busy day

Whew! What a day! Even the girls said it was busy.. Emma reminded me that it was better then school tho! Ha! So here is the lowdown of our day.. I saw this done on another blog and thought was such a good idea to document how busy our lives are! Thankfully this is not a typical day.

• 7:20... woke kids up (uggg this is waaaay too early!)
• 7:40... out the door on the way to plymouth
• 8:23... little late to a dr appointment due to traffic... geez how does Darin do that every day! We saw Kate's pediatrician (repeat the story for the 50th time!). He checked her over.. and everything looks great. Nothing new to report (thats good!). He did check for the heart murmur the ER dr heard and it was gone.. he said it was nothing to worry about.
• 9:05... stop in at McDonald's for some breakfast.. Emma's favorite!
• 9:10... drive to Corcoran
• 9:30... Kate's riding lesson (never ending smile on Katelyn's face!)
• 10am... drive back home
• 10:20... brush teeth! laundry, make 6 phone calls for buisness, sort through orders, picked up plant the nightly racoon tipped over on the deck... btw the deck is now stained thanks to Darin's hard work over the weekend!
• 11am... Dentist appointments for all.. No cavities! Emma was referred to an orthodontist too see if she should have a frenectomy and discuss future braces.
• 12:30... back home.. grab buisness cards and album
• 12:40... back to dentist and bring cards in for some displays I have there and talk about putting new displays up. Also showed the gals in the office the cute new album I created recently.
• 12:45... stop at library.. closed..shucks.. opens at 1pm tho.
• 12:50... subway for lunch, Katelyn's idea. She thought we should eat healthy so we don't rot our teath!
  
• 1:10... library. Girls signed up for reading programs. Katelyn picked out 9 books and Emma picked two. Katelyn is very excited about getting books. Her favorite one was Go Dog Go by Dr. Sueus. Emma was bummed that a book she was looking for "Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2" was not in.. but signed her up on the waiting list.
• 2:30... back home! oops.. Nora got left outside and was WANTING IN! watered plants, laundry, mail, check email, edited a session
• 4pm... head to Plymouth for a photo session with a gal and a horse.. which was very fun. Altho the girls embarassed me by both needing to use the bathroom at the clients home.. ugg.. can't they wait! Got a great complement from the client. She said the session was a lot more fun then her graduation session last year which was not with me.
• 5:30... stop at Medina for dinner (no we didn't eat at home all day!.. ugg)
• 6:15... home! finally. laundry, edit a session,
• 7:20... chatted with Dad online about Kate, van (need to get tires rotated), future camping trip?? and the fact that Mom is freezing him out with the air on! Hahaha
• 7:30... Katelyn's lost.. we think she may have run away with neighbor Hayden because his bike is gone! Oh found her! at the other neighbor Wendy's which is across the street and she didn't ask to go over there.. busted.. grounded :(
• 8pm... Hannah Montana on TV AGAIN! ohhh but it looks like a new episode!
• 8-11pm...edited and watched Bridezilla on tv
• 11pm... laundry, dishes, started Roomba in kitchen, swiffered and mopped livingroom, studio and stairs, researched and printed ballet movements online for Emma, cleaned powder room toliet, cleaned office (found our stimulus check too!)
• 12:03... bed.. usually I have to watch a 30 minutes of tv before I can fall asleep. Oh and I have to find Nora before I go to bed to make sure she didn't get locked outside.
  

Happy Birthday Emma!

Emma turned 10 years old today... wow.. I can't beleive she's 10! She had a good day. Darin took a vacation day today and tomorrow so that made her day even more special. For her birthday present we got her a kitten (Nora) towards the end of May. She also had a classmate birthday party earlier in June.

We asked her where she wanted to go for her birthday lunch. Her first choice was Noodles...ha but we were just there yesterday.. so her next choice was Pizza Hut in Buffalo. We told her she could have whatever she wanted on her very own pizza.. she choose peperonni and sausage. After that we met up with the Peichel's at Grand Rios for some fun in their water park. The Peichel's had not been there before so it was fun to experience it with them for the first time. After the waterpark she wanted to go to the new movie Kung Fu Panda.. so we went to a matinea. The movie was good.. a little too violent for Katelyn's liking tho.. she was curled up on Darins' lap hiding her eyes!

Whew.. what a day! Happy Birthday Emma!

Back to normal

Things are getting back to normal here. Katelyn is back to her old self.. in fact she has a lot of energy! The two of us slept in until 9:30! Darin suprised us and worked from home today which was really nice. I booked some future doctor appointments for Katelyn. She will see her regular doctor next monday and she will see the neurologist Dr. Bello-Epinosa on July 12th. We also stopped at Target and bought some baby monitors so we can hear her sleeping especially the first couple of hours.

Emma has a bit of jealousy with all the attention and gifts from Kate's whole ordeal. At dinner tonight she told Emma the hospital was sooo fun and that if Emma wanted to go there she should pretend to have some seizures... Oh boy.. we put the kabosh on that one. Emma suggested we line up all the things Kate got and count them. Typical Emma needing to quantifying things and wanting to make them fair. LOL

Overall Kate hasn't really asked much about whats going on. We answer her questions as they come up. But to her she is more worried about what flavor is the medicine. Or the fact that she missed two things on her calender yesterday.. riding lessons and swimming lessons. She wanted to know when those would be rescheduled... Oh did I mention she's demanding too! Ha

Going Home

(posting by Darin)

So, after starving Kate all day so she could be sedated during the
MRI, it turns out that she didn't need it at all! Actually, they had
an alternate form of sedation called the DVD that worked great. ;-)
They had specialized goggles that I'm assuming were based on fiber
optics because of the metallic restrictions of the MRI. So, she was
able to lay perfectly still for over 15 minutes! Amazing for Kate!!

Not long after that we got the final report from the neurologist. The
MRI looked normal and based on the EEG reading he believes this to be
a case of Benign Rolandic Epilepsy. All things considered this is
actually good news since it's common for kids to have at this age and
then grow out of within a few years. It normally doesn't require
medication, but based on the specific pattern he saw in the EEG he
felt that medication was the best course of action for Katelyn. The
drug they'll have her on is called Keppra, a liquid form given twice a
day. So, that's kind of a bummer but it's good to know that she'll be
MUCH less likely to have a seizure once she's on it. It's also good to
know that even if she does have one it will most likely be in the
safety of her bed. Still, the neurologist suggested that we take some
minor precautions like having her take showers instead of baths, and
not letting her climb to the tops of trees (which I could definitely
see her doing).

The last bit of good news is that WE'RE GOING HOME! We're all packed
up and should be leaving shortly after I get this posted. I warned
Kate that the fun was coming to an end and that she's have to clean
her room up when we go home. She gave a shriek that was nearly as bad
as when they ripped of the tape holding in her IV! :-)

Thanks again to everyone, and we'll see you soon.

Update on Katelyn..

Just to pickup where I left off.. Darin finished the posting for me while I gave Kate a shower and convinced her to take a nap.  Children's Hospital has been so wonderful.  They make everyone feel like they are the patient not just the real patient.  They ask if we need an extra bed or if we've had dinner.  Katelyn is loving all the attention and fun things going on.  Our first day here Sunday, Katelyn pretty much laid around while they continued to check her vitals and make sure she was comfortable.  She's on top of the world because she had control of the remote and could watch the Disney Channel without anyone complaining.   The pediatric neurologist came to see us Sunday evening just before the grandparents and Darin left for the day.  The neurologist was the shinning star of the day because he could offer some answers to all our questions.   He said that Katelyn has nocturnal seizures (meaning they come at night when she's sleeping.. usually 30 minutes to 2 hours after they have gone to sleep.   They are minor seizures and do not cause damage to her brain.. yeah!  She will have an EEG and MRI on Monday to determine if there is anything more to be concerned with and to figure out if she will take medication for her seizures. 

The grandparents, Darin and Emma left Sunday evening for home while I stayed the night with Katelyn.   I could tell she is starting to feel better because she wanted to explore and find the play room.  She also saw another little girl with ice cream and asked about it.  She showed her where it was, a little while later a nurse came in and saw her ice cream and said you can have another one too.. Katelyn's eyes got big!  Nighttime came with concerns about her going to sleep and the possibility of her having another seizure on the back of everyones mind.  They installed special pads over the railings on her bed in case she has a seizure she won't hurt herself.  We already discovered a pretty big bruise on her knee from one of the previous episodes.  She also has a monitor on her finger that shows her oxygen level and heart rate.  It beeps if she's low or has it positioned wrong.  It also warns her nurse.  So this is comforting in the middle of the night if she has an episode they would be made aware immediately.  She also has a IV start needle in her arm, they have not had to use this yet but it was put in before could go on the helicopter.. I suppose so they would have quick access.  They will use it for her MRI to sedate her during the test.  Thankfully the night went well.. she did not have any episodes.  I slept with her..  Her only request was for me to "tickle her back" which is a Hawley tradition I've come to learn.  She was awoke by the nurse at 5am tho because they wanted her to be sleep deprived for her EEG test that day.  Neither one of us were excited about this.    

She was allowed to have breakfast but that would be her last meal until the MRI test at 4pm.  She's not too happy about not being able to eat or drink all day.  The EEG test happened at 8am and went well.  They stuck electrodes with this goopy cement stuff to all over her head.  They had to measure her head and find the exact places to put them.  They  had her do a series of things while the computer recorded her brain activity.  She needed to  close her eyes while they had a a light blink slowly for 10 seconds and then it would shut off for 10 seconds.  Then it would blink faster and faster.. Then she did some deep breath and finally they had her lay still and rest with the hopes she would fall asleep.  She finally did.. even snored!  and the test was done.  We don't know the results yet but will learn about everythingafter the MRI later this afternoon.   We are uncertain if she will be released this evening or not.  I'm kind of hoping they will keep her and monitor her one last night..We will keep you posted. 

For some reason the hospitals internet does not allow access to blogger so genius Daddy figured out a way we can update it via email.   We will continue to update as we can.   Emma and Bronson are having playdates with the Peichels today.  What a releif knowing they are taken care of!  Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. 

Katelyn's Rough Weekend

Well, this weekend ended up nothing like we were expecting.  We went up north for our oldest niece Ashley's graduation party... which was wonderful.  What a beautiful day we had.  The girls just played and played with their cousins.  Katelyn was particularly attached to little Olivia (3 years) probably cause she can boss her around! haha  Every time we would look over at Katelyn she was eating or drinking something.. open house buffets are right up her alley. 

When we got back to Grandma and Grandpa's house we put Kate to bed about 9pm.  I went into the kitchen about 9:30 and heard a weird noise. At first I thought it was the weather radio going off again, but soon realized it was Katelyn moaning. I thought she had a charlie horse.  When I got in the room though I realized it wasn't, she was having a seizure.  She's never had one before but I recognized it since our last dog Juneau had them before she died about a year ago.  How frightening.  Luckily Grandma Hawley was close as well and she knew what was going on.  The seizure was short we think.. maybe a minute.   But when its your child it seems like forever.  We took her into the closest emergency room which was 30 minutes away in Crosby with the grandparents following.  Katelyn was a little groggy in the car from wanting to sleep but for the most part she was herself. The ER took her vitals, urine and blood which all came back normal.  Katelyn was bouncing off the walls because those three things took 2.5 hours.  The ER doctor contacted Children's in Minneapolis and talked to a pediatric neurologist who said having just one short seizure was not cause for immediate concern, but that we should contact his office on Monday for additional tests.  As terrified as we had been earlier, we almost felt foolish now because we knew there wasn't much they could do at this point. We knew that it would likely be a long time before she had another one, if ever. And there she was smiling and singing Hannah Montana songs in the doctor's office. So back over the river and through the woods to Grandma Hawley's house we went.

We got home pretty late, and Katelyn finally got back to sleep around 1:30. She shared the big bed with mom and dad had to take her spot on the bottom bunk bed!  I kept a hand her body at all time so I would be alerted if anything happened.  Unfortunately around 2am she had another seizure.  This one lasted a lot longer (3-4 minutes) and was extremely difficult to watch.  I was pacing the floors asking is it over is it over while Darin and Grandma Hawley helped Katelyn.  She finally came out of the seizure but was unconscious and very limp. After a minute she "woke up" with her eyes but was still limp and could barely hold herself up in the seat of the van. As we drove she became more alert and after about 20 minutes seemed to be herself again, though tired and a little scared. Darin was so strong during all of this.. I don't know how.. I on the other hand was a wreck with worry and nasty hospital shows going through my head. I just didn't want to loose my little girl.  When we arrived at the ER this time they staff was in a rush. We were told immediately that she would have a CT scan and then be air lifted to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. They told us it may be possible for one parent to ride along on the helicopter.  We decided that Darin would go since he was a bit more emotionally stable than than I was.  We had to wait for the CT technician to be paged and come in for the scan. In the meantime Katelyn threw up, perhaps from the seizure or maybe just being so scared about everything. The results from the CT scan were normal, no tumors or unexpected trauma, which was a relief. We expected the helicopter to be there sooner, but they explained that they needed to know the results of the CT scan before calling them in case they needed to perform surgery first. The airlift team finally arrived and loaded Katelyn up on the stretcher. She looked so small but she wasn't scared... she said she was excited to fly.  The pilots decided against having a parent ride along, for reasons of weight distribution, so after takeoff we headed down with my parents.

Darin drove too fast with the hazard lights on. The directions from the Crosby hospital to the Children's were not great and we ended up taking a couple of pretty major wrong turns. Still, we made the whole trip in just over two hours. Of course, Kate's trip only took about 30 minutes. They did try to call us after she arrived but for some reason my phone didn't pickup the call. Eventually we got through and were able to talk to her, she had apparently been entertaining the nurses and watching Disney channel. By the time we arrived she was zonked out... but not for long. It seemed like doctor after doctor came in and wanted the whole story from the beginning, and then would rouse her to check vitals and to make sure she could move everything ok. Eventually things settled down and she was able to get a few hours of decent sleep. The rest of us though tried somewhat unsuccessfully to nap on the hard floors of the little ER room we were assigned to. Eventually they officially admitted her and we moved up to the 6th floor.

I wish we had time to write up the whole story now, but need to set this aside for a while (actually, Darin is writing this now). Feel free to leave comments or questions, or even add to the story from your perspective. We'll try to get things caught up here and continue to post as we know more. We're waiting now on results from her EEG this morning and her MRI is scheduled for 4pm this afternoon.

Thanks to everyone for their help and prayers.

Testing Email Posting

The wireless access at the hospital is very restrictive and doesn't allow direct access to blogger for posting. So, this is a test to see if posting by email works. Thanks to Kim for helping setup, now can you let me know if you see it? Thanks.

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Saima's Photography
website: saimasphotography.com
phone: 763.565.6789

Riding

Summer has arrived! The girls are now both done with school for the year and are starting to enjoy summer.

Katelyn started riding lessons again this summer. Today was her first day back and she was sooo excited. She has been counting the days sense her last day of school. Sunday we bought her new cow"girl' boots because last years pair were missing in action and were most likely too small. They didn't have pink in her size this year tho :( I thought we were in trouble..but she was such a big girl and said thats ok black will go with everything.. haha thats my girl. So this morning I awoke at 9am to find both girls still sleeping! Oh man I have been waiting for this day that they appreciate sleep as much as I do.. god bless you! Kate awoke and came running in my room saying, "mommy do you know what day it is... its my riding day!!". Needless to say she was excited.

Her lesson went well with Kim and Tarj (the horse). She remembered a lot from last year! She even got to start on a new skill.. trotting! How fun. On the way home she thanked me for "the best day of her whole life!".. awwww...