Dear Family and Friends,

This week turned out a little differently than we had originally planned on. Usually I jump around a little telling what our family has been up to but for this week I think I need to take it day by day. This was the week of parties as there seemed to be some activity every night.

Monday Spencer threw up at school so he came home for the day. He was bouncing around the rest of the day so I didn't think too much of it. We spent the afternoon making a bunch of gingerbread boys - made our house smell great. That night Jeremy and I went to a production of Forgotten Carols with Michael McLean. They had a tenor in the play that was amazing! We were even able to go out to dinner first so it was a great evening. Because Jeremy had a project due in order for him to come, he had to work late into the night when we got home and get up early in the morning when we got back. What a great guy. He is trying to get out of all these extra projects so he has more free time.

Tuesday I went into Allison's class for an hour to help them make gingerbread boy ornaments. Allison had helped me pick out candy to decorate with. She wanted them to look exactly like the gingerbread boy in Shrek. Spent the afternoon making chex mix for Spencer to take to cub scouts as he was on treats. Spencer came home from school, laid in front of the fire and was asleep by 5. He even slept through Robyn and Allison dancing around him. So he missed scouts. Woke up to cry a bunch over taking his pills and then an hour later was back in bed.

Tuesday a lady posted on Craig's list that she had a bunch of baby dwarf hamsters that she was giving away and that were ready to leave their mom. So we drove down to Orem for Allison to pick out 2 hamsters (Jeremy thought that 2 would keep each other company, and the lady who raised hamsters agreed) She named them Snowflake and Shadow (originally cloud but after a day changed her name. They are both girls and we are crossing their fingers that they are too young to be pregnant.

Tuesday night Jeremy went on a photo walk up at Temple Square with a photography club. He had a great time although he froze his fingers. I was happy at home with a new library book and a big piece of Carniegie Deli Cheesecake that Jeremy had brought home from work. A client had shipped them one from New York for Christmas.

Wednesday morning Spencer's teacher called to say Spencer fell asleep in class and had been looking pale all week. So we decreased his seroquil to see if that would help. Allison helped me make all our shopping trips for groceries and to buy things needed for the ward's giving tree. Wednesday night Jeremy went to film a concert a Allison's school for the school video we are working on. Spencer went to bed a little early but besides that was bouncing around.

Thursday morning is our early day as Spencer has piano at 7:30. He came home for breakfast and fell asleep on the couch after a bite or two. When he woke up at 9, I took him to school as he seemed fine. We went and picked up Allison's friend to play for the morning and mailed off our last Christmas present. Got home and Allison started freaking out because it hurt to pee. So she peed all over the bathroom floor - which she never does. So I was thinking she must have another UTI. Just at that point Spencer's school called to say that he was throwing up again and looked really sick. Shoved all the girls in the van with cheese sticks and crackers for lunch. By the time I got there Spencer was passed out on the hallway floor. Everytime he came to he threw up. They helped me get him out to the car in a wheelchair. Dropped Allison and her friend off of school and went to our doctor's to see which hospital I should take Spencer too. I was worried about pancreatitis which is a risk with depakote that Spencer had started the previous Saturday. He said he was stable enough for me to take him up to Primary's. Dropped Robyn with a neighbor and Jeremy came home early for kids.

I took Spencer up to Primary Children's ER. They came and helped me wheel him in. Because he was in shock by then - low body temp, high heart rate, disoriented or passed out - they took us straight back to the trauma room. It was a bad hour or two as Spencer was either non-responsive, yelling and screaming nonsense and having to be held down, or disoriented and crying because everyone was torturing him, saying "please, stop, please let me go" (that was the hardest to watch). All the tests came back showing that his systems were all working except for having a really high lactic acid level and a beyond acceptable depakote level (even though he was on a really low dose). So it was a bad 24 hours and then he was almost normal. He was able to come home Friday afternoon although he was very shaky (literally he had problems with any fine motor function) and would keep falling asleep. They decided that Spencer should never take depakote again as his body could not metabolize it - always a risk with any med, just unexpected. They let him pull out his own IV which he thought was cool.

Thursday night was Jeremy's big work party that everyone had been planning for the past month. Jeremy wasn't in the mood to do the big shopping hunt that they do but since we already had a babysitter I convinced him to go for the dinner. I was staying up in SLC and the roads were too bad and Spencer was too incoherent for him to try to come up to visit.

Friday night Jeremy and I were supposed to go to a couples Christmas party with some friends. Since I was having a hard time staying awake and desperately needed a long shower and bed and Spencer could not be left, Allison was Jeremy's date for the evening. She thought it was great to be at an adult party and had a great time. In the white elephant exchange she gave up her coldstone gift certificate for a container of potty putty. She was very excited about it.

Saturday was Allison's dance recital. The girls and I went to a local beauty college and Allison had her hair made cute and curly and had her nails painted. She was in heaven. Then we went to Kneaders to get a cheesecake for Jeremy's birthday and to clean the office. Robyn has decided to start throwing tantrums lately and it isn't pretty. She yells, hits people, throws things etc. At least they are short lived most of the time. The baker was laughing at her trying to be mean to people. By the end she is waving good-bye and smiling at everyone.

Allison did great at her dance recital and looked very cute. Lauri came and they had stopped on their way to get Allison a flower which she loved. Spencer by Saturday afternoon could physically not sit still. At least we could keep our humor about it as he was constantly moving, twitching, jumping up and down - looked like a junkie in need of a fix.

After the recital we took Lauri home, left Robyn and Taylor with a sitter and went up to SLC to take Jeremy out for his birthday dinner. We went to the Mayan which was a very gracious choice on Jeremy's part as it was totally for the kids. You have to wait a long time to get in as they don't do reservations so Allison played checkers with us. You eat in these tree houses and watch divers do this show. It was a fun evening. Spencer still could not even eat although by then he could put a fry into his mouth with only minor shaking.

Boy as I write it all out, I realize how busy this week truly has been. We have abused our friends a lot this week with babysitting favors. We meet with the psychiatrist on Friday to discuss what to do with medications now. Spencer will continue on the seroquil but needs to let his body chemistry settle down for a while.

Love to you all and hope the Skeehan clan has a great reunion this week - take lots of pictures to post. Love, Heather