Ratatat Breakdown

Well as most people that know me know I like a wide variety of music (this is Gage by the way).  I happened to stumble onto these guys Ratatat while watching Diggnation (one of my favorite weekly web vids).  Anyway, Ratatat is kind of electronica meets rock etc.  Lots of funky bass lines and synthesizers etc.  Ryan and Evan took about 5 seconds to start expressing themselves by laying down there own funky dance moves.  Check it out, Andi and I sure had a good laugh. 

The Empty Chair

As she entered the room...my chest twisted into a knot and my stomach tensed.  She gave me a quick greeting as she sat in the chair across form me.  I recounted the "episodes" in the hopes that we would be given an answer.  After I explained, she delivered the news...he has a "seizure disorder".  My stomach tensed as did my grip on my little boy who was snuggled on my lap.  She tenderly explained what we needed to do, and that he would need to be medicated...a word I never associated with either of my beloved boys.  After our conversation, she gave me some brief words of encouragement, and left the room.

My mind was reeling with questions that could not be answered...how could my healthy, happy, active boy be "wired differently"??  How is it that just a few weeks ago, the only diagnosis he had was "2-year old"?  For the longest time, I just looked at him...his blue eyes, vibrant and full of life; his blonde hair, with the curly cowlick in the front; his lively smile with a hint of mischievousness.  I then looked up at the empty chair where moments before the doctor had sat.  Tears began to spill down my cheeks.  It all felt so unfair...she had left, returning to her life, and our lives will never be the same.  At that moment, I despised that empty chair.
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Some of you already know...but for those who don't...Evan has been diagnosed as having a relatively uncommon seizure disorder.  Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus (NCSE).  He has had 3 "episodes" over the last 2 months where he would stare off into nothingness and become completely unresponsive for 20 minutes or more.  After his second episode, we started the process of getting him in to see a pediatric neurologist (which included getting an EEG & MRI).  Evan's system expedited that process when he had this last (third) episode just this past Thursday.  We went to the ER and were admitted.  While there, they were able to get his EEG, and we were able to see the pediatric neurologist.  His EEG showed some abnormalities, which helped her to determine that the NCSE seizures were "complex focal", meaning they did not involve the whole brain, but just a portion of it.

Apparently over 50% of kids who have seizures in childhood outgrow them by their mid to late teens.  We are VERY hopeful that Evan will be one of those kids.  Evan has been started on Tegretol (Oxycarbamazapine).  The plan is that when he is 2-years, seizure-free...they will do another EEG and we can consider trying to take him off the medications.  If he goes 1 year, non-medicated and seizure-free, it is highly likely he has outgrown them and will not have any more seizures.

This has been a very scary road, but we are thankful that we have some answers, and thankful that it is not something potentially much worse.  Because he is a healthy guy, and doesn't have significant developmental delays, the neurologists (as well as us) are very hopeful that he will be among those who outgrow their seizures.

While in the hospital, Evan was a super trooper!  Despite typical "hospital sleep" where he was disturbed every 3-4 hours, and despite the IV and covering on his one hand, he was still the lively and active Evan that we know and love.  He even did a little dancing on the last day in the hospital (you can see the video as well as a few Evan pics in the "Hymas Photos" section).

If you have any questions about any of this, you can feel free to email me or give me a call.

Darnedest Things #2

In my last posting... I forgot about another funny thing Ryan has said lately.

On every other Wed., the kindergarteners are in school for almost 5 hours (compared to their usual day of just under 3).  This is the longest Ry has ever been in school before, and I think by lunch time he had had it!  Ryan went home with a friend after school as I had to work that day, and when I called him, he excitedly told me about his day and threw in "OH...and I cried!".  I asked if he had gotten hurt or if he was just sad.... he responded (still excitedly with a hint of astonishment) with "I don't know!  Water just started coming out of my eyes!!"  I repeated my question, and he repeated his answer.  Apparently it had just been a long day, and he was ready to go home.  He is still very excited about school and loves going (thankfully).

Kids Say the Darnedest Things

Ryan has been full of these lately.

Thing#1:
Ryan and Evan are playing (rough).  Evan jumped up and clung to Ryan like a bear cub clings to a tree.  Ryan supported him for about 10 seconds before toppling down to the carpet, Evan still clinging to him.  Ryan popped up...and said.... "MOM...Did you see that?!?!  I carried Evan!  Now you don't need a babysitter....I can babysit Evan!!!"

Thing #2:
When we come home from a camping trip, Ryan likes to "help" me pull the car forward after detaching the tent-trailer.  This usually entails us moving the car forward about 2 feet.  One day (the day after returning from such a trip), we were getting in the car and Ryan said.... "Mom, can I drive to the store?"  I look at him with an "are you crazy" face and say "Uh...no".  "But MOoooOM...you let me drive yesterday!!"  I had to inform him that helping to pull the car forward in the driveway does not qualify him to drive on the road.

Thing #3:
Ryan had 2 frogs that had gone from tadpole to frog in a little habitat we had in our house.  One of the frogs died very shortly after becoming a frog.  About 2 weeks later, the other frog died.  I told Ryan and he asked me  (with a bit of saddness in his voice) "Why did he die??"  I scrambled in my head to find the right words... all I could come up with was "Honey... I don't know.  We did everything we could...we fed him, made sure his home was clean...I just don't know".  Ryan looked at me and I saw enlightenment run across his face as he said.... "I know why he died!"  I thought uh oh...this could be interesting....and hesitantly muttered "why is that?"  "Because Jesus told him it was his time!"  Pure clarity.  I couldn't have said it better.

Thing #4:
We were riding home in the car (Ryan and Evan in the back, I was driving).  Evan was asking repeatedly for gum.  I had told him no...and was ignoring the barrage of further requests.  Ryan turns to Evan and says "Evan...what mom says, I say.  Mom says no, then I say no.  I'm older than you....I'm older, like a big person! So, NO gum!"

I'll continue to post these as they come up....so be looking for more in the future!!

A New Journey

Well, summer has officially come to a close.  Fall has arrived along with the big yellow busses.  Today was a cool, foggy and drizzly day.... and today, Ryan started his journey as a Kindergartner.

The day started off with breakfast...a big bowl of oatmeal (one of Ryan's favorite things for breakfast).  Shortly after, Evan and I escorted him to school.  The kindergartners were to assemble in the library for story time while the teachers busily made their last minute preparations.  Promptly at 9am, the kids lined up and followed the teacher to their new classroom.  Most were excited, but there were a few wet eyes (a couple kids and one or two parents)...I managed to maintain composure.  With all the parents, photos being snapped, and kids learning their way around...it was controlled chaos.  Ryan did a stellar job...responded to questions posed by the librarian during story time, fell into line with the others when asked, and when I peeked in on him in his classroom, he had put his backpack & jacket away and was patiently sitting at a table waiting to learn.  He gave me a smile, and an "I love you sign", and I left.  

As I was walking away, I heard a parent say "We're FREE!!!"  I guess that all depends on how you look at it.  I gotta say...I missed Ryan when he was at school.  So did Evan.  Evan first became a bit upset when we got in the car after dropping Ryan off...I was strapping him in and as he pointed back at the school said "BuhUh!  BUH UH!!!"  I explained that brother was at school and we would see him later.  When we got home, I unstrapped Evan and he began to squirm and complain.  I cued him to use his words and he looked me in the eye and said "GO!  BuhUh!"  There were several other times during the day Evan would ask about his BuhUh.  

We both met Ryan at his bus stop...excitement on our faces as he exited the bus first.  I loved walking home with him, watching him run ahead with some of his neighborhood kindergarten friends...energized by his day.

All in all, it was a successful first day for us all.

I've also added quite a few photos to the Hymas Photos section of the website.  There are 4 new folders as well as some additional pictures added to the Boys - July 2010 folder, so check them out!!  We had a fun and busy summer, the pictures help to tell our story.

Just a couple videos

This is Gage, I know I hardly ever post on here.  Well as you all know I love tech and I wanted to try some embedded iphone4-youtube videos on our blog.  Nothing all that great and somewhat random.

Summer...

We have been doing our best to have a great summer...making the best of this time despite the small glitches here and there.

June flew by, and all of a sudden I find that we have arrived in August!

July was...well...somewhat interesting.
Justin & Kaytlyn stayed with us for a long weekend (or short week) during the 4th of July holiday.  We had a great time with them...and wished their stay could have been longer.  We explored parts of Portland, went to the beach, and really enjoyed spending time with them.

Then the not-so-fun part of our July started.
On July 4th, Ryan woke up with one ear being about 3x the size of the other...swollen and hot.  SO, off the the urgent care clinic for us while the rest of the family headed to a barbecue/picnic.  He had gotten a secondary infection from a bug bite (or 2) behind his ear...antibiotics ordered.  The following Friday, Evan was playing and fell, injuring his ankle.  After him refusing to walk on it or really put weight on it for the better part of a day...I decided to take him in to his doctor.  X-rays came back clear, so just a twisted/injured ankle.  We had one week of "good health" before we ALL came down with a stomach bug.  The one good thing about this bug is that it was very short lived...24-48 hours after symptoms started, they ended.  It started with Evan, then Ry & I got it about a day later, and then a little more than a day after that, Gage got it.  We got through it just in time to be able to go to the Hymas Family & Friends camp-out....WHEW!!!  So far we have been healthy since (as I write this, I'm knocking on our wood table).

We have been camping about 4 or 5 times so far this summer, and have several other trips planned.  This last weekend we were at Lake Billy Chinook in Oregon with some friends.  We had a lot of fun playing in the lake and tubing behind our friend's boat.  Even the boys got in on the action (pics soon to come).