One week down... Yea!

So we've hit 8 days seizure free. Let the count-up begin! We have yet to hit a full month w/o seizures. I'm not shooting for the moon but, a month without would be nice. And of course the warm weather has helped all of us be in a better mood. :)
She seems to be doing ok still on the meds, but I have started to see some side effects- or what I think are...
•Shaking/ tremors- this can definatly make me do a double take some days. She'll start shaking like when you try to hold your own hand out and make it be still. Not too bad but keeps me on high alert some days when it's bad enough. (usually just certain times of the day)
• excitability- this one is trickier... She seems to be happy all the time which is part of her personality but, she also seems to get in more of a hyper state, rather than just a pleasant nature. She has also found her voice and is practicing the loud volume... Pair that with being excited all the time... I'm thinking about getting a box of ear plugs next time I go out.... Even more so when Garrett chimes in and they feed off each other. Wow. The other part of this is I think it's hard for her to wind down for naps and bedtime. I can tell when she is truly exhausted because she will just lay down turn her head to the side and go right to sleep. On the flip side, rocking for an hour... We'll see how this plays out.

Well we did have a good Easter and we all got spoiled :) clothes mainly. But Garrett did get some Transformers: Rescue Bots. It's his favorite show these days. Of course all boys like robots who are cool cars. We had to dye Easter eggs the colors of the 4 Bots, then draw eyes and their signature piece ( like rotors for the helicopter). At least we know he likes them :)
Jordan only has a month left of school before he's graduated!!! Yea! I think everyone is looking forward to no homework nights.
Also I signed Garrett up for co-ed spring soccer. He's excited and I think it will be awesome to let him get all his energy out some days. Jordan and I have this bet that he'll be so excited that there are other kids his age, he will just try and talk to them the whole time :) ha ha. We'll see...

Going to be a long week..

Well we almost made it more than 2 weeks... (Technically by a couple hours) but unfortunately Audrey had another on Sunday night. We had a great weekend with family and enjoying General Conference. We did have to use rescue meds and it lasted 9 min. She was happy and having fun in her jumper. Garrett noticed first and said,"mom, look!". We've talked about her seizures and telling us if he notices them. I guess I just didn't really think it would sink in or that he would comprehend it all. What a good kid and how blessed we are to have these 2 great kids.
Well she's doing pretty good now, considering she's teething. No fun. Hopeing it won't stress her out into another one.
Garrett came down with a cold, so we have 2 onry kids. Oh man! I've tried to keep these two apart, but it's super hard! Especially two kids who love to play with each other like these two! And a big 'helper' like Garrett.... Hopefully teething is all she has to deal with this week!
Here's hoping for another two weeks or more!

A blessed but rough week...

This last week has been crazy but we are blessed. So Tuesday we went down to Primary's to do a follow-up visit with the PA. we weren't really sure as to why we were there but it was clear when we left and what to expect from here on out. Audrey's official diagnosis has changed slightly. It is now called Simple Partial with Secondary Generalized Seizures. All this means is that her seizures start on one side/spot in her brain then spread to the rest of her brain. So what it looks like is her right arm starts twitching and then the rest of her body starts shaking, and her eyes blinking. Sounds scary and it is, in the moment... but she's getting good 'eye lash batting' practice. ;) ha ha

So right now she's on two medicines and we're just trying to find the sweet spot (right dosage) to where she will be seizure free. She had another seizure yesterday which was only about 5 minutes and came out of it herself. (no meds required) YAY! (our celebration moments are small right now) so the new record for the month is 12 days. awesome! 

Going along with Audrey's long seizure, they found some weird blood cell in her blood workup they did... thought it might be leukemia. We retested on Tuesday and everything was normal so all clear there. Such a relief to only have to worry about one problem at a time. 

On some happier notes... Congrats to my 2 cousins and their exciting news of their babies... baby girl coming in may and another(no gender yet) in Sept! So excited for you both!!! and a shout out to Erik! glad you're safe! (for those who know the latest events there) ;)

Thanks for all those who have asked about Audrey in the last couple of weeks. We're still doing our thing and 'roll with the punches' when they come. Can't wait for Spring to come and stay... we've already been to the park twice (even with snow still on the ground) because we have spring fever SO bad!

Happy Birthday to Garrett!! I can't believe it's been 3 years since he came into our family. What a cute, fun little boy! He is my 'best helper' and such a sweet brother to Audrey. They do love each other a ton. Siblings are awesome! except maybe if you have to share clothes... right Celeste?!....  :) He was able to get just about everything he wanted... batman, superman, buzz lightyear, and a swimming shirt he is dying to use.

The slide is his favorite thing at the park. Still love that contagious smile! My cute happy boy!

 My 'best helper'. 

He even thinks vacuuming is something fun we do... because he plays 'chicken' with the vacuum.

4 months old... so cute.

Where does the time go? 

 Birthday morning...

Evidence of the birthday moment...

 After a picnic at the park, I was informed on the way home, " Mom I'm not 3 yet but i'm gonna be 3 today. Here's my plan... we're gonna go home, make cupcakes, put the candle in, and you sing 'Happy Birthday', then my blow it out, then I'll be 3."

Who knew, that a 3 year old would know, that there was a birthday 'rite of passage'. It never does feel like your birthday until someone sings and you blow out the candle right!?!

On to the next couple weeks... Easter and Conference...

more excitement... NOT! I've had my fill...

So in thinking that with Audrey's previous track record...we were in the clear for at least another 10 days so... I decided to go to work tonight. Jordan had school so, I left the kids with my parents and went to work for maybe a little getaway, if only for my brain. calling doctors is not fun. I'm tired of calling, waiting, not knowing what is going on and why this is happening. So as I'm cleaning away, letting my brain rest before it explodes....
 I get a call from my mom letting me know that Audrey's having another seizure! "are you serious?!" is all I can think to say... "yes" my mom replies, "what do I do?"
 I can't begin to describe the clarity I get at this point in time. I know exactly what to do now and I'm not sure if it's because this is my new routine, or a hidden talent I've been blessed with. Perhaps both. Another trip to the ER. Another blessing that my mom and dad were home together. Luckily, Audrey was able to pull herself out this time... only 8 min. Improvement from 37... but still not super great. I know it was a long but fast 8 minutes for me as I waited for them at the ER, ready to grab and go.
 I work for such great and understanding people who let me walk out the door in the middle of cleaning. So grateful for parents that can handle a stressful situation. Sorry mom and dad. my life is crazy right now...
Now, we get to call more doctors tomorrow. What's in store...
-possibly a different medication.
-we now have 'rescue medication' as I like to call it, so that as soon as she hits 5 min. I can give it to her and stop the seizure. no more driving like crazy people to the ER.  YEA! (the down side is it's rectal.)     nice. this should be interesting. :)
the things you never thought of doing as a parent and family member... sorry guys :)
-more appts and I'm sure more tests.


Hopefully we can get to the source of the problem and soon. until then...stay tuned for more updates and excitement. Thanks again for all the support and prayers. We have been truly blessed this far with our trial.

my sweet baby girl...

Riding the ups and downs

*** I'm mainly doing this as a record for myself. For those who want to stay informed, enjoy.
Just to keep updated.... We made another exciting adventure to the ER last night. Audrey had another seizure. This one was longer. About 37 minutes to be exact. One word to describe it: scary. I'm so grateful for the times we live in and the modern medicine and knowledge we have to help us in these difficult trials. Once was now the new norm... Will now become a different new norm. I feel as though this is just a trial and error phase of this process. We have more tests to do, different dosage to try, possibly new medications in the future, and more questions and discussions with the doctors. I'm still so grateful for the power of prayer and the peaceable comfort HE offers us in our most desperate time of need. where would I be, and in what state of mind without the gospel? I'm so grateful for the gospel and the covenants, promises, and knowledge it brings to my life. Please keep Audrey in your prayers. She is ok for now, and hopefully back to her happy smily self in the morning. I will keep the updates coming. Thanks for all the love and support!

Pic- brother and sister enjoying their morning. And my sweet baby girl- happy as always! :)

The new normal...

Just an update for you all....
We went and had an MRI for Audrey and it came back normal! A relief :) so now she will be on seizure medication for most likely 1 year. She's doing great and the hope is that she will just grow out of them.
Thanks again for all the support and prayers!


Pic- being an angel before the MRI

The Adventures of Audrey

  So it's been a great (and whirlwind) almost 5 months since Audrey was born. For those who would like to know more about the current prognosis and have sent messages of your love and support, here is an update on the latest going on... first some cute stuff (since I haven't blogged forever) then the other. Also a record for myself.

We have been getting used to having two kids...

I love these two pictures. Garrett went from being unsure about having a sibling, to fulfilling his role as an older brother who looks out for his sister perfectly. Their relationship has been one I love to see develop more each day. Audrey knows Garrett and loves to watch (and have) anything he does or play with........ already.

Garrett loves Audrey, and Audrey loves Garrett. There is nothing more a mother could ask for between siblings.

A coordinated nap time however, wouldn't hurt most days..... ;)


Now the other....


The Story:
This past Sunday (Feb 3, 2013) while hanging out before church, Jordan noticed Audrey acting a little weird. As we both watched her, we noticed some signs that she might be having a seizure. As we recorded the event on video, researched a little, and talked to the on call doctor, we were advised to go to the ER where she was diagnosed with having a Focal Seizure. After the seizure she recovered quickly and has returned to her normal happy, smiley, social self. We made an appointment with Primary Children's Hospital where we had a EEG done and talked with our pediatric neurologist (Tues. Feb 5). The EEG went smooth and we were grateful that it was able to show the doctors she was having seizures and also to be able to give them the information they needed to help Audrey. I am so grateful that Jordan was able to have a clear mind that morning to help me get through it as well as think clearly and remember exactly what happened.

Diagnosis:
She has been diagnosed with having Simple Partial Seizures. As far as we can tell, these do not hurt her other than maybe an occasional mild headache (said by adults who also have this condition) and no damage to her brain. She has been prescribed anti-epileptic medication to help stop the seizures from happening. She will be on this medication for at least 6 months to 1 year and until we can further determine that she is no longer having seizures.  This will take time in order to make sure the medicine is working and if it is the right dosage and right medicine for her.

For the Future:
We will be getting and MRI done in the next two weeks to rule out possible causes why she might be having these seizures. There is a 60 % chance that we may never know why. As far as we know she may just grow out of them. Until we know more or time has solved the problem we are just going through each day like any other day.

We will keep you all posted as we find out more in the next month or so.


We know the Lord has blessed our lives with Audrey, and with allowing us to see the signs of this illness in her life so that we may help her in every way we can as parents. We have also been blessed with the strength to endure what has come to pass as well as what will yet come our way. We are so grateful for the knowledge of the gospel and the healing powers of the priesthood. I have seen the miracles that come through priesthood blessings and prayer.

We are so very grateful for family and friends that have shared their love, support, hospitality, and prayers in our behalf. It is such a source of strength for us. Thank you, Thank you. We love and appreciate all of you!!

Jordan, Arica, Garrett, and Audrey

glam shot :) my favorite.