The central struggle of parenthood is to let our hopes for our children outwiegh our fears

It's been a while since the last BLOG Update so we have lots to catch you up on! Even though Da Bear's weren't playing we decided to host a Super Bowl Party and had a ton of fun! We signed Cayden up for Pony Tiny Tee Baseball. He is on the Cardinals and his first practice is Thursday, as long as it doesn't rain, and his first game it March 7th. He was so excited when he got his new cleats he wore them till he fell asleep. Skylen started a Tap/Ballet combo dance class and goes every Monday morning. She's been to two classes so far and enjoys every minute of it! Happy Birthday to Grandpa Goebel, who turned 60 years young on February 9th!!! We hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day! Cayden had a Valentine's party at school and enjoyed passing out his Valentines to all his friends. It was great to see the excitement in their face when they opened all their Valentines. We went out to dinner and then to a comedy show with our friends Holly, Brent, Jaimie and Brandon for Valentines. It was a blast! The comedians were so funny, the guys were in tears!

On February 6th Skylen went for a 3rd opinion with Dr. Nathan in Los Angeles. She was great with Skylen and has ordered more tests to ensure an accurate diagnosis. She agrees that its Epilepsy, but since there are over 20 different types of Epilepsy and 22 different Epilepsy syndromes its important to be correctly diagnosed. The other Neurologists didn't find it necessary for the extra tests, we disagree! She went in on Tuesday to get a 24-hour EEG, we took her back on Wednesday to get it removed. This test should show her brain activity while having a seizure. We were very surprised how well she did with the test because she had to wear a backpack while she walked around and never tried to take it off or pull on the head piece. She's amazing! If the EEG comes back inconclusive, she will have to do a 72-hour EEG in the hospital. She is also scheduled for an MRI on March 3rd.

Skylen with her EEG

The view from her room.

To the left is the Hollywood sign and to the right is the Griffith Observatory.
Skylen at her 2nd Dance Class

Brent, Chris and Brandon at the Comedy Club on Valentines

Jaimie, Jamie and Holly at the Comedy Club on Valentines

At a Bar in Pechanga Casino

Cayden and Skylen on Valentines Day

Savannah, Cayden and Hannah at

Valentines Brunch (Skylen is sleeping)

Cayden's pre-school class passing out their Valentines

Cayden and his Valentine box

Skylen and Grandma Goebel at

Grandpa's B-day Dinner

B-Day Grandpa and Cayden talking Baseball

Skylen driving at Oggis Pizza and Brewery

Girls Night Out painting pottery

Skylen and Nataile

Skylen's 1st Dance Class

Cayden loves his new cleats!

Decorating Valentine's cookies

Super Bowl Party Fun

We love to dress to the Theme!

Having fun at the Super Bowl Party

Challenges are what make life interesting, overcoming them is what makes life meaningful!

Another 2 weeks have past and we've been super busy! Skylen has kept us on our toes and with Cayden's help we have been able to keep a watchful eye on her. Since the last blog Skylen has had more seizures which means her medication is not working. Skylen will see a 3rd Pediatric Neurologist in LA in the next week. We have also found a great Epilepsy organization, The Epilepsy Alliance of Orange County, who has provided us with much needed resources. We attend two seminars on Friday in Irvine and Skylen was able to experience some Music Therapy designed especially for children with Epilepsy. On Saturday Skylen went to her Pediatrician with a cough that she had for a few days and was diagnosed with Asthma. She is on a Nebulizer treatment 4 times a day on an as needed basis, her cough has gotten better with the treatment. Cayden is doing well in school and enjoys taking care of the farm animals when he is there. In the last few weeks he has been very much into his fish tank and wrestling with daddy. Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks:

Indoor Children's playground with Jaimie, Mike and Natilie

At the Duck Pond with Holly, Hannah and Savannah

Brent, Holly, Chris and I went to the Comedy Club at Pechanga and watched Pretty Funny Women

Nana and Pops took us and Uncle Travis to see Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Skylen and Brent... When Brent is around Skylen is right there next to him!

Thats right we're in our bathing suits in January! We love California!!!!

What A Year!!!

We rang in the New Year in Big Bear with our friends the Szychulda and Toner Family. Shortly after arriving on New Year's Eve Skylen had a seizure, the next day she had a second one. Chris and I took her to Bear Valley ER where she underwent numerous tests, everything came back normal. She was then transported with mommy by ambulance down the mountain to a Kaiser Hospital where she had more tests. Skylen was prescribed Phenobarbital to prevent any more seizures and was discharged Friday night. On Tuesday, Jan 6th we met with a Pediatric Neurologist who was 70% sure she had Epilepsy and therefore diagnosed her. Although her medication has controlled her seizures she has also experienced negative side effects, including moodiness, aggressive behavior and sleep problems. Cayden has been extremely patient, caring and loving to his sister. We went for a 2nd opinion to another Pediatric Neurologist, Dr. Yu, on Monday, Jan 12th who specializes in pediatric epilepsy. Dr. Yu was 100% positive she has Epilepsy because of the type of seizures she had and her family history (on both sides). Dr. Yu was great and explained her diagnoses and care plan thoroughly. Her medication is slowly being switched to Carbamazepine this week and hopefully she will not have any negative side effects. Although Skylen’s seizures are not causing any internal problems she will continue medication to prevent future seizures from occurring and the injuries that a seizure could cause. In 3 weeks she will have blood work done to ensure the medication is at the correct level and every 2 months she will see Dr. Yu. If within one year she has been seizure free she will be taken off medication and monitored.

Epilepsy is a neurological condition that is characterized by seizures, a temporary loss of consciousness or muscular control. Approximately 45,000 children under the age of 15 develop epilepsy every year. Fortunately, Skylen’s epilepsy can be controlled with medication and allows her to have a normal childhood. To learn more about Epilepsy visit http://www.epilepsy.com/ .

We appreciate everyone’s love and support and we thought this BLOG would be the best way to keep everyone informed of our family’s journey.

Pictures from our New Years in Big Bear

Skylen and Cayden New Years Day - Cool Ride!


Cayden and Chris having fun in the snow


Skylen and Jamie ringing in the New Year