Life with The Leivas: Life With A Toddler

Monday, June 9, 2008

Life With A Toddler

This past weekend here in the Seattle area was cold and rainy. It was so cold that I actually had to turn on the heater, IN JUNE!!!! Since the weather outside was not so nice we spent the weekend inside. Olivia has gotten to the stage where she LOVES to help. She will do almost anything as long as you use the word help in the request. Here's an example:

Mommy: "Olivia time to finish your peas"

Olivia: Throws peas on the floor and does sign lanuage for "all done"

Mommy: "Olivia can you help eat your peas?"

Olivia: (gets a bit smile on her face) Finishes the peas and then asks for more please (in baby sign lanugage of course)

Olivia's favorite chores are helping to take the dishes out of the dishwasher and helping take laundry in and out of the washing machine and dryer. However I do think that she seems to have confused the two chores a little bit. While I was busy in the kitchen this weekend Olivia decided that it was time to "load" the washing machine again. I didn't notice that she was doing anything until I saw her come into the kitchen and pull out the dishwashing detergent from under the sink (I usurally let her help me put the detergent into the dishwasher and then start the dishwasher). She then started dragging the box of dishwashing detergent into the laundery room where I found this:

1 comment:

Me and The Boys said...: That made me laugh out loud. Such a good helper. :)

Miss you guys.
Love,
Cousin Katy; Tuesday, June 10, 2008 10:16:00 AM

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MPS/Sanfilippo Syndrome

In October, 2008 Olivia was disgnosed with MPS III or Sanfilippo Syndrome, type B. MPS stands for: Mucopolysaccharidoses. It is a genetic lysosomal storage disease (LSD) caused by the body's inability to produce specific enzymes. Normally, the body uses enzymes to break down and recycle materials in cells. In individuals with MPS and related diseases, the missing or insufficient enzyme prevents the proper recycling process, resulting in the storage of materials in virtually every cell of the body. As a result, cells do not perform properly and may cause progressive damage throughout the body, including the heart, bones, joints, respiratory system and central nervous system. While the disease may not be apparent at birth, signs and symptoms develop with age as more cells become damaged by the accumulation of cell materials.

Babies and young children with Sanfilippo Syndrome appear normal, but symptoms begin to appear with age as more and GAGs build up in the cells of the body. There are 3 stages to the disease. Stage 1 the child begins to lag behind peers and begins to display difficult behaviors. Stage 2 the child losing his/her language, becomes hyperactive, chews on everything, and has sleeping difficulties. Stage 3 the child slows down, becomes dependant for all mobility and loses the ability to chew/swallow. There is no treatment or cure for Sanfilippo. Life expectancy varies.