Sisters

Keira has loved her little Sister since the day they met. On many occasions she has been heard saying, "Sister is my best friend." And it's true... these two are inseparable. They light up at the very sight of each other. Keira derives no greater comfort than when she buries her nose in her sister's fuzzy hair. Keira has never been resentful of her baby sister and always treats her with an outpouring of love. There is nothing that Keira withholds from her sister. Even her most prized possessions are offered freely, which tells me she loves Liana as much as she loves herself.

  Here she is sharing her favorite blankee with Sister.

Here she is sharing her favorite kitty toy.

I believe Keira's love of Liana is best summarized by this last selfless act... Keira has a shirt that she calls "Favorite Shirt" so named, because it is her absolute favorite shirt. She wore it ALL THE TIME for almost 2 years. If I didn't want her to wear it, I had to hide it or else she would disappear to her room and emerge wearing Favorite Shirt. One day, I was discussing with Keira the fact that Favorite Shirt was getting too small, expecting her to not give it up easily. A few days later, I noticed Keira had placed her precious shirt in Sister's dresser drawer. When I asked her about it, she proudly stated that it's too small for her now so Sister can have it. I know Keira is going to be the best big sister anyone could ask for.

Having a sister is like having
a best friend you can't get rid of. 

You know whatever you do,
they'll still be there.   

Sweet Liana - 4 months old

Relief

Well, after a total of 4 visits to Children's Hospital, Keira has been deemed free of any physical defects. The MRI showed absolutely no trace of the spinal cyst she had as a baby and no problem in her brain. The kidney and bladder tests showed no problems with her anatomy in those areas. So the original diagnosis of a neurogenic bladder has been retracted and her official diagnosis is voiding dysfunction and they said that her problem can be resolved by "re-training" her bladder to function properly. This is a good article about voiding dysfunction... Click Here

The doctor said that her problem of frequent urination and leaking should be resolved by teaching her to empty her bladder completely. He believes that she is just emptying her bladder to the point of relieving the urge to pee, so it is always over-full leading to frequent trips to the potty and lots of leaks. He said it will be a slow process, but in time she should be able to get her down to only going pee 6-7 times a day instead of the 10-15 she is at now and not by making her hold it longer, but by teaching her to get it all out at once. He believes that the sensitivity she is experiencing is most likely due to skin burn from the urine leakage. Dr. Jones is having her add baking soda to her bathwater and use a cream to help with the irritation so hopefully she can feel better and stop wearing her underwear around her knees.

We are very happy to know that she doesn't have to have any surgery. We were so worried that she still had that cyst on her spinal cord and it's such a relief to know that it's gone. I read some information about the effects on A.D.D. on bladder function and it turns out there is a high concentration of bladder issues amongst children with A.D.D. because of the difference in neurology in the brain and probably just their flat-out inability to sit still on the potty. lol We are hoping to work with her on her bladder "re-training" enough this year to where she doesn't have a problem when she starts school next year, but the doctor said that we can always get a doctor's note to allow her to use the potty as much as she needs to in school if we have to.

Let's just say, for now, I am one relieved Mommy.

A Glimmer of Hope

Keira's testing is next week and the tension is growing. I took her to see Dr. Jones yesterday, because she had been having an extreme sensitivity in her lady areas to the point she didn't even want her underwear touching her. She was wearing them literally around her knees. I thought maybe she had a yeast infection, but Dr. Jones told me that what he believes is happening is that she has a bend in her urethra. He said sometimes as girls grow the urethra gets bent then as they grow is straightens out. He said that it causes urine leakage and discomfort.

I told him that Childrens hospital said she has a neurogenic bladder and he said she doesn't think that she is neurogenic. He said he wouldn't be surprised if her test results come back normal, but he wants to see the results after the tests are done. We'll see... it's nice to have a glimmer of hope right now but she has been having urninary problems for like 2 years. I'm not sure if what he is describing can account for the extent of problems she has had. My biggest concern is about the spinal column cyst she had as a baby and the possibility that it is still there and causing problems.

So anyway... please continue your prayers for Keira and I will let you all know what the test results reveal in the next couple weeks.

Stress on a Stick

Well, I was supposed to go back to my housekeeping last week and instead I got laid off. My boss had given me the impression that the other housekeeper she employs would be phased out eventually because she's going to school to do something else but as it turns out I was the one who got phased out. I guess I can't blame her considering I have been on maternity leave nearly half of the year I worked for her. So on top of the stress of Keira's health issues I have the stress of finding a new job. When it rains it pours, right?

Although housekeeping is not my career of choice, it allowed me to work the minimal hours I needed to be able to connect the dots between Art's paychecks while still being a stay at home mom 99% of the time. I really liked my job and had nothing but good things to say about my boss. I definitely learned a thing or two about myself during that time too. Mostly that I enjoy a simple life and a comfortable home. I spent hours cleaning chandeliers and polishing silver... ironing hand towels for the guest bathroom that look so crisp and perfect that you would be frightened to actually dry your hands on them. As rich as I ever become, I vow never to own a chandelier, anything made of real silver, or ever have a towel or anything else in my house that would make people afraid to touch it. Those things can be beautiful, but if they take time away from more important things to meticulously clean or polish or make guests uncomfortable, I can certainly do without.