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JAYDEN IS BACK!

Jayden's personality is back! Let me explain.....over the past few weeks we have noticed that Jayden hasn't been himself. He quit making eye contact and was having an extremly hard time doing any kind of physical activity. It was as if he had no opinion about anything. Last Thursday I took Jayden to see Dr. Jen (pic of her and Jayden) to have his VNS (Vagus Nerve Stimulator) turned up. It hadn't been adjusted since he came home from having the surgery back in August. Literally within minutes Jayden came back to life!

He is doing awesome! He is even trying to push weight through his arms to get in the crawling position, with minimal help from me ofcourse. But the fact that he tollerates that position is huge. Now Jayden can look right at me and smile. He is much more aware of his surroundings and I can't tell you how happy we are. I went to bed crying every night during those horrible weeks because I was afraid my lil guy was gone. But he just needed to get his VNS ramped up. We are going to start ramping it up once a month from now on until we hit a desired mark.

Another part of the problem is that Jayden is getting to be a big boy! He's gained 4 lbs (weighing in at 30lb 4oz) since surgery and his head is bigger too! Now he just needs to adjust to his size and hopefully we will see even more improvements. Jayden has also started taking Juice Plus, thanks to the Donlin Family. Juice plus is a suppliment that lets Jayden get lots of nutrition even though his eating isn't very well. He still is unable to chew food but eats 3 meals a day, always things that are smashed up. Now I don't have to worry because he is getting his fruits and veggies in and he likes it!

We hope you are all doing well. Thanks for keeping up with us.

Love,

Brandy

~~MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE CORREA'S~~

From our Family to yours have a Merry Christmas. As this year comes to an end I can really say that our family has been truley blessed. It's been a long year but we're all doing fine. This year my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, went through 6 months of chemo, had major surgery, and is beginning radiation. Jayden was having out of control seizures lasting up to two hours, 3 helicopter rides to UCSF, 2 surgeries one for a port the other for his Vagus Nerve Stimulator, and more ER visits than I want to count. But now since the VNS is making slow gains and his seizures are manageable at home. I've become his personal nurse. My husband has worked 7 days a week for almost two years now. Andres and Jeana stayed busy with football and cheerleading. Andres' team actually won the Superbowl! And Jojo has been learning at an awesome speed. I guess that has summed up this past year, the good the bad and the ugly. We are looking forward to 2007. So we wish you health and happiness in the new year. We couldn't have got through it without all of you.

Jayden & Jojo, what a pair! Jojo is really good with his baby brother. He still thinks Jayden is a baby and doesn't question why he doesn't crawl yet. He seems to be protective of him and likes to sing to Jayden. Jayden follows Jojo with his eyes all day long. Trust me, Jojo makes his presence known wherever he is.

Jayden 15 Days Without A Seizure!

Christmas Greetings to everyone. I hope you are all taking in the true spirit of Christmas and not getting too caught up in the hustle and bustle. Jayden went a whole 15 days without a seizure, this is wonderful news. This morning he had a 10 minute seizure that required a little bit of medicine. But he is recovering nicely, a little tired and wiggly but still smiling. He hasn't gone that long without a seizure in a very long time. Jayden continues to have therapy every week. Right now he is in desperate need of Speech therapy to help him learn to chew. He eats 3 meals a day all consisting of foods that are smashed up because he doesn't chew. I worry about him not getting the nutrients he needs because of what he eats. His Pediasure is no longer being paid for and I can tell he's thinning out a little. You would think getting the services Jayden obviously needs would be simple. But for some reason everything seems to be a battle. Good thing for Jayden I'm not afraid a little combat. I'll take on anything for this little guy to assure he has the best shot at life possible even if it means fighting every step of the way.

Crazy Blogger

Well incase you haven't figured it out I am notorious for publishing my blogs out of order. I try to sit down and write my lil blog in peace and quiet without any interuptions. Yeah right, not in this house. So please forgive me if they are a little hard to follow. Thanks for keeping of with the Correa Clan. I hope you all sit back this week and think about all you have to be thankful for this year. I do this on a daily basis. My Mom is doing well, Jayden is stable, and the rest of my family is healthy and happy. What more could I ask for? Have a Happy Thanksgiving. Love you all, Brandy

Doesn't Jayden make a cute Eeyore? Unfortunately Jayden had a seizure at the hotel on Saturday morning. I had to give him meds this time to stop it and it made him sleepy for the rest of the day. The good news is he perked up for his birthday. He spent most of the day in the car but he didn't mind. What a trooper!

There was alot for Jayden to look at, the entire park was decorated for Christmas. It was such a beautiful sight. Jayden even got to go on some rides. Pirates of the Carribean, Snowhite, Pinnochio, and It's A Small World to name a few. He seemed to enjoy every minute of it. He was content to look around and take in all of sights. He even got a kiss from Minnie Mouse!

~The Correa's Take On Disneyland~

Andres, Jojo, and Jeana Last Thursday this family set out on an adventure. Thanks to Grandpa Joe we were able to take a family vacation to Disneyland. We drove...with 4 kids......all the way to LA.....am I crazy or what?This picture was obviously taken at the beginning of our drive there. As you can see they are smiling but after a few hours the smiles turned into, " Your touching me stop touching me! Are we there yet? Where are we now? Tell Jojo to stop doing that!. My sister Lori was gracious enough to go with me while Jose stayed home to work. She had no idea what she was getting herself in to. This is one rowdy bunch!

I'm A Big Kid Now

Jayden is a big boy now! Yesterday was Jayden's 2nd birthday. Jojo told him that now he has to crawl! And I agree! 2 whole years, I can't believe it. It has gone by so fast and we've been through so much. All I can say is that I am grateful for all of you who have kept him in your prayers, thank you so much. There have been so many people in and out his this lil guys life and I am thankful to have met such wonderful people who always had kind words and lots of encouragement and advice. I look forward to another year of learning and goals met.

This is Jayden wearing his very special birthday hat from Disneyland. When we got there he got a pin that said, "Happy Birthday Jayden". As we were walking all around Disneyland people were wishing him a happy day. I thought that was pretty special.

~With God All Things Are Possible~

As most of you already know, it has been a very difficult year around the Correa household. Jayden has had frequent hospital visits with two surgeries. And last March my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. When she was first diagnosed she was already at stage 3. Our whole family was devistated when we heard the news, afterall it's only been 5 years since we lost our Dad to colon cancer. We knew we had a long road ahead of us. She began chemo treatments last April to shrink the tumor before they could operate. She lost her hair, she was tired, food didn't taste the same but she never complained. Infact she worked FULL TIME through out this whole ordeal. Last Wednesday she had a mastectomy. We have been waiting for almost a week for the pathology report to come back. This morning my Mom went to the Dr. to have her drainage tube removed and we got the results........ NO CANCER WAS FOUND!!! Praise God! Just when I thought my world was crashing down around me I hear the most wonderful news in the world. My Mom is at this moment cancer free! Thank you so much for all of your prayers. She is the strongest lady I know! Thank God she's my Mommy.

Isn't Jojo a cute owl? He was running wild through the entire pumpkim patch. He really liked feeding the animals. Jeana and Andres had fun too. Here they are on a couple of "Hay Horses".

Our First Trip To The Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday Jayden took his first trip to the Pumpkin Patch. My cousin Stephanie has a home daycare and we decided to be adventurous and take a whole bunch of kids on a little field trip. The weather was nice and the kids really enjoyed themselves. They each picked out a pumpkin to take home.

Here is Jojo dressed in Andres' Trojan uniform, he's a Trojan in training. Jayden will be turning two very soon can you guess what he likes? Yup you guessed right, ELMO. Jayden loved sitting in this elmo chair. I think it's on his wish list haha. Look out Jojo, Jayden is almost as big as you!

Go North West Trojans!

We have been going to Andres and Jeana's football games every weekend. Jayden absolutely loves to be outside. Game days are very long days but he loves every minute of it. Jose is usually working so my Mom goes with me. We are so proud of Jeana and Andres. Not only are they staying busy with football and cheerleading but they are getting wonderful grades too! Keep up the hard work kids! Go Trojans!

VNS is AWESOME!!!

Hello everyone! We have prayed and prayed for God to send a miracle to help Jayden gain better seizure control. On August 15, 2006 God answered our prayers. This small device called a Vagus Nerve Stimulator has proven so far to be our lil miracle. Jayden had a seizure this past Tuesday that was 4 minutes long and developed a small cough which is probably why he also had a seizure this past Thursday. Hang on to your seats.... this last seizure was only 2 MINUTES LONG!!!!!! Yup, that's a record for Jayden. No meds!!!! Just his handy-dandy magnet (my new best friend) From what I have read and what people have told me, Jayden is having an exception reaction to the VNS. Most people don't see any kind of results for up to 6 months or a even a year. I saw results as soon as they turned the VNS on. Since then he has been more alert and making small gains all the time. He's a very very happy boy! A big boy too, as of last Tuesday he weighs 29lbs 9oz and 36 inches.

~The Sky Is Falling!~

Isn't that what Chicken Little said? Well check out the new Chicken Little. Isn't he cute? Hi everyone! I just wanted to let all of you know about Jayden's progress. He is doing great! Jayden's last seizure was a week ago and stopped without any meds!!!!! YIPPEEEEE! We are so excited because he's never had a seizure that stopped on it's own. This seizure lasted about 7 minutes and all I had to do with swipe the magnet to his VNS and he came out. His seizures are still about a week apart or so but are much shorter than they use to be thanks to the VNS. Jayden continues to shock us all. He is now getting his butt in the air and bearing weight on his elbows and rocking. We are on our way to crawling!!!! He makes great eye contact with everyone who talks to him. He is desperately trying to talk to us and make his presence known. He likes to listen to music and tries to sing along. He is taking steps in his gate trainer without us having to coax him along. And what a great eater!!! I am so happy with his progress and am certain that he will continue to make gains slowly but surely. Every little thing he does his huge to us. Thanks everyone for keeping him in your prayers. We love you all! Brandy