MRI's, EEG's and MBSV's

Last week was a busy week of appts at Children's Hospital in Seattle. Tuesday was Madeline's MRI on her stomach. It took a long time to get the anesthesia and then the actual test only took about 15 minutes. She freaked out when she woke up because they left her IV in and had tape all over her arms but otherwise it was ok. The tests came back normal so we know everything is connected and working properly in her gut. So good news there.

Then on Friday she had an EEG, which is a test where they place 30 electrodes on her scalp and measure brain activity for about an hour. We were pretty positive there was no possible way she was going to lay still while someone stuck a bunch of stuff to her head, especially since she hates me even brushing her hair. Luckily the nice EEG tech was smart and let her keep her pony tail in. She laid in the bed and played her Leapster (handheld video game) while the test was performed. I was amazed!! She was such a trooper. We got those tests back yesterday and they were normal too. So, no seizures and the funny little thing she's doing is just a stim that she controls. Probably regulating her nervous system. So more good news.

Then this weekend she got sick. Nasty fever and runny nose. I took her to the dr yesterday (in a snow storm) and he said it was MBSV. "Must be some virus"! :)

We are happy because now we have most of our questions answered. We know that none of her symptoms are serious and most are related to sensory issues and not physical issues. hooray!

We got a ton of snow in the last few days. Here are some pics!!

Seattle Aquarium

We took a family trip to the Seattle aquarium today. The girls LOVED it. Madeline really liked the jellyfish and the seals and Abby just liked to make kissing noises at all the fish. Here are a few pics.

new blog??

I'm getting a lot of flack for taking so long to update my blog. Seriously ladies, it hasn't even been a month. I guess what that really means is there hasn't been much to talk about either that or I've been too busy to sit down and do it. We've also had the great pleasure of passing a cold around the house. Madeline started it and then it went full circle and is back to her and I again. I'm going around the house with lysol today to try and kill this bug!



We had Madelines GI appt at Seattle Children's hospital. It went ok. They really didn't do anything, just ordered more tests. They are going to do an xray and an MRI to make sure all of her parts are connected properly. They really think that she's basically not going potty on purpose. Apparently kids can do this to themselves. She gave me some concoctions to try at home but the real answers will come after the test results at the beginning of next month. That same week she'll be having an EEG which is basically a test to make sure she's not have seizures. That should be a really fun week! :( I am looking forward to it though, it's been a long time since I started wondering about these things. It will be great to have a definitive answer. Hopefully these folks at children's will be able to get her to cooperate through the EEG. They have to put all these monitors on her head. Hopefully the room is fun and has a TV or they'll be in big trouble.

We've also been doing some research on dogs and autism. There are many companies out there training dogs for children with autism. They are basically trained to keep and eye on the child. They can get pretty skilled so that they go to school and everything with the child, much like a seeing eye dog but this is not what we'd want. We just want a dog that would be trained to keep an eye on the girls. Especially in places like parks and the beach, etc. Abby is so in love with dogs that she would be the happiest girl ever. We can't do it in this house but maybe in the next one. I just need to find a good local trainer to help us out. I'm looking at golden retriever/poodle mixes. It's called a mini goldendoodle. They are the cutest things ever and they aren't that big. Here is a link http://www.swissridgekennels.com/retrieverpups.html . Here is a link on autism and dogs http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/07/16/heroes.shirk/index.html .

Happy New Year!

So it's a little late. I can't seem to find time to sit down and type.

I've been spending a lot of time, playing in the snow, traveling, doing laundry and getting ready for Kerry's wedding. Now that it is over (it was wonderful) I can get caught up with other things.

We had the monthly update with Madeline's ABA therapists yesterday. She's doing really well. She masters every program they give her in record time. She isn't crying and complaining as much as she used to. That is probably because she doesn't do it as often as she used to. I think that she definitely needs a balance. I think we were focusing way to much on ABA before and she needs a wider variety. They work on things like playing catch, cutting with scissors, learning the days of the week, social questions, matching and so on. She had mastered quite a few of them yesterday and they were coming up with new programs. I love hearing that because a lot of the stuff she learns in ABA you don't notice on a daily basis.

Madeline has learned how to use the computer. Yet another reason why I don't have time to blog! :) She loves it. She just needs help getting to her favorite toddler websites and she can handle it all from there. It's actually very impressive. The only thing is that she ONLY wants to play the computer. When she wakes up in the morning and when she gets home from school that's the first thing she asks for. I had to ask the therapists yesterday what their opinion was. They said as long as she has a balance it's fine. Basically if' she has ABA for 2 hrs in the morning she should be allowed to play the computer for an hour. Then if she's at school for 4 hours she should be allowed computer time when she gets home. Also, in situations when there is a ton of people at the house she should be allowed to play. This way she's not just watching tv, she's actually interacting and participating in a game and she's not bothered by the amount people and noise in the room.

Abby is doing great. She's a little fiesty but still adorable. She loves her cousins Ella and Jack and is actually chanting their names right now. She is waiting...impatiently...for them to come over and play.

I've attached some more recent pics. I hope everyone had a great holiday!