A good reason to visit your Optometrist

As a first time Mom, I was a rule follower.  When the Calgary Health Region book told me that I should have my infants eyes checked at 6 months, I did.  From that appointment, we began routine checks.  She went back at the age of 2, and again this past November.

The first two appointments went well.  At 6 months her eyes were developing properly.  At age 2, we were given the "looks good!".  But, when I had her in in November, there was some concern.  When Grace's right eye was covered, she would become quite agitated and wasn't able to distinguish pictures solely looking through her left eye.  Our appointment had been running 45 minutes late.  We were asked to reschedule for after Christmas, they would get us in right away, and they would double check their findings.

I brought Grace in last week, and the same thing happened.  She could see all the images with her right eye, but not her left.  Short end of the story, drops were put in her eyes, we waited half an hour, and then they were re-checked.  The finding was is that she has astigmatism in both of her eyes, and a balance issue.  Layman terms, she is only using one of her eyes to see, and the other is becoming extremely weak.

The first step to try and correct it is a pair of glasses. 

Doesn't she look sweet?  We are on day 3 of wearing them, and today she's like an old hat.  Wearing them as if she always had them.  On Day 1 and even yesterday, there was some cartoon and chocolate bribing occuring to get her to keep them on.

She will be checked again in a month to see if there is improvement.   If no, we've been told we may have to consider a patch.

If you have Littles at home, please consider getting their vision checked!  You just never know.  And in Alberta, it's covered by Health Care so there is no charge.

The Things I've Learned

A friend of mine recently told me that she's expecting her first baby.  I'm over the moon.  I was almost as excited to hear the news as if it had been my own announcement (almost).  I immediately started planning the perfect blanket I could knit.  But, as the initial excitement is wearing off, and I'm going about my usual day to day routine with my own kids, I've been remembering back to the buzz of when we were expecting Grace.  And oh the things I would have told myself (I'll get to those in a minute!).

Now, I don't want to throw all new Moms in the same bucket, but I think 80% of them (ok, maybe 99.9%) are SO thrilled with their baby, that they, despite being told lots of helpful hints by already Moms, don't heed the advice.  They want those new layettes, and they need the most expensive name brand clothes.  But sweetie, you DON'T.  So, in honor of my friend, here is the list of things I wished I would have known (and things I'm so glad that I did do!).

- I'm glad I never bought a wipes warmer and heeded the advice that if a baby got used to a warm bum, it would never want to be changed cold.
- I'm glad I never bought a stand alone change table.  We had a change pad on top of a dresser in the nursery.  By the time the babe could roll, we ended up changing both our kids on the floor.
- I'm glad I had bottles at home, and formula, for babe #2.  Wish we would have had that for Grace.  You never know how breastfeeding is going to go, and having something on hand for 4 in the morning when that babe NEEDS to eat, is saving grace (literally!).
- A bassinet.  We bought a lovely wicker rocking bassinet.  Out kids maybe slept in it a total of 10 times.  We didn't know it before Grace, but our babies slept in our bed with us, until they were 8 months old (Grace 6).  Had I known, I would have invested in a co-sleeper.
- A highchair that attaches to a table chair, rather than a stand alone highchair.  They are big & cumbersome and take up so much room.
- A friend told me to layout all the wee tiny clothes and organize them by actual size, not by the label.  Awesome suggestion and one that saved us from having clothes our kids never wore.

I'm sure there are more and I'll keep adding to the list, but, what about you?  Are there things that you are glad you heeded, and things you wished you would have known?  I'm accepting all sage advice :)

So great I watched it twice!

One final swift kick

We had managed to spend the majority of our winter germ free.  Only a couple of colds, no flu.  I realize that winter here can last until April, but having made it through the holidays germ free, I thought we were sailing this winter through healthy as can be.

Then last Thursday Grace woke up with a fever of 103F.  Even administering tylenol would only lower it to 101.  By Friday morning I had her in at the Dr.  Turns out she had a NASTY cold and an ear infection. 

Now when I was little, ear infection medication tasted really good.  Banana flavored - did you ever have that?  I get the prescription, and it says it is cherry flavored.  It can't be that bad.... can it?

When Grace took it, you'd swear she was taking Buckleys. 



On day 2 she gagged so badly on it, she threw it all back up.  So on day 3, my Mom suggested I taste it.  EXACTLY like Buckleys - not sure how they expected kids to take it.  New plan.  Grace would take her medicine, and then we'd promptly put some grape bubblegum in her mouth to get rid of the taste.  Sugar does help medicine go down!

I had been using disinfectant like a crazy lady, but to no avail.  Aidan, Nate and myself now all have the cold.  Given I'm still nursing Aidan, I can't even take drugs for it.... just alot of chamomile tea and honey.

I guess winter wanted to remind us it is still going to be here for awhile, and that noyone can truly evade a cold.

Accountability & Stash Management

As many others I hear are also doing this year, I'm trying to manage my stash.  I should re-phrase, I am trying, er I am going to, down-size my stash.  (Stash for you non fiber types, is the crazy amount of hoarding of yarn I seem to have been doing over the past three years).  There needs to be an end to this craziness.

I chuckled the other day when my girlfriend called and told me, that she went and got a large rubbermaid bin to put all of her yarn in... then realized that all of her yarn did not fit in a larger rubbermaid bin :)  My stash started in an Ikea bedside table, then upgraded to an Ikea small (er) chest of drawers.  It is now spilling out onto our bedroom floor.  I had been telling myself in the last few days of 2010, that I was not going to join a sock club (where they send you every couple months a skein of yarn and a sock pattern), and I was not going to purchase any more yarn.   I have already faulted.

I am now (proudly) in Cookie A's sock club, and I have bought more yarn.

To help make the insanity stop, here is my list of things I want to knit, from my stash in 2011.

Ulmus Shawl
Pointelle Socks
Something with my Malabrigo Lace yarn
Cowl from my Mad Tosh Sock
Yarntini Self Striping Socks
Tree Jacket
Shawl for Hawaii
Sylvi Jacket
Fall Shawl (currently in the works_
Smitten (Advent Mitten Calendar)

But first, I must finish my hubby's sweater (thank goodness he has short arms.  This realization last night is saving me almost 2400 stitches!) and two wee sweaters for two May birthday girls.

That should all keep me fairly busy and then some.  Now I just need to stay far away from all yarn stores....

Do you have a stash knitting list for 2011?

Knits on Parade

Do you recall this ambitious post?

Here's what I accomplished!

 And these I started just days before Christmas, and finished up before New Years.  Thankfully my brother was a-ok with being gifted one mitt on Christmas Eve. 

I think all the recipients loved their gifts :)  More info on each project up on my Ravelry page!

Breather

Forty minutes ago, Aidan's 1st birthday party wrapped up.  It was perfect.  7 of his wee little friends, their Mamas (& two Papas), and my family.  There was lots of food, laughter, gifts, cake, and noise.  Just what a 1st birthday should be!

And now, we have one week until the next birthday hits.  My hubby's big 3-0.  He's taking the day off of work on Saturday and planning on going paintballing with some buddies, then out for beer and wings.  I have a pretty big surprise planned for him and can't wait til the weekend to "gift" it to him.  You will all have to stay tuned!

A few nights back, I received a lovely e-mail from Elizabeth.  She was saying hello, and also a friendly "where have you been, everything ok?".  I have been coming back to my blog list weekly, and writing to some of you on your blogs these past two months.  But I never posted anything up.  Time went on and it seemed harder to know how or when to jump back in.  But with Elizabeth's e-mail I thought "what time is better than now" and I started back with Aidan's post about his birthday.

And when I started typing I noticed something.  I wrote 200+ blogs both in 2008 and in 2009.  Only 80 some in 2010.  And that says something to me.  The first, that it was a year of adjusting to having two littles at home.  But more than anything, it shows me that I was prioritizing my energy.  Grace first slept through the night one night before she turned a month old.  Aidan... well I still haven't seen a full nights sleep.  And more often than not, I am up with him at least twice, if not three times in a typical evening.  I'm not really complaining, but I am tired.  And time and energy is precious.  I hope 2011 will bring with it some more zzz's and more time than I can put here into this space.  I like it, and I like all of you.  I feel that, despite the still lack of sleep, that things are starting to come  back into a groove, that my family is establishing a rhythym of being the four of us.  I remember after having Grace, that it took about a year before we found the rhythym of being a unit of three.  The first year seems to be key in regards to each family member figuring out where they "fit". 

Here's to 2010, an amazing year.  I hope 2011 will be just as grand!

Just like that

It seems, in the blink of an eye, this wee babe....

Turned into this amazing one year old.

Aidan is a gentle soul.  Almost always content and loves to laugh. He has an incredible sense of humour.

Yesterday was his birthday. We celebrated by eating all his favorite foods - waffles, macaroni & avocadoes, with spaghetti for dinner.  And of course cake.

 

We took his height, did his hand and foot prints, and photographed him with his bear.  Grace and I woke him up by singing Happy Birthday.  We loved, laughed, and played all day.  It was wonderful, and just the way a day should be spent when you are celebrating somebody who is wonderful.