CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS!

What a way to celebrate the Christmas Season....A Vince Gill and Amy Grant Christmas Concert.  It was wonderful!

My sister, Sheila, and her husband, Denver, took me last Friday.....unfortunately Larry wasn't able to go because of work committments.

The concert was in Evansville....a smaller venue, which I like.  Even though we got our tickets late and were up really high, we enjoyed it and could still see them and even get pictures with my zoom on my camera.

The stage set was beautiful and it was amazing what they could do with just lights.



They both are such good singers and seemed so "down to earth".  And we learned that Vince can be quite a character!  They sang traditional Christmas songs in the first half and then more of their own songs in the second half, along with some more traditonal ones.  I highly recommend you go if you ever get the chance.  They put on a great concert!

It seems like I have been so busy lately....which in a way is a good thing.  I'm doing really good healthwise.  Only thing to report there is that I have another surgery Thursday (in just two days!).  This will be the surgery to make nipples.  I don't anticipate it to be too bad, although I did watch a video of it that made me squirm.  lol!

If you're interested and have a strong stomach, here's the video showing the procedure I am having done on Thursday.
I did put the video directly on my blog at first, but it kept wanting to show a gross part that some of you might not want to see...so, I took it off.  So, if you want to see how this procedure is done, you can find the video at this link!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dgzxcwiAvY

CHRISTMAS WITH MY BESTIES

Sunday I went to Christmas Lunch with my friends, Linda and Martha.  This is a tradition of our's and we so enjoy it.  This year we elected to go to Nashville to the Artist Colony.  It was such a neat atmosphere and good food.  One of the things Linda wanted most over there was to get her picture with Santa (I think she was jealous of my picture with Santa...lol).  So, we were so hoping he would be walking around again like he was the day after Thanksgiving when I was over there.  Well, lo and behold, as soon as we sat down in the restaurant and ordered our food...who walks in?  Santa!!!!

Linda got her wish!  I motioned him over and he was so accomodating to us "big girls"!  What fun!  Look how tickled Linda is...I think he just made her day!  I told her that God knew the "desires of her heart" and knew she wanted to get her picture with Santa.  It was the only time we saw him that day and we had just arrived!  We didn't have to go hunt him down...he came to us!  How awesome is that?

He even had a couple of his elves with him!  I just love his elves!

Everywhere we went outside there were awesome Christmas displays for photo opportunities.  It really was decorated up nicely....even more than it was the day after Thanksgiving.  And Christmas music was also playing outside....it is a great place to go for Christmas dinner.  We have decided that may be where we go every year now.  I never really went over there in the winter....Fall is their BIG season and I had been there in the summer.  I discovered this year that Christmastime is just as special.  We didn't do a lot of shopping as we got over there late and the stores close early...but we did get to go into a few stores.

Linda and Martha are both very special to me and I don't know what I would have done without them this year.  They were a great encouragement and kicked in when I needed them most....even ran my stamping classes for me when I was too sick from chemo to do them.  We have a special bond and believe that God has molded our friendship.

Until next time....spend some time with those special friends in your life.  Cherish the people who are always there for you and let them know how you feel.  As you prepare for Christmas this week, reflect on what is important and be thankful for those special people in your life.  I know I am!

Cindy



WHAT AN INSPIRATION!

I ran across this video tonight and found it so inspirational.  I just had to share it with you all!   Remember to always praise God in any circumstance.....even when you're scared!  I pray this video encourages someone today!

CREATING IS MY THERAPY!

I have always been a creative type of gal....it just makes me feel good!  I could be in the worst of moods and spend a few hours stamping and my mood will just lift!  I especially love to put on praise music while I stamp....or Christmas music right now.   And creating with friends is the best! 

We had our last stamp class of the year on Tuesday.  I just love my stamp girls!  They have been a great support group through this year and we have molded into a fun group of friends! 

And here is what we made!  Two cards and then the stocking in the middle.  Such fun!

Before they came we (me and the Divas) had made up these cute little Santa boxes and filled them with goodies for them.  Oh, and look at my pink Christmas tree!  It's not fully decorated yet...I'll share a picture of it when it is.

Here's a close-up of the Santa boxes.  They were such fun to make!

Brenda working on coloring her snowmen.  Even big girls love to color!  :=)  You know, there's just something therapeutic about coloring!

And there's Teresa doing her therapeutic coloring!

Not too sure what Kara is doing....she must be done with her coloring!  lol!

We had a great time and food to follow!  I made the Chicken Pot Pie soup in the crock pot and Teresa brought the most delicious chocolate cake with chocolate icing (yum, yum) and cookies!  We always have such a great time!

Now that my classes are over I have a little over a week to work on handmade Christmas gifts.  I have always loved making gifts and this year am trying to do more of that.  My daddy told me that the photo calendars I made them for a number of years was the best gift I'd ever given them.  That made me feel good that they were so appreciated by him.

This year I wanted to try doing those fringed fleece throws that everyone was making a few years back.  Amazingly, I didn't jump on that bandwagon back then...not sure why, since I jump on any new creative bandwagon.  lol!  I knew they must be pretty easy when my sisters, Sheila and Pam, and my daughter, Erin, made them...because they rarely ever make anything.  lol!  Well this year I decided it would be something special to make my grandchildren and I got soccer ball fleece for Luke with a green fleece backing.  My good pal, Linda, said she had made bunches of these before and would come over and teach me.  So, she did just that last night!

Not only did she help me get started (as planned), but we just kept going and finished one up....only took two hours with both of us working on it! 

We actually didn't work on Luke's last night.  I had found this pink ribbon fleece and thought it would make a special throw for someone special (can't say who....in case they're reading this).  So, these are the two fleece designs we used for the throw last night. 

We had to start out by trimming it on the sides a bit because one of the fleece pieces was larger than the other.  We needed them to be the same size.

No, I don't always wear those glasses.  But, I always need "reader glasses" for any close up work.  I also don't always have that surgical bra on, but it just feels good right now.  I still get sore when I go without it, so I wear it around the house. 

Then after cutting a 3 inch square from each corner, we just had to cut 3" strips from the edge and tie them together to make the fringe.  Here we are tying them and finishing up our first side.  Pretty easy peasy!

Then Linda worked on one side.....

.....while I worked on the other side!

Once we had these two sides done (they were long sides), then all we had to do was the last end together.

And here it is!  I just love it!  I flipped the top over so you could see the backside and how well it compliments the front.  I made this one extra big (2-1/2 yards of each fleece.....thankfully it was on sale at 50%!). 

It's so soft and warm and perfect for anyone who is fighting or has fought breast cancer.  I love covering up when I watch tv.  I can think of a number of people who I'd love to make one for....not time for Christmas but maybe as time goes on I can make some for some special people I have met on my journey.  I would love to do that!  I so remember how special it was this year to receive my own special throw from a reader.  It will forever be a treasure to me!

Oh, and look what Linda bought me when we were out shopping yesterday! 

I've actually been sleeping pretty good, but for some reason, the night before, I had a horrible sleep night.  So, she saw this Sleep Aromethepy bath foam when we were in Bath and Body and said she was going to get it for me to use before I go to bed.  So, then I saw the Energy one and said, "Well, I need this one for when I get up in the morning"....lol!  So, I picked that one up and she got me the Sleep one.  I'll let you know how they work for me.  I'm heading in to try out the Energy one right now and then I'm going to do the treadmill.  Gotta get that blood pumping....busy day today!  Sheila is going to Greenwood with me for my bra fitting and then we'll be Christmas shopping, so I gotta be energetic.  :=)

Nothing really going on healthwise, other than the achiness has begun from the Arimidex pill I'm taking.  I knew it was a side affect, so I'm not surprised by it and so far it's tolerable.  The most exciting thing happening as far as my health is that I get to go today to get fitted for my first bra....yay!!!  lol!  Hey, it's exciting to ME!  :=)

And that's it for today!  No real cancer talk....because there's more to life than cancer..right?  :=)  Cancer was just a "little detour" in life....it is NOT my life, but will always be a part of my life! 

Tomorrow we are going to a Vince Gill and Amy Grant Christmas concert and are really looking forward to it!  Life is good and I plan to make to the most of it!

Christmas shopping is winding down and now I want to get everything wrapped up this weekend and hopefully spend next week baking and making some special treats and visiting some special people!

Until next time....think of the special people in your life and show them how much you appreciate them.  It doesn't have to be anything BIG....even a small gesture of some cookies or bagged candy can mean a lot.  It's just nice to be "thought of".  I hope you will enjoy this Christmas Season, even if it means simplifying things.  I enjoy a simpler Christmas better instead of running around stressing myself out!  It seems like I've been doing a lot of running around, doesn't it (lol), but it's been fun running around....not stressful running around!   Enjoy your holiday time and your loved ones!
Cindy

THIS AND THAT!

Whoohoo....look at me go!  I was going so fast it blurred the photo!

Ok, well, I have to confess....that's not quite true.  I wasn't moving at all....I was just posing. lol! It was my photographer who moved....ugh....my dear poor husband just cannot hold still when taking a photo!

There, he did it! But, but, but....where's my feet to show how hard they are working?  He hates being my photographer and I hate him being my photographer...but, he's all I had available tonight! lol!  I don't think I'm being unreasonable wanting a non-blurry pic.  Plus, I set the camera up exactly for him...all he had to do was stand in the spot I showed him and snap the picture.  What did he do??  He zoomed in...ugh....lol!  Oh well, you get the idea!  I finally got my treadmill dug out and walked my first half mile tonight...yep, a half mile..lol!  Hey, I'm starting out slow and I am only a week and two days out of surgery and the surgeon told me I could do the treadmill, but not to bounce.  I got the treadmill right before I got sick and had worked up to a mile each day....I'll build up to it.  I get bored on it for some reason, even when I'm watching tv at the same time.  My daughter, Jen (the All Star Runner and Cross Country coach) tells me I'm making excuses...lol!  She's probably right.  But, at least I'm starting my exercise and will be burning some calories off.  I want to keep this weight off and even lose more (in the tummy!).  I've been laying around way too much!!

Chemo....the gift that keeps on giving!

Ewwwww....yeah, it's kinda gross, isn't it?  I knew that chemo could make your nails come off....but my last chemo was back on June 22...months ago!  So, I thought I had escaped that side affect!  I had noticed my nice, hard, long fingernails have turned soft on me and break easily.  :=(  I wouldn't even say they break.....it's like they tear like a piece of paper.  Then last night my toenail caught on something and bent back half way down.  I was like..wowser, this is going to hurt to pull off....what do I do?  I knew I couldn't just leave it to catch on everything and torture me.  Then to my surprise, as I was trying to figure out how to remove it, expecting pain and blood....I realized it wasn't even attached to the skin underneath.  All I needed to do was bend it back and forth to break it free from the bottom nail it was hanging on to.  No pain...no blood!  I guess it was already coming off and I figure it was due to the chemo.  That chemo is full of surprises!  I'm not real sure how long it stays in your body, but I guess I can see it as a good thing...still in there to kill any rogue microscopic cancer cell that may have escaped.  So, I can pay the price of a toenail or two for that extra insurance!

A MOST TREASURED GIFT FROM A FRIEND!

I received this surprise from a good friend, Angie from Ohio, yesterday in the mail..for Christmas!  I wasn't even expecting a package from her, so I couldn't imagine what she was sending me.  It made my day....like anyone else, I love surprises!  :=)  Angie, herself, went thru breast cancer and remains cancer free today...five years later....yay Angie!  Praise God!

Isn't it beautiful!

I just love it Angie and have it right by my bed to read every day!  I had never even seen one like this!  It has such a soft cover to it!  Of course I have several Bibles, but I will especially treasure this one and think of you when I see it.   It's such a special gift, my friend....thank you so much!

GOD WILL USE ANYTHING...

EVEN A PAIR OF SHOES!

Do you remember my special shoes I bought at the Foot Doctor's?

I love these shoes....they are so comfortable!  They get noticed a lot too and can lead to an "open door".  Last night they were noticed by this sweet, young gal.  When she commented on them, I had a "feeling" she must know someone who has or is battling breast cancer.  Sure enough....her mother was just diagnosed!  Sheila was with me and we talked to her and exchanged our phone number so her mother could give us a call.  I call these kind of meetings a "God thing" and want to remain open to His leading.  In my opinion, it was no "accident" that Sheila and I were in the Circle K at the same time as this young lady and she noticed my shoes.  I hope to hear from her mother, Lee, and be able to encourage her as she begins her journey.  Meanwhile, I will be lifting her up in prayer and ask that you all will think of her in prayer too.  Thank you!

CLOTHING SHOPPING IS FUN AGAIN!

I literally need to buy new clothing because my old clothing hangs on me.  I went from a size 20 jeans to a 16....from a size 18-20 or 1X or 2X top to a Large or 12-14 top (or 14-16, depending on how it's made).  So, little by little, I'm trying to get some clothes that fit!  Well, yesterday, Fashion Bug had everything on sale for 40% off...wow!  Plus my good friend, Martha, gave me a $10 coupon!  And I love Fashion Bug clothing!  I was able to get a few tops very cheap with some my Thirty One commission....yay!  And, I must admit, it was fun to be able to try on smaller, more stylish things.  I had gotten to where I'd just buy "big and baggie" to hide the fat.  ugh!  So, it was fun to look at things that were a little more fitted and stylish.  It will be even more fun if I could lose this tummy!  I'm working on it!

INDIANA IS BACK!!!!

Hey, how about those Hoosiers!  No offense meant toward anyone reading from Kentucky!  But, man, that was an awesome, exciting game!  Enjoy this video!

Until next time....be blessed!

Cindy

A MAKEOVER...JUST FOR FUN!

I went to Dr. Jackson today for a follow-up to my surgery last Friday and all is well!  My incisions are healing real good and he says I'm looking good and he'll check them again in six weeks (although I'll see him again on Dec. 22 for another surgery to reconstruct some nipples).  I can quit wearing this bulky, binding surgical bra (yay, although I still like the support at bedtime....my muscle is still real tight and can begin to get uncomfortabe if I go braless for very long).  I can go get fitted for a bra next week at the Hospital gift shop.  He wrote me a prescription for it.  Did you realize you could get a prescription for a bra?  lol!  Yep, if you want the insurance to pay for it, you have to have a prescription for it...just like a wig!  My insurance will pay for two bras a year and I wanted to get my two in for this year before the end of the year, but needed his approval!  My breasts are still changing, but I'm eager to see what size I'll actually be now.  I never knew I'd look this forward to getting a bra....lol!....kinda like when I was 13, I guess!  And, if I ocassionally don't want to wear a bra....I don't have to!  :=)  I'm coming along and think I'll be really pleased in the end.  I'm not displeased now!  And I am now an OFFICIAL "card carrier"!

Did you know that you get this card when you get implants?  I didn't either.....this journey just has all kinds of surprises!  I knew that each implant is numbered, but never realized I'd have a card with those numbers on the back of it, along with the type of implants I have.  So, now I'm officially fake...lol!  I belong to the "card carrying club".

After I left his office I stopped by Target to see if they had any of the shelf elves...nope...sold out.  :=(  But, then I was drawn to the women's department to look for a new top.  I wanted to try something on that would be more fitted than I used to be able to wear....maybe even a little sexy...something to show my new body off...lol!  Not for anyone else...but for ME!  Just something to make me feel very feminine!   Funny how important that is to you after going through this!  It's actually more important to me than I realized it would be.  I almost just went "flat" with no reconstruction and can honestly say now that I'm glad I didn't and chose to go ahead with the reconstruction!   Dr. Zusan encouraged me....she didn't pressure me....but she encouraged me and said I was still young and thought I'd be happy getting it done. She was right!  I didn't think it mattered to me that much, but I guess in the end....it did!  I did find two tops and I'll show them to you...another day!  Gotta set up a photo shoot with my photographer....lol!

No, this was not the Target dressing room, but when I searched for pics of one, I found this and it cracked me up that a sign like this would even be necessary....eewwww!  Who would do that????

And it was just FUN to try on clothes that I never could have even LOOKED at and considered getting into before!  I am not used to going to the regular section for womens' clothing and want to gravitate to the "Plus Sizes" and then realize I don't need that any longer!  I have to retrain myself how to shop for clothing!  I actually got in a size 16 jeans today....after wearing size 20!  None of my old clothes fit me anymore....even the tops hang off of my shouders! 

A very sweet lady was sitting outside of the dressing room and she and the sales clerk were giving me their opinions.  I explained to them why I was wanting something a little fitted...something revealing (not that revealing!  I'm kinda a conservative kinda gal)....something extra feminine....maybe something to wear out on New Year's Eve....and they joined in with the fun!  I told them I felt like one of those ladies you see on a tv show that gets a makeover.  Then I got to thinking....I ought to put some pictures together of "before" and "after" to show you what I mean (even though it means showing you some pretty unflattering pictures)!  Some of you know me and know what I looked like before....but some of you have never met me.  So, I took some pics from last year and put them with pictures from this year....hope you enjoy seeing the difference the weight loss has made!

 

Now, I would have never ever wanted to lose weight this way, but now that I did lose it....I feel better about the way I look, I find it more fun to shop for clothes, and I feel better physically!

I wasn't always heavy.  As a matter of fact, I grew up being called "skinny minny" as a teenager.  I remember how embarrassed that made me, but after going the "other way", I would have loved being called "skinny minny" again!  I even stayed relatively thin after my children were born.....but then something happened!  :=(

Now, here's a blast from the past...lol!  Oh my, look at me and Larry....were we really ever that young?  And, look, I pretty much had no boobs back then...lol!  I was probaby 18 or 19 here....and in my "Cher" days...lol!  But, there's the proof...I wasn't always heavy!

This "before" picture was maybe two years ago....the summer before mom passed away.

Same swimsuit!  As you can see, I filled it out lots more in the "before" picture.  I had to pull it over and pin it in the "after" picture!  Can't wait to buy a new one next summer!  I've lost weight all over.  I know many women want their breasts to be LARGER...not me!  I'm happy to have smaller ones!

The "before" picture was taken after my mom's funeral last year.  I think of her so much and think how much she'd like my "new look".  She wouldn't like how I got here, but she'd like me wearing make-up and jewelry now and I even think she'd like my hair shorter!  I often think of mom when I'm putting on my make-up...she always made herself up to look nice, so I know she'd be happy that I am finally doing that again.  I guess I just stopped caring about all of that because I didn't like my body image.

These pictures really show how much I've change, I think.  I am even thin enough to be a scarecrow now...lol!

Here I am with two of my grandchildren...Luke and Abby.  As you can see, I have even lost weight in my face, my neck, my shoulders....actually everywhere!

That was kind of fun...for me anyway.  lol!  Now, please don't think I'm a vain person...because I'm so NOT that!  Never have been.  But, I'm enjoying my "new look".  That's not so bad, is it?  I'm going to try real hard to keep it off and as a matter of fact, I need to lose more.  I still have that annoying tummy fat!  Now, it's not nearly as much as it used to be....but it needs to go away completely!!!  Belly fat is not healthy!  Dr. Jackson said it's ok to start on the treadmill again and I am going to try doing sit-ups and we'll see what that does for me!  After two years of grief and pain and health problems....I am glad to be happier again.  God has healed me physically, spiritually, and emotionally.  I praise Him for that!  I never imagined my healing would come through cancer, but God got me thru it and I feel better on the "other side" than I have in years!

Please don't think I'm trying to glorify cancer as a road to "looking better"....not at all!  But, I am trying to show how there is "life after cancer" and how you can move past it and be happy....even happier than you were before.  Don't let a cancer diagnosis rob you...fight it with everything you've got!  Looking better and feeling better is my way of letting that cancer know it didn't win!!!!!!  It was a long battle, but looking back on it, I would not have changed this year.  At some point maybe I'll wake up and not think of cancer for a day.  But, I don't want to ever  forget my journey.....God has given me a mission to be here for others who find themselves taking this same journey. 

Until next time, what needs a "makeover" in your life?  It may be something physical, something emotional, or even something spiritual....or, like me, maybe it is all three!  Maybe there's some changes you need to make in your life....maybe you need to forgive someone....maybe you need to ask someone else to forgive you....whatever it is, do it NOW because life is too short to be unhappy!   God can do anything....He can restore your Joy....He knows the desires of your heart!  Turn your heart over to Him and let Him do a work in you!  :=)  I could have never dreamed at this time last year that I'd be where I am today!

Praise God!  Cindy

CANCER SISTERS MEET AGAIN!!!

I'm keeping that road between Seymour and Greenwood "hot" these days!  Today I went up there to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch with my "cancer sisters".

I just love these girls!!  We met back in April and have bonded as the "cancer sisters" and have all watched each other go through the "journey".  Carin (on the left) is the oldest of us, but she won't say how old she is.....but, considering I'm 59, well....I'd say she's holding up real well, wouldn't you?  :=)  I hope I look that good when I get to her age....oh, who am I kidding?  Carin had just finished up her chemo the last time we met and was still bald....but, wow, look at her hair now!!!!   Carin is not only the oldest of the group...she's the ornery one (yes, Carin, I'm pretty sure I spelled ornery correctly, but if not...let me know...lol) Amy, lovely sweet Amy, is on the right.  She has such a sweet spirit about her.  Her 16 year old daughter, Erin, joined us for lunch today.  I have an Erin too!  Poor thing..she had to listen to our "boob talk"...lol! 

We are like our own little "support group".  We all have the same plastic surgeon....Dr. Jackson...and we all had the bilateral masectomy with immediate reconstruction with the tissue expanders.  We can soooo relate to each other!  Like when I say I feel my breasts each morning to see if they are softening up....Carin pipes up that she feels her's every night!!!  It makes us feel more "normal" to have each other...lol!  We all now have our implants....me being the last one to get them.  I was able to ask them questions since they are a little ahead of me.  It so helps to hear from someone who's "been there, done that"!  Carin is still receiving treatment for her cancer, while Amy and I are finished with the treatment, except for the Arimidex we both take for the next 5 years.  We are SURVIVORS!!!

Whoooohoooo, you go Carin!!!  Isn't she lovely?  I'm going to have to learn to pose like her!!!  I wonder how my photographer, Sheila, will feel about that...lol...especially when I do the spectacular nudie pose that Carin showed us!  lol! 

This is only my second time to be with them and I'm beginning to know their personalities more....I call Carin the "naughty one".  lol!  She has a sense of humor that I can relate to!  I'm learning I'm going to have to "stay on my toes" when I am with her....you never know what she's going to say!  I can take it...I warned her that I can dish it out too...lol!  Now, Amy, on the other hand...I call her the "sweet one".  She is just precious and sweet and all that!  It's Carin that I have to look out for!!!  I think our personalities compliment each other....and I'm a believer that God has brought us together for His purpose.  We don't live in the same town....we are different ages...in different seasons of life....and would have never met if it hadn't been for "that diagnosis"....and now we are lifelong friends...not just friends...we are sisters!

After what we've been through we aren't afraid to pose or talk boob-talk right there in a restaurant!  Now that I'm home, I'm wondering if our waiter picked up on our conversation...lol!  We talk non-stop....even the table of women sitting next to us joined in with us!  I think others can tell we're having a good time and have a special bond.  I like to think we have a "heavenly glow" surrounding us...lol! 

I had a great time today and plan to interview both Amy and Carin about their cancers and feature them on my blog soon.  Each one of us had "different cancers" and "different treatments", but we all understand the journey we each took.  I want them to share "their stories" with you!  They are amazing and brave women!

Until next time....go have lunch with your girlfriends/sisters this Christmas Season! 

Cindy

A special note to Linda!

Linda, we missed you today....both girls were dissappointed you couldn't be there (me too!)...next time, girly!  We already set the date!  :=)  Hope you're feeling better!



DROP AND FLUFF!

Well, there's a new idea for ya....drop and fluff!  Who would have guessed that my breasts will still need to "drop and fluff".  lol! 

Now, my Plastic Surgeon hasn't mentioned anything to me about "drop and fluff", but I had heard it mentioned by other women who had reconstruction done.  I don't totally understand it, so I've been visiting my friend "google" tonight...lol!  I've been looking at nudie pictures of women who had this done and so many of them look like big round balls...not natural looking to me.  Maybe I just forget what mine looked like before they went south.  I could find before and after pics, but could not find some from the day of the "exchange surgery" to the "big drop and fluff"!  I guess I'll be taking my own pictures to help someone else out in the future!  I'm a visual kinda gal!

I have to admit, I'm not totally pleased with my new ta-tas yet.  I don't feel horrible about them, but one seems to be larger than the other (and higher).  I think part of that problem is swelling where the port was....that is right above the implant.  So, hopefully as the swelling goes down it will take care of itself.  And there's too much loose skin.  And they actually aren't as soft as I expected.  Now, that being said, I'm trying not to spaz out about it and they are definately better than those old hard expanders.  But, I do still feel quite a bit of tightness.

As I've been reading tonight, I am feeling better about them.  I think I'm understanding the "drop and fluff" better now.  From what I'm reading, the muscle that the implants are placed behind will become more relaxed and then the implants will drop down into the "pocket" and have a more natural droop.  Not the kind of droop I had before though...lol!  Believe me, that's a good thing!  They look fine in my clothes, but not much different than my expanders looked in the nude. 

One site I found explained it in simple terms for me that made sense.  I need things to be put into simple terms for me! 

OK...imagine buying a pillow that is encased in one of those shrink wrapped packages that has all the air sucked out of it so that it is a small package. Imagine what happens if you take a needle and put a small hole in the packaging. Does the pillow all of a sudden pop up to full size immediately? No...it gradually fills up and after a time it fluffs out to the full pillow size it really is. The compression of the packaging held it all in until it was stretched more.
That is what the fluffing is all about.....your implants are compressed like the pillow UNDER your muscle....the muscle has to stretch to allow the implant to FLUFF out....depending on your muscle tightness, etc depends on how long it will take you to fluff and drop. http://messageboards.makemeheal.com/breast-augmentation-implants/read-faq-here-drop-fluff-gel-implant-vid-t35289.html

So, after my research tonight, I am not so worried about it and know that this is natural.  I guess I just have to wait for my ta-tas to take "shape"!  They aren't BAD, but not what I had hoped for.  They also are not as soft as I was expecting, but I think that will come with the "fluff"...lol!  I also think they will be bigger with the dropping and fluffing.  This stuff sure is fascinating to me!

I go back for a follow up appointment with Dr. Jackson this Thursday and boy do I have a lot of questions for him!  :=)  I can't wait to see what he has to say about this "drop and fluff" stuff and the extra skin.  Maybe as it drops and fluffs it fills up that extra skin.  I know he's a real good surgeon who cares about how it will look, so I'm not really worried....just curious about things.  Oh yeah, I've also read about massaging them and even watched a video.  In that video they were moving those suckers from left to right and up and down!  Mine won't even move...lol....I think that muscle is good and tight over them!

Until next time....enjoy your preparations for Christmas but try not to stress.  Simpify things this year if you need to, so you're not overworked and just plain too tired to enjoy the holidays!

Cindy