More testing for Jake

This is a video of the next test Jake needs done as part of the ongoing treatment/diagnosis of his arm tic/twitching. It's called an electromyogram. Essentially it's testing his nerves and seeing how quickly they send signals. Oh, but the fun doesn't stop there! He needs another set of MRIs (yes, that's plural). There are a couple of different ones his doctor wants to do along with blood work again. She is still pretty sure it's a tic but wants to really check things out. One possibility is that there is an enlarged blood vessel irritating the nerve sending the signals to his arm. She discussed three treatments options: (1) reversal therapy which would retrain his brain to control the movement (2) prescription Tenex (3) injections of Botox into the muscle. (2) and (3) are not necessary yet so we'll wait and see. So, after he gets this testing all done, about 2 months probably, he goes back in to find out results. His doctor, Dr. Freidman at Children's in San Diego, has been so great. She is very patient and usually spends an hour with him. I really appreciate how she doesn't rush to get to the next patient.

Catching up with Old Friends

My mom and I spent Sunday afternoon catching up with some dear old friends. When we lived in Hawthorne, so many years ago, we used to get together often. Since then we haven't seen each other much.

Stephanie, Jennifer and me. I hadn't seen Stephanie since we moved in 1980 and she moved to Lake Elsinore. Jennifer and her family moved to Simi Valley shortly after. It was great to catch up and see their kiddos.

The "moms" - Barbara (Stephanie's mom), my mom, and Dar (Jennifer's mom). When we were little Dar used to cut my hair!

Even though time had passed, everyone looked the same...WEIRD!

Driving School!

Watch out world, Kelsey is driving! She finally got her permit and started her driver's training. She is very excited to finally be on the road to having her license. We, on the other hand, are very scared!

Cabrillo National Monument

Another spot we hadn't been to before was the Cabrillo Monument in Point Loma. So we packed a lunch and headed out on a gorgeous overcast day.

Steve pointing out the obvious lighthouse in front of us. He always makes sure I don't miss the little details ;)

After the monument (which wasn't much) we headed a few yards down the road to the ocean.

We saw a bit of wildlife. Yep, those are DEAD creatures whose carcasses were sitting on a rock. GROSS!!

Getty Center

Since we didn't take a vacation this year we decided to take the kids to the Getty Center in Los Angeles. We have always wanted to go and this summer gave us the time. Best of all...it's FREE!

Yep, that's a naked woman behind the kids.... art ;/

The gardens were beautiful there. We wished we could walk through the maze...

The Getty offers spectacular views and architecture.

And beautiful gardens. Next time we'll head to the Getty Villa in Malibu and features Ancient Greek and Roman art.