Boobs or no boobs

Dad and Dom looking in on us.

whats that you say?

entertaining themselves at chemo

my hero

buddies

unhooking the chemo, Round two number 8 over, done with, and gone.

Dominic and I finally made it to GreatFalls yesterday after a slow start and a stop back to the house to change his clothes. Poor little man is struggling with teeth and upchucked his morning bottle from head to toe while we were at the gas station. I could feel myself ready to throw the towel in and just stay home. I don't like to be late and I was now running really late. My family calls these type of situations "God things". We don't ever really know what might have happened if we had made our schedule when unknowns come up. Sometimes it's a wreck on the road that we would have been closer to, or meeting someone along the way that we would have missed. Yesterday when I got to Sletten to sit with Mother she had just started so I really didn't miss anything and it shortened the time that Dominic would be forced to be held or propped on a couch. He did great hanging out with his Papa Mark while Mom and I had a chance to visit about what we have been up to. I talk to her everyday but there is something about seeing her that makes it all better.We laugh with Nurse Deanna, our favorite, and break in any newbies, take pictures, laugh, and somehow Mom introduces herself to anyone in "our" corner". I don't make it to all but when I do this seems to be the routine. This round of chemotherapy doesn't knock her out like the first so after she was done we headed off to do some power shopping. If my mother didn't have super short hair, no boobs, and an enormous scar on her chest, I wouldn't be able to tell that anything was wrong with her. But I don't think this is "wrong" just different, just scarey, just stupid.
With 3 stops around town done I aimed the car to her house and with the boy sleeping knew I could not stay long. It would have to be a quick run in to pee, steal some cookies, hug Mama and run back out. All super fast so the car wouldn't be still for too long. Dom likes the speed to be over 45.
Now let's have a small detour down memory lane. I used to have a babysitter, this must have been pre-Whitney time. One day my sitter brought me home (I was so shocked by what I'm about to tell you I have no idea how we got there, if we walked or she drove or what). Mom used to listen to music LOUD. It was not uncommon to come home or wake up to MTV blaring Tina Turner or Video Killed the Radio Star. On this day we hear the music, walk in and stand there thinking Mom is in the shower but coming out soon. Heidi was good about doing hand to hand transfer before leaving. The bathroom door flies open and my Mother is singing at the top of her lungs, a towel around her head and NAKED!!! Not a stitch of clothes on. "MOOOOOOMMMMM!" I'm mortified, she's laughing and trying to figure out what to cover,boobs? butt? nethers? boobs? nethers? butt? back and forth like a mad woman ( I wonder why she didn't use the towel on her head to cover up or back up and close the door...), Heidi looks like a deer in headlights. Then, no memory of the after but lots of laughs since. It was something to share with friends and snort laughing "Ha! I saw my moms' boobs! hahaha!"
Yesterday, while I am making a mad dash to pee, eat sweets and say a quick goodbye to Mom I'm chatting away about their new digs, counter tops nice and wide, paint looking so fresh, oh what a cute sign from my sister and yummo these cookies....Mom, you're not wearing a shirt. I've seen her scar, she has not been shy of showing us and it isn't scarey or gross or any of that. What is weird is to see my mother carrying on a conversation with no shirt. Boobs or no boobs. We laughed and I shook my head, wish I had my camera at that moment. I walked out pointing to some things of "oh this is cute, oh I will take that, blah blah blah bye Mom, love you!" Out the door I go. Boy sleeping all is good, I'm outta here. Our family waves. If you know us you know that. You pull away from the Meis house (now Meis/Graef house and we in Ltown do it too) you will see a blur of faces and hands usually signing I love you while they wave and watch you go. I look over to wave and their is my beautiful mother, short hair, big smile, hand in the air...and no shirt. I wish to God I had caught that on film and my expression. I shook my head and drove away.
I love you Mama, thank you for the trip down memory lane and please, put some clothes on;)