TOTALLY Trying to Catch Up! 08-15-07

Dearest Friends & Family,
I have been SOOOOOO remiss in writing to all of you!




Please accept my most sincere apologies! We've been busy, busy, busy making up for the summer we missed last year! I will do my best to bring you all up to speed on the lives and loves of this family, starting with the concert we were going to when I last wrote!

It was a BLAST!!! The ONLY way to go to these things is a V.I.P.!!!! We were treated like royalty from the beginning to the end. The concert was at the Verizon Wireless Outdoor Theatre in Irvine. We got there by 3:30pm. Our friend Terry met us in the V.I.P. parking lot and from there we walked over to where all of the performers motorhomes were parked. They were all taking turns doing their soundchecks on stage. One of the pictures is COOKIE "backstage", on stage, while Drake Bell is doing his soundcheck.

COOKIE spent some quality time with some of her favorite celebrities! Drake Bell was very, very sweet. COOKIE got to play with his two adorable little chihuahua's. He sat and talked with us and then he gave COOKIE two of his most expensive tshirts. He signed one of them for her and he signed her cd also.

Then we saw Corbin Bleu walking towards us. His motorhome was just across from Drake's. He came over and gave COOKIE a big hug and he hugged Shelee and I too! He is absolutely darling and very comfortable and friendly. He signed COOKIE's cd and talked with us for little while.

Once we got our V. I. P. passes, Terry took us walking around and took us backstage where all of the dressing rooms are. We walked out to the stage and faced the 15,000 plus stadium which was in the beating sun! It was really hot that day but it was sooooo cool to look out at the seats and realize that in a couple of hours they would be filled with thousands of screaming fans and we would be among them!

COOKIE met Bianca Ryan! She's the 12 year old that won the first "America's Got Talent" and rightly so! She looks like she's 14 or 15 and she can belt out a song like you wouldn't believe!!!!!!

We walked back out to the motorhomes and Terry took us over to Aly & AJ's. He just so happens to know one of their bodyguards. He told Terry that the girls would like to see COOKIE as soon as they were done with an interview that they were doing inside their motorhome. So we waited for a little while and then they came rushing out and just crowded around COOKIE, making HER feel like the celebrity! They're beautiful girls and they are so friendly and sweet! They said they actually remembered signing her hat at the Kids Choice Awards last year! They asked COOKIE if she would like to come into their motorhome so off they went! Hello Kitty is one of their sponsors and the reps from Hello Kitty had gone into the motorhome earlier in the day and completely decked it out in Hello Kitty stuff, from the front to the back! So Aly and AJ started giving COOKIE a ton of stuff, including a Hello Kitty guitar strap. (I promised COOKIE guitar lessons in the fall!) She came out of their all flushed and pink with excitement! The girls really made her feel special!

The show finally began and we had V. I. P. seats. After each performance, we got up and met with Terry and we went backstage and watched the action back there too! The concert was really fun, especially for this grandma! I haven't been to a concert in a very long time! Of course, I was completely out numbered by young people and their parents! It was a rockin' good time and all of the celebrities that we had to the honor to spend time with were very gracious and attentive to all of us! As if all of that isn't enough, (for those of you that know that COOKIE's NUMERO UNO favorite celeb is Hilary Duff, you'll appreciate this next tidbit), after the concert was over, we were backstage once again and who was walking around with a couple of friends but Hilary's sister, Haley. COOKIE walked up to her and told her that she'd met her sister Hilary twice and asked her if she would mind taking a picture with her. Well, as you can see, she didn't mind and it completed the entire
V. I. P., out of this world, totally dreamlike atmosphere that we'd been in all day long! We were loaded down with goodies and posters and signed tshirts and enough great smiles and memories to last a lifetime! THANK YOU TERRY!!!!!!

Ok. COOKIE's current state of health........Well as you read last time, her lines are gone. Getting her blood drawn every other week has turned out to be a piece of cake! The lab at UCLA is very good and there has been no discomfort or worry where that's concerned! (And that's always a huge concern because we do everything we can to avoid any additional discomfort or worry!!!!)

She's had a cat scan and seen a gastroenterologist for her tummy problems. They were concerned that she might be having gastro graph vs. host disease. The doctor stated that he doesn't believe her tummy problems are being cause by that, thank goodness. She was, however, consistently losing at least one pound a week and was down to 70 pounds. She simply had zero appetite. Her mind was telling her that she wanted to eat but her mouth simply wouldn't allow her to put anything in it. We decided to try Boost Plus (it has more fat and more calories and good stuff than Ensure). She began drinking it once a day and actually GAINED a pound back! Yeah!!!! Then, after about 3 or 4 days of incorporating the Boost Plus with little nibbles of food, her appetite seemed to kick in and she began eating. She certainly doesn't eat three meals a day but we consider it a good day when she eats a little breakfast or lunch and a full dinner. She gained another 1/2 pound and only drinks the Boost Plus every couple of days now. I think we're doing ok with all of that. Of course, as with everything else, time will tell. MY personal theory is that drinking the Boost Plus with everything that's jam-packed into it actually stimulated her taste buds or appetite somehow. Whatever works, right?

In addition, COOKIE has had some skin problems on her hands and feet. It's been ongoing and they've stated that it could actually be a bit of dermatolological graph vs. host disease. She will be seeing a dermatologist in the near future and hopefully a little topical steroid cream will help.

The main concern on COOKIE's mind these days is how she should spend her days until school starts! Sounds normal, doesn't it? We've been going to the beach at least twice a week! She's just finding her "sea legs" again on the boogie board! It's hers and Parkers favorite thing to do for summer! We pack a picnic lunch, grab the towels, the umbrellas and soak both kids in SPF and off we go! Of course, we can't go to the beach without bringing Daddy and his fishing gear! He's a catch and release kind of fisherman and the kids love it! ALL of the kids, even the lifeguards come down to see what he's caught!
Matt is such a fisherman that he actually wanted to name Parker.....yup.....Fish Herman Sheehey! Thankfully, we all LOVE the beach so everybody gets what they need! hahahaha

Shelee got a call from our friend Hilary at UCLA. Derek Lowe (pitcher for the Dodgers) and his girlfriend Carolyn, were having a fundraiser for the hospital at Lucky Strike Bowl in Hollywood and invited COOKIE and family to attend! There were about 10 kids that they had invited from the hospital that they had invited. They had a HUGE buffet with everything you can imagine to eat, including desserts! Anything you wanted to drink and a bunch of the Dodgers were there bowling! Derek hung out with COOKIE and Parker and they had so much fun! He's so genuine and has no problem relating to kids! They bowled and they danced and they raised a ton of money! David Arquette was there and he bowled with kids too. They gave away a PILE of gifts to all of the kids and their families! Each Dodger presented each kid with a signed jersey. Derek gave his to COOKIE and Luis Pierre gave his to Parker! They got tickets to Universal Studios, dinner certificates and much more! How incredibly lucky to be part of all of this. This family loves being involved in such worthy causes and being part of such exciting events!
THANK YOU DEREK AND CAROLYN!

In between, we've been going to Aunt Shannon's and then she comes here. Seldom does more than 2 weeks go by that we don't see each other. Aunt Shannon and Uncle Johnny think of our house as their "vacation home" and we think of THEIR house as OUR vacation home! Here, we can all go to the beach and there, we have the swimming pool! As a matter of fact, as I'm writing this blog, the beautiful little famly is on their way to Aunt Shannon's house! Uncle Christopher and I are following tomorrow! Shelee and I have a birthday coming up this Friday. Yes, we share the same birthday. She was born on my 21st birthday. Don't bother yourself doing the math. It's not pretty. hahahahaha! Anyway, we just want to be together and swim and laugh and bbq!

As if sharing our birthday wasn't enough, Shelee and Matt had to go and get married on the same day! Then, the next day, Shannon and John got married!!!!!! So, this is a BIG celebration weekend what better way to do it than floating around in the beautiful swimming pool at Aunt Shannon's house? But, NEXT year will be an "0" birthday for both Shannon (June) and I (August). We're thinking that we have to come up with something pretty special like say...........Hawaii! That's COOKIE's dream vacation so we'll have to get to planning, especially since we travel in a PACK!!

School is looming in the very near future and there's much preparation! Clothes and supplies are ready but it's going to be a HUGE reality check for this family! I've been off work for almost 2 years and I'll be going back to work! Matt will be returning to teaching and both COOKIE and Parker will be going to school for the first time! COOKIE will be going to middle school but she will only be going part time, that is, half day. Physically and emotionally she would not be able to handle a full day. The doctor's say that it will take another year for her body to reach it's more complete potential. She's very excited about joining the kids and digging in but it's going to be a challenge to be sure.

Then there's our Parker Boy. He began having major separation anxiety after Spring Break and suffered on a daily basis until school was out. Please say a prayer for him so he doesn't suffer so much this go round! We're told he's fine after we leave him but it's the leaving that tears out your heart, every single day. Another challenge, to be sure.

Shelee will be putting her faith and trust to the test and giving COOKIE the space and tools she requires to spread her beautiful little wings. Whatever COOKIE dreams of, she can acheive. As a 6th grader, she'll experience some very new aspects of being a preteen. She longs for those experiences. Oh brother. Did I say PRETEEN?

I'd love to teach Shelee how to begin cutting the proverbial apron strings but I'm a fine example, aren't I?
September will be a month for new routines, new habits, new experiences and lots and lots of growth. Oh Holy Cow. I hope we're ready! We're a fine example of "Be careful what you wish for!"
I know this family has an illness but there's just no cure for it. hahaha

This beautiful, strong, loving family has undergone many years of trauma and it's only strengthened our bonds, each and every single one of our bonds. We are closer than we need to be but we feel that it's exactly what we need. We're tied together with hopes and dreams and sorrows and challenges and we do it as one unit. It's the only way we know to go forth and conquer. It's exactly what we feel we did, as a family.

Dr. Phil would have a field day but I say, oh well. We do the very, very best we can with what we have to work with and what one of us is lacking in, the other excels and lifts the whole group. God bless this family and it's new beginnings! This has been one helluva year!!!!

As always, love and best wishes to all of you and yours,
Cookie, The Grandma