Ashley's MRI Not Good

OK, I need to vent.....I just got off the phone with Ashley's Pediatric orthopedic doctor, who finally got back to me after the results of her MRI spinal scan done in May. I figured that since they had taken so long to get back to me that everything was ok. I started calling for results a few weeks ago..again, and the woman who was supposed to get the message to the doc doesn't work there anymore, so her info got lost in the middle.
So anyways, I get a call from him today and he said she DOES have foramen magnum stenosis AND a syrinx between C1 & C2 in her spinal cord! I am a little flippy right now. I'm trying to stay calm and I'm about to do some research to find out what this means and what the process will be.
He referred Ashley to a neurosurgeon.....never words a parent wants to hear!!! Ok, I'm off to meditate, hold my daughter and research. From what I already know a syrinx is a collection of fluid in her spinal cord at the base of her head. My guess is it is due to the stenosis of her foramen magnum, but I'll have to research to know all the full details. It is not however hydrocephalus because that is fluid build up around the brain, so we'll see what this says, hopefully it is something minor that will not require surgery. I'll be praying for that. I set up an appointment with the neurosurgeon for the 8th of october which was the earliest they had, so now it's on to the waiting game. Lord willing I can find some info to calm my nerves in the mean time.

So Ashley had her first day back of speech and physical therapy this morning. It was so nice seeing her instructors again, some new, some gone, but all in all very nice. She was her usual shy self and wanted nothing to do with the boys in the class. Probably just because they are bigger than her or she knows boys play rougher.
She didn't talk much or at all for that matter, although she did do a couple please and thank you signs. I don't know that I've ever had a child clam up so fast in public, yet be so exuberant at home. When we came home today we practiced her flash cards that she enjoys and the following video is Ashley in action, full of her little personality.

Our First Sale Special at Lil' Ashley's

Yaay, I'm tickled, we're moving in the right direction and having our first sale this upcoming weekend over at Lil' Ashley's Closet
Free Shipping Worldwide *PLUS* BOGO Half off our new Flower Hair Pieces:)
www.lilashleyscloset.etsy.com

Ashley's Walking & Minidance

Here are a couple videos of Ashley walking and getting her minidance on:)
She starts her physical/speech therapy next week and her play group the following week. She was just starting to warm up to new people when school ended last year, so hopefully it won't be back to square 1 this year and she will pick up where she left off. She is such a shy child around new people, yet so full of character at home. I always wish others could see her personality like we do. It's great to be able to catch it on video though:)

Her vocabulary is getting a lot better, she will repeat just about anything you say to her. My favorite words are yellow and purple, they just sound so cute coming from her:) She has definitely learned the word "no"and knows exactly how to say it with purpose when she means it, especially at bed time. We've learned not to ask her if she wants to go night night and just say very soothing that it is time to sleep and that tends to work really well.

I'll keep up on the posts as school starts, mom has got to get some work done now:)