Round 2

I know it has been awhile since I updated the page, and our other camera broke and I tried to upload a video but that didn't work either. I promise to get the Lily&Reese eating tofurkey and pumpkin pie shots up as soon as I can.

First thing is first, as many of you know Rich is starting chemo again, actually his first day is tomorrow. After being hospitalized twice, lots of tests and bloodwork, something finally came back positive, although that positive was for cancer. We decided this time to remain calm, BREATHE, and roll with the punches and try to keep everyone else on our page too. We don't want alot of calls everytime there is a test, or everytime Rich has chemo. Just believe that it is fine. And believe in Rich. If you don't, do whatever you have to in order to really believe in him. He is amazing and Superman in the ladies of Clay Street's eyes. He did it once, knows how to do it, and will do it again. So far we have talked to a couple gastrointestinal cancer specialists, will probably talk to some more, and make the best decision we can on how to deal with this long term. For now, there are just 4 swollen lymph nodes that are barely being picked up by a CT scan and PET scan (reacts to cancer cells) that his oncologist caught and did not let go of until he found out what it was. Thank god for Dr. Nissenblatt. The man does not sleep until he has an answer and we are so lucky to have him taking care of our #1. We don't have alot of answers. We will keep you posted when we know something and that is a promise. We want to try to continue to live our lives as normal as our lives were before this ugly cancer came back. Don't go crazy, we aren't. Well, we kinda did and then we talked ourselves out of it, found some inspiration through some other awesome cancer survivors (Kris Carr, the crazysexycancer girl herself!), and looked at our little family and decided we were going to do anything we could to kick cancer's butt again. Well that last part is Rich's job. He just as 2 more cheerleaders and reasons to do it again. And he will.

So welcome macrobiotics, yoga, exercise (Chava is super excited about this part), guided imagedry, mediation, bancha tea, juicing, and positive positive-ness.

Moving on to our little mermaids. The mermaid party is all set. And no cancer talk at the mermaid party. Not permitted. Rich and I are busily trying to put on the mermaid party of the decade which is looking like it includes mermaid attire for all of the Cunninghams (you have to be here to believe it). Boys, suck it up and put on your best mer-man face (anyone remember Zoolander?? I'm not a mermaid dad, I'm a merman, A MERMAN!!). If you haven't seen these two turkeys lately you won't beleive it. They are walking. Walking ALOT. Deville can attest to this . We took them to the mall for a playdate a couple weekends ago and Reese just got her shopping shoes on and wanted to walk (without holding my hand) all around the mall. Talking. Oh we are talking. Sometimes it makes sense sometimes not. I think they are trying to say "cat" which sounds more like "at" or "dat", "dog", and maybe "that" which sounds like "dat". They can say da da, dad-dee, and mom mom mom. Reese today followed me out to the kitchen on my way to work, stopped near the stove, pointed at me, and said "dat". Oh, and Lily is pointing....to things in books which is freaky. She can point to a ball, cat, and dog. If you ask her where the flower is on the ball page, she points at the ball, but that is ok, we still think she is a baby genius. Is that normal for an 11-month old that is really 9-months old for her corrected age??

Ok, so there it is. Check out crazysexycancer's blog. Very cool. You will be inspired.

i went for a walk

We went to a book reading, sing-a-long thing in Metuchen to see a face from the past from a fave band from the past (at least for one of us) that wrote a children's book and is doing a tour.

http://www.iwentforawalk.com/

Anyway, I was hugely skeptical that these little 11 month olds (happy late bday!) would make it through more than 10 minutes. Believe it or not, they were sooo into it. Maybe it was the narration that made it so interesting, but usually between 630 and 730 pm its not such a happy hour at our house. Its usuallly lots of pre-bed crankiness and rubbies. Not tonight. In fact, somehow Rich and Reese ended up in the front row, which made me more nervous anticipating a breakdown and then NO WAY to sneak out. So after the story was over, they did a little song thing and of course Reese stole the front row. Swinging her arms and screaming, mouth open, so happy. I guess all of the Rick Springfield sing-a-longs we practice to have paid off. Ha! Just ask us to put on "Kristina" the next time you come over to see Reese really have a dance off. Anyway, mid-Reese dance-breakdown, Greg just started laughing because she was probably the youngest kid in the front 3 rows (only to be beat by a 5 month old named Isabel) and she was jammin'. Lily only had one little fuss, and I was forced to hit the snack table and feed her the bottom part of a cupcake. Hey, she has had a pumpkin muffin, so really what is the difference. As Jim Gaffigan says, a muffin is just a cupcake with no icing.

ANYWAY, one hour and no meltdowns, lots of smiles and waves to all the kids and adults.

Baby Gap, baby!

So of course we think our kids are the cutest in the world and entered them in the Gap Casting Call.

http://kodak.eprize.net/gapcastingcall/index.tbapp?page=gallery

If you type in heatherette74@hotmail.com in the "search by registered email address" you will see the two cuties.

So keep this in mind when I remind you to vote for them if they make the next cut.

They have to right?

June 8, 2007

The TJL Foundation, a friend of ours, that has thier annual fundraiser in June, posted Rich's speech from this year. As many of you know, he spoke at thier dinner this year. It was an extremely fun and special night for us and we are so happy to know these folks.

http://www.thetjlfoundation.org/richstory.htm

Happy 1st Halloween!

This is when I can see Lily in Reese. Right? This is Reese.
No, Lily is not doing her impression of a dead ladybug. She just wouldn't wake up. And check out the ghost in the graveyard pumpkin (left) and the pirate ship pumpkin (right). We both have a bad case of carpel tunnel syndrome now.
Apparently, Lily loves Butterfingers.
Happy Bug. Check out the teeth. Hello Milltown! Come to our house and check me out.

We were worried. We had some big plans for Halloween for the ladies and for most of the day they were just the CRANKIEST. That was until we pulled up to Kindercare for thier Halloween Parade. It wasn't their day to go there, but we figured we would bring them in to see all of thier friends and they just had a blast. In fact I think it was the first time all day they both smiled. Well other than when we put them in thier costumes. When they were all both dressed up there was a minute where they looked at each other and started laughing. Like, oh my god, what did they dress you up in? Me, what did they put YOU in? Are they crazy? It was downright adorable.

So then we came home, after they got to march in the parade, and we sat on the front steps like lots of other Milltowners. Its funny, lots of the people sit on thier steps waiting for the trick-or-treaters. Then when there is a lul, the neighbors go next-door and chit chat and then wait for the next swarm of kids. And when I say there are swarms, there are huge swarms. Every year we end up with only a couple of pieces of candy left. And this year we had 15+ pounds of candy, plus some skull rings, tombstone and eyeball erasers, plastic spiders, and oh yeah, halloween stickers (I try to do a nice spread for the kiddies).

Ok, back to the babies. So we are sitting on the steps and they are just waiting for the kids to come. Everytime some kids come, the kids come over to them and say things like, wow, you have TWO BABIES, and pat their heads and stuff like that. Then there was the little girl that said, Two Babies is too Much! Ha, if she only knew. So at some point I suggest we give them some downtime and try to feed them. The problem? Well everytime they see me or Rich go to the front door for trick-or-treaters, they follow us, like, HEY, I want to see the kids too! So we had to just keep them on the porch so they could squeal everytime some kids came by. It was pretty cute.

Needless to say, we think they had a blast on their first Halloween. Even though we missed the library party, I think they didn't feel like they missed out.