Divide and conquer

No, this isn't a parenting post.

No this is a quick update about all of the research taking up our free time.

Since Shawn concentrates on researching all things that go Whirr, he is researching new washing machines. While he's at it, he's looking at new dryers, but it's only our washing machine that doesn't work right so that is the priority right now because this is the last weekend I want to take Nessa's bedding to the laundry mat. (We can only wash very small loads of laundry in our washing machine right now.)

Because Tami is a bit obsessive about it anyway, Tami concentrates on the medical research. It started with allergy research for Nessa (we won't even tough the years of research into her own various hard-to-describe maladies although there may be a connection with Nessa's diagnosis in the end), and now has expanded into the very core and depths of gluten -free research -- Celiac Disease. When we found out a week ago we just walked around with our jaw open with a shocked feeling -- wow!

I hope to get around to a detailed post about what we know, what we don't know, and the frustration of finding it all out and getting help from the medical community (I've decided celiac is a disease looking for a doctor, especially in the pediatric area ... frustrating when it's so under diagnosed.) Until then -- Nessa went in for allergy testing and based on symptoms they also ran a gluten panel and it came back positive (and very apparently) while her food allergy tests were all negative. We have yet to see a pediatric GI specialist. You can read more about it here: http://www.celiacdisease.net/

Oh, and since I just can't help it I've been researching new cell phones as well as carriers and data options ... and a couple of weeks ago I spent way too much time on the computer reading MP3 player reviews with Megan, and the result was ordering one off of Amazon for her (her allowance money -- go girl) so when you see her with headphones in... Shawn and Tami are both thinking of following with their own players soon too.

(Do phones and MP3 players go Whirr? I didn't think so either. Maybe we need new research definitions.)

So, if you all have any feedback, info or resources, please send them our way --- comments, emails, phone calls, carrier pigeons ... we have so much to learn!