Greta had her 6 month follow up appointment with our neurologist in Fort Wayne.  This time, we saw the nurse practioner, Ms. Janet, who was so nice and wore fun glasses.  Double bonus.  I had some concerns recently because Greta's sleep has been a bit wonky lately, and she has also been rolling her eyes a bit.  While eye rolling is not that big of deal for 99% of kids, a person affected by a seizure disorder can sometimes exhibit this which indicates seizure activity.  Greta usually rolls her eyes to the right, and it is definitely NOT when she is trying to be cute, funny, silly, or sassy.  She's had some moments where she will space out.  Again, while most children do this to be silly, in Greta's case, it is a bit different.  With all these new observations, I was concerned she needed to be bumped up again on her Keppra.  Welp, she is now bumped up to the max dose, and with that, there is a strong chance they will start her on another medication.  She has only gained 1.5 pounds in the last six months, so she is metabolizing more medication without more body weight.  Again, time for possibly a new medication.  This is very normal with anti convulsants, so I am not freaked out or scared by this. 

I also mentioned to the nurse that I am concerned about her snoring, and episodes of "apneaic breathing," which are disrupted loud bouts of sleep where her snores collectively mount to a large disruption.  For kids with seizures, this is a bad news, because they are not getting enough oxygen during sleep.  Less oxygen means more seizures are likely to happen.  SO, she ordered a sleep study test.  She also recommended getting her tonsils out.  I guess they are scaled between a 1-4, and her tonsils measure large at a 3 without signs of illness or infection.  She thinks this is the reason she looks so tired.

We talked about her constipation issues and she thinks it is related to her poor muscle tone, which can manifest itself in poor digestion.  I guess your bowel muscles are different, but they too can be compromised with any sort of head injury/brain delay response.  It is common with kids who have cerebral palsy and Down's syndrome.  We never had her diagnosed with CP, because we didn't need to.  Now, the diagnosis of a mild form would be easier explaining all of mild symptoms to practitioners.  Again, she has MILD symptoms.  She has really come a long way with any motor delays, though some of these larger functions can still be complicated (sleep, digestion, speech).

Once we get her seizure stuff under control and her tonsils out, she should be golden for a while.  In the meantime, she is currently wearing big girl pants.  They are dry.  It  has been 20 minutes.  #winning

I signed Gertie up for preschool yesterday.  I wanted to cry.  She said she was happy because her classroom has a pet rabbit named Truman.  I guess things are looking up.  No, she is still not potty trained.  Bad parent over here.

"Happy now?":  Her question while participating in a fun activity where Mommy or Daddy are watching.

"Neat!":  An interjectory statement made when Greta is experiencing something new and fun.  I have no idea where she got this.  I don't usually use this word.

Greta and her neighbor accomplice, Lily, showcase their sweet fashion finds.






We were snowbound, once again, yesterday, after 10 new inches of snow fell.  The school district here is on their 9th, (NINTH) snow day.  Thankfully, Greta celebrates such holidays, knowing Lily can come over and play with her.  Usually, Lily goes to Big Girl School and leaves Gertie behind to play with Mommy.  On this particular day, we headed off to Target to find some baby wipes and sunglasses.  Miss Gertie is going to the ophthalmologist on Friday to have her eyes checked.  I am hoping this is a mere formality and that glasses won't be necessary.  This trip was under the direction of our neurologist, just making sure all of her systems are "a go."  I, on the other hand, will be heading to my own eye doctor appointment next week for some new fresh specs.  My Sarah Palin glasses are no longer cool and I am surely ready for something different.

Greta is now sleeping in her BIG GIRL BED.  This is a VERY big deal around here.  Big girl bed, big girl school, etc.  We get the point.   We are happy to report that she is sleeping very well in her big girl bed.  We do have to put a gate up at night so she doesn't get out.  It is very dark in the hallway, and the last thing we need is someone falling down the stairs.  I suppose our next course of action is getting rid of her Sucky (pacifier) and then onto the biggest challenge:  Potty Training.  For the record, she is totally NOT INTERESTED.  I am very serious in not rushing her.  The last thing we need is a controlling toddler who refuses to go treekle on the potty. 

Big.  Girl.  Bed.  (Please notice that Lamby, Sam the Monkey, and Puppy Baby are facilitating the change of bedding.)