We are taking Dawson back to the Doctor tomorrow. I mentioned a few days ago that he had these sores on his nose and around his mouth. Doc said it looked like bug bites but I never really bought into that theory. We think its Impetigo but we will find out for sure tomorrow. His poor nose looks like he crashed on a bike, and got a serious case of road rash. We have been keeping stuff on his sores but it doesn't really seem like its helping a lot. If it is Impetigo, I think the sores can last for a week or two but it isn't anything serious.
We have been over a month seizure free and Dawson has slept better this week than he has since birth. He is consistently sleeping for 6+ hours now at night. Compare this to him waking up almost every hour at night and that = 2 happy parents. How great it is to sleep again and for him to sleep that long at night is a prayer answered.
We are still working on crawling. He is so close. The new trick of the week is that he can now drink from his own sippy cup. His cup has two handles on it and he picks it up, tilts it back, and starts guzzling apple juice.
Oh and talking..... This kid has become Mr Vocal. We have no idea what he is saying but he is constantly saying something. All these things are great to see. We love the progress he is making and we hope he will continue in a forward direction.
May God bless each and every one of you, and thank you for all you have done for this family
We love you
Jeff and Allison
Monday, June 30, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Today was supposed to be so simple
The plan for today was a simple one. Get up, cook some breakfast, drive to Huntsville and watch the air show. Sounds simple enough right??
WRONG
So the first part of the morning went great. I got up, cooked some eggs, bacon, made some toast and put some fresh fruit on the table. It was a great breakfast if I can say so myself.
Part two involved getting everybody ready to leave to drive to Huntsville. This process is usually a tricky one but no big deal today. Showers, ironing, getting kids ready, and preparing to be out in the sun for several hours.
Now things get interesting. We think the Topamax that Dawson takes interferes with him being able to regulate his body temp, because when we go outside for any period of time, he gets REALLY hot and turns red. So the plan today was to stop by somewhere along the way and get one of those little fans that has a water bottle on it to keep him misted and cool.
So the first stop is right up the road at the gas station. Coffee for Allison, Snickers bar for me, a bag of ice to put in the cooler to keep Dawson's food and drink cold. I go up to the counter to pay and the girl says my debit card is declined. I told her that is ridiculous and to run it again. She does and the same thing and the card will not go through. I am getting ready to hand her my credit card when she notices that their satellite is off line and that's why the card won't go through. She runs the card through on one of those knuckle buster things, I sign, grab my stuff and waltz out the door. You must be wondering why I am telling you this part but trust me this is a very important part of the story....
Next stop Dollar General. I went in to see if they had a "mister" for Dawson and if they did I was going to get some cash back from my Debit card because parking at the Airport is 10.00 and we needed some cash for concessions. No luck finding a fan at Dollar General and I leave. No problem because I am going to stop in Athens ( 45 minutes away) at the Walmart, as this in on our way to Huntsville.
We get to Athens and I go into Walmart. I walk around and around and around trying to find what I am looking for. A mister fan, some sun glasses for Madison ( because now she doesn't like the ones she has on) and some fruit snacks ( because now Madison is hungry) After some time in Walmart I finally find the stuff I need and I go to the checkout. Purchases are rang up, I pull out my wallet to get my Debit card ................................. ITS GONE. Nope, no where in my wallet is anything even closely resembling a Debit card. I tell the cashier to hold on a min, grab my cell phone and place a call to Allison who stayed in the car with the kids. She answers the phone and I hear Dawson screaming in the background. I now know that I am on my own. Allison can't help me. I tell the cashier to wait a min, because I think I left my Debit card in the car. I go back to the parking lot, search the car, and no Debit card to be found. Also you must know, Allison did not bring her purse with her ( which has Her Debit card in it) So I am stuck in Athens with no cash, no Debit card, and All I really need is 10.00 for parking at the Airport and a mister for Dawson.
At this point I am devastated. I slowly start to realize that I am not going to the air show after all. I mean I have a credit card with me so buying the mister is no problem, but I need cash and I have NONE with me. I get in the car, have a small fit, and start heading back towards home.
I am upset because I spent some time this morning really getting Madison all riled up about watching the jets. I pulled up some videos on YouTube of air shows and was hollering at Madison " You want to go see those??? You want to go see the jets?? " and shes yelling " YES DADDY, YES DADDY is that where we are going? " and I am saying back to her " YES YES YES they are awesome and we are going to watch them!!!!!! "....................
So I'm feeling pretty bad, I've driven quite a ways and so far nothing good has come of it when suddenly I realize, Hey! I have a credit card in my wallet, all I need is an ATM and I can withdraw some cash using my credit card. I drive and find a grocery store, walk around the front of the store for a minute, and there it is. My saving grace. An ATM. With a grin, I pull out my credit card, give it a confident swipe, and it asks me for my pin number. :??????? What pin number?? I DON'T KNOW MY PIN NUMBER!!! are u kidding me?? Once again I have failed. I went in to get some cash ( and buy some fruit snacks at Madison's request because now shes REALLY hungry) and I am coming out empty handed yet again.
I wont give up yet, I turn the card over, spot the number to call, and call it. After all the credit card company should be able to tell me what my pin number is. The lady on the other end of the phone ( with whom I can hardly understand because her English is terrible) tells me that I can get a new pin number using my touch tone phone at home. Well guess what?? I am not at home. I am in Athens Alabama in a grocery store. All I need in the world is 10.00, a mister, a box of fruit snacks, and some new sunglasses for Madison and I can't pull it off.
It is very evident at this time that we are not going to Huntsville to see the Blue Angles. I am MAD ( at myself mostly) Dawson is crying, and Madison is acting like she could literally starve to death at any moment. So what else is a Dad to do?? I found a Burger King in Athens, got my baby girl a .99 cent hamburger ( with my credit card) and drove back home.
Yeah, this was supposed to be so simple...
I just drove 45 minutes to buy a hamburger that cost .99 cents
Jeff
WRONG
So the first part of the morning went great. I got up, cooked some eggs, bacon, made some toast and put some fresh fruit on the table. It was a great breakfast if I can say so myself.
Part two involved getting everybody ready to leave to drive to Huntsville. This process is usually a tricky one but no big deal today. Showers, ironing, getting kids ready, and preparing to be out in the sun for several hours.
Now things get interesting. We think the Topamax that Dawson takes interferes with him being able to regulate his body temp, because when we go outside for any period of time, he gets REALLY hot and turns red. So the plan today was to stop by somewhere along the way and get one of those little fans that has a water bottle on it to keep him misted and cool.
So the first stop is right up the road at the gas station. Coffee for Allison, Snickers bar for me, a bag of ice to put in the cooler to keep Dawson's food and drink cold. I go up to the counter to pay and the girl says my debit card is declined. I told her that is ridiculous and to run it again. She does and the same thing and the card will not go through. I am getting ready to hand her my credit card when she notices that their satellite is off line and that's why the card won't go through. She runs the card through on one of those knuckle buster things, I sign, grab my stuff and waltz out the door. You must be wondering why I am telling you this part but trust me this is a very important part of the story....
Next stop Dollar General. I went in to see if they had a "mister" for Dawson and if they did I was going to get some cash back from my Debit card because parking at the Airport is 10.00 and we needed some cash for concessions. No luck finding a fan at Dollar General and I leave. No problem because I am going to stop in Athens ( 45 minutes away) at the Walmart, as this in on our way to Huntsville.
We get to Athens and I go into Walmart. I walk around and around and around trying to find what I am looking for. A mister fan, some sun glasses for Madison ( because now she doesn't like the ones she has on) and some fruit snacks ( because now Madison is hungry) After some time in Walmart I finally find the stuff I need and I go to the checkout. Purchases are rang up, I pull out my wallet to get my Debit card ................................. ITS GONE. Nope, no where in my wallet is anything even closely resembling a Debit card. I tell the cashier to hold on a min, grab my cell phone and place a call to Allison who stayed in the car with the kids. She answers the phone and I hear Dawson screaming in the background. I now know that I am on my own. Allison can't help me. I tell the cashier to wait a min, because I think I left my Debit card in the car. I go back to the parking lot, search the car, and no Debit card to be found. Also you must know, Allison did not bring her purse with her ( which has Her Debit card in it) So I am stuck in Athens with no cash, no Debit card, and All I really need is 10.00 for parking at the Airport and a mister for Dawson.
At this point I am devastated. I slowly start to realize that I am not going to the air show after all. I mean I have a credit card with me so buying the mister is no problem, but I need cash and I have NONE with me. I get in the car, have a small fit, and start heading back towards home.
I am upset because I spent some time this morning really getting Madison all riled up about watching the jets. I pulled up some videos on YouTube of air shows and was hollering at Madison " You want to go see those??? You want to go see the jets?? " and shes yelling " YES DADDY, YES DADDY is that where we are going? " and I am saying back to her " YES YES YES they are awesome and we are going to watch them!!!!!! "....................
So I'm feeling pretty bad, I've driven quite a ways and so far nothing good has come of it when suddenly I realize, Hey! I have a credit card in my wallet, all I need is an ATM and I can withdraw some cash using my credit card. I drive and find a grocery store, walk around the front of the store for a minute, and there it is. My saving grace. An ATM. With a grin, I pull out my credit card, give it a confident swipe, and it asks me for my pin number. :??????? What pin number?? I DON'T KNOW MY PIN NUMBER!!! are u kidding me?? Once again I have failed. I went in to get some cash ( and buy some fruit snacks at Madison's request because now shes REALLY hungry) and I am coming out empty handed yet again.
I wont give up yet, I turn the card over, spot the number to call, and call it. After all the credit card company should be able to tell me what my pin number is. The lady on the other end of the phone ( with whom I can hardly understand because her English is terrible) tells me that I can get a new pin number using my touch tone phone at home. Well guess what?? I am not at home. I am in Athens Alabama in a grocery store. All I need in the world is 10.00, a mister, a box of fruit snacks, and some new sunglasses for Madison and I can't pull it off.
It is very evident at this time that we are not going to Huntsville to see the Blue Angles. I am MAD ( at myself mostly) Dawson is crying, and Madison is acting like she could literally starve to death at any moment. So what else is a Dad to do?? I found a Burger King in Athens, got my baby girl a .99 cent hamburger ( with my credit card) and drove back home.
Yeah, this was supposed to be so simple...
I just drove 45 minutes to buy a hamburger that cost .99 cents
Jeff
Friday, June 27, 2008
Early Intervention Re- Evaluation
Today the lady who does the evaluations for Early Intervention came to see us today. When he was originally evaluated at 3 months old, we requested that she come back after a period of time just to make sure he is still on track and the goals we set for him are being achieved.
The evaluation today went really well and he tested age appropriate on most things and he tested above his age group in some other categories. The only thing he is not doing that we feel he should be doing is crawling. He is so close. He gets into position to go from sitting to crawling and gets so close but just wont make himself go over onto his knees. If he only knew what awaited him outside of his reach.... Which makes us worry a little because he is into ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!! So we know when he does start crawling, theres going to be trouble. Seriously, A Lot of trouble. Those of you who are with him most of the week know what I'm talking about.
So we continue to ride the gift of miracles that God has given us. None of this is possible without him and I mean NONE of it.
He went to see the Doctor today because he started having these little sores come up. He has a big sore on his nose and it just wasn't looking very good or healing up very well. The Doctor said they are bug bites but I don't know if I am completely sold on that or not. He gave us some medicine to put on the " bites" so we will see how they do the rest of the weekend. He still has some new ones popping up, and has not been outside,which is why I am questioning the bug bite theory.
So thats about it for us for now. There is an air show in Huntsville tomorrow and the "Blue Angles" are going to be preforming so we might go check them out. Other than that we are going to lay back and try to get some rest this weekend. Thanks for checking in on Dawson. I wish there was a way to properly thank each and every one of you for being a part of our family and living this with us. We love you!
Jeff and Allison
The evaluation today went really well and he tested age appropriate on most things and he tested above his age group in some other categories. The only thing he is not doing that we feel he should be doing is crawling. He is so close. He gets into position to go from sitting to crawling and gets so close but just wont make himself go over onto his knees. If he only knew what awaited him outside of his reach.... Which makes us worry a little because he is into ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!! So we know when he does start crawling, theres going to be trouble. Seriously, A Lot of trouble. Those of you who are with him most of the week know what I'm talking about.
So we continue to ride the gift of miracles that God has given us. None of this is possible without him and I mean NONE of it.
He went to see the Doctor today because he started having these little sores come up. He has a big sore on his nose and it just wasn't looking very good or healing up very well. The Doctor said they are bug bites but I don't know if I am completely sold on that or not. He gave us some medicine to put on the " bites" so we will see how they do the rest of the weekend. He still has some new ones popping up, and has not been outside,which is why I am questioning the bug bite theory.
So thats about it for us for now. There is an air show in Huntsville tomorrow and the "Blue Angles" are going to be preforming so we might go check them out. Other than that we are going to lay back and try to get some rest this weekend. Thanks for checking in on Dawson. I wish there was a way to properly thank each and every one of you for being a part of our family and living this with us. We love you!
Jeff and Allison
Thursday, June 26, 2008
A time to sleep
The past couple of nights have been a lot different for us. Dawson has started a much better sleeping pattern. He has been sleeping 6+ hours at a time the past few nights and I cant begin to tell you how great it is all of us sleeping that long. Once again, answered prayers.
Seizures still remain at bay and he is just enjoying being a kid for now. He enjoys sitting and playing with his toys for long periods. He LOVES to sit in front of a mirror. There is something about watching himself in the mirror that fascinates him. Feeding himself finger foods is another thing he is really enjoying as well.
And now that he is finally sleeping long stretches at night, well, it just makes everything better when you've had some sleep. I'm sure he feels better as well.
I am sure there will be nights where the sleep is once again interrupted all night but this is definitely a step in the right direction.
Thanks for checking in on our miracle. We love and appreciate you all
Seizures still remain at bay and he is just enjoying being a kid for now. He enjoys sitting and playing with his toys for long periods. He LOVES to sit in front of a mirror. There is something about watching himself in the mirror that fascinates him. Feeding himself finger foods is another thing he is really enjoying as well.
And now that he is finally sleeping long stretches at night, well, it just makes everything better when you've had some sleep. I'm sure he feels better as well.
I am sure there will be nights where the sleep is once again interrupted all night but this is definitely a step in the right direction.
Thanks for checking in on our miracle. We love and appreciate you all
Monday, June 23, 2008
Monday June 23rd Update
Happy Monday to our family and friends. Dawson has had yet another good day today. Another seizure free day for our family. Another day full of blessings.
This evening we have been working no him with his crawling ( Much to his dismay) For some reason he just hates being on his knees. He doesn't like being on his stomach much either but force him to get on his hands and knees and you have yourself one mad 9 month old.
He was so mad at me and he screamed and cried until he was just inconsolable. It took some special " Mommy time" to calm him down and then I laid down with him and he went right to sleep. Hopefully he can stay that way for a while.
Madison is doing great too. She has been on a " Cinderella" movie marathon this entire week. If I have to watch that movie one more time my head might pop off. She gets one movie on her mind and she will watch it everyday for a month. We have already been through this with The Lion King and Finding Nemo. There's a very limited number of times a grown man can watch Cinderella. The number has been exceeded as far as I am concerned.
So our family is settling down into a good routine that doesn't involve seizures and Doctor visits for the time being. Our life is good and we thank God for that
Your family support and friendship are nothing short of inspiring. We thank you
Jeff and Allison
This evening we have been working no him with his crawling ( Much to his dismay) For some reason he just hates being on his knees. He doesn't like being on his stomach much either but force him to get on his hands and knees and you have yourself one mad 9 month old.
He was so mad at me and he screamed and cried until he was just inconsolable. It took some special " Mommy time" to calm him down and then I laid down with him and he went right to sleep. Hopefully he can stay that way for a while.
Madison is doing great too. She has been on a " Cinderella" movie marathon this entire week. If I have to watch that movie one more time my head might pop off. She gets one movie on her mind and she will watch it everyday for a month. We have already been through this with The Lion King and Finding Nemo. There's a very limited number of times a grown man can watch Cinderella. The number has been exceeded as far as I am concerned.
So our family is settling down into a good routine that doesn't involve seizures and Doctor visits for the time being. Our life is good and we thank God for that
Your family support and friendship are nothing short of inspiring. We thank you
Jeff and Allison
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Sunday June 22nd update
We hope that everybody has had a great weekend. We certainly have. It has been a busy weekend for us ( which is typical) but we had the opportunity to visit with some family members who were in town for the weekend, as well as some friends that we haven't seen in a while. All this accompanied with our usual weekend running of errands made us pretty busy the past couple of days.
Our family continues to do really well. We have been blessed in so many ways by God. Our blessings are too many to count but that has been the focus for us these past days. We have been recognizing all the many ways God has, and continues to bless us.
Dawson is doing amazingly well. Allison and I have not seen any seizures and so today makes 24 days seizure free. We knew in our hearts that we would arrive at this place one day. But now that we are here in this place of no seizures, its hard to believe were actually here. But yet we are here, and we praise God for bringing us to this place.
This has been the hardest 8 months of our lives and yet at the same time, it has been the Greatest 8 months of our lives. We have learned that when you completely turn over something to God, that's just what he does. He takes the most wretched thing you could ever go through and turn it into gifts and blessings beyond your wildest imagination.
We have no idea what tomorrow holds for our us, our family, or Dawson. We only know that God is in charge of tomorrow and that's good enough for me.
We are having Dawson re-evaluated by Early Intervention this week. When they did the original evaluation we set goals that we wanted him to reach developmentally. With the exception of a couple of things, he has met and exceeded those goals. So to make sure hes stays on track, we wanted him re-evaluated and given a new set of goals. You never know what kind of damage these seizures are doing/have done with these kids, so even though he is doing great right now, we will continue to closely monitor his developmental progress and address any delays that might come up.
Once again, thanks for the constant showering of prayers that you have poured over this family. You are now able to see the fruits of your labor.
We love you
Jeff and Allison
Our family continues to do really well. We have been blessed in so many ways by God. Our blessings are too many to count but that has been the focus for us these past days. We have been recognizing all the many ways God has, and continues to bless us.
Dawson is doing amazingly well. Allison and I have not seen any seizures and so today makes 24 days seizure free. We knew in our hearts that we would arrive at this place one day. But now that we are here in this place of no seizures, its hard to believe were actually here. But yet we are here, and we praise God for bringing us to this place.
This has been the hardest 8 months of our lives and yet at the same time, it has been the Greatest 8 months of our lives. We have learned that when you completely turn over something to God, that's just what he does. He takes the most wretched thing you could ever go through and turn it into gifts and blessings beyond your wildest imagination.
We have no idea what tomorrow holds for our us, our family, or Dawson. We only know that God is in charge of tomorrow and that's good enough for me.
We are having Dawson re-evaluated by Early Intervention this week. When they did the original evaluation we set goals that we wanted him to reach developmentally. With the exception of a couple of things, he has met and exceeded those goals. So to make sure hes stays on track, we wanted him re-evaluated and given a new set of goals. You never know what kind of damage these seizures are doing/have done with these kids, so even though he is doing great right now, we will continue to closely monitor his developmental progress and address any delays that might come up.
Once again, thanks for the constant showering of prayers that you have poured over this family. You are now able to see the fruits of your labor.
We love you
Jeff and Allison
Thursday, June 19, 2008
June 19th Update
Dawson has had a really good day today. He slept well, has been in a good mood all day, went to sleep today in a crib without having to be rocked or shaken ( jiggled) to sleep. Just a regular day. These are the kind of days we have been praying so hard for. Just regular days where he is just a regular baby doing regular baby stuff.
We went out to eat tonight and Dawson was very interactive with all the different people around him. It is so great to see him so " aware" of everything that is going on around him and being so engaged with people.
Another day today without seizures, another day we count blessings instead of seizures, another day that we get to witness a miracle. Today was just a regular day, and we couldn't be happier about it.
Thanks for the prayers and support from our family and friends old and new. We love you
Jeff and Allison
We went out to eat tonight and Dawson was very interactive with all the different people around him. It is so great to see him so " aware" of everything that is going on around him and being so engaged with people.
Another day today without seizures, another day we count blessings instead of seizures, another day that we get to witness a miracle. Today was just a regular day, and we couldn't be happier about it.
Thanks for the prayers and support from our family and friends old and new. We love you
Jeff and Allison
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Wednesday June 18th Update
Dawson continues to do really well. It is so amazing the changes in him from just a couple of weeks ago until now. He is saying Da Da on a regular basis now with an occasional Ma Ma so it is nice to see language starting to develope in him.
Last night Dawson started doing something new. He was sitting on the bed and threw himself backwards on his back. Rolled to his side and sat himself up. I think it even amazed him because he did it over and over and over again until he finally wore himself out sitting up. We are blessed and so thankful to God to see these developmental changes taking place in him. It is a lot more fun watching this kind of stuff vs. counting seizures.
His sleep continues to be off at night. He is only getting short naps during the day and at night he is waking up all through the night. Some nights are better than others but in general sleeping at night is a huge issue for us. Neither Allison or myself has slept an entire night uninterrupted in over 9 months now. We were really hoping that with the disappearance of the seizures that we would see a change in his sleeping pattern. Not yet anyway.
Katelin continues to do really well. Her blood sugar numbers have been really great the past couple of days and it seems like they are leveling out and staying at or around a consistent range. It has been quite tiresome preparing meals, checking blood, preparing snacks, counting carbs, figuring out how much insulin she needs with each meal, giving injections, ect ect
( yes I'm whining) But is is so worth it to see the results and the good blood sugar numbers.
Thanks for the constant prayers and support. Keep them coming please
We love you
Jeff and Allison
Last night Dawson started doing something new. He was sitting on the bed and threw himself backwards on his back. Rolled to his side and sat himself up. I think it even amazed him because he did it over and over and over again until he finally wore himself out sitting up. We are blessed and so thankful to God to see these developmental changes taking place in him. It is a lot more fun watching this kind of stuff vs. counting seizures.
His sleep continues to be off at night. He is only getting short naps during the day and at night he is waking up all through the night. Some nights are better than others but in general sleeping at night is a huge issue for us. Neither Allison or myself has slept an entire night uninterrupted in over 9 months now. We were really hoping that with the disappearance of the seizures that we would see a change in his sleeping pattern. Not yet anyway.
Katelin continues to do really well. Her blood sugar numbers have been really great the past couple of days and it seems like they are leveling out and staying at or around a consistent range. It has been quite tiresome preparing meals, checking blood, preparing snacks, counting carbs, figuring out how much insulin she needs with each meal, giving injections, ect ect
( yes I'm whining) But is is so worth it to see the results and the good blood sugar numbers.
Thanks for the constant prayers and support. Keep them coming please
We love you
Jeff and Allison
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Some pics of Dawson and family
Madison and friends
This is what happens to your hair when you go to Jamaica for a week
Madison at Hotel in Atlanta
Daddy and Dawson after a bath
ALlison and Dawson at Hotel after surgery
Dawson before surgery
Madison and Dawson before surgery in Atlanta
This was the most amazing thing. We had just returned to the hotel after surgery. Im kinda sitting around doing the usual wondering " did we do the right thing??" kinda stuff and Allison calls me over to see this. Dawson's wound has bled a perfect heart. What does this tell you??? It told me A LOT!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Monday June 16th Update
Last night was pretty rough. Dawson did one of his " I am just not going to sleep tonight" deals. He just could not seem to settle himself long enough to fall into any type of deep sleep. So we were up most of the night trying to get him to sleep. He would fall asleep, we would fall asleep, he would stir and wake up, we would stir and wake up and the process would start all over again until finally the sun came up.
He had a couple of days like this last week and then seemed to get over it. Hopefully he will get over it quickly this time too. Seizures still remain at bay and we are very very thankful for that. I know that we have quite a while to wait but I am already finding myself anxious about the results from his muscle biopsy. We are praying that it will shed some light on his situation.
Katelin continues to do very well. We were in Huntsville today for a Dr. Visit. Her blood sugar levels are doing pretty well but we are having to give her 4-5 insulin injections daily to keep it that way. She seems no worse for the wear. I wish I could say the same thing about myself.
Keep up the prayers please and we love you guys.
Jeff and Allison
He had a couple of days like this last week and then seemed to get over it. Hopefully he will get over it quickly this time too. Seizures still remain at bay and we are very very thankful for that. I know that we have quite a while to wait but I am already finding myself anxious about the results from his muscle biopsy. We are praying that it will shed some light on his situation.
Katelin continues to do very well. We were in Huntsville today for a Dr. Visit. Her blood sugar levels are doing pretty well but we are having to give her 4-5 insulin injections daily to keep it that way. She seems no worse for the wear. I wish I could say the same thing about myself.
Keep up the prayers please and we love you guys.
Jeff and Allison
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Fathers Day
This Fathers Day is a very special one to me because of what we have been through and lived through as a family this year. As a father, I am truly truly blessed. I have watched God work through my son to change the lives of people and most importantly change my life. I have watched my son overcome adversity, beat the odds time and time again, and always come out on the other side with a smile on his face. I have never been so proud!!
I have a 3 year old daughter who is the most caring, loving, and compassionate little girl I have ever seen. I have watched her this past year care for, tend to, love on, and watch over her little brother like an angel. That is truly what she is.. An Angel. I have never been so proud.
I have a 6 year old daughter who has just been diagnosed with Diabetes. I am watching her take 4 insulin injections daily, to many to count blood checks, special diet restrictions, and yet she seems as though everything is normal. Never a tear shed with injections or finger pricks. She is the bravest little girl I have ever seen and I have never been so proud.
I have a 9 year old daughter who keeps the lighter side of the family going. She is outgoing, she is witty, a little too witty at times, but she laughs more than any person I have ever met and because of that, I have never been so proud.
I have a wife who is the glue that holds the family together. She takes care of everything that needs taken care of, she is the greatest friend I have ever had, she is the best mother to my children that I could ever ask for. She is the love of my life and I don't think I could ever live one day without her. When I look at her the pride wells up from deep inside of me.
Through all that this family has been through this year, it is easy to stand today and say that I Have to be the luckiest dad in the world.
By the way today makes day 17 with no seizures!!!!! GO DAWSON GO
Jeff
I have a 3 year old daughter who is the most caring, loving, and compassionate little girl I have ever seen. I have watched her this past year care for, tend to, love on, and watch over her little brother like an angel. That is truly what she is.. An Angel. I have never been so proud.
I have a 6 year old daughter who has just been diagnosed with Diabetes. I am watching her take 4 insulin injections daily, to many to count blood checks, special diet restrictions, and yet she seems as though everything is normal. Never a tear shed with injections or finger pricks. She is the bravest little girl I have ever seen and I have never been so proud.
I have a 9 year old daughter who keeps the lighter side of the family going. She is outgoing, she is witty, a little too witty at times, but she laughs more than any person I have ever met and because of that, I have never been so proud.
I have a wife who is the glue that holds the family together. She takes care of everything that needs taken care of, she is the greatest friend I have ever had, she is the best mother to my children that I could ever ask for. She is the love of my life and I don't think I could ever live one day without her. When I look at her the pride wells up from deep inside of me.
Through all that this family has been through this year, it is easy to stand today and say that I Have to be the luckiest dad in the world.
By the way today makes day 17 with no seizures!!!!! GO DAWSON GO
Jeff
Friday, June 13, 2008
Mr Fussy Britches
Not sure whats going on with Dawson the past couple of days. He has been very fussy. He has his usual moments of smiles and big grins but the fussiness is creeping through more and more recently. He is fine and dandy as long as somebody is holding him or sitting with him but Don't dare try to get up and walk away. The fact that he is 26 pounds makes the holding part a little hard now a days. Hopefully this is just a phase and is not seizure related.
Speaking of seizure related.... Today is day 15 with no seizures!! I know that seems to be the big topic of recent post but it is such a HUGE deal for us. The good news is that I can only count to 100 so anything past 100 days and you wont have to hear me brag anymore LOL..
God bless each and every one of you who have taken such concern with him. It absolutely blows our minds at the amount of people who are praying for our little guy. Some family, some friends, some co workers, and many total strangers who have all come together to pray for one purpose. We have been forever changed because of you, your prayers, support, and friendship. I wish there was a better way to express our love and gratitude to all the people who have been supporting us in all the different ways we have needed support in. We pray that blessings will pour down on each and every one of you.
Our love to all
Jeff and Allison
Speaking of seizure related.... Today is day 15 with no seizures!! I know that seems to be the big topic of recent post but it is such a HUGE deal for us. The good news is that I can only count to 100 so anything past 100 days and you wont have to hear me brag anymore LOL..
God bless each and every one of you who have taken such concern with him. It absolutely blows our minds at the amount of people who are praying for our little guy. Some family, some friends, some co workers, and many total strangers who have all come together to pray for one purpose. We have been forever changed because of you, your prayers, support, and friendship. I wish there was a better way to express our love and gratitude to all the people who have been supporting us in all the different ways we have needed support in. We pray that blessings will pour down on each and every one of you.
Our love to all
Jeff and Allison
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Thursday June 12th Update
Happy Thursday to all our family and friends. Another good day for Dawson today. And by good day, I mean no seizures again today. He was pretty fussy today and did not want to be left alone very long at all. Usually he will sit on the floor and amuse himself with toys for long periods of time but not today. About 10 min and then he wanted to be picked up and held.
Today was physical therapy day and with him being in that mood it didn't really go that well. He did ok but then he got pretty fussy and that was all she wrote for therapy.
Today has been such a good day because not only are we able to rejoice in the healing of our own son, but we are seeing some miraculous things in some of these other kids we have been praying for. And I also feel like there are miracles close by in some of the others we are praying for. God shows himself in so many different ways. He is always there if you are truly looking for him.
Go Zoey!!!! we are so proud for you!!
Thanks for checking in on Dawson. We are thankful for another seizure free day and pray tomorrow will be another.
We love you
Jeff and Allison
Today was physical therapy day and with him being in that mood it didn't really go that well. He did ok but then he got pretty fussy and that was all she wrote for therapy.
Today has been such a good day because not only are we able to rejoice in the healing of our own son, but we are seeing some miraculous things in some of these other kids we have been praying for. And I also feel like there are miracles close by in some of the others we are praying for. God shows himself in so many different ways. He is always there if you are truly looking for him.
Go Zoey!!!! we are so proud for you!!
Thanks for checking in on Dawson. We are thankful for another seizure free day and pray tomorrow will be another.
We love you
Jeff and Allison
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Wednesday June 11th
We have had a pretty good day again today. Dawson had a visit with his Pediatrician. It was just a regular 9 month appointment, and while he was there we got him to look at the incision where his muscle biopsy was done just to make sure it was healing alright. He said that everything looked fine and that the scar would be minimal. He also said Dawson looked great and was impressed with his progress. They took a little blood to test but other than that it was a pretty basic visit.
Still seizure free as of today!!!!! HOORAYYY We are starting to find ourselves thinking less and less about seizures. Don't know if that's good or bad but thats where we are. We are so thankful for you and for all the praying you have done on Dawson's behalf. God has used this to bless in so many ways and teach us so many things. Please continue to pray that he will remain seizure free. So far he has beaten all the odds of this horrible disorder. Prayer and obedience has allowed that to happen.
Katelin continues to do really well. Her sugar levels are up and down ( more up) so trying to get her regulated continues to be the task at hand. But she continues to take it all in stride and says that she feels great.
Thanks for taking time out of your day to check on our little Hero.
We love you
Jeff and Allison
Still seizure free as of today!!!!! HOORAYYY We are starting to find ourselves thinking less and less about seizures. Don't know if that's good or bad but thats where we are. We are so thankful for you and for all the praying you have done on Dawson's behalf. God has used this to bless in so many ways and teach us so many things. Please continue to pray that he will remain seizure free. So far he has beaten all the odds of this horrible disorder. Prayer and obedience has allowed that to happen.
Katelin continues to do really well. Her sugar levels are up and down ( more up) so trying to get her regulated continues to be the task at hand. But she continues to take it all in stride and says that she feels great.
Thanks for taking time out of your day to check on our little Hero.
We love you
Jeff and Allison
Monday, June 9, 2008
Monday June 9th Update
Hope everyone had a great Monday today. Dawson was quite a bit fussier than usual today and has really been fighting sleep today for some reason. The ride home this evening got him though. I have never met a sleepy baby who could withstand staying awake on a car ride. Gets em every time.
Today has been another really long stressful day. Everybody is tired, Allison has been a little under the weather today, Everybody is a little fussy and I think a good nights sleep will cure a lot around this house.
We want to give thanks to our most amazing God who has allowed Dawson to go 17 days with only one cluster of seizures and that was 11 days ago. We have so many blessings to count.
Katelin continues to do well and she is supposed to come home from the hospital tonight. What a journey this is going to be. I was able to be there to give breakfast and lunch insulin shots. I cant begin to tell you how proud of her I am. She has shown absolutely no stress at all about what faces her. She is getting 4 blood checks a day and 4 insulin shots a day and I have yet to see her cry with any of it.
Thanks for your prayers for Dawson and your supportive comments. We are so thankful for our wonderful family and friends. Couldn't do it without you guys.
We love you all
Jeff and Allison
Today has been another really long stressful day. Everybody is tired, Allison has been a little under the weather today, Everybody is a little fussy and I think a good nights sleep will cure a lot around this house.
We want to give thanks to our most amazing God who has allowed Dawson to go 17 days with only one cluster of seizures and that was 11 days ago. We have so many blessings to count.
Katelin continues to do well and she is supposed to come home from the hospital tonight. What a journey this is going to be. I was able to be there to give breakfast and lunch insulin shots. I cant begin to tell you how proud of her I am. She has shown absolutely no stress at all about what faces her. She is getting 4 blood checks a day and 4 insulin shots a day and I have yet to see her cry with any of it.
Thanks for your prayers for Dawson and your supportive comments. We are so thankful for our wonderful family and friends. Couldn't do it without you guys.
We love you all
Jeff and Allison
Sunday, June 8, 2008
June 8th Update
We are doing so great on seizures now. So much that we try not to even talk about them around here. It seems to be a bad omen when we do. I will quietly ask Allison. " had any today" she will shake her head no and we smile at one another and go about the day. Inside we are SCREAMING with delight but still trying to remain grounded and realistic. Today makes day
10 seizure free. God has been so good to us, and his progress up to this point is just plain and simple a miracle. The healing hand of God at work.
We can tell a difference in him as well. His eyes seem brighter than ever, he sits and plays with his toys for extended times, he is aware of everything going on around him, he laughs and plays with his sister and he is starting to really mimic motions and sounds that we make. We pray that this trend continues.
Katelin continues to do ok. She is still in Huntsville Hospital. She is getting insulin injections 4 times a day and blood checks 4 times a day. Just like epilepsy, this is a very confusing thing to manage and treat. I had no idea the involvement that is required to keep a diabetic child going. I drove over this morning to visit with her and I was able to do the blood check and insulin injections myself. She is running a fever and they are working on finding out whats causing it.
Pray for her please, I can't imagine being 6 years old and being faced with what she is facing for the rest of her life. It seems as though the enemy is trying to knock us down again. As before with Dawson we are committed to take this and turn it into something positive. Please pray for our family as having two kids with special needs is already turning into a very exhausting adventure.
We love you All
Jeff and Allison
10 seizure free. God has been so good to us, and his progress up to this point is just plain and simple a miracle. The healing hand of God at work.
We can tell a difference in him as well. His eyes seem brighter than ever, he sits and plays with his toys for extended times, he is aware of everything going on around him, he laughs and plays with his sister and he is starting to really mimic motions and sounds that we make. We pray that this trend continues.
Katelin continues to do ok. She is still in Huntsville Hospital. She is getting insulin injections 4 times a day and blood checks 4 times a day. Just like epilepsy, this is a very confusing thing to manage and treat. I had no idea the involvement that is required to keep a diabetic child going. I drove over this morning to visit with her and I was able to do the blood check and insulin injections myself. She is running a fever and they are working on finding out whats causing it.
Pray for her please, I can't imagine being 6 years old and being faced with what she is facing for the rest of her life. It seems as though the enemy is trying to knock us down again. As before with Dawson we are committed to take this and turn it into something positive. Please pray for our family as having two kids with special needs is already turning into a very exhausting adventure.
We love you All
Jeff and Allison
Friday, June 6, 2008
When it rains it pours
Dawson is doing really good today. He is sleeping a lot and getting caught back up from his journey's in Atlanta. We got concerned about his incision site last night as it looked like the wound was actively bleeding underneath the bandage. Allison replaced the bandage today and everything seems fine right now. Still no seizures today either!!!! HOORAY
Now for the bad news... We found out today that Katelin ( my 6 year old) has juvenile diabetes.
She had to be taken to Childrens Hospital in Huntsville today to get insulin. Her sugar levels are through the roof and they are at this very moment trying to get her sugar levels down. I remember the feeling that we had upon finding out Dawson having Infantile Spasms and now those feelings are back again today. A lifetime of daily insulin injections, blood levels constantly being checked, special diets. I feel so badly for her right now.
So we open a new chapter in our lives ,and we move on and do exactly what ever it is we need to do to make sure she has a very long and happy life. And i used to think my life was boring.. HA!
Please keep Katelin in your prayers as you pray for Dawson and I will keep the family updated on her as I find out.
We love you
Jeff and Allison
Now for the bad news... We found out today that Katelin ( my 6 year old) has juvenile diabetes.
She had to be taken to Childrens Hospital in Huntsville today to get insulin. Her sugar levels are through the roof and they are at this very moment trying to get her sugar levels down. I remember the feeling that we had upon finding out Dawson having Infantile Spasms and now those feelings are back again today. A lifetime of daily insulin injections, blood levels constantly being checked, special diets. I feel so badly for her right now.
So we open a new chapter in our lives ,and we move on and do exactly what ever it is we need to do to make sure she has a very long and happy life. And i used to think my life was boring.. HA!
Please keep Katelin in your prayers as you pray for Dawson and I will keep the family updated on her as I find out.
We love you
Jeff and Allison
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Finally home
We finally got home this evening from Atlanta. We had to detour to Huntsville to see his neuro on the way home and needless to say we are all pretty exhausted. Dawson has been asleep pretty much since our arrival home. Poor guy, he is so worn out. We are grateful for a safe journey and equally grateful to be able to sleep in our own bed tonight.
Not much news from his neurologist today. She was glad to hear that he has still not had any seizures and we have broken his record for seizure straight days. Praise be to God!!!!
I figured she would want to do an EEG, but she did not mention it and obviously we are leaving his meds and dosages right where they are.
We are so glad the test and surgery are behind us. Now the waiting beings. It could be months before we have any test results. Another lesson in patience I guess.
Thanks for checking in and for your prayers. There is a picture we took that hopefully we will get to post over the next day or two. Check back because you wont want to miss this. God works in mysterious ways and this picture proves that.
We love you
Jeff and Allison
Not much news from his neurologist today. She was glad to hear that he has still not had any seizures and we have broken his record for seizure straight days. Praise be to God!!!!
I figured she would want to do an EEG, but she did not mention it and obviously we are leaving his meds and dosages right where they are.
We are so glad the test and surgery are behind us. Now the waiting beings. It could be months before we have any test results. Another lesson in patience I guess.
Thanks for checking in and for your prayers. There is a picture we took that hopefully we will get to post over the next day or two. Check back because you wont want to miss this. God works in mysterious ways and this picture proves that.
We love you
Jeff and Allison
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Atlanta day 3
Thank you Thank you Thank you for all of the prayers today. How comforting it is to know that our family was praying for him.
Oh and by the way still no seizures this is day 6 and if we get through the day we will break our old record. So in the last 11 days he has only had one set of seizures. How amazing!!
We are so proud of him and all he has accomplished. We pray now that the this surgery will be fruitful and that the test will help with his diagnosis and treatment.
Our love to all
Jeff and Allison
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Atlanta Day 2
Things went pretty well today. Last night was pretty rough as Dawson's tooth was once again on the move. This morning it was finally poking through so hopefully we are done with tooth pain for a little while.
The first test he had done today was a " resting" Metabolic test. I emphasized the word resting because the readings are supposed to come while the child is at rest. But to do the test they put this hard dome like shell over him that had a cape around it, so it looked like he was trapped in some sort of space suit and ready to fly to the moon. The device measures his breathing while at rest. So did Dawson rest while in the space suit??? Of course not!! who could rest with that thing over you?? He put up a great fight and I was pretty proud of him for fighting it off so well. I couldn't blame him at all. If somebody tried to put that thing over my head they would have to fight me as well LOL.. Anyway after a long hard fight he finally went to sleep and the were able to complete the test along with an EKG.
The next place we had to go was to the neuro genetics building. There we had a consult with Dr. Schoffner. He is the one who will be doing all these studies from the many donations Dawson will be making in the morning. I say many because he will be donating blood, urine, spinal fluid, muscle, skin, and some tissue. I think ear wax is the only thing left for him to donate.
Dr Schoffner seems like a great person and we left with high hopes that in all the many weeks of studying Dawson's samples that he will find an answer to what is causing these seizures. He said that with today's technology they are able to find the cause in about 60 to 70% of the cases. He also says it is definitely a genetic issue. We pray that God will work through him to find answers that we desperately seek.
Madison did great today. She was such a trooper and so helpful with " Baby Buddy". She has been very patient and since none of these appointments are in the same location so its a lot of driving around looking for where we are supposed to be. So far so good though. I have come to realize that Atlanta is not a place that I would enjoy living. Traffic is horrible!!!
Anyway, Tomorrow is a big day for us so keep Dawson in your prayers. We will post after surgery to let everybody know how he is doing. Thanks for the prayers
Jeff and Allison
Monday, June 2, 2008
Made it
We arrived safely in Atlanta this evening. The trip was relatively uneventful and I'm thinking that those DVD players we bought for the kids to watch while traveling may have been one of the smartest purchases we have ever made. So a big thank you to Nemo and the Backyardagins for babysitting our children while we traveled.
I think this evening we will go get some groceries for the week and probably go ahead and find all the places we have to be so that we will know where we are going.
Oh and by the way.. no seizures yet today either. This makes day 4. Our record is 6 days and we are aiming to beat that.
Thank you for your prayers as we go through this week here in Atlanta. A big thank you to Allison's dad for letting us borrow his laptop for the trip and as always we will keep everybody posted on the happenings here. God bless and we love you
Jeff and Allison
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Sunday June 1st Update
I cant believe its already June..
We are back on a seizure free run and today makes day 3 with no seizures. Dawson has been in a really good mood lately and actually woke up this morning laughing. What a great day to start your day. I would much rather count giggles than seizures anyway.
Tomorrow we leave for Atlanta and we are pretty apprehensive about it at this point. We wanted to ask for some specific prayers. Please pray for safe travel Monday and returning Thursday. Please pray for Dawson's safety as he has these procedures done. Wednesday Morning at 8:00 he will be put to sleep and they will do the spinal tap and muscle biopsy. The procedure should last about an hour and a half and we were told they would make about an inch and a half incision in his leg to remove muscle from his thigh. Please pray that he will handle the anesthesia well ,and that post surgery pain would be minimum.
We are taking Madison with us as there is no way I could do without my Doodle Bug for 4 days. I don't think it will be a lot of fun for her but having her there will certainly make Dawson feel better.
Thank you for your constant prayers and support. It is the greatest feeling in the world for us knowing that all of you are and will be praying for Dawson. It gives us a peace that is beyond words. Thank you and we love you.
Jeff and Allison
We are back on a seizure free run and today makes day 3 with no seizures. Dawson has been in a really good mood lately and actually woke up this morning laughing. What a great day to start your day. I would much rather count giggles than seizures anyway.
Tomorrow we leave for Atlanta and we are pretty apprehensive about it at this point. We wanted to ask for some specific prayers. Please pray for safe travel Monday and returning Thursday. Please pray for Dawson's safety as he has these procedures done. Wednesday Morning at 8:00 he will be put to sleep and they will do the spinal tap and muscle biopsy. The procedure should last about an hour and a half and we were told they would make about an inch and a half incision in his leg to remove muscle from his thigh. Please pray that he will handle the anesthesia well ,and that post surgery pain would be minimum.
We are taking Madison with us as there is no way I could do without my Doodle Bug for 4 days. I don't think it will be a lot of fun for her but having her there will certainly make Dawson feel better.
Thank you for your constant prayers and support. It is the greatest feeling in the world for us knowing that all of you are and will be praying for Dawson. It gives us a peace that is beyond words. Thank you and we love you.
Jeff and Allison
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