update on Miss Emma

Ok, for those out there who care and want to know (and even if you don't, too bad! That's my post today! :) ) here's an update on Emma Grace.
So last Thursday was so busy! (as you well remember from my last post) and so I didn't have the time/energy to talk about her appointment with Dr. Milstein in Bellevue. (or the fact I had to drive past the la-dee-dah Porsche and Mercedes dealerships) drool......
ok, so back to reality.
When Dr. Milstein walked in, he looked very grandfatherly. I immediately felt reassured, just by his "look" if that's fair.
So he's really thorough, yea, but it took almost an hour and a half, when all was said and done! What a visit! :) He gave Emma a pretty thorough neurological test, like the "touch my finger, touch your nose" with each hand separately, which she did okay on with her right hand, but failed miserably with her left hand.
He had her walk across the floor on her tip-toes, which she could not do. She flat-footed it across the room. There were a few other tests, but you get the drift. Needless to say, he said that the Mary Bridge docs were wrong in their dyspraxia diagnosis, he said it was more an apraxia.
Then he asked me bunches of questions about family history and seizures and then he told me he's diagnosing her with childhood seizure disorder, and put her on Tegretol and he plans on keeping her on that for 2 years, not adjusting it, and allowing her body to just outgrow the meds as she grows. His hope is that she'll outgrow the seizures and it won't turn into epilepsy and that she'll be fine.
When I went to the pharmacy to get the meds, the pharmacist pulled out her big PDR book and read to me all about the drug and possible side effects. S.C.A.R.E.Y. But necessary for Emma right now. The one thing she urged me to do was to get her involved in some kind of program to help her with the inevitable delays in education. There is where my frustration comes into play. She's been tested through Child Find twice already, once as an exit interview kind of thing when she left the birth to three program,and then again at the beginning of the school year. She was just shy of making it into the program for preschool, but she missed by .02% and the school only tests children every 6 months. So I'm a little frustrated. Should I call the school and tell them about her diagnosis and meds? Do you think that would nudge it better to allow her into the program?
So my dear friends, there we have it. The immediate side effect I notice? Emma is tired all the time, and not just sleepy, but downright groggy, red-eye and all.
So on the one hand I'm grateful she will be on preventative meds for seizures, and on the other hand, it makes me sad to see her so tired all the time. And C.R.A.N.K.Y!!! Whoo, baby, when she's tired like that, she sure is cranky! But then so is everyone, right?
Thanks for listening to my whine. Have a great day!

Today's busy day

Hello. I have to say that I am so appreciative of all your comments and encouragement. You are becoming the BFFs I don't have in my "real" life. I know, it sounds pretty pathetic, doesn't it? My sister was asking me the other day if I have a BFF I can hang with. I had to tell her not really, not anyone who lives in my neighborhood, or in my ward. My BFF, my true BFF? I'd have to say Carrot. She's always been my true-blue friend, even when my supposed-BFF in high school turned on me, she was always there. When I went to Ricks, still there. On my mish and her married? Yep, you got it. So now you know. :)
Today is going to be a crazy day; good thing the laundry got folded while yelling at the boys to get to the bus stop, you'd better hurry! being screamed pretty loudy. jeesh. I swear one day my neighbors will come by and wonder how a woman like me can have such a loud voice! :) Really, it was just me, panicking about having to drive the boys to school due to a missed bus, and not enough gas in the van to get everything done. whew.
So Emma
has a doc appointment today at the Bellevue satellite clinic for Children's Hospital with a new neurologist. Some of you know that Emma has had some pretty scarey febrile seizures, including me needing to give her CPR this last one that lasted 20 minutes. S.C.A.R.E.Y.
That was last summer. She's had 2 EEGs, one was abnormal, the other was normal. Mary Bridge neuro docs said she's "normal" whatever that means! :) But my brother was up from Cali for Thanksgiving and his son (who is absolutely adorable, by the way) has familial epilepsy, so he urged me to get a 2nd opinion. So that's what we're doing at 11. Wow! I'd better hurry! I just looked at the clock!
So from Bellevue, we stop by my gastro doc's office to pick up my lost paperwork. Yes, before I got my wonderful mesh organizer I lost this paperwork and my 5-year colonoscopy is set for Monday and I need to get my scrip for that awful-tasting drink. Yuck!
Then we rush home, get Tommy from the neighbor's house that he's going home from school with today, then lunch, naptime (yea!), then pick Will up from school at 3:30, get the stuff from Tommy's teacher to work on from home, then to Dr. Oriel (the pediatrician) for the boys to get their H1N1 shots (finally got those in!) and then home. For awhile, just enough to fix dinner and kiss the hubby.
Then I have a family history meeting for all consultants with the area director at the Auburn FHC at 7. I'm exhausted already, and it hasn't even happened yet! Good thing I used my CPAP last night! I'll need the energy.
Yes, I'm a FH consultant, a calling I'm obsessed with. If any on you need tips on the Family Search site, you just let me know! :)
So I'll get going for now. Gotta get dressed and get Emma dressed and begin our crazy-busy day.
Cheers!

A funny thing happened on the way to clean my house today...

So I had to do an updated posting. My sister has said that I've become a "writer" so here's my attempt at being a "clever writer" for you all!
Okay, so this morning I went to do a load of laundry and I was struck at a common theme. Let me upload these pictures for you, and you tell me if you can see a common theme running through. I laughed. Tommy just shook his head and said he hates this smell. Too girly. I don't care.




Funny, huh?
Next I have to show my other miracle, the thing that has bugged my mom the most. My kitchen counters.


Cheers!!!!

The original Pants on the Ground song

It occurred to me after I'd signed off that some of you
may not know about this song.
(ah hem, are you living under a rock????)
So, just in case you don't understand the referenced song
that Brett Favre "sang" in the locker room,
here it is:




Now, to continue with what I really wanted to blog
about tonight: it's baaaaccckkk! Yes, my mojo has returned.
Thanks Carrott!
Just how, you might ask? Well, in the form of a little wire
mesh organizer I have hanging on my wall, just above my desk.
Why did I buy it, you are asking yourself? Well, it all boiled
down to a lost school paper, almost lost school-library
privileges, and a teary-eyed kindergartner.
I'm not one to like my children to be teary-eyed, especially
when it's because of me! (ok, so SOMETIMES it's ok, like
when they're crying cuz they're busted for something,
but not normally)
So last time I was at Costco, I found this wall organizer
and just had to buy it. Only $11 and it's saved my
marriage and my family!





Now I don't have a cluttered
kitchen counter (which makes Ryan very happy. I've discovered
he absolutely hates clutter, something I never
knew until recently about him) and all our papers are
organized and we can actually find the water bill on time!
(BONUS)

So now my life is less hectic, and I have been getting comments
from my family and friends that I sound happier, lighter.
And yes, I am still losing weight! I haven't weighed myself
lately, (our batteries died in our scale) but I feel
thinner in my tummy area. Hey, I'll take it!

So I say goodnight now, I'm off to watch the Sunday night Masterpiece
Classic on On Demand. It's the 2nd part of Return to Cranford.
If you haven't gotten addicted to this quaint little
town with Dame Judy Dench (sp?) as the lead lady, then
you're missing out! What a fun story. But to do it justice,
you really need to see it from the beginning, from Cranford before
you watch Return to Cranford.
Sort of like you don't just jump into Avonlea before reading Green
Gables first. Same diff.
Enjoy!

Brett Favre sings Pants on the Ground in the locker room

We all watched as that funny man on American Idol
rapped his way to stardom last week when he "sang"
Pants on the Ground. That was sooo funny! I just had
to find the version Ryan told me Brett Favre
did in the locker room.
Here it is for your viewing pleasure!

Ok, so you probably noticed there's
no title to this posting.
It's because I couldn't think of a
suitable one for what I want
to talk about.
Yesterday was payday Friday, so we
went and got our gourmet dinner
of
Costco
polish
dogs.
Yummo!
After that we felt compelled
to walk around the store.
No, not to look at what
we wanted to buy.
But to walk off the
calories. :)
As we are walking we ran into
a gal we lived near, before
we moved to our current home
over 6 years ago.
Let me start off by saying
that I really have mixed emotions
about her.
She was kind of like the leader
of the cool clique at church.
She was the one who correlated
the weekend parties at everyone's
houses. If you were "in" with her
then you were "in" with everyone
else in the ward.
You know the type of girl.
The snotty high school girl
who controls everyone's
popularity.
That was her.
And I've always wanted to be popular.
Oh, and did I mention she's stick thin?
Something I've always wanted also.
So you can understand when I tell
you that she makes me insecure.
Well there she was, with 2 of her
4 children in tow.
"It's the Shuler family!" could be heard
from the seafood display, the beautiful
crabs and lobster tails.
I dreaded seeing her. There she was, in
all her glory. Skinnier than I remembered
her, a little boy I later learned was the same
age as Tommy. And a cute little girl
about 14 months old. Snot. Not the baby. The mama.
We exchanged pleasantries and parted ways.
[sigh]
So I had been feeling really great about
my weight loss. Hey, I've lost 50 pounds, and
I feel thinner today even.
But as soon as I get around her, I feel like
the largest person, the tallest, fattest,
ugliest woman in the world.
I know I'm not.
Just feels that way.
I'm so glad high school is over.
I'm so glad I don't have to choose to be
around toxic people like her anymore.
I choose to be around people that make me
feel good about myself. Like my mom, my husband,
my children, Lefty, and Carrot. There are more in my
life that are positive to be around, and those are
the ones I flock to. Like Calamity Jane. What a trooper.
Major surgery, infection from the surgery, bed
rest hell, and still she manages to have a good
sense of humor and joke her way through her trial.
Gotta love people like that.
I love you. I love life. I love the fact that
since I'm using my C-PAP machine for my apnea
I've been losing weight. It's just falling off me.
I didn't realize how much weight and sleep are
so linked. But they are.
So here's to a new year, a healthier me, and a
more organized, peaceful home.
Cheers!

How to line up the columns

Okay, so I absolutely love what the last
post was all about, my son.
What I don't love?
How random the columns and pictures
are lining up
(or not, as the case may be)
Any thoughts?
I need help.
I am not a gifted blogger.
Maybe it's because I'm too
impatient to actually take the time
to read and learn about how to do
the things I want done.
I just want someone to tell me
how to do it.
I was just reading a blog which I stalk
frequently. In it Lefty says that she's
impatient.
I sense a theme.
Oh, did I tell you?
She's my sister.
Guess it runs in my family.
The impatience.
Maybe it's just a woman thing.
But then, maybe it's just
a
Christensen DNA thing.
My brothers aren't much
better for patience than
us sisters.
So my quest in getting my mojo
back is working.
I have finally finished taking down
all the Christmas decorations.
Ok, so they're not in the right part
of the garage yet.
But they're off the mantle.
I mean the Santa collection.
It's down.
Finally.
Ryan will be so happy.
He doesn't really like Christmas anyway,
but that's a topic for another day.
So I have my house, one room
at a time
getting decluttered
and beautified.
Thank you Carrot! You're the best!
Thank you Lefty for always
understanding the words that
I'm trying to come up with
now that my brain is
turning 40 in March.
Yes, I said it.
I turn 40 in 2 1/2 months.
Yikes. And I'm still not
skinny.
But getting there.
I'm wearing a pair of jeans
that I haven't ever worn yet.
Do you ever go to the store,
looking for pants that you
really like, knowing that
you'll fit into them soon,
so you buy them anyway?
Well, normally I don't.
This time I did.
Two years ago.
I put them on today
expecting them to be tight
and not be able to reach
the gap between the
buttons and zipper
as usual.
Imagine my surprise and joy
when I not only bridged
the gap
but
zipped
and
buttoned
all the way
and closed
and it didn't muffin me.
:)
Oh the joys in life.
Ok, I'm gonna go to Costco
for dinner now and have a
hot dog.
:)