Chloe and I have been in Montgomery, Alabama for the past five weeks. I have been attending Squadron Officer School (an Air Force Leadership School) at Maxwell Air Force Base. Chloe has been a trooper as we have had to adapt to and overcome the obstacles that go along with living in a hotel room...for over a month. This has been my first experience trying to balance the requirements of school work with taking care of a baby. Chloe made it relatively clear that she did not like me doing homework when she wanted to play!Some of our best friends from Japan are here and watched Chloe during the day when I was at class. I am thankful that I was able to have her here with me.
We visited some friends down in Florida for two of the weekends that we were here. Chloe's first trip to the beach was on a day when there were tornado warnings and gale force winds, so we did not get to play in the water.
Destin, FL
Panama City, FL
Destin, FL(second attempt at the beach)
Sara's sister flew out to Alabama this morning and picked up Chloe. She is going to spend the next few days in Houston as I finish up class. I will leave here on Friday and pick up Chloe on my way back to San Antonio.
A few weeks ago, I got a call from the dermatologist about my cheek growth. The results came back and it turns out that I have Basal Cell Carcinoma. The doctor told me that this is the most common type of skin cancer and is the "best type of cancer to have" because it does not spread. I am scheduled for a minor procedure next week where they will cut out the entire area. I am pretty young to have developed this type of cancer, but after the surgery, there is no further treatment required (besides sunscreen application each day). I was pretty surprised to learn that it was cancerous, but not overly concerned.
Here are some recent pics of the little lady...
Swinging at Maxwell AFB
Thanks for checking up on us.
A few weeks ago, I got a call from the dermatologist about my cheek growth. The results came back and it turns out that I have Basal Cell Carcinoma. The doctor told me that this is the most common type of skin cancer and is the "best type of cancer to have" because it does not spread. I am scheduled for a minor procedure next week where they will cut out the entire area. I am pretty young to have developed this type of cancer, but after the surgery, there is no further treatment required (besides sunscreen application each day). I was pretty surprised to learn that it was cancerous, but not overly concerned.
Here are some recent pics of the little lady...
Swinging at Maxwell AFB
Thanks for checking up on us.
49 comments:
Hey-It is great to see a new post from you...I thought that you had fallen off the face of the earth but you were just in Alabama! Chloe is such a beautiful girl...but you already know that! Take care and God bless.
I can't remember how I found your blog, but Chloe is such a blessed (and beautiful) baby girl.
As I look at these pictures, my admiration and respect for you just grows by leaps and bounds. I just think you are amazing. This is a sweet, but tough, stage for a baby, particularly if you're having to share a hotel room with that baby! As a mama to four girls, my heart goes out to anyone who has to do it on their own - but particularly to a man raising a little lady. My husband was on his own with his little lady for nearly two years (starting when she had just turned two). Hang in there, you are doing a fantastic job.
Chloe is as beautiful as ever....I'm amazed at how much she looks like her Mom!
Chloe still is cute as a button that's for sure!!
Tell your friend "A Sip from the Well" that Alabama is NOT the end of the world...it's a pretty nice state!
HA !!!
God has given you strength beyond measure and I know Sara is soooo proud of you. I am happy that you have had friends with you for I am sure that helps with Chloe and your loneliness.
God Bless you and Chloe !
Ellen
GA
Your "little lady" just gets more and more adorable! :) I like the pictures of her on the swings at the AFB. She looks pretty darn happy! :)
Anyway, glad that you're still "hanging in there." You are a wonderful dad to that "little lady" of yours. Just always remember that! :)
~Mrs. Lady Sofia~
Thanks for updating us Brady. I have been thinking about you two & wondering how you have been. Boy oh boy is Chloe getting big! She is gorgeous like her momma! Take care of yourself & that little lady. {{{HUGS}}}
So glad to hear your update. Chloe looks like she is doing well. She is a cutie!
Great job with your daughter, dad! She is precious and beautiful!
Keep yourself healthy and stay out of the sun whenever possible. :)
She is growing, growing, growing and is beautiful as ever.
Chloe is beautiful! Hope all goes well next week with your procedure. My son who is now 15 went through it last year with a spot on his arm! Way too young. Load up on that sunscreen!
She is growing so fast. What a pretty girl.
Thank you for the pictures, Brady. We're praying for you.
She is adorable! Of course, you already know that.
Nice to see a new post, I wondered where everyone had gone!! LOL.
Praying always for you,
Chare
www.charebear1010.blogspot.com
There are just no words to describe how amazing you are Brady. Chloe is blessed to have you as her daddy.
She looks more like daddy in every picture. Haven't read your blog in awhile and so it was nice to see new pics of baby girl.
I wanted to comment on the cancer. As I was 30 when I first got skin cancer. Same kind as yours but was a growth on my forehead. I had to do the procedure plus plastic surgery (all in one day) because what they do is they cut out a pea size, to a penny size to a nickel size ect in width. For each cut out they take it and look under a scope, if there are any signs they may have left some behind they cut more. And even deeper. The growth on my forehead was the size of a zit....by it was deep and wider spread underneath the skin area and ended up cutting out about the size of a penny and deep. I ended up with 28 stitches on my forehead for a tiny small pea size growth of basil skin cancer.
The reason I share with you is so that you can be a little more prepared going in just incase that happens to you as well. What part of the cheek is it on?
Ill be praying all goes well with class, school, surgery and travels back home with Chloe.
God Bless
I'm so glad you took her with you and made it work the best you could. My kids have always needed their Daddy, there is something about just having him in the same room that keeps them happy and calm. She may seem so young, but she notices you, needs you and is calmed by your presence.
Glad to hear you won't need further treatment.
I know the path is hard, but I am thankful you continue to seek your comfort from the Lord, and share the comfort you have received with us. Praying!
Brady,
So great to see an update. Sara was in my thoughts on Sunday and I prayed a prayer of thanks to God for making her such an amazing mother. I am awed at her strength in protecting Chloe and giving her such an awesome start to life.
You and Chloe reside in my heart and thoughts. Seeing what a happy, beautiful little girl she is fills my heart so full of joy for you.
I have shared your story with many people and I will tell them that you continue to amaze me and assure me that God walks with you. Take care and know that you are loved and prayed for by many people that you may never meet.
Continue to lean on HIM always.
Keep the updates coming! Glad you have the "best skin cancer" you can have. Prayers for no more "excitment" in health areas.
Sweet little lady you have
Chloe gets more beautiful each time I see her! Hope Maxwell was good to you! I'm originally from the "big" town of Prattville which is right next door. Hated to read about your cancer but glad all is well with that. Don't forget the sunscreen. Reminder to myself to do the same and remind hubby to as well! God bless! Give that sweet baby a kiss from all of us who have fallen in love with her!
so glad to hear you two are doing well! goodness, chloe just gets cuter and cuter! even though you guys are always in my thoughts/prayers, you will be in them even more for your procedure next week!
keep on your lovely work! :)
As someone who reads your blog, but has never commented, I just wanted to say good on you for bringing Chloe to SOS with you. Having gone as a family a little over a year ago ourselves, I know how tough it can be to survive that hotel room, especially when trying to study with the lights off at night. Doing it by yourself, I imagine, is no easy task. I spent countless hours swinging my youngest daughter in that same swing while my hubby was at class. Although I know it HAS to be hard, you're making wonderful memories. Keep up the good work--oh and in your free time (ha, ha) grab Dr. Dobson's new book Bringing Up Girls. :)
So glad to see your post. I was just thinking about you and Chloe and wondering how you were doing.
I will keep you in my prayers with your surgery. Chloe is just precious!
Thanks for the update...so great to see you both again and she's just growing so fast. Best of luck with your procedure next week.
It is great to see an update. Chloe is getting so big and is just a cutie pie. Take care.
So happy to read that you and Chloe are doing great! I had missed reading your blog and figured that life was kinda busy for you. Chloe is getting so big and is looking like both you and Sara everyday :) I wish you the best of luck with your upcoming surgery and a safe trip back home to San Antonio. God is with you and never forget that! You're a great example of what a father should be! I know Sara is very proud of you and is always with you.
woohoo Ive been checking freq on ya to see if you had updated and so excited to see you had. Congrats on getting through school and being ablke to have lol chloe right there with you. She is so precious. Glad everything is ok and good luck with your procedure next week.
What a cute girl!!!! So glad you are doing well except for the skin cancer. :) I live in Alabama. It's hot here. I'm not very fond of Montgomery though. I do love the gulf coast...so nice...
It was good to see a post from you! Chloe is adorable as always & getting so big! I'm glad to hear all is well. God bless!
Chloe is beautiful and you are awesome!! Keep up the good work!
Brady, I hope that the surgery goes well and that you recover fast. Besides the sunscreen remember to eat and drink lots of antioxidants. Good to know that everything is going so well with Chloe. Take good care of yourself.
Glad that ya'll are doing well and Chloe is a adorable baby an such a blessing! Chloe is also blessed to have such a great daddy and family that love her!
Wow! Chloe is just the cutest thing!! I have been praying for the growth on your cheek and am glad to hear that it can easily be taken care of. Still, how scary to hear that stupid C word!
God bless you and your sweet family!
I've been waiting for you to post!! Let me know when you are back in town so I can get Chloe's photos to you. Looks like you both have been having a fun time! Hotel life isn't the greatest but hey, it's better than a tent, right?! :)
See you soon, have a safe trip back home!
Brady this post brought tears to my eyes. Not because it's sad. Because it shows what a great dad you are and are still becoming. I think the picture of you two at the beach (first attempt) is what did it to me. I thought "He has her dressed up so cute!"
Sara was a lucky lady and Chloe is a lucky girl. They have both let you be a Godly man and take care of them and their needs. It's so neat to see what God is doing with your beautiful girls and with you.
Keep on...
ahhh! beautiful girl!!! thanks God your diagnosis is good. thanks for posting. I love to know how you and this beautiful angel are doing lately.
God Bless you! You are such an inspiration! You love for Chloe is undeniable! I will pray for you and your beautiful daughter in your daily walk! She is beautiful!
Chloe is an absolute doll. And it's so clear that you're a proud, devoted father. I didn't know Sara. I was sent your blog in September from Angie, who lives in my neighborhood. Still, I feel confident in saying that Sara would be very proud of the job you're doing as a daddy. I pray for all of you regularly.
Brady!!! She is BEAUTIFUL!!! I love keeping up with her on here....love to you both!!
Kelly 'Martinek' Hornberger
chloe is getting so big. You are doing a great job with her.
My ma had basal cell on her face also and had to have surgery..she is fine now..just has to wear lots of protective gear now.
Thank you for being open and vulnerable while sharing your journey with us. God's plan and purpose for us is to worship Him in all things; no matter what. As I read your blog, I see worship and contentment flow through your words. I pray that God continues to draw you closer to Him, and to bring other people to Him through your story. Chloe is a beautiful baby!
Hey there Brady,
I've been following your story these past few months, and I have to tell you: it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that God would choose you to create, and carry on, such a wonderful miracle. I remember you in high school. You were always the one that seemed to have it right, to have your paths so straight, while mine were always such a blunder (or so it seemed). 10 years later, just as the reunion was being planned, I heard about your lovely wife's illness through Michelle Walton. I've followed you since that time through your blogs, and I really wasn't sure what to say to you, or do for you, other than pray for you from this tiny island in the Pacific (Hawaii). I've been doing that since, and I'll continue to.
I can't imagine a better man to be a single father than you. I've known you since we were kids, and your heart has always been filled with such strength, laughter, and faith, that I know dear Chloe will have the best of both his parents even though one has all ready gone home. You're doing great :) And I'm proud of you for taking the first step to eat at the dinner table, even though your sweet wife isn't there. It may seem awkward, but God is there with you, sharing your meals--just like your happy times and sad times.
Thought for you: do you remember climbing the mountain at Frontier Ranch in Colorado when we went with Young Life? Just like then, as you near the top, the air begins to get thinner and it's a little tougher to breathe. But at the top, with the beauty and the sonlight, the climb seems so worth it. That's where you are. We're all so proud of you Brady, and your strength and humility are an inspiration to us all.
Aloha,
Kimberly (Peeples) Vasquez
Wow she is growing so fast! Thanks for sharing her with us! Sunscreen for all!! hugs frm south of Houston!
Hi Brady,
I haven't written for quite a while but that doesn't mean I haven't been keeping up with the two of you.
I am glad you are both doing well. Not only is the love for airplanes genetic but so is that smile she's sporting.
I saw you were diagnosed with Basal Cell Carcinoma. I'm glad it's nothing more serious. I know the "C" word has to strike a nerve with you.
Hang in there and keep up the good work as a fabulous daddy.
God Bless you and Chloe.
Stephanie Anne
Good to hear there isn't much to worry about with the growth on your cheek! Chloe seems to be growing so fast!
Chloe is absolutely adorable!!! Love the picture of her sitting with her legs crossed on the bed, she looks like such a little lady. You are truly blessed to have her, and she is blessed to have you as well!!
Brady: I just wanted to let you know what an awesome person and father you are. Your blog is the only e-mail that I keep pulled up on by computer every day. I check it daily to see how you and Miss. Chloe are doing. She is so beautiful and growing so fast. I am sorry to hear about your cancer on your face. Glad to know that it was all removed and you will be fine. I know Sarah is looking down on you and would not let anything happen to Chloe's daddy or the love of her life.
You keep hanging in there and pleae continue to blog. You are Chloe are always in my prayers. God Bless you both.
Jamie
Your story and your faith are an inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing, I am truly touched. Your little girl is so blessed to have you! Prayers.
Post a Comment