Reason #147 Why Duncan is a Saint

And the New “Most Medical Drama” prize goes to…

…THIS child.

Surprised?

Yup, me too. 

I’m interspersing cute Addy pictures in this so I can read it and not get teary, just for the record.  She is kinda cute.  And it’s a darn good thing…

It started innocently enough- I wanted to go to Gymboree to find a little outfit for our new nephew, so on Monday, my mom and I took the day to go to the mall and get out of the 104 degree scorching (literally) temperatures.

We got into the store and Piper stayed in the stroller (it was long past naptime) and I sat Addy down in the little chair by the television.  I walked about 10 feet away to the discount bucket (don’t judge).  Mom and I heard a “thunk”; next thing I knew, Mom was running Addy over to me.  I thought she just got a good bump on the head, but after she wasn’t breathing, we knew something big was up.

She was having a seizure and was turning blue.  We got someone to call 911; they closed the store, but two ladies who were there stayed (one took Piper, the other was a PA offering any advice she had and was ready to CPR if needed) until the paramedics got there.  It seemed like an eternity before they got there (probably about 10 minutes) and she was still blue, but finally somewhat responsive and breathing.  One of them saw how little she was and just decided to run her to the ambulance instead of waiting for the stretcher.

I left my poor mom with the stroller, Piper, and my car keys (to the car that she didn’t know where it was parked), and all of the “accident reports” that had to be filled out.  Thank to goodness she was there; I still don’t know what I would have done had she not been.

Addy and I rode on the ambulance to the hospital that was just a few miles away.  Thankfully it was also just a few miles (as in less than 2) from Luke’s office.  This was particularly amazing because as soon as we landed in the ambulance bay, they switched teams and put her on the helicopter to Children’s.  And since I couldn’t ride in there, Luke picked me up and we sped off to Aurora.

To say that I was having a panic attack at this point would be a dramatic understatement.

It was only a three or four minute flight for Addy, but a 40 minute drive for us.  Talk about nerve-wracking. 

We finally got down to the ER, got pointed in the right direction, and we could hear her screaming bloody murder.  She. was. pissed.  I’ve never been so happy to hear that ticked off little body telling folks who’s boss (she is, obviously, in case you were wondering.)

It was rather anticlimactic at that point.  We were in one of the big trauma rooms, just sitting there under observation to see what happened next.  When I held her at first, her shoulders and hips were really stiff and she was definitely not herself.  Once I was holding her, though, she fell asleep within just a few minutes.  She slept like a ROCK for quite a while (which is something that she’s never done before, you know, with her being the non-sleeper she is…), but eventually woke up wanting something to drink and eat.  She didn’t want to walk for a bit after that, but once she did, she was a busy body once again.  She seemed to be a little weak, and her joints still felt a little stiff (but getting better), but pretty much back to her ornery self.

We talked to the doctors several times and it was decided that they thought her “episode” was over and that she was safe since she was getting back to baseline.  They gave us the option of staying as long as we wanted, but over night in a room with a hard chair and a single, pediatric-sized stretcher seemed less than fun. 

We don’t know for sure if she had a seizure and then fell at the store, or if she fell and she had a seizure.  Or if she even had a seizure at all.  But the general consensus is that the seizure probably happened first, because a fall from standing shouldn’t be enough to cause a kid to seize.

She has less than a 50% chance of having another, but there’s no timeframe in which that is most likely to happen; if she can go two years, though, she’ll not likely have another.

I took her in to the doctor the day after it happened so that we could get referrals for an EEG and to Neurology.  Unfortunately, her pediatrician wasn’t in the office, but we did get to see another doctor who I really liked.  This afternoon, her pediatrician called and I got to talk to her for a bit.  She has an uncanny ability to calm my nerves and make me feel better about anything; she’s awesome like that.

She said that she’s not 100% convinced that it was a seizure because of the blueness.  She said that, although seizures can make kids stop breathing, it’s not common.  She’s a little concerned that just maybe she has some kind of heart murmur, because, apparently, this kind of episode can be indicative of heart problems.  She said that it’s highly unlikely that we’ve missed something for so long, but we’ll see her next week and do an EKG just to be sure. 

She has an EEG scheduled for the Monday after next, and we’ll see Neurology the first of August.  When I had a panic attack about the length of time before we can talk to someone, her pediatrician said not to worry because she can get the results and consult with Neuro before then, if we need to start anything.  She’s also going to give us some meds to have on hand in case something happens while we’re in Washington next month, which helps me feel a little better, too.

I am so ticked off/bummed/scared pantsless at this point.  I mean, really.  Do we really need something else to worry about?

And I don’t know how to handle things like playgrounds, for example.  I hate to not let her climb, but they’re scaring me now, too. 

By the way, two days after this happened, she climbed out of her crib.  My 13-month old, 27” tall, 16 pound kid climbed out of her crib.  Thankfully we could drop the mattress another two inches or so, but the rails went up to her shoulders before; what’s another 2” really going to do??? 

What do I do with this child?  A friend told me that maybe this means she’ll be a doll when she hits her teenage years.  She better be.  I think she’s used her lifetime ration of naughty.

Oh Good Gravy…

…I love this girl.  How can you not smile???

Dancin’

I’ve said it before, but just to reiterate, we are NOT a dancing family.  My poor brother (sorry, dear…) got the attention of all the girls at dances because he could NOT put two moves together (side note: who woulda thought that NOT dancing was more of an eye-catcher than dancing???)  I was never willing to put myself on the line like he was, so I just don’t go near the floor.

We canNOT dance.

Enter Piper.

The kid dances with remarkable ease.  She used to be a little self-conscious about her moves, but any more if she hears music, she’s either dancing, swaying, clapping, or beat-bopping, no matter where she is.

Including at the park, when a car with his radio on too loud drove by.

Piper’s learning to “dance like a choo choo” in Sunday School- this move has become a fast favorite.

I asked her what she was doing- “Music, mom- music!!!”

Dancing inevitably gives her a nice boost of energy- off to make Addy dance with her.  (Addy is, for the record, generally not as enthusiastic about dancing with Piper as Piper is with her, but that’s nothing terribly new.)

…but when you’re the little sister, you don’t get much say in the matter…

My Mini Daredevil

People have asked me several times if it’s difficult to see Addy do things that were harder for Piper. 

And, truthfully, the answer is always “no,” because even though things come a little more naturally to Addy, there are only a few “skills” that were very difficult for Piper to accomplish (getting into sit and standing from prone are the two on the top of that list…)

There are some things, though, where we can see a definite difference in personalities.

The top of that list? 

For as over-conscientious, apprehensive, and a little on the anxious side as this one is at the park…

This little munchkin is daring, able, and willing.

At the ripe old age of 13 months, she has figured out how to go down the slide.  By herself.  Big slides, fast slides, curly slides…  Slides her sister won’t touch.

She goes down and up all by her little self.  What really cracks me up is that she’s all business going up…

…but all grins going down.

Impromptu Pool Play

Sometimes, their ideas are not my own.

It started out innocent enough- I needed to get some weeding done in the garden, and while it was warm outside, it was bearable.  So I took the girls out for some good ol’ vitamin D. 

They played in the shade for a little bit, and even shared a glass of ice water.

Next thing I knew, Piper decided that her tiny baby (or “Addy,” as Piper calls her) needed to swim in the pool.  And while I don’t condone playing with inside toys outside (particularly when water is involved), the damage had already been done and I figured that it’d buy me another 5 minutes to get what I could done.

So I kind of pretended that I didn’t see Piper doing what she knew she shouldn’t; she was having a blast teaching her baby to swim.  And then she had a blast blasting the baby down the slide and into the water.  I could hear her mutter “One step, two step, three step” as the baby made her way to the top.  Talk about cute, right?

I turned around thinking to myself that I have to have the cutest three-year-old on the face of the planet when I heard a funny sound.  A funny splashing sound. 

Apparently the baby couldn’t have ALL the fun…

Busted.

So what do you do?  Just let it continue, right?  Addy (not the doll), of course, had to join in- in her diaper…

Piper and Addy (the doll) danced around in the sun and on the slip-n-slide.  I think that Piper was afraid she was going to get into trouble for being wet; she kept flashing me these coy little glances that just make my heart melt.  Love this girl.

…and, just for good measure, is there anything cuter than baby buns and little baby curls???

Dads and Donuts

Every year, our local DADS chapter puts on a Dads and Donuts park day.  This year, moms were “invited,” too, so we even got to partake in the Krispy Kreme.  That I didn’t mind.

They had lots of food (it is a group of dads, after all…)

…building projects supplied by Home Depot (which, according to the furrow of Luke’s brow, needed better directions…)

…and lots of games to play and space to run.  She really liked to kick the soccer ball.

Piper’s favorite station was the sensory buckets.

And what’s a daddy-day-picnic without playtime with Dad?

I have to admit- I’m pretty impressed with the planning abilities by the group of guys.  I have a feeling that they’re going to be getting more responsibilities in other organizational duties, I’m thinkin’.