Happy Birthday Baby!

Happy 28!!!! We love you very much! And, hope you get rid of the tummy bug quick!

Slippery!

We're all 'iced' in here! So far, Fed-ex hasn't (or ever has since Adam has been there) closed due to bad weather. Impassable roads and major power outages are expected. I think the latest forcast was about 1 inch of ice.

I passed the tummy bug onto Logen (who woke up in poop and transferred it to our bed at 4am). Adam now has the bug and we are keeping our fingers crossed that Parker doesn't end up with it. No power with sick family members... a bucket of fun!

I'm worried about Adam having to be on the roads tomorrow. So please say a prayer for him.

Logen & Parker's schools have been closed (and closed early today) for tomorrow. If the college is open, class will go on with out me (I didn't go today either... I felt icky!)

So, that's our Monday! It's Adam's birthday too!

A Family In Need Of Our Prayers

The "H" family lost their son last night. "K" would have graduated in 2011.

"K" was in a 4 wheeler accident Tuesday and was airlifted to Children's hospital due to a brain bleed. Dr. "H" (K's dad, also a Dr) flew in a top Neuro Surgeon from Florida, but the damage was to much. They decided to take him off the vent last night at 10:30. I was told he went quickly and peacefully to be with our Lord. Please pray for the "H" family and their friends.

Hug your family today, remind them that you love them, and be thankful for all of those in your life.

Third Day, Revelation

My background isn't 'stretching' like it usually does when I create a new one. I'm working on it. :P

I *finally* uploaded my camera to the computer! I'll upload Logen's surgery pictures this weekend. I'll post a warning above them so that those of you who don't like yucky looking things won't scroll down.

OBGYN and Cardio in 45 Minutes!

Can you see both of those Dr's in that length of time?! I think I beat a record!!!!

My CT scan did not show a tumor on my adrenal gland (Praise God!), however my Cardio isn't going to rule it out b/c the scan 'scans' in cuts, so if there's a small one it can miss it. Since my Momma had one of these and I show many signs, we will keep a close eye on things. For now, I will stay on my 'old fart' heart medicine.

It did show Kidney Stones! I've been thinking I have a UTI since Logen was hospitalized in Dec b/c of back pain, 'stabbing' pain from my pelvic area out of my 'girlie parts' and just all over 'ickiness'. I've been eating Uristat and Advil. It was really bad Tuesday night, so I thought I'd better call my OB and go in for a 'pee test' to get an antibio. They tested my urine (it was done yesterday, but somehow it got 'confused' [long story!] and I had to re-test today... I'm a good 'pee-in-a-cupper'), it showed a moderate amounts of blood (it's not that time) and a few other things, but no leukocytes (meaning no infection).

Long story short. They gave me the urinalysis and I ran next door to my cardio appt. He gave me the CT results. So, I went back to the OB and they referred me to a Urologist. If I start to pass the stones before I get in, I am to go to the ER. The Doc said they'd at least have a copy of the CT and be able to give me Morphine for pain. I'm hoping they will just surgically remove them.

So, I'M FREAKIN' SCARED! I don't wanna go pee. I don't wanna drink. I don't wanna pass a stone (much less more than one!) I sit here doing homework and am thinking, oh... no. I gotta tinkle. No, please, please don't let me pee stones. Hold on there buddies (enemies!). Stay up in my kidneys.

Dear Lord... I need peace! I love you :)

Logen's Pathology Report

The 'tumor' cells/tissue came back consistent with those of a 'typical' Lipoblastoma. Which means.... it's not cancerous!!!!! Yay Logen!

The area is still swollen (or they didn't remove all of the tissue), so the nurse said to watch it over the next week (to 2 weeks). If the swelling doesn't go down by 3 weeks post-surgery, there could be reason for concern. So, for now- we will just watch it.

He was up wrestling, tackling, climbing, etc with kids on Saturday night and by bedtime the poor little guy was really hurting. He's not been as active as he was Saturday night since pre-surgery.

Logen has really been motivated to use his talker (augmentative communication device) lately, for that we are all thrilled!

Only 5-6 more weeks of waiting for results on the genetic tests! Keep Praying!!!

** Camera has been found, on top of the fridge in the garage (it was the only thing on it, so it stuck out). Don't ask me how it got there. I have NO clue! **

Good News For Us!!

Excerpt from article here.

The package delivery company said it will cut pay for senior executives and freeze 401(k) contributions for a year. On Jan. 1, CEO Smith will take a 20 percent pay cut, and the pay of other top brass will fall by 7.5 percent to 10 percent.

FedEx will also implement a 5 percent pay cut for all remaining U.S. "salaried exempt" personnel, which excludes hourly workers such as couriers and package handlers. Mechanics and pilots are also excluded from this category. FedEx said it has about 36,000 salaried exempt U.S. workers.

Combined, the company expects the measures to save $200 million through the remainder of the fiscal year ending in May and $600 million in the next fiscal year.

What does this mean for us? Adam will not loose his job. His pay will not change (the guys at his level will still get their raises- cost of living & performance). They won't match what we put in his 401K- but we will take it!!!! He is likely to get all the over time he can handle since they are in a 'hiring freeze'. Thank you Dear Lord!!! How we love you.

I was impressed that the "big boss" did this. The man that took the 20% cut- this 'plan' came from him. Rather than hurt the guys who do the hard labor, the 'management' is taking the hit.

Useless Random-ness

These came through in an email. I thought I'd share the useless info with you :)

The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for Blood plasma.

*

No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven (7) times. Oh go ahead...I'll wait...

*

Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes or shark attacks.

*

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

*

Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty (50) years of age or older.

*

The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.

*

The King of Hearts is the only king WITHOUT A MOUSTACHE

*

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one (1) olive from each salad served in first-class.

*

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

*

Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.

*

Most dust particles in your house are made from DEAD SKIN!

*

Pearls melt in vinegar.

*

It is possible to lead a cow upstairs... but, not downstairs.

*

A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.

*

Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. (I keep my toothbrush in the living room now!)

*

Richard Millhouse Nixon was the first U.S. president whose name contains all the letters from the word "criminal." (who thinks up this stuff???)

*

And the best for last..... Turtles can breathe through their butts. (I know some people like that, don't YOU?)

Pretend You Hear A Rrrrrr....

Square Roots, Quadratic Equations, Fractions, and those little minus signs in front of numbers are my enemies (yea, I know what they are)!!!!! We are reviewing 'basic math' in my Calc class.

My Jr. English teacher announced Monday that he doesn't teach class on Fridays. I think I might love him. hahaha (don't tell my hubby! shhhhhhh) I'm kidding. Totally sarcastic. He's a little 'weird'.

Today was a snow day. We found out when we were standing at our door watching the bus just sit on the corner of the road, then it by-passed our house. I was a bit confused. I called the bus barn and asked why. The lady said, "mam- school was cancelled about 30 seconds ago. You're fast!" I didn't even know it was suppose to snow today! Wow. I'm in the loop. I wouldn't have even tried to put my baby on the bus had I known there was a bit of slickery roads!

I asked Parker to get off the table during dinner. He said "No Mama. Shhhh" (with his little finger pushed up against his lips) How do you not laugh at that???? Holy cow. Where did he get that? And, how do you get on to a child that cracks you up with everything he does?!

I lost my camera. We took pictures of Logen's leg Sunday and I put it on my dresser. I wanted to take daily pictures of the 'boo-boo'. And, it just disappeared. Seriously, gone. It grew legs and walked off. I asked both boys and of course, nobody knows where it is. I've torn my house apart looking for it. I have some really stinkin' cute pictures on it too!!!!

TGIF ... in 2 hours ...

I'm Fabulous :P

I'm tickled! My first blog award! Thank you Anelys, you rock!

Along w/ this award I am to list 5 addictions I have.

1) Chocolate

2) Procrastination of school work. I work well under pressure I guess.

3) Kissing & loving on my boys. I gotta get in all the smooches I can now b/c I know that soon I'll be told that's gross!

4) Blogging- reading yours, working on mine, etc (although I don't have as much time as I'd like)

5) Asking people to pray for Logen. In the last 2 months, I've asked nearly everybody thats asked about him to pray for him. Wal-Mart check out people, lil' old ladies being nosey- you name it! :) And, God's been listening... I just know it!

Now, I must nominate 5 FABULOUS blogs. I don't like picking *just* 5. Every blog I read is fantastic. After all, I wouldn't read it if it weren't great!!! :)

1) Erin's Blog (Live Laugh Love)

2) Dallas

3) Ellen (To The Max)

4) Popcorn House

5) Kiera Beth

Classes Start Tomorrow!

ECK!

I 'kinda' changed my major a few times over the course of last semester... Long story. I'm going back and forth between 2. But, I've found a BS degree that I can do for both. So, I guess at this point I just work on it and decide later. I've fought with myself over the 2 for the last few years. Really, I want to do something for Logen. And, I know that I can do anything I want to do as long as I put forth the effort and work hard to get there. (And, so can you!) Blah, blah, blah.

Needless to say, tomorrow a new semester starts. And, well- I still haven't nailed down my classes. I'm signed up for Microbio, Advanced Composition, Abnormal Psych & Survey of Calculus. Oh, help me- this semester is going to suck. I'm not happy with this course combo.

I need several more sciences, so I should be taking 2 this semester- but nothing else is open. My strong suit is not English, so Adv Comp is probably going to cause me some grief.

And, The math class--- hahahaha. I thought I was done with math after Trig. Math= tears. I know I used to tutor the junk at the Community College, but I don't like to actually be in it.

Abnormal Psych will be fun. I'll get to learn about other crazy people like me. Yay!

Wish me luck!

Logen, 2 Days Post Surgery

He's doing well. Still in pain- he's limping around (so sad to see).

We are relieved the lipoblastoma is off. We will remove the bandages at sponge bath time. I am anxious to see the incision.

Just Prayin' til we get results from path!

Geneticist Appt

LOGEN DOES NOT HAVE ANGELMANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or CP (confirmed by yet another Doctor)

The newest Dr on our 'list', the Geneticist. We really liked him. He was straight forward. We have never had a Dr say that all of Logen's 'weird/abnormal' th ings must be related. Thank you Lord. How do you have a child that is non-verbal, developmentally delayed, begins seizures at 4.5years, and has a lipoblastoma- and some how these things just happen to the same child? No... the lipoblastoma in itself is very rare. We've ruled out Angelmans. We've ruled out CP. The Microarray came back normal. The next round of testing is below. Let me tell you, I tried to research the groups of disorders. There wasn't much info out there. The results will be back in 6-7 weeks. Until then, we just pray.

Prayer warriors- Lets Get Our Prayer On!!!

Testing: Round: Momma's lost count...
1) PTEN Hamartoma Tumor syndrome (PHTS) is a group of disorders caused by alterations in the PTEN gene. This group includes:
Cowden syndrome (CS)
Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome (BRRS)
Proteus syndrome (PS)
Proteus-like syndrome

2) Aristaless related homeobox, also known as ARX. This can be broken down into sub categories, with rare syndromes, etc- theres not a whole lot of info out there on this (that I was able to find). Partington Syndrome is one name I found.

3) RETT

Surgery Went Well!

We are finally out of the hospital :) Logen did BEAUTIFULLY! Glory to God! Thank you to all of our Prayer Warriors!
We got there around 5:30am. He was wheeled to the OR at 8 and surgery started at 8:30 (they ended up intibating, so prep took a little longer). He was done and in recovery by 9:20. We were called into a consult room (which freaked me out b/c the other Dr's had just gone into the waiting room to speak to familes) and told he went through with flying colors :) He doesn't expect the pathologists to find anything 'bad' and all of the tumor was on top of the muscle- great news! Relief!
We weren't able to see him until nearly 10 and he was in alot of pain when we got back there (his little cry was aweful! He was very ticked at the IV as well) They gave him some Morphine and my little man was out!
He did get sick a few times, but a little Zofran fixed him right up. He ate a popsicle and perked up a little.
He had to finish 2 bags of IV fluids before he could be discharged as well as prove he could keep down clear liquids.
He is very mellow chilling on Daddy's lap watching cartoons right now. He's got an excuse for another 3-5 days out of school. And he can't shower (sponge bathe only!) for a full week! -It's a little boys dream!!! haha If he could say, "Bring on the mud" I'd bet anybody money he would!

** I have info about the other appts- I will hopefully beable to post on that tonight. We still need prayers!

Surgery Scheduled For Friday

This was a totally unexpected occurrence! However, the "Lipoblastoma" on Logen's leg will be removed Friday morning (We need to be at the hospital at 5:30am). We saw a Pediatric Surgeon this morning to discuss what to do with this spot- he wanted it removed. The scheduling lady came in and put us down for the 1st case Friday. We can do it as an outpatient procedure as long as Logen does ok with the general anesthesia and doesn't have any seizure issues.

The Dr is going to use 'inside' sutures and some sort of pain pump inside the site.

I will pictures of this (before and after)-- I did not bring the USB cord to connect the computer and my camera.

We are trying to figure out what we are going to do with Mr Parker! It gets a little tricky when you are so far from home.


There was article in the Journal of Surgical Oncology by one of the Dr's where Logen will have his surgery. I didn't pay for the article, so this is what I was able to read- I thought the stats where interesting.

Lipoblastoma is a rare benign neoplasm of fetal-embryonal fat tissue with a 14% tendency to recur. It occurs almost exclusively in infants and children. To my knowledge, less than 100 cases, including children and adults, have been reported in the English literature. Two retroperitoneal and one case of mesenteric lipoblastoma, all presenting as a large palpable abdominal mass, are described. Our patients, aged 12 years, 7 months, and 11 months, were treated by total surgical excision of the tumors. They are alive and well 5, 4, and 3 years postoperative, respectively, with no evidence of recurrence and no indication for any adjunctive therapy. Pathologic evaluation was decisive for the best treatment and prognosis.

Diagnosis: Lipoblastoma (linked to the article)
Discussion: Lipoblastoma is a rare tumor believed to arise from embryonic white fat and typically seen before 3 years of age. Though histologically benign, it is locally invasive, implying a high risk of relapse if incompletely removed. Despite its low incidence, the diagnosis of lipoblastoma must be considered in children with mass in soft tissue, mainly if they are younger than one year. Two forms of this lesion have been described: a well circumscribed, encapsulated type occurring superficially (lipoblastoma), and a diffuse, infiltrating type occurring in deep soft tissues (lipoblastomatosis). Most lipoblastomas are found in the extremities and trunk, although retroperitoneal, mesenteric, mediastinal, and head and neck locations have been reported. Despite their potential rapid growth and local invasion, these tumors have an excellent prognosis, especially if resected completely. The histopathological picture bears a striking similarity to myxoid liposarcoma, and at times may be indistinguishable. Recent studies describe rearrangements of chromosome 8 q11-q13 regions as a new discriminative marker that distinguishes lipoblastoma and lipoblastomatosis from myxoid liposarcoma. Ultrasound and MRI are the best imaging modalities to diagnose lipoblastoma by revealing structures and local growth pattern that appear specific for this rare tumor. The imaging characteristics of the lipoblastoma also need to be correlated with the age of patients to exclude other entities. The treatment of choice is surgical resection. Following complete excision, the prognosis is excellent, though recent reports indicate a recurrence rate of up to 25%, particularly for infiltrating tumors. Metastases have not been reported in this tumor, although local invasion is possible.

Fears & Funnies

On Jan 31, 05 Logen was given the Dx of CP at the hospital we are going to tomorrow. I thought long and hard about this today. That Dx followed us around for 3 years and 10ish months. (And, in most everybody's documents hasn't changed.) You get used to something and *think* you accept it, then it's 'gone'. The concept is something that I don't understand... but maybe that's part of our makers plan. Who really knows. I have this little voice that keeps saying, 'it's going to be ok. Maybe it's going to be a 'better' Dx.' Then, it's like a sudden crash- 'Jessica, he doesn't speak at age 5. Somethings not right. He started having seizures at age 4. It cannot be 'better'.' Agg... there's my pessimism kicking in. It gets me. Every time.

I guess my overall thought was... 4 years ago we got a dx I did not want. I cried like no other the entire trip home. I cried until I had no tears left to cry. We go to that same building tomorrow. It's the same month, the same time of year. Am I going to leave there with a Dx for Logen? Will we continue to test or wait? What happens next? What about Logen? What does Logen think about all of this? Is he sick of the testing and sitting in Drs office? Of people talking about him in front of him like he's not there (I think this is rude. I wish Drs would not do this!) Or being poked and prodded like a pin cushion? Or does he even know whats going on?

On a lighter note: Some Parker Funnies & Sicklies! (Mmm... not a word, 'eh?)
* Parker has officially started calling a Bus and Bus. It was a Butt. I liked Butt. It was funny...
* And, he ate bloodworms today. Yum. Not. They were being thawed in the sink for the fish. Parker decided to have a taste. He ate the whole container.
* He also informed me this morning that his ears hurt and he needed to go to the Dr. So, mean mom said- what if they give you a shot? You still wana go? He said, "Es. Ear ur." (We know, he needs speech. And, he qualifies. However, our insurance company doesn't agree) My 2 y/o diagnosed himself! Both ears are indeed infected. Suprax for 10 days. He's also on Pulmicort and Xopinex {breathing treatments, he does great with these... HAHAHAHA}. (P for the remainder of the winter... nothing new, we've done this for the last 2 years and X until the Antibio is finished)

Upcoming Appointments

We will embark on an appointment filled journey in the early hours of the morning! Roads heading south have a chance of ice, so I will be up early checking road conditions before we head out. I will update when I get a chance (hopefully daily!) Please say prayers for us! I am praying the next 4 days bring a lot of information and not to many tears.

Santa's Cookies

Click Image To Enlarge

Parker was more fascinated with the "cookie" part of Christmas than gifts. He woke up Christmas morning, glanced at the tree with it's toys from Santa, walked past it and into the kitchen. He noticed the cookies were missing and very concerned said, "Santa's Ookie Ooone!"

I ended up ordering the Easie Eaters. I found them here for cheap. (I searched several sites to find the lowest price) And shipping was only 5.00!

Anelys posted a comment about Myself Belts. Logen's nickname is Mr Fashion- so when I searched this (also at Adaptive Child, but a wider selection available at MB) I thought it was a great idea for him. And, an awesome OT workout! We will have to order this for him. I think he will LOVE it and with minimal (to no) help he can do it all by himself!! (Which, is a great self esteem boost!)

Curved Utensils

I am searching for the 'perfect' set of utensils for Logen. We've tried the weighted fork/spoon- but I think he needs something with an angle. The children's sets I have found are all plastic which concerns me b/c Logen prefers to eat with a metal fork at home. He will actually go to the silverware drawer and get a metal fork if we give him a plastic one. We want him to be successful at eating on his own, so finding silverware he can use is very important.
Has anybody used these? What did you think about them? Are there any out there that you suggest?

EasieEaters™ Curved Utensils

Another Mess!

Parker opens containers with his teeth now. When the little guys work together, we get big 'ole fun messes!

Wednesday's CT

WAS A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE! I arrived early, the test was ordered wrong- the the right diagnosis. Thankfully, the CT lady caught it so she called the Dr to have it fixed. However, inorder to do the contrast with a 'possible tumor in the kidney/adrenal gland' region- you must have labs done to make sure your kidneys functions are normal. This lab tech sucked. I have never in my life had a vein get rock hard, swell up and hurt so badly for over 24 hours afterwards!! I took a pic w/ my phone Wed night after it was still puffy. I wish I would have thought to do it after it happened b/c it was ugly!

Then when they finally got me back to do the contrast IV, they put it in wrong- man, did it BURN! I was in tears. It's not like they use a small gauage either (and my arms aren't that big) One lady was saying, it doesn't hurt- put it behind you head... The other lady said, she's in tears- I think it hurts. It took about 40 minutes and was over. I was so happy. I started taking the IV out myself and got in trouble :P Friggin' hurt and I was done with it! I'm a horrible patient.

No word yet. *Hopefully* soon...