Test Results for Ryan

I spoke with the nurse at Ryan's metabolic geneticist. She sent me his test results for his last set of blood work. You might remember that they tested him for several things including thyroid, amino acid levels, protein or zinc deficiency, etc. Well, several of the numbers came back out of range and they were unable to test the zinc specimen.

Ryan is really difficult to collect blood from. Like me, he is a difficult stick. His veins are extremely deep, tiny, and they roll. Additionally, his veins clot quickly. So, once they do get a vein, it frequently clots before they finish collecting all they need from him. That probably explains the zinc specimen being unusable.

As for the other numbers, well, they could be off for several reasons: stress, viral illness, diet, or real disease. So, to rule out the possibility that it was just a fluke that they are low, we are going to wait a week, and then retest. We will then compare the 2 tests to see which numbers, if any, are still low.

Honestly, I do not know what it means if any of them are still low. We tested for these particular things due to things like Ryan's developmental delays, seizures, hair growth patterns, and icy cold feet. So, it seems possible that some of these numbers may be accurately reflecting something going on with Ryan.

There is a part of me that wants to think that if it's just a zinc deficiency or a lack of enough proteins or a low thyroid, then surely we can just supplement his diet and "fix" the problem. But, there's the wiser side of me that feels the need to be cautious, prayerful, and to wait for more information. Besides, if we "fix" everything and Ryan takes off walking, who's going to snuggle with me for a long mid-afternoon nap? ;)

Of course, you know I'm just kidding about that, right? Cause if Ryan really decides he wants to walk ... or if God decides He wants Ryan to walk ... I'm pretty sure I'd be okay skipping a nap or two. =D

For my sister

My sister, Joyce, has been wanting to see pictures of my hair. I don't frequently take pictures of myself and it seems my kids typically take out of focus pictures. But, I think you can get a glimpse of the cute hair style that my friend Michelle did for me. It's been really fun having short hair again. It's funny: I feel more like me than I do with long hair. I imagine that sounds a little odd.

Anyway ... this is what it looked like when I first got it cut. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but she also colored it. It's a reddish brown. Great color for me. One of my favorite.


And, this is about 6 or 7 weeks later...


Okay, so remember I said, we're not photographers, right? I wasn't kidding. Sorry about the glare of the light. I was actually on my way out to get my hair cut and I wanted you to see how cute the curls were. I'm not entirely sure that once Michelle cuts them off that they will ever be there again.


You know how Jason's hair curls up in the back, mine does too. That's what this picture is supposed to show, you but instead it seems to show you that our tree wasn't really perfectly straight either. (Oh, well.... The tree looked really beautiful!)


Well, none of these pictures really do justice to the curls, but better than nothing, right? Just after I took these pictures I went over and had my hair cut. It always takes me a few days to adjust to hair cuts. So maybe I'll try some more pictures in a few days.

Dancing with the Homeless

Today a noticed a link on a friend's Facebook status that was titled "Single Dad Laughing." It caught my eye because I know and love Cindy's sons. Love as in respect. Dwight and I taught two of them in Sunday School and they are just the kind of young men, that we hope our young men will be. I was hoping that something hadn't happened that cause them to now be single dads.

Instead, with just a little more reading, I found what I think might be one of my favorite blog posts yet. I don't say that lightly. It combines some of my favorite elements. Real life. Gratitude. Charity. Perspective. Friendship. Light. Truth. Pictures.

I hope you'll take a minute to read it, and to watch the video. I frequently skip videos, but I was really glad I watched this one. Click here & Enjoy!

Let me know what you think. Did you enjoy it? Would you dance with the homeless? Would you dance on camera? Hmmmm.... I like to dance. But, I'm not sure I'd intentionally make a video to post on the internet. Would you?

PS Just one more thing ... This is the only post I have read on the above blog. So, I can't speak to any of the other views expressed by the Single Dad. Just the one above post.

A Great Day

Don't you love it when you have a great day? Today was one of *those* days. You know the type of day that you wish you could have every day. It wasn't a perfect day, but it was productive, fun, a good Mommy day, a good wife day, a good friend day, and good things happened today. Like ...

• David taught me about George Washington today ... finally. ;)
• Even after a long night with Ryan, I still woke up on schedule and did my morning routine.
• I lost a little more weight and had a good workout.
• I ate healthy today.
• My dentist called (not his assistant, but the dentist himself) to see how I was feeling post root canal.
• I made it through school routines with all 3 kids at home today.
• I worked my way through part of my to-do list.
• I've started working on one of my goals. I made a major decision and set up a plan. (More details to follow later.)
• I had a fun, unexpected conversation with a good friend and that really brightened my day.
• I had good conversations with my Mom, Dad, Sister and Husband today.
• And, I scheduled a hair cut for tomorrow.
  

That's not all but that's it for tonight's list. I feel so blessed. I need to run downstairs now though. Mr Ryan is having a tough time with something and has been calling out in distress for a while and seems to need some reassurance from me. I better go see what I can do for him. I sure hope he's able to get some sleep tonight. Okay, truth be told, I really hope I'm able to get some sleep tonight. :)