The Jackson Five

We're back from the beach! It was a great week and the perfect way to mark the end of treatment. I arrived to the sounds of Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" and Mom had hung a banner and gotten a cake to help mark the occasion. We liked the cake so much that when the first one was gone, we went to the store and bought another one. Mornings were spent on the beach, wearing sunscreen and under an umbrella. This is definitely the first year that I haven't come back from the beach with a tan. I read four books, took a lot of naps, and loved not having to go anywhere or do anything I didn't want to, especially go to radiation.

But perhaps the best part of the beach was all of the baby lovin' I got from Jackson. There's something about babies that is good for the soul. In seven short weeks, Jackson has managed to wrap my family around his very tiny finger. Many nights, we didn't turn on the TV at all because we just watched Jackson play and coo. I've missed the smell of milk and baby since they left my house on Friday and I definitely miss having that little guy sleep on my chest.

Here's a photo update on the hair, and also Jackson's first visit to the ocean. This is 10 weeks of hair growth, and seven weeks of baby growth.

I'm not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow, but at least I don't have to go to radiation every day. My skin continued to cook a little all week and looks pretty nasty now, but I'm hoping it will heal quickly. I've got some weird tightness in my arm that I'm going to call the doctor about tomorrow, but other than that and some tiredness, I feel great. I took my first Tamoxifen pill about an hour ago and I'll be taking that for the next five years. So when Jackson starts Kindergarten, I'll finally be done! Hopefully I won't have any side effects from that, but if you notice me exhibiting any signs of stroke, call 911. I'm having a little surgery on September 18 to have my port removed, then I'll have a mammogram again in October and make the rounds of all of the doctors again in November, but for now things will begin to get back to "normal."

There's plenty more to tell, but I'll save some for later.