my memories

Every once and a while I like to update on the "happenings around here"

My blog is not only my way of connecting with the outside world (since I spend my days trapped in this place with two monsters guarding my door) but it is also my journal. I love looking back at old blogs and reading what God has revealed to me at that time in my life, the important dates like Troy's first birthday, Sophia's cute little phrases, fun things we do together as a family... it's all on my blog... my blog is my journal to look back at the good memories and the not so good ones.

So tonight's blog is updating my memories :)

Tony is doing good at work. He is enjoying the new dealership. He likes working with his Dad, they make a good team. Tony is a good man, the kind of man who brings his exhausted wife a Coke Zero at the end of the night and kisses her forehead and tells her to go get a shower :) We have been staying up late every night working on the house, putting in new light fixtures, painting, building walkways outside at midnight (I'm sure our neighbors hate us). Tony's love for the Lord has grown and I'm so proud of him, happy for him and I see the change in his life. I adore him and I am so thankful that we have come this far. Our marriage is a blessing, it was fought for and it feels so good standing in the winner's circle with him. I'm holding out for a weekend getaway with my man soon, hint hint Tony... :)

Sophia is 6 years old, learning to read, loves math and continues to have her Daddy wrapped around her little finger. She never stops talking. She loves being homeschooled, co-op, Awana and most recently a little buckskin pony named, Coco. Most days Sophia is a joy to our home, she does like to provoke her brother as he does her, but most days she is our baby doll toting, makeup sneaking, always into something girly girl. Sophia hasn't had a seizure in a while now, we are seeking some alternative opinions and second opinions, I'm not ready yet but soon I'll give an update about all of that. We have some big appointments coming in the next two months, I'll keep you updated. She had her eye surgery and all went well, other than her new unique ability to breath out of her eyeball... I'm not kidding, I told her she's like a super hero now. I plan on talking to the doctor about it when she goes for her 3 month post op visit.



Troy is 4 years old, sweet little man, who loves his momma. He can't make a decision these days without "eni- meni- myni- mo-" which sounds cute but very well may drive me insane if he doesn't get over this phase soon. Troy eats everything, he is 35lbs now and quite proud of his skinny self. He walks around saying "I'm 35 points!" His favorite thing to eat is tomatoes... he eats them like apples. He waits all day for his Daddy to get home from work to "fight", he likes to wrestle and sword fight and would probably stay up all night "fighting" with his Daddy (his favorite super hero). He loves praying and every prayer starts with "Dear God, I hope we have a great day tomorrow-" Cutest. Thing. Ever.



That's all for now.. my productive day painting, playing outside, reading books and playing "Momma Bears" with the kids has worn me out.

Church bright and early tomorrow so I better get in bed... can't wait to worship our AWESOME God!!

CURE:Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy

Today Sophia got her picture taken by Brian Williams, an awesome photographer in Central Florida, I was so excited to have him take her picture.

This picture will be used to help us raise money for CURE. CURE is an organization that raises money for epilepsy research. This is an organization that has taught me so much about seizures and has been a real encouragement to me during those dark moments in raising a child with a seizure disorder.

Our goal is to raise $5,000 this year for epilepsy research. 94 cents from every dollar donated to CURE goes back into epilepsy research and that is exciting! Not only that but we desire to raise awareness of this disease. Most people have no idea but epilepsy kills more people than breast cancer. This is a disease that can be cured and we want to be a part of that. We want our story to be heard and we want to help others who deal with this sometimes devastating disease.

Look for more to come, events and donation opportunities, we are going to do great things in honor of our girl.

Here is her story and some of my favorite photos from today.

Sophia was born on September 9, 2005. She was our first child, our little angel baby. Sophia was nine months old when I first recognized that Sophia may be having a seizure. Actually it was her grandmother who recognized it. I thought she was just teething, wincing in pain, I didn’t recognize that those unexplained facial expressions were actually focal seizures. We spent her first Easter in the hospital, EEGs, CT scans, and MRI tests, nothing was conclusive, yet, on a nine month old sometimes that can happen.

During the next three years Sophia had many seizures, many different types of seizures; absence seizures, myoclonic seizures, and tonic clonic seizures. Sophia has tried many different cocktails of medications. We traveled from our small town to larger areas with children’s hospitals and neuro-specialists. Doctor after doctor was mesmerized by our girl. They couldn’t believe with her history that she could walk, talk and function the way she did/does. They warned of us the reality of this disease and prepared us for the worst.

Today, Sophia is a wide eyed five year old. She is sensitive and caring. She is living with epilepsy, and for that we are thankful. She takes daily medication and still has ‘breakthrough seizures’ from time to time.
We understand the heartache and lives that are destroyed by epilepsy and while our daughter has been one of the lucky ones, there is a very scary reality that is constant in our minds.

Join us in remembering those who live day to day with epilepsy and those who have lost their lives to this disease.





Amazing pictures... Thank you Brian Williams Photography!!!

still need my momma, always need her.

Snuck away from the 'blog world' for a few days.

We have been keeping busy visiting with family. My sister was in town for the weekend. My mom took a few days off work. We went to some community events and took a day trip to a lake with a local playgroup. I have lots of pictures I want to share but that will have to wait until later.

I wasn't planning on a blog tonight, but I'm laying in Sophia's room keeping a close eye on her tonight and the only thing that I can do that is quiet and won't wake her is to blog. ;)

I snooped around Facebook for about thirty minutes and then decided to write a blog. I wasn't going to because I hate thinking of and remembering the stressful moments in life, but they are moments that we all face in one way or another.

Today was a very fun, productive day. The kids and I slept in and I really thought we weren't going to get much done but we
cleaned the garage,
I painted an old rocking chair that I'm going to 'upcycle',
I upcycled some busted up picture frames,
then we went to the fabric shop,
we had Chick Fil A for lunch,
I was going to attempt a trip to Walmart but decided we should go home for a nap... a nap that they didn't take.
So we ended up going to a friend's house to play for a hour,
then we went to the farm to help my mom with the horses,
the kids rode...
and what we thought would be a low key day, ended up being SUPER BUSY and lots of fun!
I came home bathed the kids, fed them a quick dinner, grilled cheese, veggie chips, and apple slices, put them to bed and my awesome hubby offered to treat me and my mom to Outback while he stayed home while the monsters slept. So we took off about 8:30 for a late dinner.

We had a nice time. My mom and I haven't been to dinner just the two of us in a really long time. I enjoy this bonding time, just the two of us. Twenty-six and I still need my momma, I'll always need her`. I like spending time with my mom, more now that ever, I get why she did the things she did and I really respect her as a mother and a woman. We have our differences but I can say I enjoy her in a different way now that I am an adult. Our fun night out got brought to a halt when I sent Tony a text message to see how things were going. He said that Sophia had been up in a panic, disoriented, and he was doing his best but he didn't know what to do with her that it was just getting worse.

I rushed home, told him to try and get her to calm down because she would end up having a seizure if she doesn't relax. She starts hyperventilating and that rapid breathing can provoke a seizure.

So much to worry about with this child.

She only recently started listening to music at bedtime and she told me that she "freaked out when the music turned off" and she thought she was going to throw up. I can't even pretend to understand but I do know that it has to do with the sensory dysfunction and while I don't understand how she thinks and feels I do know what I can do to help her get through it.

I scooped her up off of the bathroom floor and carried her into her bed. I turned all the lights off and grabbed a cold washcloth and rubbed it on her red, hot face. She was crying "I needed you." She needed her momma, like I needed mine.

I'm here sweet girl. I don't understand, but I'm here. That's all she really needs, a calm voice to tell her she is not alone.

I reminded her to breath deeply, taking all the air in through her nose and blowing it out of her mouth. While we breathed together I prayed, prayed that God would take this away. Prayed that God would give her peace. She said, "Mommy you are falling alseep."

No, baby, I'm praying.

"I like it when you pray for me."

I always pray for you.

It breaks my heart to see her struggle. Struggle with noise, light, textures, emotions... I don't understand it, but I know how to make it better, or at least more bearable. Thank God for that.

Once she was resting, the chaos was over, I called my momma. I needed her, I'll always need her.

I thought about how this type of thing used to happen. How frustrated I used to get. Why was she acting like this? Why was she freaking out, making herself have seizures? What is wrong with her?

Now that we know there is something wrong it makes it so much easier to be compassionate, easier to be understanding, easier to help her cope with it.

So thankful God gave us good doctors, a good occupational therapist, she is surrounded by people who can help her, people who love her and want to see her succeed, even if she has to do it in her own way.

So thankful...

update on my tummy

Doing much better now... lost 7lbs, not sure that is how I would choose to do it, but I'm so glad to be feeling better.
When momma ain't happy ain't nobody happy... I don't know if I've seen my poor kids eat cereal for dinner so many nights in a row before.. geez!
I'm getting my energy back and I have a new respect for people with chronic pain/illnesses... so in my prayers, people battling disease, illness, and chronic pain. A whole new perspective...
I got to begin eating solid foods today. I'm still on antibiotics and I feel much better. I went to the doctor's on Wednesday and my gallbladder does need to come out but it is not an emergent issue so it can wait until I finish my antibiotics and start feeling better... feel better for surgery? I know, but we have some family coming in town in April and I'd like to wait until they come and go before having surgery.
Everyone in my family over 40 has had their gallbladder out so like the doctor said, "it was never a matter of if, but when."
In the meantime- I have managed to keep up with the kids school and my school.. not the laundry, dishes, or dusting... but I did squeeze some crafting and scrapbooking in ;)
Hope everyone is having a good week.

whoa baby! this is an update!

Lots going on... as always but I have so much to update family and friends on.
First off, we had a great time homeschooling this week, for the most part of the week we have been learning at home, we did go to co-op on Tuesday. I enjoy low key weeks when we stick around the house. I know it is important for the kids to socialize with other children, but I feel like we go- go- go- all the time so I enjoy the days we hang around the house.
Now that I said we had a low key week and hung around the house- besides co-op, we did have gymnastics, cheerleading, and karate :) and it's only Thursday (well, 12:45am on Friday morning). I just finished my homework for school. Sophia has a basketball game to cheer for on Saturday morning too.
I love this crazy busy life. :)
OK- so an update on my school. This week I made it official. I'm going to complete my Masters in Education with a minor in Education Technology, so that I can, in the future, teach at the college level. I'm hoping while the kids are still small that I can teach online classes (thus the minor). I'm excited and this is always something I wanted to do but there was something kind of intimidating about making it 'official'.
I'm holding on to my Dean's List status and I'm pretty proud to announce that I have a 3.91 GPA. There really is something about paying for your own school that makes you want to do better. I did four years of college with a scholarship and assistance from my mom.. I did good.. well, I did ok, I did just enough to not loose my scholarship.. but now that I'm paying for it myself.. I want to do my best! I remember taking a freshman class with an 'older woman' she was probably only in her 30s, but to me she was 'older', she always made As and I remember thinking. She has no life, she doesn't go out, she doesn't have friends in college, no wonder she makes good grades. What was I thinking?? She was only a mom of 3 kids, who worked a full time job, and she probably was paying for those classes... yea, she didn't have anything to do. OH- how stupid was I??
UPDATE ON SOPHIA
Sophia is doing great. She is excelling with her school work. The neurologist and I have been in close contact. We have met with an occupational therapist and common with high functioning cerebral palsy is a disorder called Sensory Integration Dysfunction (aka Sensory Processing Disorder). Initially I had called the doctor because Tony and I were at a total loss with her behavior. Our days were filled with high emotion and stress, by the time Tony would come home I would be frustrated and need help. Tony would step in and in the few hours of him getting home and her going to bed he would be worn out as well. Tony has always been very patient with Sophia so to see him loose his temper I knew it wasn't just something I was struggling with. It's hard to pin point what was so wrong. There were tons of scenarios and we would constantly play them in our heads, what could we do different, why wasn't she responding, she's so dramatic!! I called the neurologist about 8 weeks ago and talked with him about it. I have read and re-read so many parenting books, I had tried so many different parenting/discipline styles but I felt that the situation was out of control. He listened and listened, and waiting to respond, he then set us up an appointment with an occupational therapist who specializes in neurology disorders... and after an observation, answering LOTS of questions, the conclusion was Sensory Processing Disorder. A name, finally, but what did this mean? Basically Sensory Processing is the way we perceive what happens in the world around us and the way we respond to it. So- sights, smells, sounds, touch, textures, and experiences... it affects many different areas in a person's life. With tools people can live productive lives- awareness and work are key! If you are interested I will suggest reading "The Out of Sync Child" this book was recommended by the occupational therapist and by a friend. At this point the OT has given us plenty to work on and we have already seen HUGE gains. Finally we are hopeful and we are no longer wondering.. does the medicine make her act like this? Why does she seem so out of control? Now, that said, we are not making excuses for her behavior but we do understand it and when we understand it we can better help her handle these high stress emotions.
As far as her seizures are going, she is doing good. Adjusted to the 100mg per day since her last seizure episode. She always amazes me. She is really into baby dolls and animals right now. She is always carrying around a baby doll pretending she is mommy or an stuffed animal. She's getting older now, she gets shy when I watch her play with her toys. She likes privacy :) It kind of makes me sad but I'm also so glad to see her growing and turning into a little girl. She loves getting into my make up, coloring, and play-doh.
UPDATE ON TROY
Last but not least, Troy- Last year I wrote a blog about Troy's breathing issues. The pulmonologist was encouraging us to do a lung biopsy- one of the things they were looking for was Cystic Fibrosis. This really scared me, he had a positive stool test and a negative sweat test... so the next step was a lung biopsy, which I have been 'ignoring'. I just figured his breathing has been doing really well with a daily oral medication and an inhaled steroid and other than a few illnesses when he required additional breathing treatments or higher dose steroids he has been doing really well. This hasn't been an urgent thing and well, to be honest, Sophia has been. Troy has had bouts with "bathroom issues" and I just summed it up to him being lactose intolerant and the possible diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. TMI: but chronic diarrhea, extremely stinky poos, bloating, and poops that float, yes float, these are all symptoms of cystic fibrosis.. along with the well known, breathing complications. Troy hasn't grown, height or weight for close to 17 months and I knew it was time to get back to the doctor because we had to figure out what was going on. So we went to the pediatrician to talk to him about everything last Friday. He ordered some blood work and was going to make the appointment for the pulmonologist for Troy. Then- blood work came back and the levels of nutrition in Troy's blood were very low. His body isn't absorbing nutrients in food. He ordered more blood tests (luckily they did those off of the blood they already had) and turns out Troy has Celiac Disease (sounds scary, but it means he needs a gluten free diet because the gluten in foods prevent his body from absorbing nutrients- that's why he isn't growing). The stool test of Celiac and C.F. are the similar, measure the fat content in poo, thus the positive stool test. So yes, he has asthma and breathing issues but at this point the doctors have ruled out C.F. and instead discovered that Troy has Celiac Disease. Which is great news because it can be controlled with a strict diet. So again, life is changing... Troy is on a Gluten Free diet and in a few weeks he should have no more "bowel issues". HURRAY! There is a ton more to this but I am totally tired of typing.. and I'm sure you are sick of reading. :)
Oh- this is a genetic thing... and once Troy was diagnosed, I requested the blood test as well, yes- I have some "bowel issues" (which I am lactose intolerant so I always related it to that)I have always thought this was just a part of life.. well- my test came up positive as well. So Troy and I are on the special diet together. Sophia has never had bathroom issues so there is no need for her to be tested, but she and Tony are changing there eating habits when they are at home because for Troy and I it is not an option. It is important that I take care of myself, and Troy is growing, his brain is developing, all the more reason he needs to follow the diet so his body can use the vitamins and minerals in food. We are only on day 3 of this so it is still very much a learning experience but I'm so glad there is hope for no more tummy aches! And- Troy should start growing again!!! :) My little man! :) Oh baby- am I going to have some hilarious cooking stories for you in the coming days! ahaha!
Troy is doing great though. He is loving gymnastics class and karate. He is really into super heros, he loves Hulk, Ironman, and Spiderman... I think Troy lives his life to the Ironman theme song.
Yes- Tony is still around :) Good old man! His birthday is this month and if I had not spent wayyy to much time updating everyone on the kids I'd blog about Tony :) But, I'll have to save it for another day.

what's next?

Sophia has been doing excellent in her studies! She is so smart and so witty. We are having a lot of fun homeschooling and have decided that this "trial year" has gone so well we decided to continue again next year. This year was Sophia's Pre-K 4 year, she missed the cut off for Kindergarten by 7 days, but we have been doing a mix of Kindergarten and Preschool activities. I haven't wanted to hold her back, but I don't want her jumping to far ahead either, I didn't want her to be bored if we decided to put her into a Kindergarten class next year.
A few things led us to make the decision to continue homeschooling, a few of the things are major reasons and the others are just bonus reasons that make us feel very comfortable with our decision.
The most important reason we decided to homeschool is because the school system will not give the anti-seizure drug to her should she have a seizure while at school. You see we keep a medication called Diastat (Diazepam)that we give her when she has a seizure. This is a valium that stops the convulsing and allows for healthy oxygen flow to her brain. We only give this when she has a Grand Mal seizure that lasts more than 4 minutes, or if she has Grand Mal seizures one after another, cluster seizures. The goal is to stop the seizures so that her brain is not deprived of oxygen. This medication has always worked and we haven't had to give it to her in a while, but it is important that whoever is with her knows how to use it and has it available should it be required. Sounds simple enough right? Wrong... the school does not handle this drug because it is given rectally, just like a rectal thermometer or a suppository and they "don't want to be put in a position to have to give this drug." YES- I realize that I could argue this, but from what I have heard, if she was in school she would be put in a special needs class due to her medical needs, which is not necessary because until this point academically Sophia is right with other children her age and does not have learning disability.
There are other reasons that we feel comfortable with homeschooling and have already considered this as an option for our family.. this is what we are going with.
I love being with my children and I believe that no one will care of them, nurture them, and take the time to educate them based on their individual learning styles.
I feel confident with my degree and experience as an educator that this is a task I am qualified to do.
We have meet a lot of friends who homeschool and this year we established ourself with an awesome co-op that we love spending time with so I am not concerned with socialization as a major factor. The kids have lots of friends, they are both involved in sports, and we are apart of a great church community with plenty of rugrats!
I feel like this day in age parents have to be advocates for their children's innocence, with the influence of world views, standardized testing, and demanding schedules I take this role very seriously and my goal is to let our children be children.
I don't know how long we will homeschool for but at this time this is the best option for our family... and I am proud of my children and their enthusiasm about staying home with mommy and I'm excited to watch them enjoy learning.
That said, I do not take this decision lightly, I have a commitment to my children and to their education, I take this seriously and it is a heck of a lot of work! :) But there is nothing more rewarding than instilling them with a love of learning and a personalized, quality education. So here we go...

And Miss Sophia, she loves nothing more than to do her school work with her best pal in the world, Jazzy-Bell :)

strong one

My girl went through another bout of seizures Monday.
I'd say there were around three grand mal seizures, from 1pm till around 5ish. She was "out of it" for about 4 hours. It was very difficult to see her struggling. Her senses were so heightened I was holding her and rubbing her back and she cried saying I was punching her. Troy came in to check on her and asked if she was ok, he touched her leg and she screamed that he hit her. It was hard to see her acting so out of control. She would scream that she smelled gold and her tummy hurt. She had a headache. She had trouble walking, coordinating her movements. I had to stay right by her side because I didn't want her to hurt herself, by falling. She did trip, trying to get out of her bed when I was turning on a movie for Troy. If the lights were on she would grab her eyes and cry. This was how she acted between her seizures, when she wasn't sleeping. Her dog never left her side... Jazzy-Bell even came and got me once when Sophia was trying to get out of bed.

Troy said, "Sissy is sick, God knows Momma, He's trying to make her better" Oh- it gives me goosebumps to think about it. He was so brave and so patient during these few hours. Eventually she did sleep and I was able to take him outside to play in the backyard. He said, "I'm worried about Sophi, she's not sick, like sick, but she's sick." Sweet boy.
When she did finally get up, around 5:40, she didn't really remember any of what we had just been through. She said she knew she was not feeling good, but didn't remember anything else. I just told her "you had a rough day" and she agreed that she had a rough day.
I called the doctor and they decided to raise her daily medication from 75mg a day to 100mg per day. He said any hopes we had to wean her off of medication in September were going to be delayed. He said, "her brain is not well." I really like the new doctor he sounded disappointed that she had a day like that, it was nice to feel that he shared our disappointments but acknowledged our hope. He stressed the importance of allowing her brain down time (nap time) and keeping her on a sleep schedule. The doctor was very calming.
God gave us peace that day. It was a bummer but I think we have all accepted that this is part of her life. We pray for God to intervene and have faith that He can, but we also accept that this maybe His plan and He is in control.
Doesn't change the fact that it is very difficult to see her going through things like this... I am just soo glad that she doesn't remember how terrified and combative she was, it was a different part of her brain in control, very scary.
We are very blessed two days later she is sassy as ever,

laughing,

jumping on the trampoline,

and loving her brother.

Even Jazzy-Bell is resting easy, now that her girl is feeling better.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!! We are so blessed to be surrounded by people who love and support us.

back from the doctor... (Neurology Appointment Today)

We just got back from Sophia's neurology appointment. Looks like we will not be weaning off of her medicines. I'm kind of relieved and sort of disappointed. I was hopeful that we could begin weaning and she wouldn't have to take medicines for a while, but I was also nervous that if we did wean her again it would open the doors for seizures to occur. She has been doing fabulous on her current medication so all in all I'm glad we get to stay the course.
I always wonder if the seizures will stop or continue once she is off medicines. I guess that is why they wean them every so often so see how they will respond. We did talk about her "diagnosis" which I was glad he was so willing talk about with me because the other neurologist kinda' beat around the bush and seemed reluctant to categorize Sophia. I just need a reason... give me something to call it so when people ask why she has seizures and why she walks on her tippy toes I don't have to say, "well, they think she has cerebral palsy" it just sounds so ignorant. Either you do or you don't right?
She does have cerebral palsy, which is why she has seizures, they are like secondary to the cerebral palsy. The new doctor seems like a tell it like it is kind of guy. He told us some things to be concerned with for the future and how he was impressed with her abilities given her history. He encouraged me that I was doing a good job, keeping her on a sleep schedule, healthy diet, and keeping her involved in activities like dance, cheerleading, and gymnastics, which all aid in coordination and muscle development. He did NOT refer us to a physical therapist but said to stay the course, keeping her involved in activities and continue to do exercises with her at home.
He said it was not necessary to do EEGs every three months because the results have been the same for the last 3 years and that was silly. No more MRIs every 6-9 months either, he said it was just putting her through added tests when the MRI results were the same since she was 2 1/2. I am relieved that we don't have to do any more unnecessary tests but the hope that they would reveal that everything was normal and everything is fine was kinda taken away.
It's always an awakening experience, every time I take her for these visits. I'm so glad Sophia is thriving, I just always pray for a miracle that we won't have to fight with insurance, worry about pills, seizures, and side-effects, I wish that seizures didn't exist, that cerebral palsy could be cured by magic juice!
I struggle with feeling sad and thankful.. I feel humbled and humiliated... we are so blessed so why do I feel sad? I feel spoiled and embarrassed... I have my daughter, she runs, jumps, talks and plays.. I shouldn't be sad about this- but the fear for what her future hold grips me sometimes. So- I'll be faithful and find strength in God's grace that He is in control and that He will provide for all of our needs.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Dueteronomy 31:6

I'm really not trying to be a downer or ungrateful.. just sharing my real feelings because isn't that why I write this? It's not always about our fun adventures, cute quotes, and adorable faces... this is real life and like our preacher said in a sermon a few weeks ago "Sometimes life stinks, but we can always find joy in knowing we have a faithful God who is always there when we need Him" Preach it Preacher! :)

Medical Update for Sophia

We are going Tuesday next week for our first "official" visit with the new neurologist. I say, official visit, because we did go to him for the meet and greet but we haven't been yet for an actual visit. I do know that he wants to refer her to a physical therapist for her tippy toe walking, I'm not sure what he will say as far as medication is concerned but she has been doing really well. We got the report from the other neurologist and the new doc is going to review everything and we will meet with him Tuesday.
Praying it goes well...
It always makes me nervous switching to a new doctor...

Too Much Fun...

My kids have too much fun...

Here they are yesterday while we wait in the doctor's office for their check ups.
Sophia was pretending to be the dentist, checking out Troy's chompers.

They can find entertainment anywhere.

So... an update on their appointments-

Good News All Around... I love appointments like these-

Sophia: seizure free, she will stay on her current dose of seizure medications for at least three more months and then we will go for an EEG and go from there. Her liver enzymes have come down, her liver is not enlarged... I'm sure only having to process one anti seizure medication has helped with that. No botox or casts on the little lady's feet either, the doctor suggested physical therapy to assist this tippy toe walker to walk normally. If the physical therapy does not help then we will go back to the orthopedic specialist for casts, but work with the therapist first. She will probably begin that after Christmas. She is tall for her age, I wonder if she will be like me, I was the tallest in my class until 5th grade and then I never grew another inch... standing proud at just under 5'1 :) Oh- she will probably end up having the procedure done on her eye... this is something we have put off, with everything else going on I didn't want to add to our list of doctor appointments in hope her blocked tear duct would clear up, but since she has had this from birth and is going to be 5 and complains about her "gooey eye" we are looking at having the procedure done to 'unblock' it. We will address this more in three months, so probably in March. I like to put things off as long as possible :)

Troy: active, rough, and tumble boy... has a small fracture on his rib. Lovely... he fell a few days ago and had a nasty bruise, xray shows a small fracture. Wild man! Doctor said to continue seeing the pulmonologist at Children's Hospital for breathing issues but otherwise he is a healthy and active boy! The doctor said he was perfect size for his age weighing in at 34.7lbs and I don't know how tall he was.. but they did say he had a big melon head, I think it's just all that hair. :)

Everyone got prescriptions refilled and everyone is doing great!
Sophia goes back in 2 months and Troy goes to the pulmonologist as soon as I make him an appointment, he was due two weeks ago... opps!

Our Adventures in Homeschooling

I had mentioned before that we were going to be homeschooling this year, or maybe just that we were considering it. Well we began Week 4 of our homeschooling adventure and what an adventure this is. My whole idea of how this was going to work has been tested, challenged, and changed numerous times. I am sure this is not the end of it but we are finally getting into a groove with everything. Sophia missed the cut off for Kindergarten by 7 days because of her birthday. Which I am totally OK with but since we decided to home school this year we are combining some preschool and Kindergarten activities this year. We are having a good time and she is going much quicker than I anticipated. It is a struggle to keep the work interesting and challenging, not too easy so she doesn't get bored, yet not to advanced so she doesn't feel defeated. Keeping it fun, yet staying on task... we are having a great time with it.
I love being able to add in some 'faith talk' to our lessons. This week we are working on the letter Gg, Hh. The numbers 6,7. We are talking about God's girl being Thoughtful. We are on the 4th president of the USA, James Madison. And our theme for the week is 'family'. It has been very fun! Tomorrow we are going to make a family of finger puppets and Sophia and Troy will perform a finger puppet play for me. We are also going to a playdate at the Splash Park. Fun!
Sophia takes her school work very seriously and calls me, "Teacher Mommy" which I find hilarious. Troy mostly plays but when he wants to participate I always have something fun ready for him to do with us.
I have really enjoyed this special bonding time for the three of us. Seeing my daughter in this 'school setting' is something I am really enjoying. Watching her handwriting change in the last four weeks. Watching her eyes and her hands work steady on projects. Listening as she figures problems and finds the right answers. It is a different part of her that I am so glad I am able to experience. It is far different from anything I have ever done with her. Don't get me wrong do a lot of reading and playing and learning in our home, but this 'school time' is different. Some days she is stubborn and strong willed and other days she is easy going up for anything.
Today we went for a walk (which Troy was all about it and Sophia protested the warm weather the entire way), when we got back we ate lunch, and I read them a story about God's girl being 'Thoughtful'. When we were done I asked them ways they could be 'thoughtful'. Sophia responded by telling me she could share her toys with Troy and kiss him. Troy said, "I thoughtful, I tickle you!"
Ah- I love it. I seriously soak in every second with them and enjoy each moment.
Here are some pictures from our school time.








Also, for a quick medical update on both kids:

Troy was sick last week and through the weekend. Other than some runny nose and continued respiratory congestion he is doing much better. This was the first time he has gotten sick since the doctors have mentioned cystic fibrosis as a possibility and while we still haven't done the lung biopsy that is necessary to confirm this diagnosis they are treating him as such. My first thoughts were: antibiotic. Which was not necessary and the pulmonologist assured me it would not help the situation. Troy had a yucky cold and it just had his breathing all kind of nutty. His daily steroids were doubled until he is well then we can go back to his normal dosage. He is using a nebulizer treatment every 4 hours for wheezing. He is fine though, it is just a cold. I was sure he had some kind of respiratory infection or something but the doctors (pediatrician and pulmonologist) assured me it was just a cold but because of the CF he has lots of extra mucus in his lungs. So he was puking from that mucus as well, and I have NEVER seen a child pee so much! ;) I am glad he is doing better.. I guess I just have to get used to the new way of treating him. Before we always treated him with antibiotics, for upper respiratory infections and pneumonia. The doctor has ordered a chest xray if he isn't better by next week- but he is alreayd much better and I'm sure he'll be fine but next week.

Sophia never did get sick! Hurray! I ran a high fever one night and all I could think was, "God please don't let her have this fever!!" Still praying she doesn't get sick and Troy and I are still croupy. I did talk to her doctor this week though and please pray that we make some good decisions with some upcoming medical choices. Although she is VERY high functioning cerebral palsy one of the affects of that is that she walks on her tippy toes. Her tendons in her legs are a bit contracted and sometimes worse than others. In an attempt to correct this we are having to make a choice between doing a series of botox injections or having her feet casted so that the tendon will be stretched and then corrected. We are working with a physical therapist and in the near future we will be going to a pediatric orthopedic specialist as well. Her pediatrician and her neurologist say that if we do nothing that she will eventually need surgery to correct the problem and it could lead to hip, knee, and back problems -so letting her just be a tippy toe walker is not really an option; plus kids can be very cruel and I have already heard other children ask her why she walks on her toes all the time. So- keep us in your prayers while we research our options as to which way to correct this issue. She has continued to do excellent and not have any seizures.. I love her medicine! The doctor is very pleased and we will go back at the end of October for another EEG and follow-up before meeting with the ortho doc at the beginning of November.

counting down...

Just got back from Sophia's doctor visit in Orlando...

Praise God for some much needed good news!

The MRI results are in... Sophia has portions of her brain that are enlarged.. exact terminology I'll leave up to the neurologist, but I do have it all written down. ;) These enlarged portions are creating a dilatation of other areas...

... so this is why she has seizures. Don't really know what to call it... I don't really care... but I am so glad to know that there is no tumors, no scar tissue, no need for a shunt... and maybe, a chance she can be taken off the medication.

No need for the botox injections, right now anyway... the doctor said the tap dance classes have been a great therapy in helping her get flexion in her foot. It is something she enjoys and practices all the time. You can't make a kid practice physical therapy but she is practicing tap. ;)

She goes back for an EEG next month. We then go to back to the neurologist for results and if the results are good we can discuss weaning her off of all medications in December 2010!!! Once/If she can wean off of the medication we will go to Children's hospital for another 4 day EEG and if those results come back normal she will not have to take medication unless she has a seizure after that point.

So a lot of ifs... but I am so hopeful. For the first time in a while seems like we have an end in sight. I get so hopeful about her coming off of medication. We have traveled this road once before and 3 days after the 4 day EEG she suffered a 14 minute Grand Mal seizure. (*A grand mal seizure — also known as a tonic-clonic seizure — features a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions. It's the type of seizure most people picture when they think about seizures in general.) So there are risks in this but I am so hopeful. The neurologist wants to see her seizure free (specifically, Grand Mal seizures) for 18 months, then we will wean and do the 4 day test... 18 months will be December 2010.

Let the count down begin.

I'm four years old now and grown up...

Sophia! She does say some of the craziest things.

We were snuggled on the couch last night and she told me that I was the best mom ever.
I said, "thank you Sophia."
She looked up at me with the sweetest eyes and said, "now you should tell me I'm the best daughter ever."
"You are the best daughter ever."

I have to take her to the neurologist tomorrow morning. Her appointment is bright at early at 8am, so it will be an early morning drive down to Orlando. The goal is to get 'official' MRI results, find out the status on the botox injections, and what the steps are for treatment at this point. I feel all to lucky that her medication has remained the same through the last visit. She has had some mild seizure activity recently. I can tell because her eye gets lazy and she starts having potty accidents. These are really upsetting to her because she does not like being a 'baby'. I try to explain to her that she can't help it but it doesn't seem to make her feel any better. On those days we just stay home. She is clingy and sleepy anyway. I noticed it worse the first few days Tony was gone, I think it was stress and lack of sleep, her sleep patterns were screwy until she got used to him being gone. Everyone seems to be adjusting. Except Papi.. the furbaby misses his daddy.

Troy is responding great to his medication. Oh, I think I totally left out that Troy has now joined his sister as a Children's Hospital patient... we went down about two weeks ago and met with a Pediatric Pulmonologist. His asthma was totally out of control we were having to do breathing treatments at least once a day. The pediatrician suggested we go to a specialist. He takes an inhaler twice a day, a few pills, and a nebulizer treatment when necessary. The doctor suggested that he does have asthma, allergies, and possibly reflux which is making the asthma worse because he may be aspirating. He throws up a lot, at least 4 times a week, sometimes more. He has always been a 'pukey' kid, I didn't realize the connection of the vomiting to his lungs though. He is on medication for reflux, which has helped a lot with the vomiting. He is also on an antibiotic right now that will clear up any infection that could be left in his lungs from the pneumonia, bronchitis, and respiratory infections that he has had the past year. The doctor suggested a lung biopsy that they could do to test for a multitude of things, but I haven't yet decided on that one. I took him for a chest Xray and bloodwork on Monday. We go back with him in two weeks. So far I've seen great improvements though. He has only had to use the emergency inhaler twice since he has been on the new medication.

Needless to say these kids have kept me busy with their medical needs but they are totally worth it. I am just so glad they are happy and active little beings. Even when they are fighting... which is why I am going to have to get off the computer. ;)

Tony is doing good, he likes the new job. Misses the familia though.. ;) We will see him Saturday night.

epilepsy update

Sophia with our little cone head dog(his itching problem has been an issue lately-thus the cone), Papi. Sophi still loves him though!


My blog last week about Peace in Disruptions, one of our ongoing disruptions is Sophia's struggle with epilepsy. Here is a brief update as we continue to raise the medicaion dosage, she is responding really really well. I am thankful for these sunny days.

Sophia has continued to go to the neurologist regularly. We have been on an incline on the dosage with the new medication since we started it. She responds well to this medication. She doesn't have mood swings from it, she doesn't get dizzy, depressed, she seems to be doing great with the medication itself. Nothing has made me more sad than having a two year old tell me, "I want to lay in my bed all day and be alone" it was that moment that I realized how severe these medications can alter these children's personalities. My big mouth social butterfly of a daughter, wanting to be alone all day? Something had to change, three medications and two doctors later, this new medicine is much better for her. I feel like on this medicine I KNOW her. The dosage has been increased from the original 10mgs a day to 35mgs now we are increasing the amount every two weeks until she is on 75mg per day.

She was having stomach aches which the neurologist thinks is probably her 'Aura' that she is having or going to have a seizure. As she gets older and is able to explain the feeling we will know more. A stomach ache, could really be a feeling completely different, she just doesn't have the words to explain what. Sometimes with a seizure in the brain the physical response is no more than a 'strange sensation'. The physical responses to the seizures are limited. Sometimes I notice a slight droop on her right eye, she will get disoriented. It usually doesn't last long and it isn't often, afew times a month maybe. When it happens I usually notice it for a few days. It's like once it starts then it lasts a few days then passes... Almost like a build up of electrical activity on her brain, then the storm, then we have sunny days. This is just something we have gotten very used to dealing with and I don't think Sophi really knows any different, which that makes me sad but is a blessing at the same time. As we increase the dosage she tells me her stomach hurts less and less.. she doesn't complain of headaches near as much..

I heard CURE, citizens united for research in epilepsy, refer to seizures in saying people think lightening doesn't strike the same place twice, but for people with epilepsy it can.



We are reminded how blessed we are to have her. Every picture she draws and every crazy thing she says is a wonderful gift! She cried to me one night, she was having a headache, we laid in her bed. She said, "I don't know why I have to have all these tests but I still feel bad, when am I going to feel better?" It was all I could do not to cry with her but I held her and told her she would feel better soon.

Luckily God blesses me with a peace to remember how lucky we are but I can't forget that this is very real.

As we have been upping the medication I already notice a huge difference. She doesn't complain about stomach aches near as much. She doesn't get that quiet feeling where she just wants to go lay down, sometimes she would say she had a headache. I am thankful that for now things seem to be under control.

I have been trying to limit the TV watching as the doctor has said only one hour a day. I think that is good for all kids but very hard when they have been sick and this cold weather we can't go out to play as much. She is sleeping good. Not taking many naps but most nights she goes to bed at 8 and gets up around 730, the doctor said those long sleep periods are good for her. Limiting her sugar is an issue as this girl is a chocolate addict! But she is a kid and we let her have fun! Just don't go crazy and remain in a healthy limit.

We have got a great group of people who take care of her. A supportive pediatrician, who is there whenever we need him. A caring neurologist, a kind receptionist who works in the office, the same EEG tech does all her of EEGs; the consistency of that makes those tests so much more bearable. The nurses in the office are always so polite to her, they talk to her and it means the world when they ask her how her day was. Even the pharmacist who fills her prescriptions, Sophia adores him, he always comes from around the counter to greet her and ask her how she is feeling. I have sat in his office looking up appropriate mediation dosage and side affects, he is our 'pill shop angel' as Sophia calls him. Her PreK teacher is so understanding, talks to her about things, and helps me watch for side effects, giving me a daily update on how she is doing.. these people have NO idea how much more bearable they make this situation.

So in this chaos we accept it, we say, "I am God's servant, May it be to me as you have said" because "with God nothing is impossible."

doc appt this morning

6:41am, I am up showered, dressed, making coffee. I told Tony I'd wake him in 10 minutes so he could get ready. We are going down to one of the pediatric neurologists at Arnold Palmer for evaluation and then to make a plan for treatment. Our appointment is at 9:45, it is about an hour away.
Yesterday was a wonderful day. Sophi and Troy played outside for about 3 hours before nap time and it was great watching her run and jump and scream and dig in the dirt. We are so very blessed. A lot of times when children have as many seizures as Sophia has had they also have lots of developmental/behavioral/physical delays. When I talk to someone on the phone about Sophi's medical history they will ask me about her developmental level- I'm so joyous and thankful to be able to say that she is meeting every milestone and then some. :)
We still have some difficult moments, as I am sure most parents of children with epilepsy will find. She was very afraid yesterday. She was nervous that she was 'going to have one of those headaches again' It is hard to explain this to a child. We do the best we can and use resources when they are available to help explain it to her, but yesterday even our normal explanations of what happened were frightening to her.
Tony and I were talking after the kids were in bed, about Troy. Troy just slept through the whole ordeal. The fire trucks and ambulance (all which where right outside his window), Sophi screaming when they pricked her foot for blood sugar test, all of it. We wondered about how Troy will handle all of this when he is older and doesn't sleep through an ordeal. Will he be scared? We have read a lot about the affects of epilepsy on the family, siblings, parents, grandparents.. I wonder how Troy will handle all of this. As it does affect us all. Troy wandered around the house yesterday morning. He knew something was wrong. Sophia was suffering from a terrible headache and was laying in the dark in my room with Tony. Troy was playing quietly by himself. I was on the phone making doctor appointments and trying to get in a functioning mode. And all the meanwhile, there was Troy. Quiet and content playing with his racecars. He occasionally would walk over to me and show me a car and then walk back to his racetrack. Sweet boy.
We really did think that she was growing out of this, and she could be, but we didn't expect this seizure. We really didn't weren't expecting it. My friend Kelly said, "you just weren't in epileptic mom mode." Sounds funny, but there is an 'epileptic mom mode'. Having the medication a finger tip away, knowing where the clock is to time the seizure, checking every sign that you know to check to make sure your child is ok, remembering which direction her eyes were looking. This is all part of 'epileptic mom mode'.
Tony installed a new video monitor in her room last night. In her search for independence she broke her last one. She blamed it on Troy and said that he didn't like that 'Sophi Movie'. I always called it a monitor and she would scream 'no it's a camera!' Oh, independant child.. Sophi was very nervous watching him install a new monitor she would yell for him to 'get out of my room with that'. We watched her on it and for a while she stared back at it. I'm surprised she wasn't waving and sticking her tongue out at us.
She was scared to go to sleep. She cried and said she didn't want to firefighters to come again. She didn't want all the cords on her. She said she didn't want the doctor in the hospital to choke her again (I don't know why but they did a strep test - and it made her gag). I told her we were going to the doctor in the morning and she was really upset about that. She used to love doctors and visiting the office and the hospital- I guess three years of seizures, tests, and doctors would do that to you. I stay positive to her and encourage her but really I feel the exact same way she does!
Oh, here is a really sweet and funny thing to end this blog. Sophi was really attached to her pacifier yesterday (as she is everyday after a seizure). I was so glad that the 'boogie fairy' didn't come and take it away yet. We all needed her to have it this time. Anyway, she was laying on the beanbag watching Bindi the Jungle Girl and Troy was laying on top of her, staring in her eyes, then he'd lean over and kiss her pacifier. Over and over and over and over again, he would lean back look in her eyes and lean in and kiss her. She said "he's kissing my boogie!"

not again.. another seizure

I am so sad.
Last night Sophia had a pretty serious seizure. I put her to bed around 8pm, she had said that she had a headache, but I figured since Tony had been suffering from sinus headaches over the past few days that maybe she was being a little copy cat. Tony said she felt warm when he went to kiss her good night. I check her temp and it was 99.0, I really didn't worry about it because she was under the blankets and I figured she was just warm. I went back up to check on her about 9:30 because I was getting tired and wanted to check her temp before I went to sleep. She was still awake and felt about the same as before. When I walked out of her room she said, "mommy, come back and check on me in a little while ok?" I said ok and went down stairs and fell asleep. Tony was awake watching a show about sharks. He woke me about 1045 and said he heard a noise in her room. I run up stairs to check on her and at first I thought she was sleeping. She was face down on her pillow, but I noticed her hand was jerking, I pushed her onto her side and she was seizing. I picked her up, carried her down stairs, told Tony she was seizing. We took her into the kitchen and laid her on the cool floor, she was warm, but not hot, we got dishcloths and cooled her off. This seizure lasted a long time. I had the diastat but it has been so long since we have had to use it(about 8 months), I didn't know if it was expired or not and I couldn't find the expiration date... I had no contacts in and was kinda' disoriented from sleeping. I was timing the seizure and it was about 8 minutes since the time we found her and she was still seizing so I decided to just call 911. She was grey and her lips were purple, we were reminding her to breathe but her breaths were short and shallow. The ambulance got there and they started her on oxygen, the seizure stops but she was postictal -postictal state is the altered state of consciousness that a person enters after experiencing an epileptic seizure, such as those occurring with frontal lobe epilepsy. It usually lasts between 5 and 30 minutes, but sometimes longer in the case of larger or more severe seizures and is characterized by drowsiness, confusion, nausea, hypertension, headache or migraine and other disorienting symptoms. Additionally, emergence from this period is often accompanied by amnesia or other memory defects. It is during this period that the brain recovers from the trauma of the seizure. She stayed postictal for a long time, she had her fists clinched up by her head (like a baby) she was grinding her teeth and she wouldn't look at us. Her eyes were fixated to the left, she wouldn't blink, wouldn't talk, wouldn't respond. She stayed like this for a very long time. The firefighter was asking me to have her speak, ask her the dog's name. She wouldn't I would ask her if she wanted the dog, if she would tell the firefighter the dog's name, anything to get her to talk.. nothing. Then once the ambulance got there she was still postictal she wouldn't move her arms but her eyes would look around the room and her jaw was clinched but she would mutter "uhhuh" and "nah" for yes and no. At one point they stuck her foot for a blood sugar test and she screamed "Daddy" that was great to hear but she was still very much not 100% They EMT asked me if she was always like this, if this was "her normal" I said no. They said ok, we are going to the hospital. So off we went. She was posictal the whole 25 minute trip to the hospital. Then when they opened the back of the doors to the ambulance she opened her eyes, looked around and said "We are at Mimi's work everyone!" SOPHIA!!!! I can't believe it. Then though, she did get a bit disoriented, talking about the weather and saying that she was upset that it was spring time.. at least she had words. By 130am she was much more coherent and was asking for her Mimi and she wanted to go home. Mimi got there and took us home. My poor sweet baby. It was beautiful to watch her this morning driving her motorcycle around the driveway and coloring with chalk and kicking her soccer ball. Praise God! We are going to head to the doctor tomorrow and to Children's Hospital to figure out what is going on with her. We are probably going to have some MRIs, EEGs, and CAT scans- to get up to date especially since it has been so long and she is currently on no medication. Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks.

my heart sank...

I heard on the news John Travolta's son died today, apparently it is believed that he hit his head during a seizure while in the bathroom while the family was in the Bahamas. I read "Actor John Travolta's 16 year old son died today in the Bahamas" my heart sank, as it does for any parent/family who looses a child. I clicked the link that went into say that he died for an apparent seizure. My heart sank even farther. This happens all too much. Child with history of seizures, they don't even have to be life threating seizures, and then they are gone. I read a year or so ago about a 19 year old girl who was taking a bubble bath and had a seizure and her dorm roommate found her in the tub. They considered her a drowning victim not a victim of epilepsy. Terrible. My heart goes out to the Travolta family and and other family who is reminded of a similar loss of their child or loved one. It happens all too much. If nothing else I hope this bring knowledge to what can be very scary reality to all seizure sufferers.
Reminds me of the seizure Sophia had while sitting on the potty. I can't help but wonder if I hadn't been there to hold her up what could have happened. Makes me worry about the independence that she will have the older she gets.
Don't mean to be a downer...

My baby's gonna be 1...

My sweet baby boy is going to be one tomorrow!! I can hardly believe it. Time sure does fly by. He is being sweet as ever today. Smiling, waving, saying HI MOMMA.... with his little arm way in the air. So sweet! I love him so much. He is sportin' a battle wound for his first birthday. We wasn't being so sweet yesterday... he threw our little Walmart shopping cart at Sophia yesterday then tried to jump over it onto her and he fell and the cart cut above and below his eye. He is lucky that it didn't get in his eye! That crazy boy!! :)
We are having a party at the park for him. We have invited family and friends to come celebrate with us. I'll have lots of pictures to share! We are having a crayon themed party. I made centerpieces with coloring books, crayons, tissue paper and ribbon... the kids can take them home after the party as party favors. I was pretty proud of myself for that idea. My friend Kelly has made him a cake that looks like a box of crayons- she is soo talented! Email me if you want her contact info for a cake she is very reasonably priced and does a great job!
Sophia is doing great with her meds, we are down to 1ml of trileptal, no diastat, and no clonezepam. She is so happy and alert. Seems like she is able to process and handle things without being so highly emotional. The test is the week of Halloween. By next week she should be totally weaned off of the Trileptal.
Thank you for your emails, thoughts, and prayers. Hope everyone is having a wonderful week and wishing you all a great weekend.

If you were on a deserted island and could only take one thing what would it be?

First response to this question was....
TONY! He can build a fire with sticks. ;)
He really can.. he is quite the survivalist. Do you guys ever watch Man vs. Wild? I swear that man, Bear, makes the Crocodile Hunter roll over in his grave, did you know he killed and ate an alligator on the last episode!? Well, I think that Bear guy is Tony's favorite person on TV. So, my first answer to what I would take with me on a deserted island? Tony! What would you take?? First thing to come in your mind??

Now, Sophia is doing alright with the medication changes. I think she may have had some seizure activity today though, it's so hard to tell. We have been gradually weaning off and up until this point I haven't noticed anything abnormal. Tony and I are very hypersensitive to her though. I picked her up from school and she was crying, which she never is, she said her tummy was hurting but she was pointing to her heart, ate her lunch, looked kind of gray, said she wanted her doctor, really cranky... then she got a bath (disinfected) before nap time... seemed fine, but I noticed her eye was droopy which happens when she has seizures, don't really know what all that was about!? She is sleeping now though and went to bed happy.
On the positive side she seems to be much more alert and a bit hyper at times, sometimes has a hard time focusing, tells me she feels hyper... but soo happy! That makes me feel good.
It's so bittersweet. I love seeing her weaning of the medication and the possibilities of not being on medication, then this... the episodes, the unknown. I just want to get through the test and go from there. So hard not to get excited about her not being on medication, but I have to remind myself that she may need it, this episode today reminded me of that.
The teacher at school said she was building and tower with blocks and someone knocked it over, they said she got really upset about it... might have been something that triggered this episode.
Goodness, I need a nap! ;)
Hope everyone is having a lovely yet prayerful day...

Send up your prayers today for families who have an angel in heaven.

One more and Updates!

This is an old one too but too cute not to share...


BTW, things are going great weaning Sophia off of her seizure medication. She seems so much more active, energetic, and sweet! ;) Thanks for your prayers! Keep praying.
Also, Maciee is going to be back at school tomorrow! Chantal is at home waiting for the birth of her daughter, luckily she doesn't have to stay at the hospital, but her hubby says she is bored out of her mind, miserable, laying in the bed at home (obviously on bedrest) anywho, thank you for your prayers!