Update

I am CONVINCED that we have the best family and friends ever, truly the most amazing people in the world just so "happen" to be in our lives.  Heavenly Father has blessed us for sure.  Thank you for all the kind texts, calls, etc.

Sorry to not have updated before now.

Madelyn's MRI came back normal.  She doesn't have not have a tethered spinal cord or any other spinal cord related problem.  That is such a huge relief!  

We are just watching and waiting and journaling before taking any more steps.  Next stop would be going to a pediatric urologist at Primary Children's, and we want to have all our ducks in a row before heading that route.

This week she has still be battling the CRAZY outbreak of canker sores she has had all over in her mouth.  Today was the first day in over a week when she was more like herself again.  She hasn't had any potty accidents(*knock on wood*) for the whole week, and her complaints of pain while urinating has been minimal.  We would love it if she just starts to feel better!  We miss that girl and her cheerful, teasing demeanor.

So we watch and wait some more...

Loving the nightgown and the fun bed.

                                    

She was a superstar at the hospital.  She was not happy about the IV(neither was I), but was incredibly brave.  She was hilarious as she came out of the anesthesia.  So silly and giggling lots.  She kept telling us that her bed goes, "Up and down.  Up and down."

 I promise she was laughing in these pictures.  She cracked me up!

She had to fast from midnight the night before and she was so hungry/thirsty and downed several cans of apple juice as soon as she could.

                               

One of "those" mornings

We were trying to get out the door to watch my niece's school play Friday morning.

Briggs woke up with a horrible diaper rash, and wasn't feeling great.

Maddie woke up with really chapped, cracking and bloody lips, and wasn't feeling great.

Emma woke up happy and was hurrying to get ready and came around the corner as I was shutting the bathroom door and got nailed in the eye with the door knob.

It was a tearful morning.  But they all recovered and we had a much better rest of the day.

This is Emma's eye a few days later.  Rainbow colored and all!

Buddy

I call Briggs "buddy" sometimes.  Emma has picked that up and calls him that quite often.  It is so cute.

Briggs calls Emma "Emma".  He also calls Maddie "Emma".

These 3 make me so happy.  I love that they are such good buddies.

Questions

Somedays it is just so therapeutic to write.  I don't know that it will make any sense or produce any exciting results, but it sure does help me.

She is pretending to be the Dr. in this picture.

Why is Maddie sick?

What is the cause of the problem?

What tests will help us figure it out?

Why is it a problem right now?

Why does she have to hurt?

How can we help her through it?

What am I supposed to be learning?

She had just put on chapstick and this is how she talks with minimal moving of her lips.  It always cracks me up.

Maddie has an MRI in the morning.  She has a suspicious-looking birthmark on her lower back and both pediatricians she has been to are concerned that she may have a tethered spinal cord.

Part of me wants that to be it, just so there is an answer to most of the questions.

The other part of me is terrified they WILL find just that.  The idea of this sweet little girl having to undergo a spinal cord surgery just fills me with fear.

But some of the other alternatives are not that much easier to process, either.  It will get harder before it gets easier.

This is the scripture that keeps coming to mind today:  Psalms 46:10- "Be still and know that I am God."

General Conference Weekend

We had a great weekend in Howe with my family.  All of my siblings were there for at least part of the time, which hasn't happened in 18 months, of course!  But my kids were spoiled rotten by everyone since they were the only grandchildren there for the weekend.

I realized this afternoon as I took this picture that I didn't take any other pictures all weekend!  But it was inspirational, relaxing and fun.

The girls enjoyed my parents trampoline(especially the new rainbow-colored pad), the "cupcake game", yummy food and snacks, new (to them) movies, reading stories, coloring, and lots of tickling, rough-housing, and cuddle time.

Briggs participated in most of the above activities, but he also spent his time trying on other people's shoes, exploring in cupboards, curtains, behind couches, etc., riding the 4-wheeler and playing with toy cars and horses.  Those cars actually doubled as balls for him as he threw them for fun any chance he had.


Molly LOVED hanging out with Anya the whole time and running around to wherever she wanted.  Life on the farm, you know?  She is completely exhausted tonight and could barely drag herself in to her crate for bedtime.

Maddie wasn't feeling well today, had a fever and she seemed achy.  We realized that her gums were swollen, too.  It was weird, usually is these days.  Her MRI is scheduled for Wednesday, hopefully we'll get some answers soon.

Jared Lately

***We kind of hibernate in the winter.  I feel like we are very anti-social, so let's call this our "spring update", especially for all of you that have been asking for one. :)  ***

Jared is busy, seems like he is always doing something for someone else.  When he is at home, he is definitely not ignoring the kids or I, he is such an involved, loving Dad and husband.  We are lucky to have him!  Most days I wonder how he has the energy to do all her does.  His work ethic is truly incredible and inspiring.

Taking the kids sledding.  Good thing he had so much energy and strength to go up and down the hill so many times!  I sure couldn't keep up with him!

He is a jungle gym, teacher, horsie, book-reader, tickling, wrestling, laughing, teasing, dancing, coaching super dad.  The kids can NEVER get enough of him.  I can't say that I blame them, I can't either!

Madelyn Lately

Miss Madelyn...

She is growing up too, too fast.  I honestly think she believes she is the same size and age as Emma, and wants to do everything Emma does.

She joined the smaller joy school class that we do on Thursdays, and absolutely loves "going to school."  One of her favorite parts is reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.  It is too cute.

She is one of the oldest kids in nursery, and it was a big struggle for the first couple of months.  She does really well now, she has just taken on the mothering role and is doing great now.  They will be splitting the nursery into younger and older ages soon and I think it will be even better then.

She is excited to turn 3 this month and be able to take swimming lessons and play t-ball and other "big" things.  I'm really excited for her, too.  I know how hard it has been for her to sit on the sidelines and watch Emma do those things.

She is fearless.

She loves being outside, riding her bike, and playing in the dirt pile.  Seriously, that dirt pile is better than any swingset or trampoline.  She does come in COVERED in dirt though.

She is still so obsessed with horses.  She still says she is saving her money for a horse, and wants a horse for her birthday.  This morning, on this windy, cold spring day, she convinced Emma to go out and "ride horses."  They were riding their bikes, but I'm not allowed to call them bikes, they are HORSES.  :)

She enjoys coloring more and more, but likes to do her projects quickly and then move on to the next one.

She doesn't let me cook on my own, she wants to be in there helping me the whole time.  Those are the kind of projects she could spend all day on.

Her vocabulary is INCREDIBLE.  Throw in her big girl attitude, and I truly laugh everyday at something she says.  The other day she said, "Mom, I just can't focus right now!"  And "That's just not the point."

For the last couple of months, she has had bladder issues.  It started with potty accidents out of nowhere.  Then there were rashes and pain.  We finally took her to urgent care thinking it was a UTI.  The Dr. thought that was it, too.  The preliminary urine test indicated that it was a UTI.  But after culturing it for a couple of days, no bacteria grows, showing that it is not actually a UTI.

After taking the antibiotic until it was gone, symptoms all returned a few days later.  Took her to a pediatrician.  Same urine test, same results, twice.  After 2nd appointment, the Dr. decided an ultrasound of the bladder and kidneys would give us some information.  Nothing obvious was found in the ultrasound.

Switched pediatricians, LOVE the new Dr.  An MRI is scheduled for next week of her lower back, where a problematic-looking birthmark could indicate a fatty tumor that is tethering the nerves and causing all the issues.

At the moment, the Dr. and Jared and I go back and forth between being baffled and then starting to think it is all in our heads.  But then she has symptoms flare up again, and we just want her to feel better and not be hurting.  Hoping the MRI and meeting the specialist afterward will give us some answers...

We made volcanoes in our big dirt pile for pre-school.  Maddie wanted to pose with the volcano, and was getting as close as she could without it "getting" her.

Cheeser face!  And her new favorite pajamas that her cousin Heidi handed down to her.  Can't go wrong with princesses and warm pajamas around here!