MRI part II

"Left frontal atrophy"

AKA brain shrinkage.

What the *%$@?!

So this, dear reader, is the part where I take a deep breath and assure you that it looks worse than it is. Probable. But still. Look at it. Ew. In case your not sure what your looking at...it's that chunk, piece, bite out of the top middle part of my brain. Weird huh? Overwhelming at best. BUT, a few very good points to be made here. Yes there were several white spots this time (I don't have those slides downloaded yet) but those come & go. I had a neurologist once tell me that he has seen people with one spot on the brain that have been wheel-chair-bound while in the same day he will see someone with 30+ spots & they are absolutely fine. So, there's that.

The Dr. as very informative. She will see me again in three months. I am to start Rebif; as soon as the insurance folks get around to approving it (so annoying!) Rebif has an 'auto injector'-hurray! Quite a few years ago I was self injecting Avonex shots; this will be nice that I just have to push a button & it does the rest. I will probably let the kiddos be involved & set a rotation on who gets to give mommy her shot tonight :). At least they won't grow up afraid of shots/needles, hopefully they will be compassionate & understanding adults (with an absurd amount of knowledge about how the body works)...maybe doctor's? Sam wants to be a mad-scientist like his Uncle Dan.
Here I am. Happy. Smiling... I am, and will continue to be, good. In good spirits. This writer is okay, super actually. So you, dear reader, need to be okay as well. Try super...it's quite satisfying!

102 River adventure!

One last Summer-time adventure before school starts. Exploring.

Noah Baker feeling mighty with his trusty boots on.

Sam leaping across the sandy crevasse. (I've been wanting to use crevasse for awhile now!) Exploring.

Heeeeeeeelp!

Madeline's turn to leap and jump!

Noah & Rob hanging out on the river.

Hmmmm, where now?

Sam, pretty high up!
Noah Baker...welcome to the jungle...

Rob & Sam...both looking ornery!

sun filled school supplies

Sam's "one strap college back-pack" & school supplies for 2nd & Kindergarten:After supplies are sorted & labeled...Sam's bag & Madeline's bag~we bring them to their 2nd & Kindergarten rooms Monday night!

Parking it...

My boys...Running, she WILL beat the boys!Risk taker!"Mommy, let me take your picture on the swing. I will hang it on my wall upstairs, you know I plan on living here, renovating the upstairs, and living here with my family, right? This is our Ferguson Estate." Ferguson estate Sam? "Yep, Ferguson estate; my children are going to grow up and live here, every Ferguson should live here. I mean it's totally perfect." Sam you won't even sleep upstairs! You really plan on living here, with your family 20 years from now, upstairs? "Well yeah, of course-it's the Ferguson estate!" Three kiddos enjoying the every last drop of late August sun!
Sam's after glow of successul risk taking on park equipment.

Miss Sassy-pants with her super cool Hollywood shades.

He looks so grown up! Only two more years until Noah Baker is in Kindergarten. You better believe this mom will enjoy every moment...

Splish-splash!

Noah Baker relaxing on the slip-n-slide...

Sam getting ready to wipe out... while little sister giggles & Sam checks for injuries.
When children attack!

It's been all summer & Madeline still hasn't found a 4-leaf-clover; but she has lots of little teeny tiny rocks that she brings in for her office shelf, which end up on the shelf about the stove...:)

Smore fun please!

It's not Summer without Smores! Sam was right, it is not.

So we played with the hose & grilled out, ate out on the deck...

Time for the gooooooooey goodness of Smore making!

!YUM! It was a great August evening...only DAYS left until Sam starts 2nd grade & Madeline starts the big K!!!

MRI vs Circle

The MRI machine. The machine is actually competing against my exclusive circle. You know the team of gals that know all the good/ugly, know all the old stories, the ones you would fly a thousand miles just to go cry with them on the floor of their closet during the inevitable and unthinkable life events? That circle. What does this MRI machine have on them? Well, while I was inside the tube listening to the beeping jackhammer shriek at me, it occurred to me that this machine was closing in on the long-distance life race. Surely not! So, since all I had was time in the tube, I started to compare MRI's with my circle.MRI's tell you the truth, even when it's hurts. Check. MRI's know those old memories that are so easy to forget, showing a footprint, a shadow of what used be. Check. The MRI test itself is like a giant hug, tight and squeezing. The machine will not let go until it's done, for your own good. Even when you could rationalize and convince the lay person that really, really this hug can end, you are okay. It will keep you captured, knowing you can handle this; even if you don't think you can handle one more minute. Check. This is the ugly part of working with you... be it the MRI machine or the circle; and neither would ever dream of quitting. Check. MRI film can somewhat predict what may lay ahead due to the map of past occurrences; those footprints of long ago. Check. MRI's are necessary. Important. Give a clear picture of what we should do next, if anything, and sometimes that next step is, well-nothing. Check. Sometimes the MRI test has to be interrupted, the hugging stops to let the enemy in. The enemy let's call....contrast. After the enemy has poked it's needle, prodded, looked for an entry, dug around and after 3, 4, sometimes even 5 attempts through arms & hands and phrases like, "hard stick, deep veins, collapsing veins, veins that role; reinforcement is called in. The MRI machine is (I like to think anyway) in agreement with me when I silently think through a somewhat sincere smile, "then why the heck didn't you call in THAT guy first when I told you I was a "hard stick" eh? EH?". The Machine is happy to have me back within it's grasp, hugging again, this go around for just a burst of time, letting the foreign contrast search, seek, lurk. The MRI machine holds me tight; only letting me go when it's safe. Check.

One thing the MRI machine doesn't have on my circle? MRI's won't call me back when it's late, answer on the weekends, or make me laugh until I just can't even breathe.

So, circle...thanks and I love you too.

Yummy!

I.............................am..............................Superman!!!

Sam got up this morning & decided to make us pancakes; he took out the bisquick, cracked the egg, added the milk, turned the pancakes & then said, "Mommy, get ready to send your taste buds on a journey".
Indeed...yum!

AZ folk take a trip

When did Jackson Dean go from this little guy
to the big cute-stuff in front of my three monkeys?!

and look at him now!

How Grandma Millie spent most of her time...

How Noah Baker & Aunt Stephanie spent most of his/her time...

How Sam spent most of his time...

How I spent most of my time...lucky lucky lucky me!

Noah Baker & Grandma Caroline dinosaur-out-roaring each other...

I think Noah won...:)

Noah inspecting his new lightening-bug-friend...

Jackson discovers...grass.

How Matthew spent most of his time at his favorite sister's house...

And like that...they were gone-

until next time AZ folk.