No more shopping!

I am officially done with my Christmas shopping! I have to pick up one or two more things that I can have Dale grab on his way home from work and that is it! Actually, it's a possibility that I will run out of wrapping paper and tags but I can easily just run to Rite Aid or somewhere close by that isn't too busy. Now to find the time to wrap everything. ;) I am finally in the holiday spirit too. I can't wait to spend Christmas Eve with my sister and her family. I am so glad she has moved back home and we are able to spend the holidays together. Christmas day is usually very busy for us but I think this year Dale's mom may come to our house to visit during the day which will be nice. Then late afternoon we will go over to my mother's and have our Christmas together. :) And this is the first year in a long time that we've had a white Christmas! It is snowing out again tonight which is crazy! We've had a ton of snow already this year! Gotta love Maine!

We had our follow up visit today at the neurologists office. Her EEG was normal as was her hearing test. She said she didn't feel that her staring spells were seizures but that they were "how she processes things due to her developmental delays." I told her I had done a lot of reading on the subject and that often times the EEG's can be normal even though they are having seizures. She said that yes that was true but that 90% would have abnormal EEG's and 10% that would have normal ones. Well what if B falls into that 10%? Her pediatrician saw her when she had one and said it looked like a seizure to her, her therapists have seen them, even the tech who did the EEG saw her have one and flashed a strobe light in her face and even then she was unresponsive. I disagree with her but how can I argue the point? As Dale so eloquently put it, "That's why they are Drs. and you aren't. " So I guess I will just voice my concerns when we go to Boston, maybe they will have a different opinion. On a happier note, her therapist is very happy with the progress she has made. She is pushing up on her arms a lot and manages to scoot backwards a bit. She also is reaching for toys with both hands and her movements are much more controlled. She is still falls over when sitting but she is doing ok. I am so proud of her, I know therapy can sometimes be uncomfortable for her and she works so hard during that hour. We start speech therapy too in the next week or two so we will have 3 hour long sessions a week. Ugh! It really stinks but I know we have to do it and soon Dev will be having speech therapy as well. Thank god I am able to stay at home with the kids, I don't know how we'd juggle all these appointments if we both were working.

More good news!

Brooklyn had an eye exam today and she has no problems with her vision! She does have Intermittent Exotropia which is a form of Strabismus, in English that means her eyes don't work as a pair, one either turns inwards, outwards etc. while the other eye is straight. He said if her eyes became worse we would discuss surgery to realign the eye muscles. We have an appointment in 6 months. I am so happy to have learned she can see and hear fine, after all the crummy news we have had lately I really needed a bit of good news. 2 more appointments and the regular therapy sessions and then I can try to enjoy the holidays with my family.

And I'm so excited, I had our photo Christmas cards made today and I think they turned out great! Devin was a wild child and I could not get him to sit still for a picture so the ones I took of all four of them together were lousy. Someone either had a goofy look on their face(Cody) or someone else had red eye(Brooklyn). ;) I found a card that had multiple photos so I managed to get all the kiddos in there. I hope everyone likes them!

I don't know where it comes from but don't you love it when you get the urge to do some major cleaning and organizing? Brooklyn sat in her highchair enjoying some blueberries in her fresh food feeder while I cleaned out the cupboards in the kitchen and scrubed the microwave. A nice clean kitchen is heaven! I would have loved to do some Christmas baking today too but it's early yet and I didn't have the goodies to bake with. I've done some online shopping the past few days and I'm not feeling as grinchy. We are getting our tree tomorrow too and I love the smell of fresh pine. How can you not be excited for Christmas once you have your tree!

I should have updated after B had her EEG on Thursday but it slipped my mind. Her EEG was normal and the second hearing test went well, it confirmed that she can hear just fine! She did have a staring spell right after the electrodes were removed from her head, go figure. The tech flashed a strobe light in her face, clapped her hands, said her name loudly and she never responded. :( She told me to video tape her spells and to bring them in to show the Dr. on the 18th. She guessed he would send us home with a Ambulatory EEG device which will monitor her over a 24 hour period. There has got to be an explanation as to why she's having them, it's been going on for months. After her next Neuro appointment she has her one year well visit on the 21st and then we have a break in Dr. visits until the beginning of January. That will be nice, it will give us some time to enjoy the holidays and the closeness of family.

Devin was evaluated for speech therapy last week and would you believe that they said he also has low tone in his face! WTH? I was talking to Lisa, one of our therapists, and she said it was genetic. Weird. Anyways, he does qualify and we are just waiting to hear when he starts. Other than his speech being delayed he is fine.

And how are the older two you wonder? I know I don't have much to say about either of them lately since I've been pretty depressed about Brooklyn. They are both, well, teenagers.;) Cody is working at McDonald's and will be starting adult ed in Jan. He has seemed to have mellowed out a bit but his attitude and behavior leaves a lot to be desired. Dany has her moments of being too big for her britches but she is generally tolerable. ;) I miss the relationship I once had with them. I don't know if it's because they are teenagers or because I'm remarried or a combination of both. *sigh* I need to be taught how to reconnect with them and that is one of the goals of our counseling.

How cute is Dev? He was hanging out in the laundry basket so Daddy snapped a pic. :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Just changing things around and trying to get into the Christmas spirit! I like this template, what do you think? I planned on digging through the basement today to find my decorations but the kids decided that they didn't want to nap at the same time so I never got a free minute. If can talk Dale into putting up the lights outside tomorrow then he will find them before I do. ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for?

I am thankful for so many things in my life but I will just touch on a few.

My husband Dale. He is such a hard worker and a wonderful father. I know that we will be there for each other through this ordeal with Brooklyn and for that, I am thankful for. I couldn't do it without him.

My children, all 4 of them. They are what makes life worth living.

My family, especially my mother and sisters. I know I am fortunate to have such a loving and supportive family and I probably don't tell them enough how much they mean to me.

My friends, new ones old ones and ones I've never met. I am so thankful for their friendship and good thoughts during this difficult time. It means the world to me. And Heather, you rock! Chopsticks! ;)

My health. Knock on wood, despite having some extra meat on my bones I am in good health. Hope it stays that way.

My home. We, or should I say Dale, has put so much work into this house. It was beautiful before but now it's even more so. We are extremely lucky to have such a nice place to call home

There are so many others but since it's late I will give thanks for one more wonderful thing in my life.

Ben & Jerry's!!!!! ;)


Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Ho Ho Ho!

My Christmas List

B's health to improve

A really really nice digital camera

New leather coat

A money tree

Bureaus for my bedroom

Curtains for the entire house

A new wardrobe

A miraculous weight loss


Don't want much, do I? ;)

An Ordinary Thursday

I sat down earlier today to make a list of appointments so Dale could bring it to work. His employer is being very understanding and has told him to take all the time off he needs to go with us to B's appointments. I am so thankful for that! Anyways, the point was that the list is a mile long! You wouldn't believe the crazy schedule we are going to have for the next few months and on top of that are so many birthdays and the holidays to think about, plan and shop for. I am going to be The Grinch this year I'm afraid. Money is tight and my spirits are low. I hope in the next few weeks I'll be feeling a bit more jolly, right now though it's just one more thing to worry about.

We met for the first time with Janet, her OT therapist yesterday. She did much of the same things with Brooklyn as her physical therapist. We have numerous exercises that we practice daily. Once she has gained some strength in her hips and is able to sit unassisted she will be working more with her fine motor skills. Since this was her first time interacting with B she voiced many of the same concerns; she doesn't use her right side to touch and play with toys, her eyes are wandering, her movements are uncontrolled and all over the place, she still has many primitive reflexes and sensory issues. I'm becoming more concerned about her eyes and her appointment with the opthamologist isn't until Jan. 2nd. Why is there always such a long wait?

I made an appointment for Devin to be evaluated for speech therapy today. It's not until Dec 5th but since he still isn't talking I guess it's something we need to look into. What's one more appointment right?