He Didn't Even Know What Hit Him...Literally

It's only on rare occasion that I put duplicate posts on both of my blogs. This story is one that I want to remember for a long time to come. If nothing else, it'll give Liam something to tell stories about later. Here it is from my other blog.

I haven't posted in a while because I've been in the hospital with Liam. He's home now, and well on his way to a complete recovery but it was pretty touch and go for a while there. So, here's what happened:

CJ got to attend a local baseball camp for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (another blog post soon to come with LOTS of pics), and the last event the camp offered was for the campers and their families to attend a minor league baseball game. We looked around, but had no luck in finding a babysitter for the three littlest ones so we opted to just bring them with us. Besides, what could possibly go wrong, right? Ha! These are SuperMom kids. Something will ALWAYS go wrong because that's just how we roll.

The kids were doing okay, but were certainly nothing short of wiggly worms. They were all over the place. One of the things they were most interested in were the promotions going on at the platform above the first baseline. Byron and I decided to go ahead and let Liam out of the stroller and put his backpack leash on him so he'd still be safely by my side. We went up to the platform where there were performing dogs and a few other booths that he could look at. When we got up there, we were talking to some of the other parents from the baseball camp when we noticed in a split second that people around us were ducking. Instinctively, we both ducked and covered our own heads. Neither of us covered Liam's head. That's a split-second choice we will both regret for a very long time.

The ball bounced off of something and hit Byron in the knee. He was really sore and rubbing it for a fraction of a second before we realized people were running at us at full speed with looks of horror in their eyes. That's when we noticed Liam laying on the ground by me. It took no time to understand that, in that split-second, the ball had hit him head-on in the forehead before bouncing off of him and into Byron's knee.

One of the team's management staff saw the whole thing happen and rushed us off into the backroom for ice and to be sure Liam was okay. I carried him and he whimpered a tiny bit, but really didn't cry much. I filled out an injury report while they got him some ice and someone else brought him the ball that had hit him. Apparently another spectator caught it, but felt that Liam had earned it more. In the time it took me to fill out the form, Liam acted fine. That didn't last long, though.

Within about ten minutes of being hit, I noticed he couldn't pick up his ice pack and he was staggering. He wasn't able to stand up straight at all. I quickly picked him up and noticed that his eyes were going back and forth. It looked like they were having seizures or something. I went back to the management guy we first met and said something was very wrong. He called 911 and his wife, who was at the game and a nurse. At this point, I was starting to panic a little bit.

The nurse was the first one to help him, and she could also tell something was wrong. He was responsive at that point, but was in need of medical help. Luckily, the ambulance was there within five minutes of being called. The paramedics put him in a neck and body brace and then strapped him to a backboard before loading him onto the ambulance. I went on the ambulance with Liam while Byron made arrangements with some friends who just happened to be there to help get the other kids home and taken care of so he could meet me at the hospital.

That ambulance ride was the scariest parenting moment I've ever had. He began to quickly deteriorate in his status. He lost conscienceness and his respiration rate went down to 6 breaths per minute. The paramedics couldn't wake him, so they bagged him to help him breathe as the ambulance screamed down the road. His blood pressure went sky high and then dropped very low. At that point, there was some debate about whether we'd make it to the trauma center in time. We opted to keep driving with the plan to go to a closer hospital if he got any worse to stabilize him and then get him to the trauma center possibly via life flight.

When we got to the Children's hospital, Liam was immediately rushed to a trauma room full of about 20 waiting care providers and I was taken to another area with a social worker to give information (and keep me out of the doctors' way while they assessed him.) Liam was then taken for X-Rays and probably some other tests while I waited for him. He still wasn't really with us at that point, and couldn't be wakened but he did respond to pain by pulling away.

Byron finally made it to the hospital and joined me while Liam sat in the hospital and he was taken from the trauma room to his own ER room with monitors all over the place. He was on an IV, but I don't remember all the details about why. I think they were providing fluids since he wasn't able to wake up and eat or drink himself. Over the course of the several hours we were in that room, his heart rate kept dipping for a few seconds at a time.

Around three in the morning Saturday morning, he was finally given his own room on a highly monitored unit and we just had to wait and see what would happen. Liam continued to sleep until late Saturday morning when he finally woke up.

Almost immediately upon waking up the vomiting started in full force. For the full day, doctors opted to take all food and drink away from him until the next morning. Sunday morning, teams of neurologists came to see him and ordered another CT scan of his brain. That CT showed what looked like a stroke. In addition, we noted that Liam wasn't able to stand at all and sitting always resulted in falling far to the right.

Because of the CT results, and MRI was ordered for him the next morning (Monday). Because of the way he was acting (unable to hold his head up very well, vomiting, etc.), there was legitimate concern that he'd had a stroke. Some priesthood holders from church came and gave him a blessing on Sunday night and we just sort of held on to faith that the blessing would at the very least bring him comfort and keep him free of fear. The MRI results came soon enough and showed no damage at all. We were very blessed.

From that point, ENTs were brought in, an audiogram was done to be sure he didn't lose anymore hearing with the hit (he didn't, by the way), and we just watched and waited. Each day, he got better and better. Doctors kept looking for clues as to what was causing so much trouble with walking, but at least we knew he was continually improving.

Finally on Wednesday morning, I was talking to an ENT and told him just what I had been seeing in him. He ran a quick test at the bedside and finally saw the nystagmus in his eyes. That was all we needed to confirm what was wrong. A neurologist followed shortly behind and ran the same test with the same results. Basically, the otoliths in his ears were not in the right position and were throwing off his balance. It's expected that they will eventually fall back into place.

He still is a little "spacey" and doesn't always seem to be totally with us, but he is walking and running on his own. His wild and crazy disposition is returning, and I'd see he's doing great. He just can't seem to walk with shoes on. The pediatrician saw him Thursday morning and thinks he's grinding his toes into the ground to help him find a center of balance.

He also got a visit from the baseball team's mascot and president who brought him a team autographed bat from the game, signed his ball, and gave him a team bobble head toy (how ironic, right?). They also invited him to throw out the first pitch at a home game WITH a helmet and seats safely behind some nets.

All in all, we are feeling very blessed that he's still with us. We were lucky to have so many people help with the other four kids and bring in meals, etc. I had no idea how blessed we truly are with amazing friends who care about us and our crazy children.

As for Liam, it's safe to say that he didn't even know what hit him. Thank goodness!

Clearly It Was a Monday

Remember back in the day when we were in school when the big joke was about giving someone a swirly? I never got one, but playground lore held that a swirly happened when someone stuck your head into the toilet and then flushed making the water swirl around you. Somehow I struck it lucky enough that my children haven't ever heard of such a thing. Can you just imagine CJ with the image of a swirly in his mind?? The poor cat!!

Liam decided to give another kind of swirly today. He got pretty gross after his breakfast (let's be honest, people. When is he not gross??), so I opted to throw him in the tub with Rachel and Drezden. Drezden had an allergic reaction to the diapers I bought him, so I knew the water would do him good.

After they got out, Liam was running around naked while I worked on switching laundry and getting his clothes ready. I let Drezden run around in the buff to air out his sore hiney. I came downstairs to discover Liam fiddling around in the dishwasher. I think he must aspire to being a dish guy at some fancy diner when he gets older because he just obsesses over the dishwasher. I watched for a second before the horror kicked in. My naked, freshly bathed two year old was taking the dishes that were clean from the washer to the toilet! THE TOILET!!!! He would put each dish in the toilet, swirl it around a little, and then proudly throw it back in the kitchen sink. He was giving my clean dishes swirlies in THE TOILET!!! Really? Of all places you could put my clean dishes, you chose the toilet????

I emptied the remaining dishes before his grubby little hands could get to them and then reloaded the dishes with the ones that he had kindly rewashed for me. From there I headed upstairs just in time to hear Rachel yell "Drezden pooped!". With a diaper on, this would be no big deal, but I was airing out his bum. Luckily none of the poo got on the floor, but he did try to slide off the potty before wiping and left...well...let's just suffice it to say there was a trail. Lovely.

Within twenty minutes of taking a refreshing bath, I had two naked little boys involved in toilet crimes. Clearly it was a Monday.

Liam Has a Word!!

I am at a loss for words (which is rare...trust me) tonight. We have spent endless hours working on keeping Liam's hearing aids in. A friend of mine, Kadee, managed to make him a cap that officially works at keeping the aids where they belong. In keeping the aids in, we have succeeded at giving him auditory input. Finally, it's all paying off. I was recording a video of him demonstrating his cap and after I finished, he managed to say the one word he's allegedly been saying at school for a couple weeks now. This was our first time hearing him say it correctly at home. He's so proud of himself that he walked around for quite a while after the video with his toys in the air saying "uh uh uh".

Here he is saying his first word!! Go Liam!!!
Here he is demonstrating his awesome cap. This video also shows another big step for him as it demonstrates him finally copying what we do. This is a great step toward sign and spoken language acquistion. It really is a great day for him.

What I Gained From Ladies' Night at Church

This Wednesday night was Relief Society night. For those of you who aren't Mormon, that basically means that the women of the congregation come together for a monthly night out. The night is usually filled with lessons and ideas on self-improvement, spiritual growth, chocolate, fun craft ideas, etc. This month, it was mostly about spiritual growth and stress management. I was really glad I went.

One of the instructors was Liam's Sunday nursery leader. I really like her because she's so down to earth and calm with him. Nothing he does seems to ever set her off. She also seems to enjoy being with him in a genuine way. It's not like he's a job to her, but something she looks forward to doing.

The other instructor was Tracey G. She lives down the street from us and her daughters are two of our babysitters. One of them works with Liam twice a week on keeping his hearing aids in. She spoke on stress management and offered four remedies. They were scriptures, service, excercise, and laughter.

Yesterday, I decided to take the challenge and see what came of it. I feel like I manage stress well, but am always willing to try to come up with even more. It started with trading Facebook for scriptures. I am a multi-tasker so I decided to turn on the computer and listen to scriptures while I made the beds. I had Liam play in his crib while I was doing what I needed to do. In my mind, this was accomplishing the scripture part. As I was working, I got so into listening that I didn't check on Liam right away. Before long, I started to smell a very familiar odor. POOP.

I walked into Liam's room and there he was proudly playing with his poop. What the heck is it with my kids and poop? Seriously. We have crayons, play-dough, coloring books, water colors, and markers. What makes these little people think they need to do their art with freaking POOP!?!?!? Further, how are they all such little Houdinis?? Liam was wearing a onesie and an outfit over that when he managed to completely remove his diaper. Seriously?!!? I'm considering taking out stock in duct tape. Rumor has it I can now buy duct tape in fabulous colors and patterns.

The next thing I did was accomplish the service recommendation. I lovingly pulled him from his poop-filled crib and put him into the tub. I didn't even think bad words about the situation. That's service with a smile right there. I scrubbed him down really good, emptied the tub, cleaned it out, refilled it, put some toys in, and let him play in the tub with Rachel and Drezden while I scrubbed out his bed, changed the sheets, and deodorized the whole upstairs. Who knew such a little person could make poop that could be spread so far???

From there, I accomplished the excercise recommendation. I went up and down those stairs more times than I care to count. And I was lifting "weights". Okay, so it was just laundry baskets full of poopy bedding and clothes, but it weighed a lot.

Lastly, the laughter. Really, look at the situation. I've had five kids. This is the third one to find a creative means in his poop. It's hilarious really. Some parents proudly display their children's works of art. Instead, I get to scrub my kids' art...and then disinfect the house. That's funny, right? I guess I'm just glad they're not into the culinary arts. Just imagine the poopsicles we could be dining on. Yikes!

I did make sure I called Tracey to let her know the many effects I gained from her workshop. If nothing else, she got a little laughter from it.

Note to Self: Wear a Raincoat

Liam has had some trouble with eating. He is gaining plenty of weight and takes a bottle like a champ, but solid foods aren't going so well. Anything with chunks or that doesn't have the same flavor as vanilla yogurt or bananas will usually result in heavy gagging, choking, and a general feeling of impending death. We're working with him on it, but he seems to be winning the battle.

On top of that, he is incredibly stubbourn about not wanting to wear his hearing aids. I know this comes as a shock to hear that one of my precious angels might be stubbourn about anything. Rest assured, though, it's true. I'm sure I have no idea where any of them might have gotten that trait from. The problem with him refusing to wear his hearing aids is that we aren't stimulating his auditory brainstem, and speech will be more difficult for him later.

We had his annual ECI IFSP meeting this past week, and I was instructed that it's time to stop telling him no with a smile when he pulls off his aids. I'm supposed to show him my grumpy face and firmly say no while also signing it. Have you met this kid??!? He is just adorable and sweet and happy and loving, and someone is telling me to tell him no??? (Actually, I'm fine with that. Just ask Aiden. I say no all the time. According to him, in fact, I am the "meanest mom in the world".) It's the part where I have to show grumpiness that I hate. Poor kid.

Plus, I'm supposed to start introducing more flavors. The best suggestion is to go ahead and dip his binky in a new flavor and offer it that way. Okay, I guess that seems reasonable enough, right?

Friday, I decided to get a babysitter so Byron could surprise me by taking me out on a date. (Yes, you read that right. Sometimes a girl has to take matters into her own hands if she wants to be taken out). Since Liam has some issues and there are five kids, we opted to bring him with us. I decided that this would be a great chance to work on requiring the aids and offering him new flavors.

We went to the Olive Garden so we could use Byron's gift card from Christmas. As soon as we sat at the table, Liam went for his hearing aids. He was determined NOT to wear those suckers no matter what. Three times in a row he did it, and three times in a row I showed him no with my very firm face and the sign while also taking his hand away from his ears. The result? A broken heart!!! Poor Liam's eyes just filled with tears and a big frown came over his face. It was like I'd just told him there is no Santa Clause. Finally, I just did him a favor and took the hearing aids out for hm so they could be put in a safe place.

Then the food came out. Byron loves to order extra alfredo dipping sauce for the bread sticks. Suddenly I had a really bright idea!!! I would dip Liam's binky in the alfredo sauce. What could go wrong there? I fed him a full container of his yogurt, and then dipped the binky in the sauce. I was just sure this was going to be my most genius idea yet...right up there with taking all five kids to Target by myself just for fun.

Almost as quickly as I put the binky in his mouth the gagging began, then some sputtering and then tears coming down his cheeks as he tried for all he was worth to hold his beloved yogurt with him. And then it happened. Picture a scene from The Exorcist. I had no idea that one little tongue full of alfredo sauce could elicit such a response, but I was wearing the proof that it was indeed possible.

The moral of the story? Next time I listen to and fullow through with instructions from ECI, I should be fully prepared to feel like an ogre...and I should at the very least wear a raincoat.

We *Might* Have Some Answers

This is a copy of Taffi's post to the MOFia regarding our updates. I think it says it pretty well.

We just had a team of like 5 or 6 neurologists come in (I think they were mostly interns, actually) and they had semi-good news. They want to do a video EEG to gather more concrete data, but they believe he has been having little seizures and want to see if they can record one. They believe the seizures are caused by the hamartoma. We asked if the hamartoma has gone from being an incidental finding to being the major cause, and they said yes - but they do want to see the EEG before they say 100% this is it. Good news is, it is treatable with meds for life. Bad news is, they're not sure how he'll tolerate the meds. However, meds are pretty much the only option - the neuro said you would be beyond hard pressed to find a surgeon willing to go in. They said there is a chance he may have some learning disabilities as he grows, but it's too soon to be able to say for sure. Bottom line, this will be life-altering, but not life-threatening.They were really fascinated by him, really. The neuro said that the chances of having a child with a hamartoma along with the vistibular malformations that cause the deafness are more than one in a million.

So, we don't know for 100% sure that this is the issue at the heart of all the problems, but I will say it does feel right to all of us. I have to laugh about the more than 1 in a million chances of seeing a baby with this kind of brain issues. It seems all my kids have rare thing going on. I should call TLC. Maybe they want to make a show about us.