Pink Power Mom trip!

As mentioned in the last post, Linda was awarded one of eight Pink Power Moms across the US. A children's toy company, called Kids II, provided the award and the wonderful benefits that came with it. They flew us to Atlanta, Georgia for the award, put us in a top hotel suite, and pampered us for three straight days! We of course brought Ava since she was part of Linda's story and my mom Corrine was nice enough to join us and watch Ava while we attended the various festivities over the long weekend.

We were simply amazed at how this small company (~300 people worldwide) treated us all so well. Their thoughts were that they could just write a check to Susan G Koman or other worthy cause, but wouldn't see the direct impact their donation had. So, they chose to support very passionate breast cancer survivors who are already doing wonderful things on a local level. The other Power Moms we met were all amazing and inspired us to continue to find ways to help some of the charities we have been supporting and to look for ways to expand our reach. It was an amazing experience we will never forget! They also announced that next year (the 5 year anniversary for the award) they will be flying all 40 (80 with guests) back to Atlanta for a larger celebration! So we will look forward to that next October.
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Maybe you are wondering how Ava did on the plane? She did great. We did spend a fair amount of energy keeping her active and Grandma bailed us out a few times with some "pretties" hidden in her purse. But overall she did outstanding with the 5 hour plane trip and all the ensuing activities. It was fun to have her join our festivities and experience her first plane ride.

Here are some pictures from the trip! This is Ava pulling her Dora suitcase through the airport (we were stopped many times to tell us how cute she was, and some flight attendants stopped us to take her picture):

We were all amazed and intrigued with the exclusive bar shown below that was made completely from ice and embedded with the Pink Power Mom logo. This was for the Saturday night cocktail party where they went all out to celebrate:

Here is Linda getting awarded her $5000 check toward her charity, Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation. She set up a special fund for lymphedema funding for local breast cancer survivors:

Kids II also put us up in their executive suite to watch an Atlanta Falcons football game. The Falcons beat the Bengals and we had a wonderful time. This is all the Pink Power Moms (Linda had her Falcon colors on):

We visited the Atlanta aquarium and had a great time at the largest aquarium in the world. Here is a photo of us with my mom:

More later,

Rob.

Happy 2 Year Birthday Ava, and 5 more minutes of fame

Ava had a wonderful 2nd birthday. She continues to amaze us with her progression, intelligence, beauty, and determination. She is still quite a social person, and good at meeting new people and interacting with kids to adults. I'm sure her mommy has something to do with this trait!



Linda passed her 2 year mark since diagnosis which is a great landmark for her type of cancer. There is always some anxiety about recurrence but she is doing all the right things to keep things in check.

Some exciting news with us was that I wrote a short essay and nominated Linda for a contest called "Pink Power Mom". It is for breast cancer survivors who are mothers that are giving back to their community. Linda was one of eight winners selected nation-wide! They are flying us to Atlanta next weekend for a four day all expenses paid trip. We also have a spa day allowance, box seats to an Atlanta Falcons professional football game, some spending money, and got some goodies including a video camera. However, the thing Linda was most excited about was that they will donate $10,000 toward a charity of her choice. She is setting up a lymphedema fund for local survivors. It will contribute toward education and equipment such as sleeves for survivors with lymphedema. Click here to see the web page with the pink power moms' stories - they are all amazing women!

Linda and Ava will be modeling in the "Puttin' on the Pink" fundraiser on Saturday. They model clothes from local businesses and help raise money for Project H.E.R. which is a local breast cancer charity. It should be a fun event and I'm sure they will be a hit!

I'll close with some recent photos. Credit to the "Puttin' on the Pink" photographer R.L. Milstein for these three photos:

Ava in her apron ready to help Mommy:

Open house at the fire station - she's not so sure about this Sparky character:

Rob.

A busy summer, another photo shoot, and Ava is almost 2!

A busy summer since my last post, way too long ago...

We have had a great summer with trips here and there and much time with family and friends. We did have another story just published in the Samaritan Health (hospital network) newsletter called "Heart to Heart" - a copy was in today's local newspaper as an insert but it's also available at the link below. Go to page 5 of the pdf for the story and there is also a photo at the very end of Ava and us.

Link to Heart to Heart Magazine

Ava had her 2 year checkup and continues to do well. She is small for her age but full of spunk and has no problem telling Daddy what she wants and when she wants it. I try to remind myself this stubbornness is what brought her into our lives through all the turmoil, and I need to appreciate it but I'm sure it will challenge us when she is older! Her language and motor skills and development are all within normal ranges for her age (non adjusted) so we are very happy for that!

Linda passed her 2 year mark since diagnosis which is a wonderful milestone which we celebrated and continue to celebrate. Her lymphedema comes and goes but she manages it through exercises and some lymph massage.

Some of the rest of our summer is best described through pictures:

Linda threw out the first pitch at the Knights game and fired a strike down the pipe! It was a fun game and we saw many friends there so thanks for coming out to support her!



A quick trip to Pacific City at the beach (with her big Bro' Austin who she adores):



Ava and Mom in Pacific City

We had a quick crawfishing trip with some friends of mine from high school and college and their kids. Ava did eat the crawfish with us afterward and enjoyed it (Ava is in the diaper in the middle of the photo)!

Let me in! A quick trip to Sisters, Oregon:

A bit worn out after some fireworks at some friends' house:

Ava's first horseback ride at Aunt Tina and Uncle Brian's house!

A boat ride on lake Billy Chinook during a trip to Bend. We went to Bend to speak at a Defeat Cancer meeting and share our story there. It was a good experience and we talked with many other cancer survivors!

Ava on the Farm near Redmond with Linda's dear friend Sherry (fellow survivor):

Ava's already trying to be in the driver's seat. This is her friend Powell who is the same age as Ava:

All dressed up for a get-together at a local restaurant. Is it just me or is she no longer a baby?! Now she is pointing to babies and saying "Baby"...

One last trip to Sunriver for the summer - Ava on a bike ride (she carried the lollipop around all week but luckily never did eat it):

Ava's bear encounter (the "SunBear" in the Sunriver Lodge):

More soon - Ava will be 2 years old in eight more days (9/9)!!!

Rob.

Play Ball!

For anyone in the Corvallis area or interested, Linda will be throwing the first pitch out at the Corvallis Knights baseball game Friday, July 9th at 6:30pm. The evening is in part sponsored by Mom Magazine which is how she got involved. General admission tickets are only $5 each and it's very family friendly.

There will also be a Baseball 101 class and wine tasting as part of Ladies Night - from 5-6pm that same day. Linda will be there with some friends so please join if you would like! Here is the flyer for more information.

Ava and I will be in the stands to cheer Linda on for her pitch.

Rob.

Cover Girls!

The Mom Magazine issue with Linda and Ava is on the stands now! CLICK HERE to read the story and see more photos!

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Thank you again for everyone's support to help her win the makeover contest!

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Rob.

"Dance Like No One is Watching"

At least, that is what we are told to do. In Ava's case, that's exactly what she does. We made a family outing to Leavenworth, Washington which is a small town modeled after a Bavarian village. We arrived during Maifest which is one of their spring festivals and they had a German band playing. Ava decided she needed to be in the middle of the square dancing to the music, with the whole crowd watching her. It brought a smile to everyone's face! Some other pictures from that trip:

Ava with her brother Austin and cousins:



Our family picture time with my Mom and my brother's and sister's families:



Linda is doing great but continues to have some slight lymphedema in her left arm, where her nodes were removed. She is managing it thru some physical therapy and wrapping it with compression bandages. The photos from her Mom Magazine photo shoot came out great and I'm looking forward to seeing some in print!

Ava is also doing great and continues to amaze us with her humor, independence, and intelligence. Some other Ava updates:

• Ava likes to dance! As shown above, she hears music or other noise patterns and bobs her head and her bottom to the beat.
• Her favorite word this month is "outside" and she wants to walk outside all the time, even if it's raining. If it's raining she puts her palms up to feel the rain.
• Tomorrow she is 21 months old and about 23 pounds.
• Her favorite TV show is Sesame Street. She also likes the fish on Elmo and says "fish" whenever she sees a fish anywhere.
• Ava knows how to give the "stink eye" to people. I taught her this to keep boys away later in life so hopefully she remembers it.
• She is growing her independence and is VERY opinionated about which clothes she wears. Recently I pulled out some pink shoes with her white shirt and she marched into her room and grabbed white shoes to match. Luckily we have no shortage of cute clothes from her friend Sophie and others!

I continue to value everyday with my precious girls!

Rob.

And the Winner is...

Okay, you probably already know Linda won the Mom Makeover contest since I'm slow in updating the page. THANK YOU everyone for your outstanding support and rallying help to get votes. I was amazed at the response to Linda's nomination. If someone would have told me it would take over 1500 votes to win I don't know if I would have believed it! There were so many worthy moms that were nominated we are very happy that Linda's story moved enough people to vote for her including people across the U.S. and even abroad!


Here is the link about Linda's win!


The details are still being worked out but it sounds like she wins a haircut and color at Epic day spa, a photo shoot with Karl Maasdam photography, a massage, facial, nutritional consultation, a "movement" class (I think Linda will choose Yoga), and a huge basket from Heartspring wellness center! She will also get a cover story in Mom Magazine so stay tuned for that! Wow!

Ava continues to love to walk - "outside" is one of her favorite words now and is doing well. She did get the RSV (nasty virus that can be very tough on infants - last year she had monthly shots to minimize the effects in case she did get it) which was a bit scary as she had trouble breathing a couple nights but luckily she did what she was supposed to (drink her fluid) so she avoided the hospital!

Ava had a great assessment last month with the County health nurse and is on track or better with most of her skills such as language and fine motor skills. She was a bit delayed in her large motor skills (walking/running) but nothing to be concerned about given her extreme prematurity. We are very blessed she continues to do so well after her difficult start!

Linda is doing well overall but does currently have a bit of lymphedema in her arm. She hurt a nerve or muscle in her left arm and just that small injury caused the inflamation. Since she had so many lymph nodes removed from her left axilla (armpit area) she needs to be extra careful as even a scratch can cause a flare-up (her lymph nodes aren't there to protect her like the rest of us). She is managing it thru massage and wrapping her arm with compression bandages each day until it is better - shouldn't be too long.

We did speak at a couple more "Mr." Pageants which raised a lot of money for Children's Miracle Network. We even spoke (okay, Linda speaks, I just hold Ava!) at my old high school which was fun. I think there will be more opportunities for us to contribute our story in the future as well. We're fortunate to be able to use a tough time in our lives to help others.

Closing with a couple pictures of Ava in her Easter dress!



Linda and Ava in the mirror:




Rob.

Please Vote for Linda and Share the link with your friends

Linda was nominated for a "Mom Makeover" by her friend Audrey. The prize is a "complete mind and body makeover", photographed by a professional photographer, and a cover photo and story in Mom Magazine (Oregon magazine).

I added my own comments in addition to Audrey's nice comments on the nomination site. If you haven't yet voted, please do so! She is currently in 3rd place but in the race with two others.

Also if you are comfortable, please send the link out to your own distribution lists or add to facebook, etc and ask your friends to vote too!

Audrey added a link on the right side of the blog or use the link below to vote for Linda to get the Mom Makeover (click on "register" and input your name and email address then vote!). Voting ends April 22nd.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR LINDA

CURRENT STANDINGS

Thank you!

Rob.

Missing Mason

It was with deep sadness that we had to say goodbye to Ava's cousin Mason Ryder. Mason passed away last week from lung complications due to his prematurity, shortly after his 2nd birthday.

My cousin Christi (Mason's mom) was very supportive and encouraging during our trials in the NICU, and for that I am forever grateful. She had been thru a similar situation with Mason in the NICU and was able to share her experience for our gain. Christi and her husband Bill's devotion to Mason was very inspiring. I remember how they made the trip from Portland to Montana (north of Missoula) for our family reunion last July. They went thru great lengths to get oxygen for Mason in the remote location of our reunion. Even though tethered to oxygen, Mason and his parents' spirit endured and they lived life to the fullest extent possible. Mason was a miracle in his own right, and proved that over and over again.

Mason and his parents taught us all to enjoy life and remember sometimes the best rewards are the intangibles. My own reminder of this is how overjoyed I was to hear Ava's cry the first time, as prior to that she could not cry due to the ventilator she was on when born. For me, it helps put things in perspective and reminds me to not complain about her crying or fussing.

Love to Mason and his family. We will miss him dearly and remember him fondly.

Mason fishing with Mama and Pom Pomp (grandpa) in Montana:

Playing with Mama and Staramama (grandma) in the lodge:

Rob.

Happy 18 Month Birthday Ava!

Yep, she's 1.5 years old today! What a crazy year and a half it has been. We are very fortunate both my girls are doing so well!

Ava continues to learn new words and likes to talk. I think that's from her mother. But the big news from the past week is she has started walking! Over the past months she had been taking 5-6 steps here and there when coaxed and surfing around, walking behind her toys, walking while holding one of our hands, etc but last week decided to walk on her own. She is a cautious little girl most of the time but decided it is now time to walk. Here's a short video clip of one of her trips!




(Sometimes the Google videos aren't working on some computers. If the video above doesn't work, please go to this YouTube link instead).

Linda has been well. Our video is being used at many of the Mr/Ms High School pageant events (for example, Mr. CV) to raise money for Children's Miracle Network. We attended the Mr. Irish (Sheldon High School in Eugene) event (Linda gave a short speech) and saw some amazingly talented high schoolers. Ava was very well behaved and sat with us watching the talent. Last year these events raised about $350K for CMN which is pretty amazing and cool that all is not lost on the youth of today as many would have us believe. :)

We'll be at Thurston High School this Saturday night and I think at Crescent Valley in April. One of the DJs in Eugene is also using the video for CMN fundraisers at school dances.

Happy One and a Half Birthday to our Sweet Ava. Here are a couple recent photos:

Meeting one of the lambs at our friends the Whitakers. No comment on what was served for dinner that night.



Not sure who's daughter this is... Did she pick up this habit from Daddy or Brother Austin?!




Rob.

Radiothon March 3,4,5

Just a quick post that if you can receive Eugene radio stations and tune in to 99.1 FM, they are doing a radiothon this week for Children's Miracle Network. Linda was interviewed by Barry Macguire (from KOOL FM) and Bob and Sheri (national morning show hosts). If you catch it, you may hear her interview on the radio!

They also posted our CMN video on their website linked here. Click on meet the Blairs (same video as was posted here before).

Rob.

Dance Marathon and more

On Saturday night we made a quick trip to the U of O Dance Marathon which benefits Children's Miracle Network to share our story. The students dance for 12 hours and raise money for CMN - it is quite the party! They showed our video and Linda spoke for a few minutes to the students there. Ava was just fine in the spotlight with 500 plus of students cheering for her! She had some students that were assigned to her - they made her a couple cool posters (one of the "AVA" posters was visible on the news that night for a bit!). Ava has reached a level of notoriety in CMN circles, and it was fun to walk around the event with the students saying "That's Ava!" as we walked by. CMN has been posting our story in many forums and sharing the You Tube CMN video of our family.

Ava posing with her Kappa Delta sorority friends:


Ava is doing great, expanding her vocabulary by a word or two every week. I keep thinking she will be walking any day now (she walks while we hold one of her hands) but won't go beyond a couple steps. This can be seen as a good thing as when she is walking nothing will be safe!

Linda had her quarterly checkup with the oncologist and all continues to be clear which is great news. Her tumor markers (blood test that can be linked with tumor activity) are nice and low. She does have various pains and aches in the area that was treated but that is expected.

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Here's a video of Ava "walking" on our neighborhood sidewalk with Linda:

Rob.

Thoughts for Mason

Our thoughts tonight are with Ava's cousin Mason as he is in the hospital in "critically stable" condition. He goes into surgery tomorrow for tracheostomy surgery (he's currently getting help with his breathing from a ventilator, but tomorrow they will connect it via a trach instead of through his mouth). We're thinking of Mason and his family and praying all goes smooth with the surgery! If you would like to visit his blog to catch up on the latest and leave a positive comment, you can view it at http://mason-ryder.blogspot.com/

We remember our 70+ days in the hospital with Ava, and remember the roller coaster ride of it all. Mason's and his parents Christi and Bill have been there, done that, and more. They are outstanding advocates for Mason through all the ups and downs. I've witnessed first-hand what a huge difference that makes (but also how exhausting it can be). Positive thoughts to them all!

We're all doing well except Ava is getting over another ear infection that has made her a bit cranky the last few days. We did make a quick trip to Seattle for a night to visit some friends celebrating their birthdays last weekend which was fun. My friend Tim snapped some nice photos while we enjoyed the view from his parent's house on the water on Lake Union!

Rob.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! We had a nice holiday break. I had a couple weeks off so got to spend some valuable time with the family. Linda has been feeling pretty good but still tired. Of course, I'm tired too from a little friend that likes to wake us up in the middle of the night at times.

Linda's port surgery recovery went well although now she has to get pokes through a normal IV which she does not enjoy! They can only do IV pokes in her right arm now, since the removal of so many lymph nodes in her left arm leaves her susceptible to infection (many of the little filters we all have were removed and many of the remaining ones radiated). So, she is not supposed to get scratched, have blood pressure taken, blood draws, etc from that arm for life. It's not a major issue but is an annoyance. Linda had her 6 month Zometa (bone strengthener that has shown to be beneficial for prevention of some types of recurrance) yesterday. So we went to the infusion center (it's been awhile!) for that. It is much easier than the chemo and takes only about an hour total. She'll continue to get the Zometa every six months for another 1.5 yrs or so. We're lucky to have a team that is on top of new treatments like this for recurrance prevention.

Ava is doing great at almost 16 months and ~22 pounds. She is making the transition from baby to toddler! She is close to walking - can take a couple steps on her own so probably not long now. The baby stage has been wonderful in so many ways but the toddler stage will have its own levels of enjoyment I'm sure! She can say some words but the one I love hearing the most is "Austin" (her brother) in her sweet baby girl voice. Ava loves playing with Austin (although 15 yrs old he still loves playing with her and is a great big brother).

We're still not settled into restful sleep as often as we'd like. Just when we get into a rhythm Ava will produce another tooth and be up several times a night for many nights in a row. Oh well... so much for our sleep. I'm sure it will return soon (stop laughing please).

It has been nice having Ava out of daycare while Linda is on leave. We did all get our H1N1 shots so were lucky to avoid that!

We continue to help out when possible. Linda volunteered at a booth for breast cancer prevention and Linda and Ava have been helping with Children's Miracle Network as well. They will be speaking to high school seniors who help raise money for CMN on Monday.

Here are a couple photos and I'll try to post a video of Ava soon!

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Working on her walking - she loves pushing this truck around the house:

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Getting a laugh with Austin:

Rob.