Reality Check

So the other day I was asked if the kids ever fought, or bickered, or did any of that normal kid stuff anymore.  I laughed.  Of course.  Cancer has taught us that moments are precious, and that relationships are eternal, but cancer hasn't taken the kid out of Brendan -- or any of the other kids either.

So the conversation in the car the other day went something like this:
"Mom! He bit my head!"
"I did not!  I was just breathing on him."
"Mom!  He bit my head!"
"Did not!  He put his head in my mouth!"

Sigh.

Another reality check today was when Brendan showed me this:

And draining the bathtub looked like this:

That led to this:

Then this. . .

Brendan showing the pile of hair that fell out of his head today.

It shows off his craniotomy scars pretty well.

Shaun actually shaved his head while I was gone tonight.  I think they both knew I didn't have the heart to shave it all off.  But Brendan wanted it this way.  And it will be better than cleaning up the piles of hair in the tub, in his bed, and around the house.

Brendan:  "I was sitting on the heater pulling at my hair today.  So then dad comes in and is amazed by the pile of hair I pulled out.  Every time I pulled some hair out, he thought it looked painful, so he got a mischievous looked in his eye and suggested, "Do you want to shave your head?"

I asked if mom would be ok with that, and dad said, "it's your hair. . ."

I just couldn't pass it up.  It sounded like so much fun.  So dad pulled out the clippers and when we were done, we were thinking, "We've got to find a way to surprise mom."  So dad suggests that I lay down with my head under the blanket and he would tell mom to go check on me.  Then we locked the back door so we would know when mom was coming.  But the girls came home first so we decided to surprise them too.  When Lindsay lifted up the blanket, she started screaming and running around.  It was so funny!  Maddy just had wide eyes and said, "Whoa!"  

After that mom came home and came to check on me and lifted up the blanket and looked a bit shocked.  But she didn't give much of a reaction.  She wasn't too surprised that we would shave my head.  But it was fun.  My head feels kind of soft and smooth.  I like it.  I like it that my hair finally fell out and that we shaved my head."