1. School
I’m thrilled to announce that Clio is going to school!! Woo hoo! Her doctors at Dana Farber told us that as long as she’s feeling up to it, and as long as there aren’t any known outbreaks of flu or strep throat or anything like that going around the school, then she’s good to go. Today is her third time, and she seems to love it. (And Elsa has seemed to enjoy showing her the ropes, although Clio has complained that she’s being a little bossy.)
Unfortunately, she will still miss a lot of school. Because of her recent seizure reaction to high-dose methotrexate, our oncologist decided it would be best to switch her over to a different protocol completely — and it’s pretty intense. Moreso because she has to go into the clinic twice a week for a really nasty badass shot to the thigh for aspariginase — thanks to the fact that she had a bad reaction to the IV version.
So on Mondays and Thursdays she’ll probably only go to school for an hour or two if at all. And every third week, she gets a veritable barrage of chemo, plus daily high dose steroids, and feels pretty much like crap if (if the first week was any indication.) So she may not be up for school most of that week either. But hey: we — and she — will take what we can get. It’s a joy to be walking both girls to kindergarten, as originally planned, instead of just one.
2. Books
And now. In the spirit of taking better care of myself for a change…have I got a holiday gift idea for you!
If a new or expectant mom is on your holiday gift list, or non-new mom, or someone (including yourself) who has faced the challenge of parenting through depression, or if you just like my writing and want a quick and somewhat enjoyable read, then I give you…
DOUBLE TIME: How I Survived — And Mostly Thrived — Through My First Three Years Mothering Twins.
Well, I don’t give it to you. I mean, I wish I could. But I can’t. You can, however, buy it at the brick and mortar or online retail location of your choice. Or download it to your e-reader of choice.
And if you buy a copy, email me (jane@janeroper.com) and let me know. I’ll shower you with gratitude and send you a bookplate sticker signed to whomever you want. It’s a super-personalized gift! Better than a monogrammed flannel bathrobe! You can read more about Double Time here.
Or, if fiction is more your thing, there’s my novel Eden Lake — a family drama that takes place at a (fictional) summer camp in Maine. Bestselling author Tom Perrotta calls it “an unusually accomplished debut novel about love and loss and the absurdities of summer camp” and Steve Almond calls it “a wise, sexy novel that fearlessly probes the particulars of desire and loss. It’s a sheer delight — as irresistible as a smore.” Read more about it here.
(Please note: although this book takes place at a kids’ summer camp, it’s not appropriate for kids. Older teenagers, yes. Kids, no.)
OR if you’re thinking “screw you, Jane, you self-promoting whore,” then how about a book by someone else?
Vinson’s Christmas and Other Oddities (published by Last Light Studio, the same publisher that put out Eden Lake) is a completely hilarious account of the history of Christmas, and various Christmas traditions around the world. It makes an awesome stocking stuffer. Buy it now!
No matter what, I hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving. (I’m grateful for so much. It’s gonna be a good one around here.)
That’s amazing, the school! Congratulations!! I haven’t bought Double Time yet, but since Guajolote #2 will be emerging this spring, I’ll use that as an excuse to buy a great book from a great author. Tons of love and I hope for more little victories for all of you. 🙂
Congratulations Guajolote!!! So happy for you! (And thanks!)
Hey, you might be interested in Buzzy (http://www.buzzy4shots.com/), which is a little device that a fellow alum recommended a couple of years ago. His daughter gets regular shots for arthritis, and he said that the thing helped tremendously with the pain of the shot.
I’m so glad Clio will be going to school, at least part of the time!
As a Child Life Specialist, I have had experience with Buzzy and love it for blood draws and vaccinations. Aspariginase shots are a pretty different ballgame, though. The kids I work with in our oncology clinic use emla cream to numb the skin, but from what I hear it doesn’t touch the intense charley horse feeling in the muscle after the shot. The only thing I have found to work well with them is an ice pack on the legs for a few minutes prior to the injection. It numbs deeper than the emla, and the act of holding it on the leg can be a job for the kid (if she wants) and help her feel like she’s able to have some control and do something about the pain.
So glad she gets some school time!
Yeah, the problem with the Erwinia Aspariginase shots is that they’re that deep, thick, awful kind that go into the muscle.
The nurses do numb her skin with emla, like you said, but it doesn’t seem to help a bit for the actual pain of the liquid going in. I don’t know that I’d be able to convince Clio to hold an ice pack on her leg beforehand (she won’t take a warm or cold pack afterward) but it’s worth a shot! Thanks for the suggestion.
That’s so wonderful that Clio gets to experience some school. I hope the new treatment goes well.
Excellent book suggestions!
Happy Thanksgiving.
So glad to hear Clio can go to school. SUCKS that she has to have the PEG shots, though. Ick! I second what Patty sad about buzzy – I saw these at BlogHer and they looked awesome!
Hooray for school, any school at all!!
I just devoured your book Eden Lake last weekend. Seriously, read it in 2 days. I really, REALLY enjoyed it. I don’t even read a whole lot of fiction, but knowing how much I enjoyed Double Time (and all your various blogging over the years), I knew I would like it. And I did – I loved it! I requested it from our library, and they didn’t have it at first so I think they ordered it in just for me.
My husband’s cousin is pregnant with twins (quite unexpectedly – they have one daughter who is 2, I believe, and had planned this pregnancy to be just one more baby and then be done). I told her about your book Double Time, but now I think I’ll gift it to her. I really want to make sure she gets a chance to read it before her twins arrive (next spring). She’s been very overwhelmed and frankly, struggling to accept that she’ll be a mom of 3 instead of a mom of 2. And that she’ll be dealing with 2 babies at once with a toddler in the house!
Thanks, as always, for all you do. I adore your writing and I’m glad you continue to do it!
Can you please write a sequel, of sorts, to Eden Lake? ‘Cause I’d be all over that (-:
I loved Eden Lake as well – hoping for a sequel someday!
Thanks, ladies! Afraid there won’t be a sequel (at least, not that I know of) but hey, maybe someone will make it into a movie someday.
I also loved Eden Lake. It was one of those books that I couldn’t put down, and was surprised to find out that I had already reached the end.
Yay for Clio going to school! Hope she loves it.
I adore you, you self-promoting whore.
Does Clio still crave potato chips after chemo? If so, please DM me your address. Thank you.
Love,
Jenna.
Awesome that Clio gets to go to school!! Happy Thanksgiving!
Yay for school!!!!! Keeping you in my prayers for a quiet and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
Wow, that gives me so much joy to know that Clio will be going to kindergarten. And that her and Elsa will be together (even if they complain about it). I’ve already read (and loved) both your books, so I guess you’ll just have to write another one. 😉 BTW, if you need a good book recommendation (yeah, right, like you have time), I’m really enjoying Wild by Cheryl Strayed right now.
Thrilled that Clio is gong to school, if only for a few days. Hope to see you guys soon. Happy Thanksgiving!
Great to meet you last week at the Grub Street event. So happy to hear that Clio will be able to attend school and enjoy the simple pleasure of being with her sister and her friends. Sorry to hear about the new treatment regiment–it sounds really rough. I hope the ice pack or some of the other suggestions mentioned here will give her a little relief. I’ll be thinking of you and your family and sending you all good wishes.
Can’t wait to get your books and start reading!
All the best to you and your family.
Excited to read that Clio is getting to go to school. I’m thinking happy thoughts and good news for your family!
Hoooray for Clio! Lookin’ forward to the day she tells you how boring school is. That’s when you’ll know she’s all the way back. I just love you tough, smart redheads—got a few of them in my own family.
I believe MA has a compulsory school attendance age of 6 years old. Meaning, kindergarten is optional not mandatory. It might be your preferance (and hers) to have her attend some school, to have some normalcy in her life, especially compared to what her twin sister is experiencing. I would advise that you consider the stress it will put upon her life (and yours) counting all the days she is missing of school during this first year of her dealing with the treatments for cancer and the side effects. Not to mention, the risk of her coming down with an infectious illness since too many parents send their sick kids to school, since it’s stressful for them to deal with disciplinary actions if a child misses too many days of classes on the permanent school record. You are incredibly intelligent and she will likely learn as much, if not more, from you. I know many kids the last few years who started school in first grade and they were ahead of their peers, since they had very involved, educated, progressive parents. They took workshops around the city to learn about topics they found interesting and socialized with their siblings and also had play dates with many friends in the neighborhood. Often in this culture, we’re made to feel like a child will miss out if they don’t do the million other things kids their age are doing and we hate it when our plans are changed beyond our control and would rather not accept change. I spent one full month in the hospital when I was 9 years old, my mother thought I was going to die. When I think back about that period of time, what I regret is the pressure I felt to keep up with schoolwork…when I should have been resting. I was laying in the hospital bed, with giant staples across my chest, needing to practice breathing into an apparatus (b.t.w I had a shot deep into the thigh muscle before surgery, it was the most excruciating pain I felt in my life, except for labor, so Clio is incredibly brave to have such shots regularly). All I could think about was how disappointed my mother would be if I didn’t keep up with my class, since that’s what she kept mentioning (she didn’t want me to fall behind other kids) and I was furiously doing all this homework that my brother brought to me from school. If she was educated, it would have been great if she taught me from home for a few months, rather than heading back to school when I hadn’t healed and being taunted by other kids. I have a 5 year old daughter and I would never do that to her if she became seriously ill. Your daughters are beautiful and sweet. My daughter once danced with Elsa at a music concert. My heart breaks for Clio and I know she will pull through just fine and this will make her stronger. You are an awesome mom and you are lucky to have such a loving husband. I wish your family many joyful moments this year, to balance out the hard times.