Merry Christmas!

We will be leaving Tucson for Oregon on Tuesday, but until then we will be very busy packing, so this will probably be my last post until we return in the new year.

Here is our Christmas card for this year (click on the image to make it bigger). I did manage to get a couple of good photos of the kids afterall, huh?! ;)



Merry Christmas & see you next year!! :)

Year In Review

For those of you who haven't seen this on my FB page. Here is a snapshot of our year (via FB status updates). It is amazng how much can happen in a single year! :)

Ketogenic Diet

is a go.

We will be having our first consult with the dietician Jan 25th. It will take several pre-appointments to get his calories, meal plans, and fat:carbs:protein ratios worked out. I am pretty nervous about actually managing his diet...but pretty excited about the possibilty of this working for him. I actually have hope again...it has been a long time (last April) since I have had any real hope of him being seizure-free. I am scared of the negative impacts this diet may have on his growth & development, as well as our home-life...but the possible gains, if the diet is successful, are huge! If he were to become seizure-free, I can't even begin to imagine what new things he might have the chance to learn!

I am very nervous that I am setting myself up for heartbreak when this diet turns out to be unsuccessful...or unmanageable for some other reason. I have so many "what-if" thoughts running through my head, but the hope & excitement remain.

We will be on the diet for at least 30 days. If there is no improvement at the end of 30-days then we will reassess. If there is improvement, then the minimum length of time to remain on the diet is recommended to be 2 years. I can't even imagine a course of treatment that lasts so long! He would be almost 5 years old before he could have soda or eat mac n' cheese again (his current favorites)! :( The thought of depriving him of these foods makes me cry, but the possibility of success is so much more powerful & important to me...and to him. Our neuro says that some people remain on the diet indefinitely throughout childhood. One of his patients has been on it for 17 years! I really don't know if we have the commitment for that, but I do think that 2 years and possibly a bit longer if necessary, can be done. I hope.

My cutie pies in November