My Parents... and other stuff

I want to do a quick post of gratitude to my mom and dad extraordinaire. They returned to Ontario yesterday after almost two months of being our cooks, cleaners, errand runners, babysitters, planners and all around support people. It feels like an incredible privilege to have two people ready and willing to give up two months of their lives to help us an any way they could think of. And help us they did. I am not sure how or if we would have been able to make it through the difficult parts of the past while without them. Yet again, thank you is not enough - but thank you. We love you, and so does Hadley.

Grandparenting - a job they do well.

After 'the last supper' on Tuesday night.

We are doing well, letting our recent amazing news settle in. It can be difficult to believe at times, we are both so used to being tense and somewhat anxious, it turns out that doesn't stop overnight. The days leading up to Monday were some of the most difficult we have ever experienced, it will take a bit of time to transition out of that place - but we are getting there. One of the biggest differences I notice is how it used to be so unpleasant when we were doing something normal and we would suddenly remember that we are in Vancouver because Mark has brain cancer. Now, it is an incredible feeling to be carrying along with an everyday task and remember 'oh yeah, there's no tumors anymore'. It brings a happiness and calm that is difficult to describe. That said, it isn't over and while we can truly enjoy this time - I know we will enjoy drinking a bottle of Dom Perignon (thanks Biggar) on February 1, 2012 (our two years clear date) that much more.

Tomorrow Sarah is arriving again to join us on a young adult cancer retreat. She will be coming to give us a hand with Hadley so that Mark and I can participate together in the retreat. We are both really looking forward to getting out of town for a bit and to learn about how we deal with the uncertainty that awaits us in this next phase. Plus the food is supposed to be amazing. We leave on Saturday and get back on Friday, which is opening ceremonies day. We are going to take in some Olympic festivities, have some final doctor's appointments and hope to make our way home in the beginning of March. It will be nice to get a small taste of winter - there are flowers blooming here already.

Hadley continues to be awesome. She is a happy little creature and is easy to please with the exception of the hours of 10pm-12am. We spend an embarrassing amount of time staring at her and making ridiculous faces and sounds in an effort to see a wee smile. Luckily she is giving them out with less discretion these days - she is still stealthy enough that it is difficult to get one on camera. Here is a glimpse.

If you look closely enough, you can see two heads reflected in her eyes - thankfully for us there is no audio accompanying this photo.

A nice father daughter shot.

Finally, I really want to thank everyone for following along and giving us messages of support this past week. Your emails, comments and phone calls make us feel powerful and loved. It is amazing to have you all with us on this. Cheers!