What did you just say???

So, as a mother, I promise you NEVER want to hear the words...."Myranda, I just got a call from daycare, and Karsyn had a seizure." 

I went to work Wednesday at 1:00 to get in 3 hours of overtime before my shift started.  I dropped Karsyn off at daycare at noon, and she was perfectly fine.  She has had a runny nose for about a week, but nothing abnormal other than her pink eye on Saturday that was completely cleared up.  I was about to start my normal shift, when my phone rang.  I normally wouldn't answer it, but I had just a few minutes before 4:00, so I thought I could take that time to talk to my husband that I hardly ever get to see anymore!!  Little did I know what was going to come out of his mouth.  My heart dropped, and all would come out was, "I'm on my way."  I hurried into my manager's office, and I think all I told him through the tears was that I had to go cause my daughter just had a seizure.  He has a little one of his own, so of course, he told me to go.  I gathered all my stuff up and got out of there as fast as I could.  I didn't even know where I was going.  Was I going to daycare??  Was I going to a hospital??  I had no idea, I just knew I had to go!  Once I got to my car, it was mass hysteria trying to figure out where the hospital was that the ambulance was taking her.  I don't know the city that well, but I knew the general direction to go.  Of course, 4:00 in Kansas City is the worst time to try to get somewhere in a hurry.  Rush hour traffic is horrible!!  I was crying uncontrollably trying to get to a hospital I didn't know where it was in rush hour traffic in downtown Kansas City.  I didn't care....I just knew I had to get there.  I called my mom so they could meet us there too, cause all I could think of was that Karsyn was alone in the ambulance with all these strangers and nobody would be at the hospital with her.  Somebody had to be there for her when they arrived!!  I called Mark to ask if he knew if she was alone, and he told me that Kristy (her daycare provider) was able to go with her because her husband was home from work.  Thank God!!!  I am so thankful that she wasn't alone!!  I finally figured out where the hospital was, thanks to the help of my step-dad.  Mark was coming from the opposite direction and was about 10 minutes behind me.  I rushed into the ER not knowing what exactly was going on, and my mom was already there talking to the lady at the desk who said....."She's not here".....EXCUSE ME??  What do you mean she's not here??  This is where they told us she was coming.  Then, all of a sudden, she got word that they had arrived and they were in a room.  Talk about panic....not only was I not with Karsyn when she was going through this, I was being told that I was at the wrong hospital.  I am so glad it was a miscommunication or whatever it was because I don't think my brain could have handled that!!  They gave me permission to go back there to be with her.  When I went through the doors, I could hear her screaming.  In once sense, it was relief because I absolutely knew she was alive (kinda like when she was first-born) and in another sense, it was complete terror because I knew she was scared to death and most-likely in a lot of pain.  I got in the room, and there were people everywhere.  They were trying to get a heartbeat monitor on her toe and they needed to take her temp, so they were trying to take her pants off.  Once she saw me, she wanted me to pick her up, but I didn't know if I could....that is a horrible feeling by the way!  They finally told me I could pick her up.  She was screaming hysterically.  Everybody had a million questions, and people were trying to talk over people...it was chaos.  Finally, they got her temp, which was 104.5, gave her Tylenol and Motrin together, and left the room.  At some point, Mark came in, but I don't even remember when that happened.  All they said was that they were almost certain she had a febrile seizure, but she sounded kinda croupy too, so they want to do a chest x-ray and do a urine test to make sure it's not a UTI causing the fever.  I had never even heard of a febrile seizure, so I had to have them explain to me what it was.  Apparently, it's not caused by how high the temp gets, but by how fast the temp comes on.  In little ones, their brains can't handle a temp that comes on fast, so it causes them to seize. 

Here is what happened at daycare:

I dropped her off at noon, and she was fine.  Kristy tried to feed her lunch, to which she wasn't very interested.  Kristy noted it, and was going to tell Mark when he picked her up because that is very unusual for Karsyn.  She went down for a nap, and slept like normal, got up and kinda picked at her snack too.  Kristy had her in a highchair at the table and all the kids were doing crafts.  Her husband got home, and was in the kitchen, when Karsyn's shoulders started shaking and jerking.  Kristy said she just looked at her and asked if she was ok, then noticed her eyes were trying to roll back.  She told her husband that something was really wrong.  She said this is when she realized what was really happening.  So, they checked to make sure she wasn't choking, grabbed her out of the highchair, and took her to the living room floor.  She said she wanted to make sure she wasn't choking again just to be on the safe-side, and couldn't find anything in her mouth or throat.  So, she laid her down on her tummy.  She patted Karsyn's back pretty hard to make sure nothing was in there, and said Karsyn's breathing became very shallow and rapid.  They called the ambulance, and she said she thought she was going to lose her.  Her breathing was getting lighter and her mouth was starting to turn blue.  She said that Karsyn started coming out of it shortly after the ambulance was called, but that the seizure had lasted for about 5 minutes.  When Karsyn came to, she just laid there really still, probably in shock.  The paramedics came in and took blood from her heel, which made her start crying, but at least she was reacting to something now!  They also started an IV in her arm to get some fluids in her.  They took her temp there and it was 100.8, then took it again on the way to the hospital, and it was 102.  The highest it got was 104.5 which is what it was when they took it after I got in the room.  I feel so horrible for Kristy to have to go through this.  She did everything that she was supposed to not even knowing it!!  I can only imagine what is going through her mind......was it my fault, how did I not know she was running a fever???  The thing about it is that she wasn't running a fever....it came on fast, which is what caused the seizure.  We couldn't ask for a better reaction from a daycare provider and are very thankful for what she did!! 

Ok, back to the hospital:

So, we finally got Karsyn calmed down, and asleep after about an hour or so.  Her temp was slowly coming down, and they needed to get a urine sample.  They put a bag on her to catch it when she went, which I'm sure was very uncomfortable.  So, the child that pees every 10 minutes it seems every other day, didn't go for like 3 hours!!  LOL  We waited and waited....gave her popsicles, water, sprite, and apple juice!  You would think she would be drowning as much fluids as we were giving her!!  They were about to give up and put a catheter in when, SHE WENT!!! They tested it, and it was normal.  They took her temp again, it was down to 98.1, so we were good to go.  Just needed to do a follow-up visit with her pediatrician in the morning.  Wait....what??  That's it??  My daughter just had a seizure out of nowhere, and you are going to release her just like that??  I had a million questions racing through my brain....first one was what caused the fever??  Nobody could tell me for sure since she didn't have an infection, but they guessed it was caused by a virus since she had a runny nose.  UGH!!  I hate viruses!!  I want to be able to tell from a blood test what exactly is wrong...none of this guessing stuff!  So, we headed home.  She immediately fell asleep in the car, and I thought we would be able to just watch her temp through-out the night, and she would probably sleep since she had such a traumatic day.  WRONG!!  I pulled in the drive-way, stopped the car, and she started puking.  It was all over her and the car seat.  Thank goodness Mark was right behind me.  He grabbed her up, took her inside to get her in the bathtub, and I was going to get the car seat out of the car.  Why when you need something to work it never does??  I could not get the button to push in that releases the latch!!  So, I came inside, finished her bath, and Mark took the seat out.  Of course, the cover can't just be washed in the machine, it has to be hand-washed.  Oh my, how gross!!  We all had it all over us by the time we got done!  Karsyn's fever had spiked back up to 102.9, so I gave her another dose of Tylenol and tried to comfort her as much as we could.  We put her in bed, she fell asleep, but it didn't last for long.  She was up and down all night, we couldn't get her fever below 101 and she puked again around midnight.  What a long night!!  We were alternating between Tylenol and Motrin every 3 hours, but it just wasn't breaking this fever.  We have never let Karsyn sleep with us because for one, I was always afraid I would smother her, and two, I didn't want it to become a habit.  Well, that night, she slept with us!!  I just couldn't bring myself to make her be alone that night.  We didn't get much sleep at all, and we had to be up to call her pediatrician at 8:00.  We got an appointment for 9:30, so I got in the shower, got ready, and off we went.  At 8:15, she was still running a fever, so I gave her another dose of Tylenol.  By the time we got to the Dr, the fever broke!!!  While we were talking to the Dr., she started eating cheerios, and ate the entire snack container full of them!!  She started acting more like herself, laughing, and talking!!!  It was such relief!!  The Dr. explained to us the risks of these seizures, which are very minimal, but if they last longer than 15 minutes, it can be deadly.  Since Karsyn has had one now, she has a 3% chance of having another one.  Of that 3% of children, 3% have seizure disorders such as epilepsy later in life.  So, we are very thankful for that 97% chance that this will never happen again, but if it does, at least we know what to look for.  She told us that we wouldn't need to take her to the hospital unless it lasted more than 15 minutes.....I say she will be going no matter how long it lasts to make sure everything is ok. 

The only way I knew how to get word out to get prayers going was to post on Facebook what was going on, and email and text a few people.  I am very grateful for the people in our lives that took a little time out to say a quick prayer for her safety and well-being, and love each of you more than you know!!  We are very happy that she is ok, and has been fever-free since yesterday morning on the way to her pediatrician.  She went back to daycare this morning, and it was very emotional.  Mark took her on his way to work so I could get some sleep before I go to work this afternoon (As you can tell, I can't go back to sleep).  I was crying from home, Karsyn was crying (she was having a rough morning.....she didn't want to wake up yet), and poor Kristy was crying.  I feel for Kristy and what she had to go through, and I hope she never has to go through it again!! 

I hope all new moms out there can learn from our experience, and at least get educated on these febrile seizures because the hospital said they are pretty common in kids under 2.  I hope you NEVER have to go through this because it is so scary, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.  I am by no means an expert on the subject, but I know more than I did 2 days ago!! 

We love our little girl to pieces and hope she never has to go through this again.  We can't thank everybody enough for all the thoughts, prayers, comments, and overall love you have given us!! 

Easter Sunday

Karsyn's eyes started draining some yucky green stuff Friday evening, which I immediately thought it was pink eye.  So, we thought we would have to cancel our plans to take her to Easter Eggstravaganza, but when she woke up Saturday morning, they looked much better, and they weren't matted shut.  I thought we had dodged a bullet on that one.  WRONG!!  We went ahead and went to Easter Eggstravaganza and had a blast as you read from the last post, came home and put Karsyn down for her nap.  When she woke up, her eyes were just almost matted shut.  I think if she would have been asleep for much longer, they would have been.  So, I called the doctor, who told me to take her to Urgent Care to make sure it wasn't something else going on.  Off to the city we went....and yes, it was confirmed.....Karsyn had pink eye.  We started the drops that night, and by morning, her eyes were cleared up, but they were still watering a little.  We didn't want to chance it, so we stayed home from church.  We were disappointed, but made the best of it. 

When Karsyn woke up, first thing we noticed was that the Easter Bunny had come to visit her and left her a basket full of goodies!!! 

Look Daddy....there is a basket over there!!!

Can I please open it??

I got new bath toys and lots of yummy candy!!

Look!!  It's a Quack, Quack (what Karsyn calls a duck) with bunny ears!!

This looks too good to be true!!!  

This giant Peep is the best!!!

Last year, on Karsyn's first Easter, we took her for her first stroller ride.  We thought it would be fitting to do the same since it was such a beautiful day!!  Look how much she has grown in one year!!!

Easter 2010

Easter 2011

Daddy showed her how to blow the dandelions!!

Look at the flowers flying away!!!



Since we didn't go to church, I didn't dress her up in her Easter dress.  I figure she can wear it this Sunday to church, and I will post pics soon!!  We hope you all had a very Happy Easter!!

Easter Eggstravaganza

The church we attend, Crossroads Community Church, hosted an Easter Eggstravaganza for the community on Saturday.  This was the first year for Karsyn to hunt eggs, so we were all so excited to go and support our church and have some fun!!! 

Chick-fil-A had a booth set up and gave Karsyn a little cow, which is now her favorite stuffed animal!!

I think this would be a perfect advertisement for them!!

Too busy wanting to pet a puppy to look at the camera!

She even got to meet the Easter Bunny....a little shy at first!

 Awww....she hurt his feelings  :(

Once she got warmed up to him, she wanted to hold his hand!!

Daddy, Karsyn, and the Easter Bunny!

They had a face painting station, so we thought we would give it a try, and sure enough, she sat still long enough to get a bunny nose!!  She never even tried to rub it off!

They had a puppet show, and Karsyn could not get enough of them!!

We had a little time before the egg hunt, so Daddy took Karsyn down the slide a few times!

Time to hunt eggs!!!  What do I do Mommy??

Oh!!!  I see!!  I pick them up and put them in my basket!!

I don't need your help anymore, Mom!!  I got this under control!!

I found another one!!!

Checking out what I got inside of them!

Helping Mommy open eggs!



We had a blast and want to thank Crossroads Community Church for putting on an amazing event for the little ones in the community!!  You guys do awesome work!!

As Promised...

I made a promise to put some updated pics on here for you all, and I am keeping that promise!!!  Yay for me to be able to find a little bit of time in our busy lives these days to share what is most dear to our hearts....our little girl that is not so much a baby anymore!! 

My parents recently got some chickens, and oh my how Karsyn LOVES them!!  Everytime she thinks of them, she says....CHICKY...and runs for the door!!  So, whenever Grandma gets a chance to steal Karsyn away, out the door they go to feed the chickens....between you and me, I think Grandma loves the chickens as much as Karsyn does!! 

Heeerrrrreeee Chicky, Chicky!!

It's so funny how my best friend from my childhood posted a blog about her little boy riding his rocking horse just the other day!  Santa got Karsyn one for Christmas, and he knew she was too little for it then, but he also knew she would come to love it before next Christmas!  She drags it around with her, then when it's in the perfect spot, she stops, goes to the side of it, grabs onto the handles, and climbs on!  She loves to rock fast.  I taught her to squeeze the ears so it sings to her, and she just squeezes and squeezes....almost so much that I wish I hadn't taught her how!! 

She also knows when it's time to go bye-bye....when I put her shoes on, she starts saying BYE and runs for the door.  She even tries to open it, but she's still not quite tall enough to turn the handles!!  Once she is outside, she runs to the car, and tries to open those doors.  If she can't open one, she will go to the next!! 

The Easter Bunny brought Karsyn some bubbles this year, but couldn't stand to keep them from her until actual Easter!  So, Daddy took Karsyn outside for some bubble fun!!!

Ummmm....where do you think you are going???

BUBBLES!!!

Look at my crazy hair!!

Just tryin' to catch 'em!

Here are some pics from today before and after church.  She loves getting all dressed up!!

She wants so bad to pet him, but can't quite get the nerve yet!  

Curly locks

What mom?!?!  I'm just lookin' out the window!!

Down in the Dumps

Wow...how time flies!!!  I could have sworn that I just updated this blog a few days ago, and it has been over a month, almost 2!!  We have been crazy busy, and a little down in the dumps in this house the last couple of months.  Poor Karsyn has suffered the most with a stubborn ear infection that refuses to go away.  She has had it for 6 weeks now, and 3 different antibiotics.  We first tried Amoxicillan, to which we quickly found out she is allergic to.  So, they switched to another general antibiotic.  I thought she was recovered and doing quite well when we went in to get her ears checked just to make sure she was better.  The doctor quickly told me she was no where near all better, in fact, her ears and throat both were still bright red.  So, we did another round of the general antibotic....went back in 1 week later for another check-up, and still bright red little ears.  UGH!!  As a mom, I felt horrible.  First, that I thought she was fine cause she wasn't pulling at her ears or running a fever, and she was playing, eating, and sleeping like normal.  I have said to many people that sometimes she is too good of a baby.  We never know something is wrong until she is running a high fever or is puking.  And second, that my poor little girl is feeling so rough and I can't do anything to help her.  So, the doctor called to set up an appointment for an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist, but the wait is 5-6 months.  Apparently, they are short-staffed, and have quite the need for more doctors.  It seems unbelievable to me that in this big city, there aren't more specialists.  So, since we have to wait so long, we put her on yet another medicine.  I can't remember the name off the top of my head, but it is one that specialists put them on before they put tubes in.  At least this way, we can say that we have already tried it, and hopefully, save time!!  She just finished up her last dose yesterday, and is still pulling and trying to cram her fingers into her ears.  We go back Wednesday for another check-up, and I will bet that they are still red.  Poor little thing.....I just don't know how we are going to be able to wait until August.  I'm thinking about trying to see if I can get her in somewhere in Tulsa sooner since we have family there that we can stay with.  I would rather travel 4 hours than to see her suffer for 5 months.  We will see what the doctor says Wednesday, and I will let you all know.

On a better note, Karsyn turned 17 months old on the 7th!!  She is getting so big and so smart!!  It is amazing to me the things that she already knows and the speed at which she is learning.  It sometimes feels as though she learns things overnight.  I can't even begin to name all the things she can do, and the things that she is saying. 

I promise I will do better at keeping this blog up-to-date.  I just thought I would give a quick update today, and I will start doing the day-to-day activities more frequently!!  It has been rough working the night-shift and raising a baby (and a husband!  LOL), but it was my choice, and I have been dealing with it the best I know how.  That is probably THE main reason I haven't been so dilligent about this blog as I should be.  So, I am making a promise to myself, you all, and most of all, Karsyn (since this is really her baby book) to do a better job from now on!!  I don't have any real recent pics to share this time, but I will post some in a few days!!  I hope you all haven't given up on me and will keep checking in for more updates!!