Ben & Joanna’s Online Journal

On Monday Kadie Day moved away. Kadie was Elijah’s fellow kindergarten, bus, and play buddy. For about a year Kadie, her Grandparents, and her cousins were our neighbors.. A few hours after they left on their road trip backed to Florida to reunite with their family, Elijah was so somber and sad. On a quiet drive to Target Monday afternoon Elijah broke his silence to tell me he really missed Kadie already. In the first picture Elijah and Kadie are trying to smile but you can see Kadie is sad about her last day here. The second picture is all the children enjoying their last jump together.

Goodbye Kadie Day. We will miss you.

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YAY, Morgan arrived today for a summer visit to Indiana. We are so excited to have her here with us for the next 2 1/2 weeks. We wish she could stay longer, but we will take what we can get! Elijah and Jonah are already following her around like love sick puppies…It’s so cute to see how much they love and missed their big sister.

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With a lot of help from my parents I finally got two 4 x 4 “square foot” gardens set up.  It was quite a sight to watch my dad carrying the heavy bags of soil, compost, and peet moss from my car to my backyard. Late Thursday night we mixed the soil, compost, and peet moss together and added the twine to separate the sections of the garden and yesterday afternoon Elijah and Jonah helped me plant all the seeds and pre-started plants.  I am so excited to start seeing our herbs and veggies grow, but I am even more excited to start harvesting our own produce.

(I think I owe my parents some of the first harvests.)

Here is a layout of what we are growing:

Here is a picture of the garden today:

You may have noticed in the bottom right square of one of the gardens there are crumbs of some kind.  I think Jonah thought dumping the tortilla chip crumbs in the garden will help the plants grow.

I will post some pictures later on when things start growing in.

Gen Talk

Friday May 22nd was Elijah’s last day of Kindergarten. Yay!!  Unfortunately, he was unable to go to school to celebrate.

On Tuesday night Elijah started complaining about a sore throat and on Wednesday morning he woke up with a high fever.  He continued to have a fever (low-grade and high) on and off, however he was getting a lot of rest on Wednesday and Thursday and we hoped that he would be able to go to school on Friday.  I am such a worrier, but I figured he probably had a cold (or flu) so of course I gave him Motrin and Tylenol every 3 to 6 hours, kept him sipping water, gave him lots of hugs, and applied the necessary cool wash clothes to comfort him and bring his temperature down.  By Thursday afternoon Elijah was acting like he felt SO much better and he told me his throat wasn’t hurting that much.  I had even called his teacher Thursday night and told her Elijah was feeling much better and we couldn’t wait for us all to attend his Kindergarten graduation celebration Friday morning.  Sadly his sore throat persisted and by Friday morning around 6 am he had a 103.2 temperature. 

Later on that afternoon I stopped by Elijah’s school to pick up his things and drop off a present for Elijah’s teacher (an apron we made that says # 1 Teacher with an apple logo made in vinyl). After briefly speaking with a school administrator I found out strep throat was going around the school.  Of course I immediately called his Pediatrician’s office and managed to get him in right away.  Surprisingly he protested and insisted he was fine.  He really did not want to go to see Dr. Hodson.  He was so apprehensive. —I am not sure where this started from, but Elijah gets so worried when he has to go to see a Doctor.  For some reason he is afraid we will have to leave him there.  (It may be related to Jonah’s stay in the hospital).—

SURE ENOUGH he has strep.  AND we found out Saturday morning after discovering hives and a red rash on his hands and feet - Elijah is allergic to Amoxicillin.  He is now on another antibiotic and he is doing so much better.

I feel so bad he had to miss the last few days of Kindergarten.  Thankfully his WONDERFUL teacher Mrs. Young provided him with a Kindergarten Memory book chalked full of pictures and special memories from the school year.  She even gave him a CD full of pictures of his classmates. There is no wonder why she was name TEACHER OF THE YEAR.  I only wish she could be his 1st grade teacher too!

Here’s to a fun and HEALTHY summer!!!

Family

Today is our big boy’s 6th birthday.  All week we have been teasing Elijah that we worked it out with the “big guy above” to keep him 5 forever.  To which Elijah replies, “NO, I want to be 6, sorry I can’t help getting big!” —- I don’t know if I am READY for him to be 6.  Time flies by too fast.  It felt like just the other day we were holding him in the hospital as he looked up at us with his big eyes, scared of his new surroundings - but feeling comforted and safe in our arms.

Now I am off to make a big BIRTHDAY breakfast and then on to preparing the cake, food, and set up the party…

Just a side note…the other day a big box arrived from FedEx for Elijah.  He was so excited to get mail addressed to him only.  When he opened the box he realized it was filled with a bunch of individually wrapped birthday presents (in Spiderman wrapping paper)  His excitement could not be contained as he jumped up and down and all around the room.  Initially we told him to wait until his birthday to open them…but that didn’t last.  So over the last few days we have allowed him to open one present per day (which somehow he ends up opening more).  Today he has a few more left to open and he can’t wait!  Thank you Aunt Darcie and Uncle Brian for making our 6 year old smile from ear to ear over and over again!!!

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Elijah has been enjoying his time off from school this week.  Today marks the last day of his spring break…tomorrow we are back to early rising, 8 pm bedtime, and working on homework. On Thursday and Friday I took time off from work and planned some “getting out of the house” fun.

Thursday afternoon Jill, Caleb, My parents, Ben, Elijah, Jonah, and I all went to the Indianapolis Zoo.  We arrived at the Zoo around 2:15 pm which gave us about 2 hours to walk around and take in the Zoo sights before it closed and before Ben had to leave to get to work on time.  I think I was more excited than the kids!

This Zoo visit was special for many reasons:  1. It was one of the first nice days this year (70 degrees and sunny).  2.  I am normally working and Elijah is normally in school, so we cannot go during the week.  3.  My Dad had never been to the Indianapolis Zoo, this was his first time experience.  4. We usually don’t have this large of a group going to and enjoying the zoo together.

When we pulled into the parking lot we were amazed at how many cars were there.  True to Indiana life, the first nice days draws the Indiana residents out in droves. From the looks of how full the parking lot was, we thought the Zoo would be crammed full of people.  Much to our surprise it was not bad at all.  There is a lot of spread-out space once you get in there.  There were a few occasions when we had to squeeze by people to see an animal or two, but for the most part we did not have trouble viewing and enjoying the animals and beautiful surroundings.

We walked our normal route. First seeing the sea lions, seals, penguins, and petting the sharks.

Next we checked out the polar bear and walruses.  Then, we went into the “Desert Pavilion” to look at the lizards, meerkats, turtles, and snakes.

We took a small break at the playground area so the boys could run off some energy and enjoy a snack. After which we entered the “Plains” exhibits to see the giraffes, lions, rhinoceroses, baboons (with a cute little baby baboon showing off for the crowd), and elephants.

As always the visit felt rushed. Every time we go to the Zoo we wish we had more time to check out all the exhibits.  There is always next TIME!  We had a very enjoyable time.  Good exercise, great sights, and GREAT company!

Later on that evening Elijah, Jonah, My parents and I enjoyed a delectable pizza/pasta/salad bar/desert buffet at Cici’s Pizza. I was surprised at how good the food was and how reasonably priced it is. The Manager was very nice and said he would make any pizza upon request. We will definitely go back and enjoy some family outings there in the near future. Next time I am going to think up a crazy concoction for the pizza chef to make!

Friday Elijah and I met up with Taryn (my neighbor and good friend) and her 3 year old daughter Kendyl to go see “Monsters vs. Aliens”. Before heading to the theater we stopped at Walmart to pick up some candy to sneak into the theater. I can’t bare to pay $4-plus at the movie theater for the same box of candy you can get at Walmart for $1-$2. Taryn and I spent about $20 dollars between the two of us in candy, gum, wheat/cheese crackers, and bottled water. We stashed all our goodies in Taryn’s tote and laughed at how heavy it was. We arrived in time to see the 2 pm showing, but due to distractions from our children we both mistakenly purchased tickets for the 2:30 pm showing. I guess we were too busy enjoying a good conversation and shoving candy and popcorn into our mouths to notice we purchased the wrong tickets only right when the previews/trailers started.

The movie was really cute. Elijah enjoyed it a lot. Kendyl seemed to like the movie up to about 15 minutes before it ended, to which she loudly yells, “Mom, is the movie over yet? Can we go home?” Perhaps the movie was a little too long for a 3 year old.

I am very grateful to have this special time with Elijah and enjoy the special time on Thursday at the Zoo with all the family!!!

Family

In an effort to rule out food and environmental allergies as possible triggers for Jonah’s seizures, his Doctor ordered allergy testing via blood tests.

Last Monday I took Jonah to a nearby lab to get his blood drawn. The lab techs were very kind and gentle. They tried their hardest to find a vein on Jonah’s arms and hands to draw blood from. After one unsuccessful try his vein rolled. The ladies asked me to bring him back the next day.

On Tuesday, soon after finishing work, I brought Jonah back to the lab and let the ladies try again. This time they searched and searched for a vein, all the while Jonah was helping them by squeezing his fists and poking his arm (the inside bends) with his index fingers extended; mimicking what the lab techs were doing. The ladies were smitten by him and did not want to poke him with the needle unless they were absolutely sure they would be successful. After 20 minutes or so, they apologized profusely and told me they could not find a good enough vein. They suggested I take him over to a sister lab at the Community South hospital where they were equipped with smaller needles, and if necessary a Pediatric nurse could help draw his blood.

Later on that evening I headed over to the hospital lab with Jonah, Elijah, and my mother in tow. We got called back and two older women (their name tags read Beth and Shirley) surrounded Jonah and I, and they started surveying his arms and hands. After finding a slight indication of a vein, they too pricked him with a needle and again his vein moved. DANG!

The lab tech said she did not want to try anymore and told me to come back on Wednesday. After a quick call, the Pediatrics department said they were too busy to help and she was giving up. Though I did not want my baby to have to endure any more of this, I explained to her my insurance coverage dictations, and asked that they try again. Reluctantly Beth left the room and after 5 minutes time she returned with a not so happy Shirley.

Beth held Jonah’s arm and Shirley poked around until she found a semi-suitable vein. With one fell swoop she DID IT, she found the vein and started to draw blood. The relief I felt was quickly squashed when Beth and Shirley start tsking. The blood flow had slowed to a drip and they were making comments quietly to each other that this vial would not be enough. As Shirley removed the needle she directs her comment to me. In a pessimistic inflection she said, “Well, I guess we will submit this and see if this will be enough”. The skepticism in her voice said otherwise.

While I was consoling my sobbing baby, I was taken aback by her tone and disgruntled look on her face. All I could muster was a thank you to the women for trying. Sympathetically Beth replies by saying something like “You’re welcome” and “I hope it will be enough”. Bluntly Shirley replies, “Mom - I am not going to poke him again, you really need to let him have a break”. WOW! I really did not know what to make of her comments. She was NOT treating me with the kindness and understanding normally shown by medical professionals.

My mind was screaming out, “I REALLY do not want my baby to go through this. REALLY! I was shocked, and instead I could not mutter anything in my defense. I just stood up, grabbed my things and ushered my crew out the door.

My mother wouldn’t let it go and immediately started asking me over and over again, “Do you think it will be enough?” Almost in tears, I replied with frustration, “I don’t know”. I was not going to have them try again and would rather scrap having the allergy tests done than make Jonah go through this all over again. As we headed out the door, my mother went back to confirm if they got a successful draw. In a far off voice I hear Beth say in a reassuring tone that they did get enough, not to worry.

As I breathe out I feel relief and I released my hurt caused just moments before from the unkind technician. She may have had a bad day and didn’t realize she was being uncaring. Or she wanted the last draw for the day to be simple, not for an unsuspecting, smiling, 2 year old boy with elusive veins.

I hope these tests do what they are intended for and rule out more things that would and could cause Jonah’s seizures.

On the way home we stopped and picked up four shiny Mylar balloons. (Jonah’s most FAVORITE things.) Balloons and some candy from Grandma returned his smile!

Look I'm Smiling Mom

Family

Quaid, Caleb, Ben, and Elijah are having a Daddies/Sons day at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum today.  Being that they are all big Star Wars fans, they had to go check out the new Star Wars Clone Wars exhibit that just opened up at the museum.  I know they are having so much fun and I cannot wait to hear Elijah tell me all about it and see the pictures I am sure Ben is taking (which I will post later).  This leaves me home enjoying some alone time with Jonah.  Since he is currently taking his afternoon nap, I thought I would take advantage of this quiet time to read my friends’ blogs and update our blog.

This following week Elijah is out of school on Spring break.  We are all looking forward to having some special family time together!   For sure we are going to take the boys to the  Zoo one of the days and maybe a movie outting to see “Monsters vs Aliens” another day.  Future posts with pictures will follow ; )

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God has been answering our prayers!  Jonah is back to being a busy 2 year old again!!  He had a follow-up appointment with his Pediatrician last Monday and she said he is looking great.  All of the tests ran during the hospital stay came back good.  And now he is over his cold, cough, and ear infection.  Since he has been on Keppra he has not had another dropping spell or seizure.  Next week we will get him checked for allergies (specifically any food allergies we should be aware of) and in about a month he will have a follow-up appointment with his Neurologist.

We are so happy with how he is doing now and we are very thankful for everyone’s prayers and help during all of this.  With Spring arriving he has been so busy playing outside with his big brother.  As a typical 2 year old, he cannot be contained.  Ben and I are usually exhausted at the end of each day from chasing him and making sure he isn’t climbing things.  Though we would definitely rather have him busy exploring and healthy (and be tired parents), than the alternative!!

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Last week at this time Jonah was in the hospital.  It all started last Thursday (03/12/2009) when Jonah began having the dropping spells again.  The best way I can describe it is it is he momentarily loses control of his body.  Ben describes it as if some one turns off and on the lights for him.  I am not sure if he loses consciousness or not, but his body goes limp and he falls forward.  Usually he does not have time to catch himself.  It started in the morning and after several bouts through out the day I called his Pediatrician’s office.  The last time Jonah had these spells his doctor thought it was caused from an ear infection throwing off his equilibrium.  Just a few days prior he finished 10 days of Amoxicillin and during that time the dropping spells stopped.  When I spoke with the Physican’s assistant at Dr. Hodson’s office I explained what was happening and she said Dr. Hodson would call in a prescription for a stronger antibiotic.

Unfortunately, before I could go pick-up the prescription Jonah had a passout spell, fell forward, and hit his forehead on the tile in the kitchen.  I had just filled his sippy with apple juice and turned for a second to put the apple juice away in the refrigerator.  As I was closing the door I heard Jonah hit the floor and I gasped.  Dang, all day I was watching him so closely and in a split second this happened.  He started crying and I rushed over to him to pick him up and check him out.  As I was picking him up his body stiffened and he went into a seizure.  I carried him over to the couch and laid him on his side.  Of course Elijah was frantic asking me if I was going to call the paramedics again.  (As a similar thing happened 21 days prior and I called 911 in a panic, where he was brought to the hospital in an Ambulance).  I asked Elijah to get me the phone as I watched my poor little guy having another seizure.  This is one of the hardest things a parent can see.  I feel so helpless.  In tears I frantically started calling Ben, but he wasn’t answering.  Then I called my in-laws, and my father in-law answered.  While bawling I unsuccessfully tried to compose myself, and said, “Jonah just passed out again, fell and hit his head, and is having another seizure’.  My father in-law told me they would be right over.  Within the next few moments Jonah’s seizure stopped and he fell asleep.  A huge lump was protruding from his forehead.  I put a cold cloth on his forward and tried calling  Ben again.  I finally got a hold of Ben and told him what happened and that his parents were on their way over.

Once John and Teri got to our house, Teri (G’ma) sat with Jonah while John and I rushed to Target to pick up Jonah’s prescription.  When I got back Jonah woke up  enough for me to hold him and give him some medicine.  When Jonah is not feeling well and most of the time he is very much a Momma’s boy and only wanted me to hold him for most of the night.  Grandma Teri did manage to hold her baby grandson a few times and around 9 pm we all settled down in the living room and put on a Barney episode for Jonah to watch.  Barney is one of Jonah’s favorite shows.  When we were a few minutes into the show, I commented on how far the bump on his forehead protruded when G’ma looked down and said, “What is he doing?”.  Jonah went into another seizure.  Worry took over me as I helped G’ma put Jonah on his side.  G’ma started praying over Jonah as I cried and held Jonah’s hand and caressed his arms and back.  After it was over I took his temperature.  This seizure was unprovoked.  He didn’t have a fever, what could be causing this?  The panic and worry started turning my stomach and I immediately called his Pediatrician’s office.  As the office was closed, I eventually received a call back from the on-call Doctor.  Dr. Fledderjohn was very comforting and gave me instructions on what to do through the night.  She told me to wake Jonah up in a little bit to check if he acts normal, if he is alert.  She strongly advised me to call the Neurologist the next day to get Jonah in for evaluation.  She was concerned that Jonah has had so many seizures in the last year and now they don’t seem to be Febrile seizures anymore.  She also said to call their office the next day if the Neurologist couldn’t see Jonah the next day.  Dr. Hodson (Jonah’s Pediatrician) could talk to the Neurologist’s office and hopefully get him in sooner.

I was able to get Friday off and I was so grateful since Friday turned out to be a hard day for all of us.  Thursday night was rough too.  I am a light sleeper and I was so worried for Jonah that I couldn’t sleep.  My stomach was in knots.  Every time Jonah moved, it startled me.  I was sick to my stomach worried that he would have another seizure.  Friday morning we woke early, after Jonah had a couple of bananas (his favorite) around 9 am I gave Jonah another dose of his antibiotics.  Once again we put Barney on for him and within a short time he fell into another seizure again.  This time I looked at him seconds before it started and saw his little body go limp, so I laid him on his side and held him.  Ben and I couldn’t help to think there was a connection between Barney or the antibiotics as possible triggers.  After the seizure passed I immediately called the Neurologist’s office to see if he could be seen that day.  The earliest appointment we could get was for Tuesday, so I then called Dr. Hodson’s office.  As we laid next to our sleeping baby we waited for an answer.  I jumped when the phone rang at 11 am.  I guess I did manage to close my eyes and catch a small nap.  Thankfully Dr. Hodson’s referral assistant managed to get Jonah into see Dr. McGuire (Neurologist) at the Carmel office at 1:40 pm.  I stirred Ben and gave him the news.  I felt so bad for him too.  We were both trying to catch any moments rest since we both did not get much sleep the night before.  After I got ready I called Jill to ask her to come over later to be here when Elijah got home from school.  Since the Neurologist office was 40 minutes away I was unsure if we would be back for when Elijah got home at 3:50 pm.  I am so glad I called Jill.  Our conversation was very comforting to me.  She was glad to hear we were taking Jonah into see the Neurologist and she was so supportive of our decision to get him in for evaluation.  Of course she was worried for our little “neeners”.

On our way to the Neurologist’s office Jonah had another seizure.  We pulled over to unbuckle him and move him to his side and when the seizure stopped we once again started on our way to the Doctor’s office.  We got lost!  After we got turned around and had to back track we finally got to the Doctor’s office 10 minutes late.  As I was filling out the paperwork Ben put Jonah on the floor and was supporting him with is legs as Jonah played with my purse.  Seconds before the Doctor walked in, Jonah had a passout spell again and bump his head on the floor.  He got a carpet burn right next to the bump he got the night before.  Dr. McGuire walked in as Jonah was bawling.  During the first part of our visit with her Jonah soon calmed down and feel asleep.  Dr. McGuire took took down his history and discussed with us her thoughts on what could be happening.  As she examined him she expressed her concern on how his body was not reacting to her poking and prodding.  She strongly felt it would be best to get him into the hospital for tests.  She did not want to send us home on a Friday and it would not be easy for us to get Jonah in to see a Doctor over the weekend if he had more seizures before Monday.  She direct admitted Jonah to St. Vincent’s hospital in Carmel.

We immediately headed over to the hospital and got him admitted around 3 pm.  As we were speaking with various Doctors and Nurses Jonah had another seizure.  Before the night was over he had one more and the nurses gave him a medicine via IV that would stop the seizures.  Between 5:30 pm on Thursday and 5:30 pm on Friday he had 6 seizures.  That night was a blur.  Ben and I were exhausted, emotionally drained, and weak from not eating.  Throughout the afternoon and evening Jonah under went a EEG, EKG, MRI, Spinal Tap, and Urinalysis.  He was sedated for the MRI, Spinal Tap and Urinalysis.  The Neurologist reviewed the EEG and MRI preliminary results and did not see any issues.  However she decided to start him on anti-seizure medication the next day.  By 10 pm Jonah was sleeping soundly and Ben and I tried to settle down and sleep on the hard futon in the hospital room.  At some point in the night I moved to Jonah’s bed to protect him from falling off the bed or pulling out his IV.  As the sedation wore off, Jonah tried to get up, he was very unsteady and unhappy with all of the tubes and cables attached to him.  Ben and I took turns laying with Jonah.   The next day Jonah could not be contained.  The side effects from the sedatives made him hyperactive and unsteady.  He could not walk without holding our hands.  He walked like he was drunk.  From 7:30 am until 10:15 pm we walked around the Children’s hospital and visited the play area many times.  We covered ever inch of the 3rd floor.  The effects of the sedative given the night before made it so he literally could not stay still.    Since he only took a small nap from 3:00 pm - 3:45 pm (interrupted by the nurse taking his vitals and giving him his anti-seizure medicine), we did not get a chance to get much sleep.  Dr Patel (Dr. McGuire’s Neurology partner) met with us Saturday afternoon and cleared Jonah to be released.  He viewed the MRI results and the other preliminary test results and said he did not find anything that they felt would cause the seizures.  He explained the medication Jonah would start taking and evaluated Jonah one more time.  Soon after Dr. Furr came in to evaluate Jonah and she did not see any ear infection or other issues. Though, she decided to keep him one more night.  She said the other Doctor’s concurred with her that Jonah must have a slow metabolism and thus it was taking a long time for his body to get rid of the Pentabar.  Finally around 10:15 pm Jonah settled down and went to sleep for the night.  Ben left to go home to work on his homework, take a shower, and hopefully get a better night sleep.  Saturday night was a better night for both Jonah and I.  At 4:30 am Sunday the nurse woke us up again to take Jonah’s vitals and have me give him is anti-seizure medicine (Keppra).  He got a Popsicle for being such a good boy and letting the nurse do her thing.  So there we were 5 am on Sunday morning watching cartoons as Jonah enjoyed his Popsicle.  At 5:30 am Jonah fell back to sleep and we enjoyed a few more hours rest.  At 7:30 am Jonah was up for the day.  A few more Doctor’s visits and many more trips around the 3rd floor of the hospital and we were set to be released.  Ben arrived around 11:30 am and we were on our way home.

Elijah spent Friday night and Saturday night with G’ma and G’pa.  We are very thankful that G’ma, G’pa, Jill and Quaid helped us out with Elijah while we were at the hospital.  Elijah got to spend Saturday (03/14/2009) with Jill, Quaid, Caleb and had a super fun day.  I know Elijah is very concerned for his brother and that weekend was hard on him, he is a trooper!!!

Jonah has been taking Keppra twice a day since Saturday.  So far he is doing good.  The other test results from Friday (03/13/2009) came back and they have not found anything concerning.  Jonah did have a slight elevation of platlets and white blood cells which the nurse who called with the results said that usually indiciated a slight infection.  Jonah has a follow-up appointment with Dr. Hodson this Monday.  We will talk with her then and see if he should continue with the antibiotics.

Gen Talk