The Purple Gown

Matthew had several doctor appointments in the past month. The two biggest ones being for his MRI and his EEG. The results were a relief as they both did not show any changes from previous tests. The doctors were just checking to see if something major had triggered his incident in August but it does not seem that way. We will just continue to have him on his medication for a little while as directed.

I have to share a funny story about my sweet little boy. Matthew is very well behaved when he is at the doctors. Emma is the same way. Matthew had to get an EEG where he had wires glued to his head and then was wrapped up like mummy. He barely complained and was an overall superstar. The day of his MRI he had to go ALL day without eating (one of his favorite things to do!). Then he was stuck at the doctor's all afternoon because they were behind schedule. Finally, he was poked in the arm for his IV. And thru all this he was a trooper. But then it was time to put his gown on. He did not want his clothes off and to top it all off, the gown was purple. So wrap him up like a mummy, glue his head, starve him, bore him, poke him and he is fine. But try to put a girlie purple gown on him and he explodes! He was crying and screaming telling everyone "No no no - That is Emma's". The poor boy thought they were giving him his sisters clothes. Bless his little heart!

Matthew getting wires glued to his head for his EEG. Still Smiling Sleeping portion of EEG - with pal Blue.

The purple gown.

Catch - Up

So it's been a little longer than usual between blog posts. Mainly because we moved the computer from the Family Room to our bedroom. It has been a big change and now I need to adjust my daily routine so I can get online more regularly. My dream would be to get a wireless laptop like Ben has!

Emma has been busy making new friends at school. One in particular is a boy named Riley who Emma claims she is going to marry. Her father is not too thrilled, but I think it is very cute! Here are the events of last week that are quickly making Ben consider locking Emma in her room until she is 45:

Day 1: Ben finds Emma and Riley sitting together at a table and Emma informs her Daddy that she knows who she is going to marry.

Day 2: The two little 4-year olds are holding hands on the playground. Emma speaks more of her Wedding plans

Day 3: Emma tells Daddy that she gave Riley a kiss. Ben tells his sweet little daughter that she cannot marry Riley because she should marry him. "But you are too old!" Emma replies. So Ben tells her that he will miss her if she gets married and goes away. Emma answers "Well Mommy married you and she sees Papa all the time". Smart little cookies isn't she?!

I attended two baby showers recently. I made a diaper cake for both showers. I have attached a picture of the first one I made below. It is the first time I have made one and I was pretty proud of myself. I added some fresh pink Sunflowers to the top of this one the day of the shower. I also made some fleece baby blankets that turned out really well. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of those.

The Pumpkin Patch

Emma had her first field trip last week. It was a rainy afternoon trip to the local Pumpkin Patch. They also visited two old style cabins and learned about life in the 1800's. They learned about how toys from long ago were so simple yet still fun. They also learned about day to day activities from that era. It was a good learning experience for the kids and an all around fun day. It even included a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch where each child took home their very own pumpkin. I'm so glad I was there to share the experience with my daughter and her class. I was worried about the rain, but it turned out to be just a steady drizzle and nothing too serious. Emma enjoyed the chance to use her new raincoat, shoes and umbrella. But she said her favorite parts were seeing the horses and of course riding the school bus!

Cherokee Night Out

Last Thursday, the county sponsored a special Family Night. They had all the county emergency organizations put on a small festival. They had all the Emergency vehicles for the kids to look at and the Cherokee Fire Dept created a real fire to put out with their hoses. There were also several special booths filled with information for adults and treats/prizes for the children. Ben is a member of the county's Search and Rescue Team who was also involved in the festivities. It was a fun family night and although I think the kids enjoyed the Fire Truck Bounce House the best, I loved seeing the Fire Dept's Dalmatian.

The beautiful Dalmation we saw.

Firemen putting out a real fire.

Kids in front of Police Cars and Motorcycle

Ben and his friends on the SAR team.

Record Rainfall

Last weekend Georgia had record rainfall. It seemed like it rained for days without stopping. Several counties including ours, Cherokee, are now eligible for federal aid because of all the destruction from the rising waters. Luckily we did not experience too much damage to the house. Our basement filled with some water in spots but nothing too serious. Also, since our basement is unfinished, there was not a lot that could be ruined by the water. I know many people who are having to replace carpet and drywall. My car didn't like the hard rain and collected some puddles in the floorboard, but hopefully it is something I can just air out.

Here are some picutres I was sent from last weekend. The first couple are of the main street we live off of - Towne Lake. The rest are from one exit down from us - Hwy 92. The last is a picture of Six Flags amusement park. This isn't near us. I just think it's amazing to see the rollercoaster surounded by all the water!

The silver lining

On August 11th, 2009 I was picking up the kids from The Hall's where they sometimes go for an hour or so during the week. Everything seems normal as usual. The kids are happy to see me and Matthew is running around joyfully. We start heading to the car and Emma races down the stairs. Matthew is taking his time on the steps as usual but then all of a sudden he stops. I turn to see what the hold up is and he is kind of in a daze. I ask him if he wants me to carry him down the stairs but I get no response. So I just pick him up and that is where it all began.

All of a sudden he vomits on my shoulder. I put him down and he gags and does it again. I kneel down and try to talk to him but he is just gagging. Then I realize he is very pale and does not look like he is breathing. I see that his lips are turning blue so I run upstairs and take him inside. In the house, Cheryl confirms my fears that something is terribly wrong and calls 911 immediately. I lay Matthew down on his side in case he throws up again and I start talking to the 911 operator. Cheryl has Emma sent to another room to play with her daughter Macy so that she is not involved in what is going on. By this time Matthew is starting to breathe but they are very light very shallow breaths. His eyes seem to roll back every once in a while as he is trying to catch his breath. Somehow I've managed not to freak out completely and am trying to soothe Matthew who is slowing getting back to his normal self. I've done a great job of staying calm until I continue talking to the 911 operator. I know that they are supposed to ask you the same questions several different times and different ways to make sure they have all the facts straight, but after the 5th time she asks me "Is he breathing?" the tears start rolling down my cheeks. Within minutes there are paramedics, police officers and firemen in Cheryl's living room. Matthew is still lying on the floor. He is breathing normal but he isn't getting up and he keeps blinking long and hard. Finally, after the policeman tries to ask Matthew questions he gets up and clings to me. Then it’s like nothing ever happened. He is responsive and breathing just fine. Just to be sure all is well we take a ride in the ambulance to the ER to get checked out.


Matthew is breathing 100% now and uses his full lung capacity to scream and cry the whole way to the hospital because he doesn't want to be buckled into his seat. He gets his vitals checked and gets yet another catscan to add to his collection. We hang out at the hospital for a few more hours to find his catscan is normal but his neurologist wants him back on his seizure medication. This is news that I am not thrilled about but as I see Matthew running around the ER with a big smile on his face I know that I need to focus on the silver lining. So much worse could have happened that day. What if he had his episode while I was driving or before I had arrived? What if it was more severe and he had gotten hurt? We were blessed that everyone responded so quickly and that in the end he was safe and we were going home.

Today he had an appointment with the neurologist. He met with Kathie Teta at Child Neurology Associates near Scottish Right. We are told that the best thing would be to keep Matthew on medication until he is seizure free for 2 years. I know this is what the initial plan was supposed to be. But his previous doctor felt that since his progress had been so good and his EEGs showed only some spikes and no full blown seizures that we could try him off the meds. It breaks my heart to know he will be on this medicine for the next two years, but once again.....the silver lining. It is only twice a day. It is only for two years. It will help prevent/control any future seizures. It could be so much worse.

So next week he will have another EEG and then after that another MRI to make sure nothing else is going on that the doctors need to know. I have been trying hard to focus on the silver lining of these gloomy clouds. It’s difficult to do but it's a lot easier when I see Matthew's big smile!

Matthew in the Child Neurology waiting room.

Lights Camera Action!

As requested by several people, I have posted a video of Emma singing the song she sang at the Talent Show the other weekend. Sorry the picture isn't very good. I am not the best at using our camera. Now imagine her singing this in a cute dress with a piano and a microphone. Isn't she sweet!

Here are the words in case you want to sing along:

"I'm so glad when Daddy comes home, glad as I can be

Clap my hands and shout for joy and climb up on his knee

Put my arms around his neck, squeeze him tight like this

Pat his cheeks and give him what? ...... A great big kiss!"

Emma learned the Pledge of Allegiance in PreSchool. Thought this was appropriate to post today on 9/11.