The Tilt Table Test

I've always known something was up, I just didn't know what. It started in Jr. High with the constant exhaustion and weird random fainting. We just figured I was a teenager with crazy hormones. It continued getting much worse around a certain time of the month in High School, but medicine seemed to clear up that problem. Sporadic fainting continued until college with some pretty embarrassing scenes of carnage. During pregnancy, the passing out and exhaustion was pretty scary, but it's never been more difficult to deal with until kids came along and I had little lives depending on me.


I've had COUNTLESS tests performed on my body from head to tummy, and every procedure pointed to a healthy young girl. One day I happened upon a show on The Discovery Channel called Mystery Diagnosis. This particular episode depicted a woman with exactly the same symptoms as I had, I couldn't believe it. It tells how her problems were lifelong, until she received a Tilt Table Test and she found her out her mystery diagnosis.


After finding a Cardiologist in my area, and more preliminary tests, of course, I was ready for my miracle test. I didn't really understand the complexity of this particular examination, so I just walked into the hospital all by my myself thinking it'd take an hour or so. I wondered why everyone kept making a big deal that I didn't bring anyone to drive me home. After they made me de-robe and they administered an IV, heart monitors, and oxygen test thingies, I started taking it more seriously.


The test was super simple. I was strapped to a table which they raised 75 degrees (pretty much a standing position). Then everyone went into a little room separated by a glass window to chat and talk on the phone while I just stood there bored out of my mind with no music to listen to or books to read. I was about to say, "Okay! Nothing's going to happen! I know you're going to tell me everything's normal and perfect!" When I started feeling nauseous. Next thing I know, I'm lying flat and everyone's bustling about me asking if I'm okay. Yes, I fainted. It took me 17 minutes of standing to faint. My doctor's words were (in a strong Indian accent), "We know what is wrong, we will fix it, everything will be okay!" I could have kissed him right there, but I was trying not to vomit.

As I look back on that crazy day I can't help but laugh. I walked in looking healthy and happy, joking with the nurses and staff. I think they were convinced nothing was wrong with me, because after I fainted they kept repeating questions they previously asked like, "How long has this been going on?" or "How often do you faint?" with bewildered expressions. Apparently most people need medicine in order to induce fainting during the test. I don't need any assistance to faint, thank you very much.


It was a crazy day, I woke up a semi-healthy person with mysterious symptoms and went to bed a person with a life-long disease and medication to go with it. I officially have Cardiocirculatory Syncope (which pretty much means my heart slows down and I faint). We still don't know exactly why my heart decides to slow down, but at least we understand more than we ever have. I take a vaso-constrictor (which raises my blood-pressure) three times a day, drink eight ounces of water every hour, and wear tight socks up to my knees. So far I've felt much, much better.

I can't help but wonder what my life would have been like if I'd taken the Tilt Test sooner, but then I remember even the yucky days lead me to an AMAZING man who is the best husband for my sickly needs, and the most darling kids who make it a joy to get out of bed even if it's agonizing.

Inflatable Fun

We're going to be out of town again during Hyrum's Christmas birthday. I really wanted to give him a real invite-who-he-wants-and-choose-the-venue kind of party. His choice was the "balloon house" and his guests were 11 rowdy little buddies from church and school.

I don't know if this picture completely illustrates the dog pile of boys in the center. The party was "dinosaur" themed, but it should have been WWF. There was PLENTY of wrestling, kicking, punching, jumping on top of, and laughing all at the same time.

Even the babies got to play.




Hyrum's only melt-down. I was so happy there was only one!

Hyrum was always such a cautious and careful kid until he reached 4 years. I didn't ever know how lucky I was not to have a daredevil.

This pics for my sis Luci, she doesn't think I'm in enough pictures:)

Our great friends the Thornocks- Kellen had amazing insight and volunteered to come help out with parental supervision. I was so grateful to our friends who stayed. Not only was it helpful, but it was much more fun for the "big kids".

Here's the Mackay's- we SO love them!

And of course the Lamms. If you can't find Ivy, chances are she's with Brent, her boyfriend.

Such cute kids! (just don't tell them I called them cute)

Here's our purple fashion show (and yellow).

After EVERYONE was completely exhausted, we headed into the party room for some pizza and cake.

Hyrum had his own blow up thrown of course!

I have absolutely no idea what's on Ivy's shirt.

Hyrum doesn't like cake, he's weird, I know. But, he LOVES doughnuts, so I made him a cake out of doughnuts. It's supposed to look like a dinosaur volcano. I made it while he was at school, so excited to show him when he came home. When he saw it he just started crying, "But, Mom! I wanted a real cake!" Can't ever win I guess.

It's not gonna win Food Netword Cake Challenge, but it was pretty fun and yummy.

Opening presents was a crazy whirlwind of wrapping paper and tissue. At least I saw him open our gift (a train set and table). He was super excited and immediatly came over and thanked me with a big, excited hug.

It was a great party with lots of adorable kids and good friends.

And no, he didn't eat his doughnut, just in case you were wondering.

Halloween Fun

We had a terrific Halloween, starting with carving our pumpkins. Hyrum completely surprised us by doing his all by himself (besides the taking out the guts part). He drew out his plans ahead of time on his Magnidoodle, compared and contrasted each drawing to make sure it had the right amount of spookiness, cut open the beast, and completed the whole thing in no time. He carved Ivy's also (Ivy went to bed early and missed all the fun).

Bry's is the pirate, mine's Frankenstein, and Hyrum's are the cute little faces.

Next was the Ward shindig the night before Halloween.

I made Bry dress as Ace Ventura, his alter ego (yes, seriously).

There were tons of games and yummy chili. Hyrum loved running around with all his superhero friends. Ivy loved giving me a heart-attack by disappearing into the crowd. After dinner and games we went Trunk-or-Treating in the parking lot.

Finally Halloween day came with rain and hot, muggy temperatures! Welcome to Virginia! At least the kids didn't have to wear snow parkas and cover up their costumes.

We went Trick-or-Treating with our friends the Didlake's and had a blast with their darling little girl. Many of our neighbors gave us gallon size bags of goodies for Hyrum and Ivy. They even remembered Ivy's allergies and only included foods that were safe for her. I was so touched that they even remembered her allergies. We have such great neighbors!

We spent the day watching movies, eating spooky shaped pancakes, and telling scary stories (all of Hyrum's ended with the victim karate chopping the monster to victory). We ended the night playing with glow sticks in the pitch black until way after the kid's bedtime. It was a great Halloween weekend with all our Virginia friends.

A Day at the Farm

This year's Berry Farm excursion was a momentous occasion due to the fact that Bry actually took the day off of school. This is a huge deal for our favorite school-a-holic. It transformed a day that would have been exhausting and frustrating into one of the best family days EVER.

This is Ivy's special backpack. It holds her priceless EpiPen, just in case she gets an allergic reaction. Bry carried it for her all day- REAL men sport Strawberry Shortcake backpacks!

Hayrides are great for snuggles.

The kids were already getting photo-shooted-out.

They still had some cute smiles in them though!

Ivy kept screaming, "PUNKIN! PUNKIN!" People would look over to make sure she wasn't being murdered. Nope, that's just her volume.


Here's what everyone picked:



After pumpkin picking we explored the farm.

We enjoyed duck races (rubber ducks), chickens, turkeys, goats, cows, sheep, bunnies, and an emu- with Ivy screaming the names and sounds of the animals the whole time. But our favorite event, by far, was the pig races. The first one to the platform gets a cookie!

Who can resist the wooden signs with places to stick your head?

After lunch we were brave and tried our luck in the huge corn maze. This could have been a big mistake, but the kids loved it and we followed a parade of people that seemed to know what they were doing.

Our last stop is my favorite of the day. The corn pit. It was getting hot and the corn was cool and so dang fun. The whole family jumped in and laughed and played. We found corn in the funniest places for the rest of the day including Hyrum's ear, Ivy's diaper, and all our unmentionables. So if we ever get lost just follow the corn trail!

The Life of an Allergic Toddler

Our dear Ivy girl is officially one of those kids I always felt so bad for. (And I'm one of those moms I was so glad I wasn't.) She is allergic to peanuts, eggs, and milk. So her list of non life-threatening foods is pretty short.

We knew she had problems with milk from a very early age due to the unmistakable hint of vomiting every time she ingested dairy. I was sure we eliminated all dairy from her diet, but I still noticed a rash around her mouth on occasion. She also kept having tummy problems. I knew this because she would lift up her little shirt so I could see her bare belly and say "Urt, Urt". So I took her to a cruel Allergist who pricked her back, informed us of her diagnosis, and sent us packing without any advice, cookbooks, or enlightenment whatsoever as to what we were supposed to do next.



For the first month after I found out the terrible news I hardly let her leave the house, afraid she'd go into anaphylactic shock at any moment. She'd previously eaten peanuts and eggs and only had a mild reaction- but the doctor said, "She could have a serious reaction at any time!" Oh how those words haunt me!

Life is starting to get back to normal. I am finding lots of great recipes for the whole fam to enjoy. I never knew there were so many great vegan alternatives to "regular food". Bry, Hyrum and I still eat food she can't -especially eggs and milk. She is actually super sweet about the deprivation (surprisingly). She informs us when she wants the food we're currently eating by opening her mouth wide and saying "Ahhh". We only have to explain that it will give her a tummy ache and she drops it and moves on. I have a feeling she remembers all those tummy aches and long nights.