I said, I am heartbroken.

I'm not sure exactly where to go from here. I'd like to start by halting all the crying I've been doing, but I can't seem to get the tears to stop. I love these kitties so much and thought for sure I'd have them to a ripe, old age.

I know I'm jumping to conclusions, but I just can't seem to snap out of it. I just want my furry baby to be okay.

Please say some prayers for us ... particularly for me getting through the next six days to Luke's appointment. I know it is going to be an anxiety-filled week.

30 weeks? Holy crap.

Yes, 30 weeks. I am 30 weeks along with this little man. How is that possible?

With everything going on in my life during this pregnancy, it has flown by at a rapid rate. With Abby, I felt like it took for-e-ver (Sandlot quote). Now I'm in disbelief that we will be a family of four (humans ... two kitties) in two months.

I'm officially developing that concern that Abby is going to be sad once the baby comes. I know that she will be loved and jealousy is normal and yada yada. But (perhaps it's hormones or just Mommy-ness) I can't help but feel sad that she may feel rejected.

I'm definitely enjoying this time with her, though! Even though she gets into crazy-mode (I'm assuming because she's currently cutting four teeth). I really think these times are preparing me for the teenage years. The child can go off on a dime.

Examples:

• She currently enjoys fastening the buckles on her high chair (while she's not in it). Because of that, she threw a big-time fit when I tried to put her in the high chair to eat.
  
• She needs to have three pacifiers ("thats") at all times. She will walk up to the dish drying rack and whine and scream until we give her three: one for her mouth and one for each hand.
  
• We are terrible parents if we attempt to dance.
  
• Sometimes we are allowed to sing. Other times we are terrible parents if we attempt to sing. I personally think Tom and I have splendid voices.
  
• She loves being the center of attention, but don't try to pose with her on your lap. She runs. And screams. And fights.

These are just a handful of examples. Eighteen months going on 13?