Second Opinion Success

Some time ago, I brought Kallan into her pediatric ophthalmologist and was told that she should have surgery by the time she is a year and a half.  I went home feeling uneasy and tense.  As you can imagine, the news didn't sit very well with us.

Well, we decided to do something about it, even if it meant driving three hours away to see a different pediatric ophthalmologist. Which it did.

So on Monday, we began the three hour trek. I was feeling discouraged at the time. What if we drive all this way and they look at her, and say "Yep, she needs surgery?" and then we just have to turn around and go home?? I was worried that it would be a waste of time.

But it was truly amazing. I felt put at ease immediately when we got to the eye center. There were lots of little ones, there were books, toys, a fish tank (maybe that's why I felt less stressed!). We were called in quickly and saw a resident doctor and then an eye alignment specialist. They looked at Kallan's eyes for an extensive period of time. Kallan was very cooperative (for the most part).

We finally got to see the doctor who looked at Kallan for a bit longer. She then told us that she personally would not operate on Kallan from seeing her today. One of her eyes is still crossing minimally with the glasses, and that eye is weaker than her other eye. She thought that by using a patch, 14 hrs a week, we could eliminated the need for surgery at all. She did not agree that there is a timeline by which a baby needs to have surgery, and she said if the eye is not strengthened, surgery wouldn't do much good anyway because it would not teach her to use that eye more.

This doctor was on the same page as us, wanting to try anything else before resorting to surgery. Erik and I left the appointment, a handful of eye patches, feeling so relieved and happy. Even if Kallan does need surgery, we will feel a lot better about it if that time ever comes.

So lesson learned: when it comes to your child's health, no question, no appointment is a waste of time. If you are not comfortable with something, it's okay to actively seek information. Doctors make mistakes, doctors do things differently! If you and your doctor aren't on the same page, look elsewhere. This goes for specialists, pediatricians, therapist.. whatever! We are so happy we did!

Tearful Threes?

Maybe you've heard of the "terrible twos." As far as I can tell, this does not exist. I asked a lot of people about this so-called period of life, and they all said, "three is worse." Oh great.

So now, I have a three-year-old. So far, this age is amazing. Lyla is joking and laughing with us, having long conversations with us, she's sharing more, being more gentle, becoming more independent and outgoing... a lot of good things. She is such a sweet, sweet girl.

Okay, but there are some parts that I might call terrible.. or rather, difficult and new. She has started lying. The amount of whining has increased exponentially. And add moping to the list of fun behaviors at this age.

But the worst part for me has been on a personal, emotional level. Lyla has always been a bit sensitive and very aware of and in-tune with her emotions. Now she can describe exactly what she is thinking and feeling, and in a lot of cases, it is heartbreaking.

When I used to come home while Lyla was with a sitter, she would say, "I cried." Now she says, "I missed you, I didn't want to be home if you weren't there." Like, really?! I just want to wrap my arms around her and never let her go. Of course, we would like it if Lyla would sleep in her own room... but she says, "I really don't want to be all by myself in here." Combine that with a extremely pathetic pouty face, and now she's got me in her room until she falls asleep, and then she later ends up in our bed. I remember once she said to Erik, "If you go back to sleep, I will be so sad." And her face just gets so sad when she says these things! She definitely has us wrapped around her little fingers.

One night she woke up screaming and crying. I ran in to comfort her, and she was trying to tell me something, but she couldn't string a sentence together because she was so upset. When she finally calmed down, she said, "They got Kallan!" I almost started crying. Lyla had just described to me, for the first time, a nightmare... in which someone "got" Kallan. I can't imagine what sort of nightmare she was having, I couldn't even bear to think about it.

All this to say, this age so far has me very teary eyed. I think I am experiencing for the first time a hard truth that I will be living with forever... you can't protect your child from every sadness, from every hurt. You just have to be there when those things come. I wish I could. I wish I could wrap her in a bubble of happiness and unicorns and butterflies and Dora the Explorer. But instead I will be waiting around with band-aids and hugs and kisses... and chocolate.

Book Reviews

It has been forever and a day since I put any good reads on here. Largely due to lack of time, partly due to lack of reading any good books! These days, I have my nose stuck in text books for the most part. And I'm not sure anyone is interested in a recap of Anatomy & Physiology for Speech, Language, and Hearing...4th Edition! It was expensive.. doesn't make it interesting. Okay it's sort of interesting in a boring, monotone, textbooky sort of way.

What I DO want to share with you all, is Mo Willems, my current favorite children's books author. He has several series for different age groups. We really are loving the Elephant & Piggie books right now.

There's humor that a toddler can get and parents can appreciate. These books are fun and interactive. The illustrations seem simple but contain perfect detail of expression and interaction between Elephant & Piggie. Willems perfectly depicts these two friends having a blast, having adventures by simply enjoying each other's company. I just love these books, they crack me up, and I'm more or less an adult, so you other parents should enjoy them, too!

Lyla is 3!

First, let's take a moment to appreciate these pictures.

That cutie little Baby Lyla is now a giant three year old! Unbelievable.

Lyla's Favorite Things:
Brown Mono, Dora the Explorer, purple and green, playing doctor, chocolate ice cream, her cousins, the beach, grape juice, diggers (bulldozers), princesses, fruit, doing everything on her own, going to the park, singing songs and playing on her ukulele, maps, her kitties, the library, spotting things, and pretending

Lyla's Least Favorite Things:
Potatoes, wet sand on her toes, water in her face

Lyla is....
Smart, silly, imaginative, funny, intuitive, creative, loving, sweet, stubborn, thoughtful, polite, independent, adorable... amazing in every way! She is, above all, a thinker. She is always connecting the dots, absorbing everything we say and putting in her own context. We love this about her, but we have to be quick on our feet all the time!

Things we are looking forward to this year:
Starting dance class, playing in the snow, apple picking & cider doughnuts, another holiday season with family, another summer on the beach, and so much more! We can't wait to see what sort of things Lyla has in store for us this coming year.

Lyla, thanks for teaching us all about being loving parents! Just in this past year, I've learned so much about patience, about what things matter and what is just fluff, and how to find joy in all things. You are truly a blessing to us. I know I would not be the same person I am today if it weren't for you! I can't wait for this year, and all the years to come, that we have to spend together as Mommy & daughter. Love you to the moon and back, times infinity! Keep growing up, but a little slower please!!!!!

Kallan-10 and 11 Months

Sorry blog, I have been neglecting you!

I missed last month's update, so I will roll these two into one.

Kallan...11 months old tomorrow! By the way, did you know that 11 months is only one month away from ONE YEAR?!  The other day, I was thinking about both the girls' upcoming birthdays, and I got a little teary-eyed when I realized that soon I would have a 3 year old and a 1 year old! Unbelievable.

Our sweet little baby is all over the place, getting into everything! She crawls all around, mostly chasing after her big sister (who can be heard yelling, "Kallan, don't come to see me! Kallan, don't come over here!"). She pulls up on and tries to climb on everything, which makes me an extremely nervous mama. But she is not interested in having help! If you help her pull up, she will sit down and do it again on her own. If you try to steady her, she will yell and whack your hand away. She is definitely little Miss Independent.

Kallan is already displaying some younger-sibling tendencies. She follows Lyla around wherever she goes and wants to be doing whatever Lyla is doing.  But if Lyla takes a toy from her, you will bet she will be screaming and crying, and even yelling, "Mamaaaa!" It's kind of amazing how soon kids figure out how to work the mama-system!

Her laugh is the most adorable little laugh there ever was, and she is always smiling and laughing! She is such a happy girl (aside from the full blown temper tantrum she had the other day... but let's just forget about that). She loves to crawl around to find people, and once she sees you, she lets out and excited giggle, and motors over to you as fast as she possibly can. Adorable.

She is a noisy little girl, always babbling and making noise. She loves to try and imitate Lyla! She says mama, dada and ball, and Yaya is potentionally, Lyla, but we aren't sure. She has learned a lot in the past couple of months, like how to "roll it, and pat it", "so big" and how to hand a toy to mommy. Most importantly, she has realized how much fun it is to throw food instead of eat it! She will even occasionally mimic blowing a kiss!

She loves - blueberries, watermelon, banana, her blue blankie, being mobile, playing "roll the ball" with Lyla, going outside, music, avocado, the Ergo, and playing in water

She dislikes - diaper changes, getting dressed, coming back inside, Mom giving her a bottle, getting buckled in carseat or stroller, and pacifiers

In the words of Lyla, "Isn't it so lucky that we have our baby??"

Hopefully once we get our new computer, I will be able to post more. On the other hand, I will be in school full time, so blogging will definitely be hanging out in the back seat.


Thanks to Giving Tree Photography for these amazing pictures!
 

9 Months

Sleep: Kallan has started going to bed a bit earlier and has ditched a third nap. She usually gets up once or twice a night for a quick eat. Not too bad!

Milestones: This has been a busy month for Kallan. She has started clapping and sort of waving. She bangs toys together. We have started on a couple of finger foods, and she is starting to get the hang of her pincer grasp. My favorite thing she does is dance to music. She wobbles her head back and forth or bounces up and down. Even as a newborn, she has always really enjoyed music. No crawling yet, she is too interested in standing up and can stand on her own for about 15 seconds! Oh and I almost forgot... But we counted "mama" as her first official word this month! It melts my heart; she knows it and abuses it!

Feeding: We started some finger foods for snacking. She sometimes just plays with them and mushes them up! So far she likes avocados and watermelon quite a bit. I also hit my breastfeeding goal of 9 months! Woo-hoo!

Ups: We have been loving our outdoor time. Lots of time spent at parks and the beach. Kallan loves getting out of the house. Whenever we head toward the door, she starts laughing and kicking her legs like crazy. Kallan is really vocal, and I love listening to her talk. Sometimes I hear a "dada" or even a "yaya" but it's hard to say if they are real words. She definitely says mama, not going to lie, I'm pretty ecstatic that it's her first word! She is definitely showing a lot of determination. As soon as she started pulling up on my fingers, she wanted to let go and stand on her own. As soon as she would fall, she would get right back up and try again. Now she is obsessed with standing up! She and Lyla are little buddies now, and they can entertain each other occasionally so I can do other things or even just take a deep breath from a rough morning. They like to sit in their beds and they just laugh at each other. Who knows what they're laughing about, but its adorable!

Downs: We can't get her to sleep anywhere other than our bed! I don't mind having her in there too much but she crowds me and I don't sleep that great. Also, she is a huge mommy's girl, which at times I love. But other times, she will not accept a rocking session with Daddy. Poor Erik wants to give me a break, but she wants mommy only! Oh well, I am lapping it up!

Kallan is such a happy baby, always full of smiles and giggles. She has a cute little toothless smirk that is almost always on her face. I love watching the wonder and joy each day brings her. It must be pretty amazing to be a baby!

Sisters

The best part of having two kids is watching the love between them. It is so special.  It has been so fun watching Lyla take care of Kallan and to see their love really grow.  Becoming a big sister was a huge adjustment for her, and we are so proud of her. She loves to help out, and helps with diaper changes and feeding Kallan. She likes to bring Kallan toys (ones that she herself doesnt feel like playing with of course).

Lyla loves to make Kallan laugh and is constantly making noises to make her smile.  She misses her when she is sleeping, and she always wants to make sure we are bringing Kallan with us when we go places.  She is always saying, "Awww you are so cute, Kallan" or "Our baby is so big!"

When Kallan cries, she always says, "It's okay, we are here!" And she calls Kallan "sweetie" or "sweet pea." It just melts my heart. At the same time, I can't believe how grown up she seems sometimes, I just wish time would slow down for a minute!

And Kallan just adores Lyla. When she wakes up in the morning, she has a real serious face on. Then when we go to the living room to see Lyla, she flashes her a big smile. They have become real buddies, and I am so excited to watch their friendship grow over the years!