What's in a name?

It's nearly that time around the Timmons house. I am currently 18 weeks along and this pregnancy seems to be flying by now. Next Tuesday on JB's 5th birthday I will be going in for my monthly appointment. At that time we will be scheduling my next ultrasound for the following weeks. I am very excited about finding out what we are having, but at the same time we will be doing away with a set of names.

Cody and I easily agreed upon names for both a boy and a girl very early on this time. Boys names have always been pretty easy for us. JB was inspired from a college friend of Cody's. All we had to do was fill in the blanks. Joshua came from the Bible, when all else fails look to the book!! Brent is Cody's middle name. This one was very easy. On the other hand though Taylor was a bit more of a challenge. Cody and I both like traditional names, and our girl names have always been a challenge. Taylor was also shy and we did not know she was a girl till around 28 weeks. When we finally found out I had to start over with my lists again. Why? Cody had vetoed everything on my list. I went through the baby name book countless times and started my list with about 30 names. I narrowed that down on my own first to 16. I took those 16 to Cody and he did not like any of them. I knew I wanted to use part of my Mother's name, but was not sure which part. So I had the additional challenge of finding a name that went with either Dana or Carol. Finally at 33 weeks I went back to Cody with 6 names with my mother's names as I would like to use them. Taylor had been on my first list, but I guess when I added the Carol is just seemed to work.

This time around Cody and I both agreed on both a boys and girls name within the first few weeks of finding out we were pregnant. They are once again traditional names and pulled from both of our families. I think this is what is making it so hard to have to say goodbye to one set of the names.

For a boy we will be having a:

Charlie Dale- Charlie is associated with both sides of the family. Charlie first comes from Cody's maternal great-grandfather, Charlie Brent. It also has ties in my family. My grandpa was Joe Charles Deaton, as well as, a cousin of mine. Dale is my dad's middle name.

For a girl we will be having:

Dana Christine- Dana was my mother's name. How lucky will I be to have two girls with both of my mother's names in theirs. Christine was Charlie Brent's wife. Making her Cody's maternal great-grandmother. I was lucky enough to know Granny Christine while she was alive, and this is truly a tribute to her!!

Now you know the story behind our names! Who are you voting for?


Dana Christine or Charlie Dale??

Here's to finding out soon!!

It's sinking in...

Talk about a whirlwind, the last 18 months have been non-stop and fairly intense. Just when I was thinking that things were beginning to return to a quasi normal, "Hello Betsey, your pregnant!" I am still not sure what God's reasoning is behind this pregnancy, but I am sure that over time He will let me in on his thinking. This last weekend we were in Denver City, and a friend of mine reminded me that I had once said "I will never be pregnant again." Maybe this is God reminding me that I am not the one in control.

All in all though, it is starting to become more of a tangible reality that we are having another baby. It has also started to occur to me some of the differences due to my mastectomies. I do not have swollen, sore, and ever growing boobies. I am loving this, but with this little perk brings the understanding that there will be no nourishment from Mommy for my new little one. I am sure you can understand all of the thoughts flooding my mind with this to think about. From all of the health questions to the thoughts of bonding there are alot of things I feel this baby might miss out on. Here is the deal though... God has made this pregnancy happen so I don't need to focus on all of the possible negatives. He decided that I was going to have another baby after all of my preventative surgeries from last year. Betsey does not need to worry about all of the things that might or might not happen, God will take care of each and every one of them for me.

So here's to Praying for a healthy baby!!

Unexpected Blessings!

Well I guess it is safe to let everyone in on our unexpected blessing for 2011. Back in early February we found out that we are expecting baby #3. Cody and I had both decided before this that we were content with our little family of four and were ready to take steps towards ovary removal or having my tubes tied. So to say the very least this was a huge surprise.

Over the last 15 months I have read so many message boards about "Baby after PBM," needless to say I never thought that I would one day be in that position. So far things have gone very well. If you were around for my two previous pregnancies you know that I am not a very good pregnant woman. I tend to spend a great deal of my 9 months hugging a toilet or pan of sorts with extreme nausea and vomiting. I had sworn off the thought of having any more babies because of this. Up to this point I have religiously taken my zofran, and had good and bad days. As of Monday we have crossed the 12 weeks mark and seem to be doing very well. I will not say the nausea is gone completely, but seems to be much better. We are still taking things day to day and pray fervently each night for another good day in the morning.

JB & Taylor are both very excited about having a baby, so excited that they have already moved in together and given up one of their bedrooms for the baby.

Other than that things are well in the Timmons household!! I am sure that I will continue to update everyone on the progress, and also have some posts devoted to "Baby after PBM."

Mid January Update

Well I had a few minutes of down time so I decided to give everyone an update on where I am right now.

I met with a personal trainer the first week of January and we decided to start me on some weight machines. I have been working on getting settled in to a routine as to when is the best time for me to go to the gym. The week of the 10th was not all that successful so I decided to try a different time this week, and I am proud to say that I have been to the gym 3 days!!

I had thought about going when the kids were both at school, but that took up the majority of my time to run errands when they are not with me. So I changed my thinking and have been going right after I pick JB up from school on MWF. This works out really well because the kids are entertained in the nursery and I have Mommy alone time while focusing on me. I have been trying to avoid the scale because I am lifting weights, and I have not perfected my routine yet. My mindset of gym time has already started changing. It is becoming more about enjoying my alone time and less about an inconvenience of taking time out of my day. Why did I not start this sooner?

I am feeling pretty successful so far about getting into a routine and schedule, and I am loving it!!


School started this week, and I am enjoying it. I decided back in November to limit myself to just one class, especially since my class is Anatomy and Physiology I. My other reason being it has been 7 years since I graduated with my first degree, and nearly 5 years since I have been out in the work force. So far I am very happy that I decided to start taking my Medical Terminology course back in October. If I had not done this I believe I might have been overwhelmed. Things are going well, and I still feel like I am making the right decision here.


Taylor and JB are both back in school after the Holiday's and we are for the most part healthy (apart from the occasional sniffle and sneeze). Things are going well, and we have been able to enjoy some much needed home time after all of our traveling before Christmas.

Hope everyone is well!!

The next logical step...

As all of you know we spent 2010 reducing my risk of breast cancer. Now that surgery and reconstruction are behind me it only seems logical to start focusing on the next step. Surveillance is of course very important and you can rest assured that I will be visiting my doctors for the recommended screening every six months. So, other than surveillance what do I feel is the next step?

I feel that in 2011 my thoughts and research need to focus a little more on my overall health. Each and every person that we encounter has a different opinion on what is important to our health. I will offer myself as a perfect example of this. Twelve months ago my idea of what was necessary for a healthy lifestyle was completely different than what it is today. What I considered "enough" for my daily activity is much different today than what it was last January. Supplements and vitamins were something I would look into in the next ten years. So much has changed, and I believe for the better.

The new fad seems to be focused on clean eating and physical fitness. I would like to start by giving my input on a few of these. So far, I can tell you that I am no where near perfect at any of these, but I do believe that they can make a positive impact if applied. Clean eating is a new key phrase for 2011. I have read many on-line articles about it, and it is easy to see that if implemented it would be valuable to any ones diet. For the Timmons family I have tried to implement my own version of this method.

Clean Eating - Betsey's steps

1. Avoid the inner isles of the grocery store. Stick to the perimeter. By doing this your waistline and your pocketbook are both benefited.

2. Fresh!!! Processed foods lack the nutritional value of fresh, and honestly Fresh tastes better in my opinion.

3. Make a list before you go to the store. I find that meal planning helps me out a great deal! If you get tired of the same old meals all the time I recommend this site. They offer easy meal planning and a grocery list. I used it for several years. I still have most of my weekly planners, and I pull them out of my binder when we need a little variety.

4. Portion size is a big deal! It is so easy to forget what we are putting into our bodies when we go out to eat. Many restaurants have nutritional information on their websites, take a look before you go out. We also need to think about portion size at home. I utilize calorie counters to get an idea of what a serving should be. If you are unsure of what 3 oz or other measurements look like invest in a scale, or borrow one and take pictures for future reference.

5. Add an extra vegetable or fruit to your day. Another tip of mine: my kids do not eat fruits and veggies consistently so I supplement with V8 juices. Also, if meat and veggies are all that's available they are more likely to eat them.


Physical Fitness

1. There are some of us out there who are not going to go to the gym, and that is ok. Invest in a pedometer. This is any easy way to be informed. Try to increase the number of steps you take each day. This is simple, but can make a big difference.

2. If you are going to the gym set up an appointment with a personal trainer. I think this is good to do from time to time. You can utilize your trainers knowledge to learn new exercises, focus on areas you are concerned, and many other things. Post surgery I still have certain exercises I cannot perform. My trainer had a few different methods of working the same muscle groups. Some of these methods worked for me while others did not. We are each unique in what works and does not work for us in the gym, a trainer can only help with this.

3. Get some variety! The same exact workout can become tedious overtime. Utilize all that your gym has to offer. Pick up a new schedule of classes and see if you can pick up a class once a week to give your work out a little spice.

4. What can you do at home for those days or weeks that chaos occurs? Pick up a pair of free weights from the discount store. If you have them available at home you can supplement for those times when your good intentions come to ruin because of your busy schedule.

5. Take advantage of the outdoors! January is not really the month that we think about being outdoors, but don't forget about it. Jump on the trampoline with the kids, go to the park and play chase, take the dog for a walk, ride your bike, or so many other possibilities. If the weather allows it go outside, and soak up some Vitamin D!!

Thank You!

You have been so much to me this year:

an answered prayer

comfort even when I did not ask

strength in the difficult situations

an explanation when I had none

words when they did not seem possible

a visible Angel when I was scared

confidence where it was once absent

ideas that were not present the day before

understanding where is should not have been

compassion that could have been overlooked

a new definition for what is "My Life"

faith that I had not known before

an untraveled path for me to walk...


Thank you God, for all that you were for me and continue to be!!

Please allow me to be something for someone in 2011.

Hello 2011!

Were do we begin... I think we can first and foremost say it has been one heck of a year. This time last year Cody was in Dallas going to school to learn how to fly a new airplane, and I was packing up our house in Denver City in preparation for the impending move. A few weeks and several u-hauls later we started to settle into our new northern outpost. All in all, January was fairly uneventful in comparison to what we would soon be experiencing as a family. Katie, my sister, was diagnosed with breast cancer and later that same week I was diagnosed with the BRCA 2 mutation.

February brought with it surgery for Katie, and more doctors visits for myself.

March was also busy. I had my Prophlactic bilateral mastectomy, and Katie celebrated her 30th birthday by starting chemotherapy.

April and May were filled with weekly doctors visits and preparations for another surgery.

June wrapped up my breast reconstruction! My expanders were exchanged for implants on June 18th!!!

July was heavenly! I was fortunate enough to be wisked away to Florida and the virgin islands for 10 days!

August was the start of a new era, my little man JB went to big boy school. Pre-k has become the highlight of JB's routine!

September was marked with more doctors visits. More importantly though Katie and I were asked to share our story several times during October and September.

October was very busy. I participated in Race for the Cure events in both Amarillo and Lubbock. Katie and I were interviewed several times, and were the speakers at an event put on by the Joe Arrington Cancer Center in Lubbock.

November came around with Little Miss Taylor's 3rd birthday, a Thanksgiving trip to Ruiodoso, a wedding, and a never ending list of Christmas gifts to buy.

Oh, and did I mention I started taking an on-line course back in September, and preparing to go back to school this January.

December did not bring a moments rest. By the time Christmas came around Cody and I calculated that we had been away 3 times more on weekends from the beginning of October till Christmas than we had been home.

Needless to say my hopes for this year are as follows:
1. Less time spent in doctors offices and hospitals.
2. More time spent at home on weekends.
3. Successful completion of anatomy and physiology 1 & 2.
4. Attend FORCE conference in June!
5. Continue outreach to anyone I can help!
6. Continue to learn the do's and dont's of BRCA mutations.
7. Give God more of my undivided attention!!


Happy New Year!!