January 2015

January was an eventful month! We started the year off having a blast celebrating Christmas with the Allen family. We surprised everyone by traveling to Utah to the Prescott’s house on New Year’s Eve! It was an amazing time, as ALL of the siblings’ families were there- Grandma & Grandpa, their six

kids and spouses, and all of the cousins!! One of the highlights was going ice skating on New Years Day. Of course, we also played lots of games, including a new one Gary & Mauri taught us, called “Dippity Dip.” As the adults played the game upstairs, rather noisily, the kids were all in the basement snuggled in for bed. We ended up laughing hysterically to the point of tears, when Kalen and Cooper came up to inform us that they couldn’t sleep because we were being SO LOUD, and according to Kalen, “Cameron says ‘you guys all sound like a bunch of fat, prancing horses!!’” It was an epic moment I’m sure we won’t soon let Cameron forget! As awesome as the trip was, we were horrified to come home to some water damage in our house. The swamp cooler line had been leaking and caused damage to the upstairs ceiling, floor, and main level walls. It wasn’t the way we planned to start off the new year, but we are trying to stay positive, that at least we’ll get new carpet! The process has been taking a long time and we are still anxiously awaiting the reconstruction phase. In addition to the water damage, Cooper was heartbroken to discover that his lizard, Clash, had died. Later that week, we celebrated COOPER’S 10th birthday!! As tradition, we had a cinnamon roll breakfast. I also brought, sushi, Cooper’s birthday lunch request, to school. Later that night, the fun continued when Cooper had his friends Landin and Sawyer over for pizza! He had a blast and was thrilled to get more LEGOS for his birthday gift from the family! Shae and Jadan picked out the perfect set, from The Lego Movie, with some really cool minifigures! Cooper completed the set in no time! We are so proud of the young man he is growing to be and know he will continue to be a blessing in our family!! The next major event for January was some medical testing that Jadan had to have. During his well-check in December, Dr. Froehlke was surprised that despite the Supprelin implant he had placed in June, Jadan was still growing at a fast rate, when they very much expected his growth to plateau. As a result, Dr. Froehlke recommended us to follow up with Jadan’s endocrinologist, Dr. Hsu. Jadan had a bone growth test and a couple of labs done prior to the appointment with Dr. Hsu. When we met with Dr. Hsu, she informed us that the bone growth test read advanced, about 13-14 years of age, but that his bloodwork seemed stable. She admitted that she was confused by Jadan’s continuing growth and ordered an additional panel of bloodwork, specifically on his pituitary functions, to make sure his tumor wasn’t causing any concern. Those tests revealed that his igf-1 (growth hormone) and prolactin levels were elevated, which prompted her to order another test, a 4-hour glucose tolerance test. We went in for the test early in the morning, Jadan drank an orange glucola drink, and they took blood samples every 30 minutes. After the test, we had lunch and went to MicroCenter, which is tradition after any visit to Children’s Hospital! Later that night, Dr. Hsu called us with the results- that his GH level, which should’ve plummeted after consuming glucose, remained high. It seemed to indicate a specific diagnosis, but wasn’t alarmingly high where the diagnosis was certain. She again candidly admitted her confusion with these results but assured us that she would research and find other doctors that might be more knowledgeable. At this point in time, as I write this, she has scheduled a meeting with experts in the adult pituitary department at the University of Colorado. The meeting will take place on 2/10. She also reached out to the National Institute of Health In Washington DC. They indicated their desire to help with more extensive testing and evaluation, as well as have Jadan take part in a study. We decided that gathering as much knowledge as possible is the best plan right now, so we can figure out why this is happening, what it means, and how it can be treated. Dr. Hsu said she would let NIH know that we are on board, so as of right now, we are waiting for them to call to discuss details and a plan of action. Needless to say, our world has been shaken. There is so much unknown right now, but we feel blessed and confident to have great doctors working for us. We have also felt incredible support and love from family and friends as they offer up prayers on our behalf as well as on behalf of the doctors. The Allen family dedicated their fast today to Jadan and the doctors and we can absolutely feel the real power in that. We feel a sense of peace, despite uncertainty, that Heavenly Father is aware of our family, that He has a special plan for us, that He hears and answers prayers, and that everything will be okay. In the midst of Jadan’s different tests and waiting to get results, etc...we had a very special, sacred opportunity to again travel to visit Grandma & Grandpa Allen, as Grandpa had been called to serve in the Stake Presidency. It was a very fast and tiring trip, but the blessing and honor it was to witness him being sustained and set apart was exceedingly worthwhile! With all of the concern and emotion we had been feeling as we awaited test results, it was a tender mercy from the Lord to witness this sacred event, as well as receive counsel and comfort.

OTHER special moments this month...

•we had a wonderful time visiting with Grandpa Steadman and enjoying his sweet spirit. 

•we visited with Grandma Squirrely & Grandpa Deano, playing back alley with them and Aunt Vicki and Stacey. Maiya could not get enough of watching Oscar stand up for treats!

•the kids are obsessed with playing “CHOPPED,” as in the Food Network Show! Maiya loves to help unload the dishwasher, watch the Aristocats and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, loves to swing, and is super silly playing with Hudson in his cage!

•Jadan continues to play the string bass, he really enjoys it and is getting really good! And we ALL are trying hard to do scripture study in the morning before school! It doesn’t always work out, but our hearts are doing the very best we can!