If my camera batteries were charged......

You'd be able to see the cutest picture. You'd be looking at a blanket draped over the exersaucer with three bumps poking up. You wouldn't be able to hear all of the giggling, though.

Happy Birthday to Me.

You Act Like You Are 23 Years Old

You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up. The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them.

What Age Do You Act?

I'm just a little bit older than that.........

Emmett's head.

I got a phone call this morning from Emmett's Developmental Pediatrician (did you know there was such a thing???) She called to give me the results of Emmett's MRI. It turns out there is a small cyst on his brain. My mouth went dry. My stomach fell out of my body. Did my heart stop or speed up? I don't know, but there was definitely a jolt. It was a good thing I was sitting down.

She went on to tell me this thing is probably benign and probably harmless. It was a complete fluke that they found this since they weren't even looking for it. She is fairly sure it has nothing to do with his speech and that many people live their whole lives with these cysts and never know it. Of course, she can't bet her life on any of these things so now we have referrals sent off to a pediatric neurologist and a pediatric neurosurgeon. The pediatrician assures me that we will probably just be monitoring this cyst for now and there are no plans to operate on my boy's brain. She also told me that they will not waste any time. We can expect to be back in The Big City in a matter of weeks for these new appointments.

I talked to a friend I have. She had a brain tumor. She knows about these things. She was very reassuring. I am glad I know her. She knows the right questions to ask. She knew the right things to say.

I told Richard about all of this and he is not worried at all. I am in knots. I know I shouldn't worry and that the doc is probably right about how this thing is not hurting Emmett at all. BUT there is a THING in his head that shouldn't be there. I can't stop thinking about it. (It is not at all a funny thought like when Homer Simpson found out he had that crayon in his brain.)

Emmett is fine right now. Nothing has changed. Everything has changed.

Another Update

Well, it has been an eventful day! It turns out our plumbing was stuffed with baby wipes. The plumber spent almost two hours snaking and that is all he came up with. I have a feeling I know who was responsible for that! (She is short, has blonde curly hair, a mischievous glint in her eye....) To celebrate having clean pipes I bleached the kitchen and gave Matthew a bath. (He hasn't had one since the tub started to back up a couple of days ago.)

Emmett came through the MRI just fine. Richard said he was really upset about everything until the sedatives kicked in, and then everything was ok. I have no idea when we will find out the results of the test. A radiologist will have to look at the pictures and make a report that will be sent to our doctor. The boys will be coming home tomorrow.

While they were gone his respite worker and I took the opportunity to clean out his room and get rid of a bunch of toys. Aren't we evil? We also took all the toys out of the living room. It looks so much better in here. I will enjoy it until the slow migration of toys back down the stairs begins tomorrow when Emmett returns.

An Update.

What's new in our little world? Well, Emmett and Richard left for The Big City yesterday. This morning Emmett is having an MRI of his brain done to look for any possible reason for his speech problems. I have been just fine with this, not worrying at all. I fully assumed they would find nothing and then we would just go back to our routine of therapy and hard work. I am worried now. The February issue of Good Housekeeping magazine had a story in it about a little girl who doesn't talk. They talked about the form of brain damage she has that causes her challenges. Now I am worried. Emmett has a lot of the external symptoms. This article also showed an assistive device that I am very interested in to help Emmett communicate. I will be asking our doctor and Speech Pathologist if this machine could be helpful to us.

Of course, when the Cat and Mouse go away, all hell breaks loose. I came down with the stomach flu overnight and came downstairs to find my kitchen sink full of raw sewage. The toilet is backing up into it. A couple of nights ago it was just the bathtub, but now all the plumbing seems to be backing up. So. Gross. I am now waiting to see if Plumber #2 will have the curtesy to call me back.

Think happy thoughts for Emmett today, please! And can someone send a plumber my way, please??

Charlotte's favourite breakfast.