Snowpocalypse!

We are huddled up in our apartments here in Chicago. And it sounds like St. Louis isn't much better off. Mom crossed off number 25 today, officially 1 full week away from completion! Icy sidewalks not being her best friend, Mom let me know she will be chauffeured across the street to the hospital tomorrow morning. Luckily, they won't have to spend too long outside and can stay warm with their coffee back in the apartment for the rest of the day. Have a great day Mom and see you soon. Love you. Goodnight.

The General

Mom has gained a few nicknames over the course of these past 2 months. Today, she was "The General." After early morning doughnuts and church, Dad and I returned to hear it was time to make some sort of beef short rib in the crockpot recipe. Yes Ma'am. 

Mom sat at her perch on a dining room chair, again Mom has been able to sit and walk anywhere on her own including down the stairs as Dad found out after she snuck out of bed at 5 am.  General Shelley methodically directed her troops (Dad and me) around, across, and into each other as we sliced, diced, poured, and blended. A symphony of sounds and smells, as one friend told me tonight "she's like ratatouille!" 1 hr later and 3 more hours in the crockpot, short ribs dinner was prepared. The General approved. Success!  

We all made our way to St. Louis, I caught a quick flight to Chicago while Mom and Dad went back to their apartment. Already looking forward to Thursday night and into the weekend as the whole family comes together. Love you Mom. Goodnight.

Mom! Meatloaf!

So at what point do we call Mom on just playing hooky? Dad and I left the house to run a couple errands during late-morning. We come back to the smell of diced onions, some dirty dishes, and questions for Mom. We find her on the couch of course. “Mom, what have you been up to?” She looks at me with a big grin on her face, ”I made Meatloaf!” Priceless. First stairs, now cooking on her own. Mom is better than ever, and our delicious homemade dinner proved it.

Big week ahead of us. It will be the last one where Mom will spend her week going back and forth from the hospital to her nearby apartment. Then by this time next week, Mark, Maggie, Carrie, me, Luke, Abigail, and Dad will all be back home with Mom. Can’t wait. Love you, Mom. Goodnight.

Little Moments

Well, she’s done it folks! Shelley “Mom” Wuellner has successfully climbed the entire flight of stairs and is currently sleeping in her own bed for the first time in a month! Seriously though, it’s a big deal. Every step, only one foot needed per step, with no help from Dad (though always playing the role of safety net right behind her). Good work, Mom.

Today marked radiation treatment number 24. 1 more week and 1 more day of treks to the radiation machine. After the hospital trip today, I got to witness some of Mom’s happiest moments, sights, and feelings during her week as she made specific note of them throughout the day. Number 1 – the moment we got back to the apartment after her last treatment of the week – fresh coffee and chocolate croissants waiting for her courtesy of Chef Abigail. Number 2 – the moment she lands in the car, knowing her next stop is home sweet home. Number 3 – the “Sedalia” exit sign off of highway 70 that signals we are mere miles and minutes away. Number 4 – walking into the house and seeing her living room, her couch, her home. Number 5 – seeing Dad at the end of his work day (he splits his week between St. Louis and Sedalia in order to continue being the great doctor, Dad, and husband that he is).

Some of these little moments show what’s important in Mom’s life – her family, her home, and of course, coffee (maybe not in that order). All kidding aside, big day for Mom and a fun day for all of us. Glad to be back home; Mom will be the first to tell you. We love you, Mom. Goodnight.

Happy to be home in St. Louis with Mom

Back in St. Louis and with Mom where I belong. As I told Mom, seeing her is the highlight of my past 2 weeks. She is smiling and laughing, moving around extremely well on her own. But with great power (walking around on your own power) comes great responsibility (resisting the temptation to make Oatmeal at 4 in the morning). Funniest story of the night hands down, Abigail reported that Mom got up out of bed in the middle of the night, which is a common occurrence in case she needs a drink of water or to watch TV. However, couple minutes later, Abigail realizes something is amiss. Several odd sounds from the kitchen, and she quickly moves to see Mom fumbling and juggling multiple bottles and boxes as they fall out of the pantry shelves into her arms. First off, I was impressed Mom wasn't letting anything hit the floor. Abigail wasn't as impressed at this hour of the morning, and to her question of what on earth could Mom be doing, Mom responded, "Making Oatmeal!" But of course, what else would she be doing!? Haha. Oh Mom, absolutely love you. In case you need a midnight snack, I will be out on your couch all night. Just give me a holler - I am at your beckon call, whether it be Lucky Charms, Mac and Cheese, or even Oatmeal. Love you so much and so happy to be home. Goodnight.

Miss you, Mom

Texts in the morning, emails in the afternoon, and a phone call at night. My favorite times of the day, as I catch up with Mom about the latest ND game, the most recent wedding planning news, and typically what's on TV. Mom has just finished her 21st radiation treatment and sounds better every day than she did before, which is tough to do for someone who always has a positive attitude, always asks you about your day before you get the chance to ask about hers, and always knows how to make you smile at any time of day - morning, noon, or night.

We love you, Mom. Can't wait to see you this weekend. Goodnight.

Superwoman

Mom has been texting and emailing every day. Clearly feeling well, and missing her children who are out of town. We miss you too. Mom, Dad, Abigail, and I had a great weekend in Sedalia. Mom has a trendy short hair cut, never looked better. We drove her to St. Louis on Sunday night, listening to the NFL games on the radio. Her new digs are really nice - furnished apartment across the street from the apartment. I compared it to "just like college" and she said, "oh, so much better, it's really nice, I love it." She is also officially walking without the safety net, moving in and out of beds, couches, chairs in a single bound. Superwoman, though she's always been that to us. Mom, we miss you when we're not with you, and love every second when we are. Sleep well and talk soon. We love you very much. Goodnight.

Halfway There

Good luck tomorrow, Mom. Treatment number 15 - officially halfway there! Love you. Goodnight.

On the upswing

Just wanted to let everyone know that Mom is doing amazing. She and Dad are officially out of the hotel (though they did really like the convenience) and have instead moved into a fully furnished extended living apartment almost just as close to the hospital. Gives Mom a more home away from home vibe and also allows us to leave some of her trinkets back in St. Louis and not literally live out of a suitcase every week. She has accomplished 14 radiation treatments (almost half way there!), she is walking completely on her own "with a safety net" as Dad and I follow her around like Secret Service even though she is doing fantastic, and she is chipper and energetic as ever - treatment is definitely doing its job and we all couldn't be happier. Tomorrow we have a trip out to the hair salon and then movie night back at home. Love you, Mom. Goodnight.

Saturday at home

Just going to keep it simple tonight. Mom will be the first to attest that today was a very good day, and every day in the past week has been that much better than the day before in terms of pain and mobility. She can walk entirely on her own power (though appreciates a warm hand to hold just in case). She helped Abigail cook in the kitchen during the afternoon, sitting next to the island table in a big dining room chair (or her Queen's throne, as Dad referred upon entering the house from running errands). Lively, energetic, funny, and just being Mom. She has finished 9 out of 30 radiation treatments, with double digits coming on Monday morning. For now, it's time for bed as we need to be well rested for our trip back to St. Louis tomorrow. Love you Mom. Goodnight.

The Simple Comforts in Life

For the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that the family has decided to do what they like. And the end result has been, we really enjoy the simple comforts in life.

We like to be connected to family and friends. Whether in person, on the phone, in an email, via a text, or written in a blog, we all have been in constant communication with family and friends – those we truly love and care about. We’ve seen more episodes of silly television shows like Man vs. Food, Modern Family, Gold Rush Alaska, and House Hunters than anyone can imagine, but we’ve done so together as a family and enjoyed it more than anything. We also stare at our phones like those idiots in the TV commercials, but only because we want to respond to every text or email and be in constant communication with Mom and everyone else. Bottom line, we’ve made a point to be around those that we love and ensure that they know it.

We eat what we like, our comfort food. It has become very clear what Mom likes. Cheerios, Juice, Coffee, Kraft Mac and Cheese, and Rocky Road Ice Cream –throw in a glass of wine every now and then, and what more could anyone want in life!? The boys on the other hand have made it comically apparent that we are comforted by our favorite high school fast food – none other than Lions’ Choice Famous Roast Beef Sandwiches (with honey mustard). Typical trip to St. Louis includes landing at Lambert Airport and then heading straight to Lions’ Choice without even asking if we are hungry, a new ritual that Maggie and her sister have learned all too well and laugh at every time.

We stay where we like. In the past, it was not uncommon for Dad to wake up to every light on in the house and one of the boys asleep on the couch. Typical Dad greeting to us, “Go up to bed, and I better not find you down here again tomorrow morning. Is that clear?” Crystal. Well, Mom now enjoys the comfort of background noise and a giant comfy couch. So the TV is almost always on, and Mom can be found every morning asleep on the couch. Dad greets her with three kisses and smiles every time he now sees this sight. Like I said, we do what we like and that’s what comforts him – seeing Mom happy.

Love you, Mom. Goodnight.

Finished treatment number 8, loves the hotel room attached to the hospital

Happy to report that Mom officially finished treatment number 8 this morning, 22 more to go! Already received a text from her that all is well, and she's excited to see Mark and me as we fly back for the weekend. Mom has been staying at a hotel that is directly attached to the hospital, and she couldn't be happier. She can stay indoors, warm and away from the cold, all the way from her room to the treatment center. But I'm sure she's looking forward to being done for the week so we can get her back home to Sedalia for the weekend. Have a good day Mom and see you soon! Love you.

-Adam

Treatment number 5 complete!

Mom was active with her texting and emailing today, and made sure to let us know that the 5th treatment went well and she was already back resting at 9 AM this morning. One of the good things about an early morning treatment schedule I suppose. Good luck with number 6 tomorrow! Love you. Goodnight.

Home is where the heart is

For the first time in almost a month, all of the Wuellner kids are back in their adult home cities. But all of our hearts are back at home with Mom, where she is in St. Louis tonight and starts her second week of treatment tomorrow. We're all incredibly jealous of Abigail, who lives and works in St. Louis and gets to stay and see Mom throughout the week with Dad at her side. But we'll all be back together frequently in the coming weeks. Have a great week Mom; we were sad to leave today but happy to see you looking well. We miss you and we love you. Goodnight.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, everyone. Friday afternoon, Dad, Carrie, and I went back home to clean the house and prep it for Mom's eventual return once discharged from the hospital. We expected her to not be able to come home until after next week's treatments, but we were pleasantly surprised that she was able to leave today under her own power. The physical therapy group was initially worried that she may not be strong enough to walk on her own power, well, they don't know Mom. With a little help from Mark and Abigail, Mom made the trek home and is now comfortably sleeping at home. Even if just for 24 hours, we can proudly say that Mom spent the first day of the New Year walking around the house, enjoying time with the ones that she loves and love her right back. Not a bad way to kick off 2011. Another year has come and gone, but certainly not taken for granted by anyone. We all feel blessed for every year, every week, every hour we have with our family and friends. Happy New Year and God Bless. Welcome back home, Mom. We love you.

Goodnight.