Proud Mommy Moment

Today I received Riley's 3rd quarter report card. Riley has a permanent substitute teacher, Miss Haer, since his teacher is now on maternity leave. She left a wonderful note about Riley at the bottom of the report. It went...

...Riley is such a great kid! He is a wonderful example to the other kids in class and school! He is doing awesome with his work. He is a joy to have in class. Keep up the great work!! Miss Haer

Maybe she wrote this on every one's report, but I'll pretend that's not so, and sit here as a proud Mommy.

In class Riley also wrote a descriptive poem about me, called "MOM."

Mom

happy, sleepy

eating, laughing, riding

loves me

Jacque

I'm so happy Riley sees how sleepy I am. (That was sarcastic, if you couldn't tell.) I did ask him about the riding. His response was, I ride in the car sometimes. And a quick disclaimer, I don't think I eat anymore than a normal person. Thanks Riley! I LOVE YOU TOO!

Two...

...is the number of visits, in a row, where we have been given good news. Jake had an MRI on his head and lower spine this week, and both looked the same. No plump tumors, no change. Yay! Our lovely surgeon says, we need to do 6 month checkups for 3 years, with no change, before we can extend it to 1 year. So we will be back in September.
Two is also the number of days since Reece's MRI. We haven't heard anything yet, and since we are pretty familiar with how this works, we assume, "No News is Good News." Jake's surgeon also wants us to keep her updated on his condition. Reece's follow up appointment is April 8th, unless they call us sooner.

Reece HATES Us

We just got home from having the MRI at the hospital. Reece is slowly starting to talk to us again. It is starting to get to the point where he will not enjoy seeing another Doctor ever again in his LIFE!
The day started off easy. I was not able to feed him anything, which proved to be easier than I thought. I dressed him comfortably, and let him play video games right off the bat. I never let him do that, so he was very pleased. It also kept him busy enough to not worry about food. We got to the hospital and checked in. Yesterday, when we went in for our pre-anesthesia visit, we were told it would just be gas, and it was very unlikely an IV would be involved. WRONG! They had to poke him twice today. They tried to get him in the hand, but failed, then they got him in the arm. Thankfully, the gas had already put him out.
It took about an hour before we saw him again. He was taken to a recovery room, and we weren't able to see him until he started to wake up. As soon as I walked in that room, my eyes swelled up a little. Then as soon as I saw Reece's face, I can't believe I didn't just break down. He was SO sad! He was on the verge of tears. He wouldn't talk to us. He was cold. He was mad he got shots. (That's what he calls the IV) The anesthesia was still in him, and his sheets were covered in blood. They let me hold him, and he just whined with watery eyes. Reece is great at milking all of this. Reece wanted McDonalds, which probably wasn't the best choice after anesthesia, but Reece gets what Reece wants. End of Story.
As the day goes on, it's getting a little easier. I am getting ready to take off his bandages. As long as those are on, Reece will not use his right arm. Reece has always used both hands, and now we know why. His right hand is dominant, but he is pretty good with the left. We need to get him in a sport where the use of both hands would be very beneficial. Mental note to self.
Not sure how to wrap this one up...I'm off to take off bandages. Wish me luck!

Introducing Bridget

Riley's teacher had her baby girl! She was so nice to share some photos with us, and they were too cute! I wanted to keep this picture in our blog, so Riley could look back at this down the road. Mrs. Simmons has been such a blessing to Riley, in his 1st grade year. We are so happy for her, but very sad for us, because she will be out for the rest of the year. Congratulations and Good Luck Mrs. Simmons!!

Spring Break Bowling

On the last day of school, before Spring Break began, Riley told me the only thing he wanted to do was go bowling. Not sure where this came from, but if that's all he wants, we can do it. Better than spending hundreds of dollars traveling somewhere.
He also was very concerned about both Jake and I having a day off together, so we could go as a family. This made me a little sad. There are so few days, where that is the case. Hopefully, in our future, this will change. Fortunately, last Friday we all had the day off. We started off with Reece's EEG, then KU Basketball (which over the weekend, they advanced to the Sweet 16), then off to some bowling fun.
Riley did very well. He did get frustrated, because Reece beat him in the first 2 games. By PURE LUCK! At least Riley was really bowling, a lot of times he never needed the bumpers. Reece, however, just threw the ball and it used the bumpers 6, maybe 7 times. He is only 4. But it was a hard lesson to teach Riley. Finally, the 3rd game, Riley was able to beat Reece, and that made him very happy. Reece really could have cared less about the score. They both are ready to go bowling again.

Rock, Chalk!

Reece celebrating a Spare!

Riley's winning score, not counting Mom & Dad.

Nintendo DS & Mountain Dew...

...that was my secret to keeping Reece up until midnight last night. I survived just fine, because basketball was on. Although the last half hour was a little tough. Reece, however, wasn't ready for bed. I put him in there anyway, and I'm sure he was out quickly.
5 short hours later, my alarm was going off. We woke up Reece, and gave him the DS again, since cartoons aren't on at that hour of day. Once we got to the hospital, I learned the Doctor had ordered a sleeping EEG. They wanted to have Reece awake, drowsy, and asleep. Because I can't remember the title of the man performing the EEG, (it was a huge, medical term) I'll just refer to him as the "EEG Reader." Reece gave the "EEG Reader" a run for his money. The "Reader" attached all the wires in about 15 minutes. Reece did very well there, but was definitely waking up more, just wondering "what is this man doing to me?" All we wanted Reece to do was lay still and fall asleep, hoping his tic would happen. That's just not Reece's style. Reece, even off only 5 hours of sleep, is way to active. I would've been better off keeping him up all night.
The test went on for about 30 minutes, and Reece had every reason not to relax. He was NOT tired (even though the EEG said he was really drowsy), he was hungry, or he was too itchy. The tape on his head made him itch a lot. Finally, the "EEG Reader" had about enough and tried all of his tricks, with out any luck. We were counting down the last 3 minutes and Reece rolled over on his side, to face away from me, within a minute, he finally gave in and was out.
I sat by, and was able to tell the "Reader" every time I felt a tic. I was surprised, I had thought the tics stopped in his sleep, and to my surprise, they didn't at all. They were just smaller. The saddest part was having to wake the poor boy up after 10 minutes of sleep. That wasn't fun. The "Reader" did say we got a lot of information and was pleased with Reece. That is all we know for now. Except, Reece and I came home and took a small nap, and I for see a cranky Reece in the near future.
***These pictures are from our cell phones. It's the best we could do.

EEG Scheduled

Reece will have his EEG this Friday, the 20th. Just a few things we need to do.

1. Be there at 6:30 in the morning.


2. Make sure Reece has clean hair.


3. ONLY ALLOW HIM 5 HOURS OF SLEEP BEFORE!!!

How do you give a 4 year old, only 5 hours of sleep? It will be a long night, followed by a long day and night. The tournament will be on, so you know I won't go to bed until the games are all over at, umm, midnight! That's just on Thursday, and we'll do the same on Friday. Thankfully, Jake and I both have Friday off.

Over the past week, Jake and I, haven't noticed the tic as much as we had before. I was wondering if it was getting better or have we not been watching as close. This morning when I woke up, I made it a priority to observe him more today.Today, Reece woke up at 6:30 and came into my bed to sleep a couple more hours. Jake was already at work and it is very strange Reece would be up that early. Before Reece fell back to sleep, I felt his tic once, just through the vibrations in the bed. Just now, the boys and I got done playing SORRY, and the tic showed up, big time, to perform. Right after the game, I suggested the boys color a picture for Dad. Once again, Reece was twitching away. Reece has his tic very randomly, all day long. He could just be laying and watching TV, getting dressed, or playing games. Last week I allowed him to fall asleep in my bed, next to me, and the tic seems to stop when he falls asleep. I will take him to his bed after he's been asleep for a little bit. I'm trying to get the best feel for when it happens. It seems to get dramatically worse, when he is concentrating. This is the most concerning thought for me. He will be in school soon, and it worries me, that when it comes to writing, he might start getting frustrated that he can't control this, and he might fall behind.

Even though I have all of these concerns, and it is constantly on my mind, ever since we've been to the Doctor, I have been much more at ease. Just knowing that we are working at figuring this out, and that a Doctor has witnessed this, makes me feel so much better. Check back here for an update soon.

I'm Obsessed!

I LOVE MARCH MADNESS!

It is my absolute favorite time of year! And, I'm losing sleep over it. We haven't even made it to the BIG DANCE, and I can't stop watching. Next week, when I actually have a bracket filled out, and have a reason to watch each game, it will only get worse.

I am always so excited when March Madness comes, but so sad when it goes by too fast and basketball is done. It finally dawned on me, I would be completely worthless if it lasted any longer than it already does.

It doesn't matter what team is playing. If it is March, I'm hooked. The other night I stayed up super late to watch Syracuse finish out 6 overtimes! I unfortunately had to wake up less than 6 hours later. Why did I do it? I was so tired, and each overtime was more dreadful than the last, but March basketball is like a train wreck... I can't take my eyes off it.

My Jayhawks have ended the last couple of weeks looking pretty poorly, but hopefully they re-energize and turn things around quickly. Even if they don't, it won't stop me from watching. Once again, I'm obsessed. I don't think anyone saw the success we have had coming. After all, we lost all 5 starters, and only returned 2 players that logged any decent time last year. I know I didn't see it coming. I am so proud of our team, and know it will only get better.

Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk!

MRI Scheduled

Tuesday, March 24th at 9:30 a.m.... Coincidentally, Jake has his 6 month MRI the same day at 8:00 a.m. It's hard to believe it has been 6 months since we've seen our wonderful Neuro Surgeon. It has been on my mind a lot. Praying things haven't changed, and that we won't have to see her for another 6 months. As much as we love Jake's Doctor, it is always best to not have to see her.

Reece Update III

Just another update, after another Doctor appointment...We made it in early this morning to a Neurologist at a local hospital. It went well. Reece didn't put on a great show this time, he was extremely wound up, and would not sit still at all. Thankfully, I had my camera with the footage I have filmed. The Neurologist did see the tic in person, just not too much of it. He asked a lot of questions and did a few easy tests on Reece. Checked out his eyes, reflexes, had him walk in a straight line and checked for balance. Reece did well there, but quickly resumed to bouncing off the walls.

The Doctor had mentioned a lot of what he has heard resembled a tic, that a lot of kids do develop and eventually grow out of. However, there were a few differences, that lead him to believe it could be something different. When he saw the footage of Reece writing, he found it strange that he would have a tic between each letter. Often, people can hold a tic in until a task is done. His obligations are to rule out everything to try to pin point what is causing this tic.

There is a slim chance, this could be a case of Tourrettes Syndrome. But Reece would have to do this for a year before that could be diagnosed. There is also a tic that develops after Strep Throat, but Reece never had Strep, as far as we know. Riley did have Strep a few months back, and Reece never showed signs of that. The possibilities seem endless.

The Doctor is ordering an EEG and an MRI. EEG will have little sticky sensors that will be placed on his head, to monitor brain waves. The MRI will require Reece to be put asleep to perform. He also ordered a TON of blood tests to rule out other things. We stopped by Children's Mercy on our way home to have that done. We assumed they would be the friendliest to a 4 year old. Reece was a CHAMP! He sat on my lap, and sort of cried the entire time the needle was in, however, never once did a tear come out. The doctor ordered so many tests, the nurse had to draw 6 viles of blood. And she said she condensed it as much as she could. He of course milked it afterwards. What Reece wanted, Reece got. He told me he was sad because he got shot.

Well, this is what we know for now. We will go back in 4 weeks, and the Doctor will call if anything unusual comes out of the blood work. They will also be calling to arrange the EEG and MRI soon.

Birthday Weekend

We had a fun and busy weekend. On Saturday, we went to our friend, Logan's, 4th birthday party at Monkey Bizness. The kids had a blast. I always forget that there is an Air Hockey Table, and that Reece loves to play on it. Unfortunately, it takes quarters and I seem to never have quarters on me. Reece was sad I didn't have any money for the game. A few minutes later he was asking where Logan's Mom was? I showed him and he suspiciously, told me he needed to talk to her. Strange that a 4 year old needed to talk to another adult. I see them have a short conversation, and next thing I know, Reece is getting quarters from her. Oh, I have a long way to go in the manners department. I was a little embarrassed, but know that she didn't mind at all.

Right before cake and presents, Reece ran up to me in a panic, "Mom! Scott hurt my friend!"

"Well, who is your friend?"

"Riley!"

Only, Reece doesn't pronounce the "L" in Riley's name and it's more like "Ryee." It was so funny. Scott's mom was right next to me, and Riley somehow got hurt, but he was over it pretty quickly, and I'm sure it was an accident. After that drama, it was cupcakes, punch and presents.

Here is Reece breaking the rule, not going down the slide feet first. He only did this after the adult before him, went down this way.

We left the party a little early to drive down to Wichita. We stopped by Jody's house where some cousins were watching "Star Wars." Reece also refers to them as friends, not cousins. This was the calm before the storm. Colby, Aidan, Camryn, Riley and Reece. It wasn't long after this, we tried to put them down for a movie and bed, and all chaos broke loose. There was a storm of kids inside, and a storm brewing outside. I drove into town hearing tornado sirens and thunderstorms all around. I can't complain too much about the noise, because they were loud enough to wake up Owen, and I got to see him for a little bit, before we were off to Grandma and Grandpa's house to sleep. However, Jody probably wasn't too thrilled Owen made an 11:00 pm appearance. What can you do? When kids are excited, they are excited.

I was happy to fall asleep listening to the thunder. Oh, how I love Spring!! Thunderstorms are the best.

This was our 1st Birthday Gathering weekend, that I created. We have 20 grandkids, and it was starting to get expensive and chaotic celebrating all of the birthdays. We have always been good about grouping some of them together, but it wasn't always possible.

Here's what I came up with...Every quarter, we are celebrating 5 of the grandkids birthdays together. We are just making it a family dinner, cake and presents. Instead of buying gifts for everyone, I arranged it to where each kid gets 3 gifts, and it dramatically limits the number of gifts we purchase each year. We also seem to make it for family dinners only around the holidays, and this way we can gather a few more times. It was a big success. Almost everyone was able to make it and we had a good time. The weather was perfect too, so the kids got a lot of outside time.

This month we celebrated Cole's 12th, Brendon's 10th, Colby & Sydney's 7th, and Camryn's 5th. I did it in chronological order. It just happened to be 3 of Jill's kids, who are in Utah, and both of Shawn's kids. Even though Jill couldn't be here, I'm sure they had their own celebration. So Colby and Camryn were the kids of the hour. Joanna made 2 Cakes, so they could each have a cake to blow candles out on. She made a Carrot cake and a Rocky Road cake. (It was delicious, if anyone wants the easy recipe, ask...I requested it for future gatherings!)She did a great job, and we always appreciate her baking. Shortly after cake, it was time to hit the road. We unfortunately, lost 1 hour in Wichita, due to Daylight Savings.

Camryn, excited to blow out her 5 candles.

Colby, opening up his 1st gift from Aunt Jill.

Even though it was a short trip to Wichita, we sure had fun, and can't wait to do it again! Hopefully, we'll get to spend more time there next time.

A quick note, for myself: KU clinched it's 5th straight Conference Championship over the weekend, by beating Texas. It definitely made my weekend a little sweeter.

Reece Update II

We just got home from the doctor. I had asked for a new doctor, because I was upset that our family doctor had dismissed my concerns. The new doctor was great, she was very concerned and took great care of Reece. I showed her footage from my camera, but Reece put on his own show for her, and it wasn't necessary. After discussing with another doctor there, the only word that came to mind was a Choreoathetoid Tic. They referred us to a Neurologist and we will get in next Wednesday, the 11th. I'll keep you posted. I feel a little more at ease, even though I have no idea what this tic is from.

Reece Update

I have been adding videos all week here. Just so you know, we are going to the family doctor tomorrow, hoping to get a referral for a pediatric neurologist. Wish us luck!

Can You Help Me?

I am posting this, mostly, so my brother can check it out. I didn't have luck emailing it to him, so this seemed to be the next best thing. Reece has developed a weird, spasm-like tic. It is freaking me out!!! It has been so hard to get any footage of it, because it is so random, but frequent enough, to where we see it A LOT! It has been going on for about 4-6 weeks.
Reece is laying down and playing his DS, in this video. You will see his face tweek. Each time you see that, it is his tic. It may look like a reaction to his video game, but it is totally involuntary. If there are any Doctor's out there, please chime in! My doctor acted as though I was being dramatic, and dismissed my concern pretty quickly.
I see his face do something funny, 3 times. I'll continue to try to get more footage. I just never know when it will happen.


This one is a little clearer, and it shows the entire shoulder/face/neck motion. It's just not as frequent.



This one is short, but twice, you will see his face and right arm twitch together. These videos don't do much justice, and I promise I'm not being dramatic, just concerned.

Here is Reece, signing his name on a birthday card. I'm feeling this is getting dramatically worse, fast!

Introducing Brennan

Our new sister and brother-in-law, Katie and Greg, just had their first baby. Here is baby Brennan, brand new, and so cute. Congratulations, and I hope it isn't too long before we get to meet him!

This is a big as I could get the picture, for some reason I don't know... =(