Take the good with the bad....

Today was another roller coaster ride in the McDaniel household. It started @ 7:30 with everyone getting up & ready to go in for Ben's pre-admission labs for JH. Ben had to be fasting so we woke him up last,put Emla cream on both arms to numb him up for the lab draw,collected a urine sample, put it on ice (there's no way I can get him to pee on demand in the lab,so I catch the first morning sample)& headed out the door.
The whole way there Ben kept asking for juice, then crackers (meaning his favorite cinnamon graham cracker sticks). This then got Grace asking for the same. I didn't give any to Grace b/c I didn't want to upset Ben. We got the appt by 9:03 (our appt was for 9am so this was on time for the McDaniel clan). we weren't seen until 9:40, the whole time I was in the waiting room, both kids were asking for food &/or trying to play with the other kids (the waiting area was packed).I am trying to keep Ben healthy before the admission & he already has a head cold so I was trying to minimize playtime with other sick kids in the waiting area. Once we finally were shown back to the lab area, I met a new phlebotomist (this was her first week) who asked me what labs I needed to have drawn & then proceeded to look then up them up in a lab processing manual. this was despite the fact that I had already faxed the request to the lab 2 weeks ago & just last week met with Ben's pediatrician & gave her a copy of the lab request. I handed the lady another copy of the lab request (I came prepared for this question). I explained to the new lady that I was concerned b/c Ben was fasting & that I had a urine sample in my bag which was now over an hour old. She then immediately looked at me and asked if Ben had eaten anything this morning and did I think he could pee in a cup b/c "we need a urine sample".
I knew then that things were going to get worse.

I tried to keep my cool b/c I really like the lab staff & they've always been great before. To sum it up it took 2 phlebotomists and 3 sticks to get the labs drawn. We left at 10:40. Unfortunately, when we got home the lab called to say they had a really weird result, probably from a clot & that meant we needed to do the lab again. I'm grateful that at least the lab result wasn't sent b/c I don't want anything to jeopardize our admission. So, I'm glad they called to ask for a repeat.

Things calmed down after that, everyone had lunch & a nap (well mom only had lunch). Then in the late afternoon, just to break up the monotony of 2hrs of peace & quiet. Emma our dog had a couple seizures in a row (some of you may know that our dog started having facial paralysis & seizures in April. I guess she thought she wasn't getting enough attention & saw how the seizures worked for Ben so she thought she'd give it a try!).
Once Emma settled & Ted got home, we went swimming. We had a great time. The water was clear & warm. Grace & Ben are both doing really well swimming. Grace is fearless & thinks she can swim. She actually kicks her legs & doggy-paddles with her arms (which I think is amazing for a 22 month old) but she sinks like a stone if you don't hold her up. Ben is cautious swimming but has gotten a lot better this year with a swim vest his Aunt Ann gave us. He loves to swim "on his own". Which means about 3-6 inches away.
Anyway, all was well for about 2 hrs & then when we came in Ben had a very long, very weird complex partial seizure. He came out of it with only one dose of Diastat but he was really slow to recover. It was almost as if he kept going back into a seizure. But the whole time he was seizing, he kept looking around & his eyes were open, with normal breathing so it was very hard to tell. This was his first big seizure in 3 1/2 weeks which is the longest we've gone all year. So we were expecting one. Ultimately, he recovered well & we all had some graham crackers & milk before he went to bed.
Speaking of which, Ben is now sleeping in his crib converted to a toddler bed. He thinks this is very cool. He sometimes gets up in the middle of the night to turn on his fish lamp & every now & then we can hear him playing with his shoes which hang on the back of the door (don't ask me why). But overall, he's really been good about going to bed & going to sleep. He has also been taking naps in a roll out sleeping bag (borrowed from his friend Philip)which we'll use on our vacation. He's really liking both of them. It's so funny to see him come walking out of his room after a nap and say "morning" (even in the afternoon) with a big grin on his face. He thinks he's a big man.

We had a lovely day this past Saturday when our friends from church came over for a pool party. It was the end of a week of vacation bible school & we had everyone over to swim. It was so much fun to spend time with everyone. The kids were hysterical jumping off the diving board & it was so funny & sweet to see Ginny Chorley sitting in the pool with all her clothes on (we had more little ones then big people in the shallow end & she jumped in, literally, to help out). Our church friends have been so kind & supportive, we're so glad we've found such a wonderful church family.

Actually I have to say that Ted and I have always been blessed with loving supportive people in our lives. Whether it's been from family members, church family, friends or coworkers. We've turned to the people in our lives over & over again & they have always been there to help us. Often they're there before we even know we need them. As we've been getting ready for our trip north, I have been overwhelmed by the amount of the help we been given, all kinds of help. Offers to take care of Grace, advice on directions & where to stay, offers of a family home to stay in from friends in both MD & Delaware,offers to take care of Emma,generous financial help,a friend mailed us her gram scale that she used when her son was on the diet, my mom & dad cleaned almost the entire house on their last visit, even the offer to come with us from someone who has a very busy personal & professional schedule of her own.

I am so grateful for the loving, supportive & generous people we know. It's b/c of their help we've managed to come this far, and also because of them that I know we'll be able to get through the next part of our journey. You learn to take the good with the bad. To make big celebrations over little moments and to turn to the good people in your life when you need them.