January 17th, 2008

Today Connor turned 4 years old!!!

Last night we celebrated in style both Mackenzie & Connor's birthdays.  We went to the Incredible Pizza Company.  This place is HUGE!!  We had never been there before but heard it was a lot of fun.  The kids went nuts!  We drove real race cars on the indoor track, we played miniature golf, bowled and played too many other games to count!  We then came home and celebrated with the cakes Mommy made for each kiddo.

Mackenzie got a butterfly and Connor a race car!  We then all collapsed!

This morning, we woke Connor up bright and early to sing "Happy Birthday" to him, have our birthday muffins and open his gift.

We then went to chapel at his school where he was one of the birthday stars and we all sang happy birthday to him.  However, this wasn't the typical birthday song.  It was "God made you special".  So, as you might imagine... Mommy burst into tears!!!  I didn't feel so bad when I saw Tammy his teacher crying too :)

We then left for a while to return at lunch and have cake with strawberries and whipped cream!

It was then that we found out Connor had been complaining about his head hurting again.  This was the third day he had been saying it was hurting but we kept trying not to panic and hope that it was just the cold changing weather or something.  But, for some reason the pain seemed to be getting progressively worse.  I decided to call the neurosurgeon and after more discussion with Connor, we decided to go ahead and meet the neurosurgeon at the ER.

I felt terrible taking him there on his birthday!  After all, this would now make 2 out of 4 birthdays that he had spent in the hospital!!!  (And just like on his 2nd birthday, the child life specialists, nurses and staff threw him a little party in his room complete with singing and gifts!!!  It made his day!)

However, the good news is that after several CT's, X-rays and lab work, the diagnosis was a "Paranoid Mother!!!"

I will take that diagnosis any day!!  Fortunately, everyone was gracious about it and hopefully I didn't keep the neurosurgeon from her own children too long.

In the end, we will have to give Connor some lovely Miralax (to help him go to the bathroom!... He'll love that!!)  and just watch him.  If the headaches continue, they may have to lower the setting on his shunt because it may be draining too fast and causing him severe headaches.

For now, he seems to be doing much better.  We actually ended up at church tonight where Connor was running around playing hide and seek and stealing chocolate out of the church offices!!!  You would never know we spent several hours in the ER today!  And you know what, I wouldn't have it any other way!

God Bless,

James, Brandy, Mackenzie & Connor