It's a Crazy Life

So we are just wild and crazy right now!  We have had our house on the market for the better part of 3 years, basically because we have just outgrown it.  Even before Peyton came along, we knew we needed something a little bigger.  Since Peyton came along, we are even more crowded.  It’s been on the market for so long that we have kind of gotten to the point where we just didn’t think it would ever sell, but we just kept trying.  Well…..it finally sold and is currently under contract.  This is all well and good, but now comes the task of finding somewhere for all five of us to live.  It’s not like we can just shack up with family or friends till the right place comes along (all five of us is a lot to takeJ) so we have been on a house hunting mission to find the right place.  We did find another house within a few miles of where we live now so the kids can stay in the same school district.  We are in the midst of loan pre-approvals, inspections, appraisals, trying to get all our dates lined up, and making sure we aren’t suddenly homeless when we close on the sale of our house.  I just thought our life was chaotic – right now chaotic seems like a distant & pleasant memory because things are full on CRAZY!!  We have lived in our house for 11 years and this is the longest I have ever lived anywhere.  I moved around a lot as a child because my Dad was a missionary and then a pastor when we moved back to the United States.  All the moving and change never bothered me much (mostly because Mom and Dad did all the work!!) but now I am just in awe of my parents and all the times we have packed up and moved.  It’s A LOT of work!!!!  I’m a little daunted by the whole thing, but I know in 2 months, this will all be behind us and we will be peacefully living in our new house…..Right?????

On to the baby girl (the real reason you read this blog and so nicely allow me to throw in all the other stuff).  She is doing pretty well seizure wise, but she is having tummy issues.  The Ketogenic diet can typically cause constipation and it does with Peyton.  She is just miserable lots of times with her tummy.  Of course, we have to be careful what we give her because of the restrictions of the diet, but I am in touch with her dietitian to see if she has any ideas.  It has caused many many sleepless nights for her (and for us) so we are praying she can get some relief soon.  I found a ketogenic approved fennel tea that she can have so we tried this last night and it did seem to help her.

We go to Chapel Hill on September 24^th for Peyton to have a MRI with a follow up appointment the same day with her neurologist.  The MRI will focus on the left side of the brain where the seizures seem to be coming from.   This may or may not determine whether Peyton could be a candidate for brain surgery.  I don’t know yet how I feel about wanting her to be a candidate for surgery.  I know that we will leave no stone unturned in our quest for Peyton to have the best life possible so I guess I do want her to be a surgical candidate if it could mean more progress.  It is a conflicting feeling to want your 2 year old baby to be a candidate for brain surgery.  I haven’t quite figured out how to process all my mixed emotions on this.  I have read many success stories about pediatric brain surgery and how development can soar and this is our dream.  I want to come to this blog one day and run out of room telling about all the soaring Peyton is doing developmentally.  I am allowed to want that.  Acceptance is a theme in our daily life and we do accept that Peyton is not like other children and that Peyton is most likely going to have a lifetime of issues due to these stupid seizures, but even though we accept it, we will keep pushing for more answers and ways to further her development. 

Check out the cute video that Peyton's nurse took of her.  She likes to make music:-)