Harper is doing well in some areas and struggling in others….such as life!  She is showing improvement in her ability to understand what we are saying.  She like any child struggles with her level of communication. She is starting to more frequently shake her head to tell me NO.  I never thought  we would be so happy about one of our children telling us NO!  She is also mastering the art of  holding her own pacifier!  This is wonderful because now her fingers are in her mouth less often.  Never thought this would be such a big issue but with a mouth full of teeth there have been times she hasn’t been able to get her fingers out fast enough before she has a seizure.  I won’t go into detail there but poor Harper we know that hurts!!

Harper had a bit of a rough day yesterday.  We had lots of drool and a seizure every hour.  Her seizure’s increase when she cuts teeth.  It’s very stressful for her little body.  The dental appointment today confirmed those top molars are 75% in.  Despite her fussiness she still managed to work through all her therapy sessions with improvement.  Go Harper!

She has much improved in her ability to eat.  She is now eating pureed foods with a spoon and drinking from a straw.   She does still get a bottle but we are slowly moving towards independence!  Her food options are extremely limited as we try to work with specialist to determine what she can eat that will not be a cause for a seizure.  Sugar triggers seizures for Harper.  The more simple the sugar the quicker and more intense the seizure.  This creates a problem since every single carbohydrate eventually breaks down into the form of a simple sugar.  Our options are limited but she simply cannot function well without carbs.  Hopefully, with the dietitians, nutritionists, biochemists and metabolic specialists we have spoken with, we can eventually come up with something she can eat.

Watch her progress in the 30 second video below!

Harper Eating Video

Project Update:  We are 64 days away from needing our first $100K to start the process of helping Harper become seizure free and we are in need of $69,457.50 to get us there.  For more information on the research project you can visit the Project Page.  Be sure to check the Events section of our site for the fun things planned to help Harper reach her 2011 goal!

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR GENEROUS PRAYERS AND SUPPORT!  YOUR EFFORTS ARE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!  WE CANNOT DO THIS WITHOUT YOU!! :)  HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!