Eye Exam For a 2 Year Old

Every year the Lions Club comes to the daycare to do a vision screening for all the kiddos there.  I've usually never thought twice about this annual eye exam.  I sign the dotted line which allows my kids to be evaluated and glance quickly at the results when I get them weeks later.  Until this year...

Alena and Lauren passed their evaluation with flying colors, but Caleb didn't.  Instead he came home with a list of local optometrists and ophthalmologists and a "strong" recommendation that we schedule for him to see one.

Huh?!  I hadn't noticed any abnormality in his eyes and from what I can see he doesn't seem to have any difficulty with vision.  There was concern for anisocoria, (one pupil smaller than the other), which immediately threw up lots of alarms in my head.  (It is sometimes a HUGE disadvantage to work in the medical field).

I thought, how could I have missed unequal pupils in my 2 year old?  How could my pediatrician not have picked up on this? He was seen by the Lion's Club last year and his evaluation was normal!  Of course, I felt guilty that something serious may have been overlooked.

I quickly scheduled him with a pediatric ophthalmologist in Des Moines (there is only one clinic in central Iowa!), so his appointment was a few weeks ago.  Great, 3 weeks to worry about this...and 3 weeks to carefully examine my child's eyes, looking for other significant symptoms which could indicate something serious.  I know I could have scheduled him with an optometrist the following day but I really wanted a pediatric ophthalmologist to see him, especially after finding out my insurance would cover the visit.

Appointment Day:

I decided to take him to his appointment myself, knowing that he is normally such an easy going guy.  Plus, he was REALLY excited to go to the "eye doctor" so I was crossing my fingers that this 2 hour appointment would not be a disaster.

We were the first appointment of the morning, which was a plus.  The waiting room was full of fun toys, and Caleb especially loved playing with the large tractor and trailer.  Soon after arriving we were taken back to the exam room.  He quickly jumped into the exam chair by himself and was such a trooper during the initial part of the exam.

Here is where I was glad I chose a pediatric ophthalmologist: I was very impressed with all the "tools" she used to keep him looking in the direction she wanted him to.  I'm sure it's challenging to do an eye exam on a 2 year old, but all her tricks worked like a charm for him.  An entire wall was full of entertainment she had control of with a switch:  A dancing rainbow pig, 3 plastic penguins who went around and around, a small TV with images that kept changing, a tiger that roared...  She was so good with him.  After that part of the exam, we went into the room where the eye drops would be placed.  He laid on top of a dinosaur table while the tech placed 3 different drops in each eye.  He did great and was rewarded with a sticker and more time playing in the waiting room while we waited for his eyes to dilate.

Each box had something different to keep his attention during the exam

The final part of the exam was quick and we were finally given a diagnosis:  A normal variance of anisocoria!  This is a normal finding in 20% of the population, and my little one just has to be in the minority.  Whew, all those big, bad and ugly diagnoses that went through my head when I first learned of this abnormality were erased. We did find out that he is far-sighted (which is common at this age), and hopefully something he will outgrow.  He will follow up in 1 year for another evaluation.

When God created him he must not have paid as much attention to the left side of his body, (it probably didn't help that another human was being created at the same time).  Both abnormalities he has had have been on the left side.  Let's hope we don't discover any more issues!

Potty Training Twins is...

...Manageable!

I feel like we are nearing the finish line of this potty training experience. There were many things that frightened the daylights out of me when I was told we were having twins. Among changing twice the diapers, two teething kids, and the expense of raising two more children, I DREADED potty training two children at once!

So, I just didn't.

I'm always scared to say this for fear all mothers will hate me, but we had the easiest time potty training Alena.  She was trained in two days and I can remember just a handful of accidents we had after that moment.  All the fears I had and nightmarish stories mothers told me about just didn't happen.

Because she was so easy, I knew the next two would be much more difficult!  (I couldn't be THAT lucky).

Lauren started to show interest soon after turning 2 and moving into the next classroom at daycare. Many of her friends in that room were older and using the potty so she went along with it. Unfortunately, I was not at all prepared to jump into this, (we were busy packing the house up and figuring out where we were going to live as we would be homeless in less than 3 weeks!).  So I let this moment pass and pretty soon she reverted back to not wanting to use the potty at all.  I really regret not running with it when she was interested but you have to be ALL IN with potty training. No dipping in your toes or wading up to your knees.  Nope, you must be fully submerged for a successful experience.

It took all of us a month or so to adjust to our new living situation and soon after the new year, Lauren seemed interested again. I wasn't going to miss this opportunity a second time so we went for it.  At school she was sat on the potty every 2 hours so we mimicked this at home.  She also got to enjoy juice, a treat in our house, to force her to drink and potty more.  After a few days we felt adventurous enough to run a couple errands, sans diaper.

Although we had lots and lots of success stories, so was scared to poop on the potty.  I. Tried. Everything.  We had many, many, many accidents-some at home, some away from home and there were numerous times I was ready to jump out of the pool and throw in the towel.  But, I knew we needed to push forwards.  I threw away a lot of Minne Mouse, My Little Pony and Hello Kitty underwear.  I've never been one to carry a diaper bag with me when we are out and about. I found I never utilized it and it was too cumbersome.  Unfortunately this came back to bite me a few times.   She shopped commando with me a couple times!

Now 5 months later, I can say we haven't had an accident in quite a while.  She's got this potty thing down!

One down, one to go.

I waited, and waited, and waited to start potty training Caleb, watching for all the telltale signs.  They were never there.  About 6 weeks ago, we noticed he was going potty pretty frequently at daycare so we started working on it at home too. He protested every time we wanted to take him to the potty.  As the days went by, he was having more and more success at school (and some success at home).  Soon he was waking up dry from naps and his teacher told me to take home his diapers.  What!?  I never thought this day would come.

I can honestly say that neither Justin or I, nor Papa or Grandma potty trained that boy.  The credit goes to his two daycare providers. I may gasp at the amount of money we pay for daycare every month but it has been worth every dime, (for numerous reasons)!

He still has some accidents and has needed a little bribing to work on #2, (a tractor ride on Papa's mow mow works well), but I think I can say I have two potty trained 2.5 year olds!

We are on the go people so they've had to adjust to using bathrooms EVERYWHERE.  They are pros at using public potties, porta potties, peeing in a bucket on the boat and pottying in nature.  C especially likes to pee on trees (it's a good thing we won't have trees in our new neighborhood!).

He will hate me for this some day

We still have nighttime training to work but that will come with time.  I can manage using 2 diapers a day, compared to up to 20 diapers a day when they were first born.  I am so glad to be past this stage but it's another sign that these two are growing way too fast!

Impromptu Photo Shoot-Jason's Family

When my brother and family visited over Memorial Day Weekend my sister-in-law wanted me to take some family photos. So an impromptu photo shot was completed.

Honestly, I think there are some great pictures here and I love the setting-my parent's backyard. None of these are edited as my editing software is not on the current computer I am using, (the joys of moving!).  We also shot at probably the worst time of day ever, but it was still pretty successful.

He was a trooper!

My Little Boy

I must admit, during my first pregnancy, I secretly hoped I would have a little girl.  We didn't find out the gender but I convinced myself and anyone who would listen that I was going to have a little boy.  I didn't want to be disappointed.

I would force myself to look at boy clothes when shopping, and attempted to convince myself that little boy clothes were cute too.

I decided on a boy name way before I even thought of a little girl's name.

I told myself that it was OK that my first born was a boy, because he could protect his younger siblings, like my brother did.

I desired all the normal mother-daughter things:  Picking out adorable dresses with accessories, dates together getting pedicures, shopping for prom dresses, helping her plan a wedding, and watching her raise her children.  I wanted to be able to have these experiences so badly.

A mother-daughter bond is so special and I wished to have this. I wanted my first child to be a little girl because what if I wasn't able to have any more children?

You can imagine the pleasant surprise when the little boy I imagined was indeed a little girl.

(I am thrilled that I get to experience the above with two little girls).



The day we went in for our gender ultrasound for the twins, I hoped for two things:  1.  A little boy.  2.  Not two little boys.  (I pictured two hyperactive little boys and couldn't imagine having the energy for them)!

I love having a little boy. It is just as special as a little girl, but in such a different way.

His excitement for anything with wheels, especially tractors and fire trucks is adorable.  My heart pitter patters with excitement when I see a tractor in the field, and when I start to announce its presence, I feel a little foolish when I look in the rear view mirror only to remember that he isn't riding with me that day.  He spends hours lining up his tractors and trucks just right and I love his organizational skills.  He can name more construction vehicles than I can.

He wants me to roll down my window when we pass a big truck on the interstate so he can hear it better.

This little boy has the biggest heart. He is always quick to comfort his sister when she is crying, (although she is usually quick to push him away).  He loves giving hugs and cuddling when he isn't busy playing.

Even at 2 1/2, he is hilarious and will probably develop his father's knack for sarcasm.  He frequently makes us laugh and keeps us on our toes.

Shopping for little boys is fun!  There are a ton of cute options and nothing compares to a little boy with shorts and boat shoes on.

I have realized that boys are messy. I plan my meals around bath nights.  I have learned to look past the mess and love that he is at least a good eater.  Utensils are usually optional for him, and I smile at the condiments and spreads that plaster his cheeks after meals.

He is very observant and never misses a thing.  One day while wearing my riding boots, I picked him up from school. He had had a little potty accident and had on his snow boots (in April).  "Caleb, you're wearing boots!" I said.  He quickly ran over and jumped in front of me and pointed, "Mommy, so are you!"  Yep, that's right buddy.  I busted up laughing as did all the other adults who heard him.

I waited, and waited, and waited to take him for his first haircut, (I didn't want him to lose his curls!).  I picked him up from daycare one day and he had a pony tail in his hair.  I figured they were trying to tell me something so soon after that we went in to cut off his cute curls.  I've learned little boys need haircuts every 4-6 weeks!  I am building up the courage to start cutting his hair myself.  

As much as I wish he was a mommy's boy, he is definitely Papa's boy.  I worry about what will happen when our house is completed and we move out.  How do you treat Papa-withdrawal?

I am so blessed to be his mommy and love having a little boy!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day weekend snuck up on us pretty quickly and as always we packed a lot into this weekend because there was so much to do.

A had a soccer game in the morning so we all made the trip to Urbandale for her game and then headed to Living History Farms for Tractor Days!  This is the second year in a row we have attended this and we have enjoyed it both years.  It's well organized with lots of activities for the kids.  We all enjoyed a ride on a gator and a big tractor and a free lunch while the kids each planted a flower in a planter to take home.

We left after lunch and headed to Pella for the Tulip Festival. I had heard before we went that most of the tulips were gone already but I still wanted to attend. We had planned to meet up with good friends and spend the afternoon and night with them.  Although the festival was a bust, we had a great time catching up with our friends and the little ones enjoyed playing together.  We stayed over at their house that night and woke up to Danish bakery goodies for the breakfast. It was a perfect start to Mother's Day.

I failed to get a pic of me with all 3 kids

We ventured back home, while everyone napped and enjoyed the rest of the day in Ames.  It is tradition to plant flowers on Mother's Day so we helped my parents plant flowers around their house.

Each child gave me a rose from daycare and a hand crafted gift, (have I mentioned how much I love our daycare!?).  I have mentioned numerous times to Justin that he is off the hook for many holidays because I am getting a new house, but he didn't listen and surprised me with concert tickets to an artist I would have never bought tickets to myself.  It was quite the surprise-now I need to see who wants to come with me to the concert!!!

(The twins were also kind enough to give me their cold-I wish I could give this gift back!)

Magnets

She said her favorite food I make is meatloaf (?)

A Week In Review

This last week has flown by and after sitting here and reflecting on what we have done, it's been a lot of fun so I thought I would share:

Friday:  Alena had soccer practice so we all went as a family, enjoying the nice weather.  Lauren always has to have her own soccer ball when we go and I am quite impressed with her soccer skills.  She is quickly proving me wrong, as I thought for sure she would be our least athletic child.  After practice we grabbed some pizzas and headed to my cousin's house for the evening.  We are so looking forward to living closer to them.  We have been good friends since we were little tykes so it will be fun to watch all our kids grow up together.

Saturday:  Oh, Spring soccer, how I loathe you sometimes.  It was windy and sprinkling but A still had her soccer game so we ventured down (while Justin worked and the twins stayed with the grandparents).  Normally there are 10 other games going on at the same time, but not that morning. We were the only crazy ones on the field.  Needless to say, I sat in my camping chair bundled in a blanket with an umbrella and watched the action.  I have really enjoyed watching A play soccer and she is pretty good at it.  She scored over half or her team's 20+ goals on Saturday.  She did tell me on the way down that she doesn't want to do soccer this Fall.  We're OK with this; she's hoping to try some other sports.

Sunday;  I ventured out on a 10 mile run on ISU campus.  It was the perfect temperature which made it even more enjoyable.  Later in the afternoon, I took the girls to the Ames Library.  This library has been remodeled recently and is kid friendly.  It's a great place to spend a couple hours! It was such a beautiful day we decided to go to a park in Nevada before a dinner out.

Trying on Grandma's headbands

Monday:  After work, I joined a good friend and some of her friends on a Girl's Night Out at a new restaurant in town.  It was exactly what I needed and I hope to continue meeting with the ladies monthly while living up here.

Tuesday:  Another soccer practice for Alena. Justin took her while I brought the twins home from Des Moines.

Wednesday:  Papa had a bonfire across the street and we all enjoyed s'mores!  Caleb kept saying how good they were and it was a perfect evening for some pics (most are on my digital camera but I did capture a few on my phone).

Papa's homemade marshmallow stick

Today:  We've tried to take advantage of A going to school downtown and take her out to lunch every once in a while.  Justin is her usual lunch date but today I was able to go too. She prefers to go to the Principal cafeteria which is right across from her daycare.  Over the last couple years, Principal has been remodeling and updating all of their buildings.  Their cafeteria is pretty impressive and the selection of food is endless.  When the twins get older, we'll probably do the same with them too.  We only have a few more months before Alena goes to school so we plan to make the most of it and continue our lunch dates.

The fun will continue into May with more soccer games, the Tulip Festival, FASIFE, a visit from my brother and Dam to Dam!

Donate Life

As April is coming to an end, I wanted to blog about this special month. April is organ donation month. A time when we celebrate those who's lives have been changed from receiving an organ donation.  It's also a time to reflect on those whose choice to donate their organs have allowed others to continue living.

All month long, the atrium of Methodist Hospital has had posters displayed telling the stories of who have been affected by organ donation.  I've walked by these daily, stopping to read each story.  They definitely pull at your heart:  The two little kids who were killed in an accident outside of Tone's Spices, the couple who lost their lives after an accident in a well on their property, and the young girl who suffered an intracranial hemorrhage.  They were all organ donors, the latter donated her lungs to another young girl with cystic fibrosis.  It forces you to just stop and reflect.

All day long I see patients on dialysis.  This is their life-line.  Many are not transplant candidates for a variety of reasons, (age, other health conditions, lack of adherence with medical regimen). Many others have been waiting for years to receive that message on their pager from their transplant clinic telling them an organ is waiting at a nearby hospital.

I love the days when I walk into a dialysis center, looking for a particular patient, only to find out he or she was called for a transplant the day before.  I recently visited a patient in the hospital after his kidney transplant. I never thought I would see the day that he would be transplanted. Although young and relatively healthy, he had other things holding him back from being a transplant candidate. He got his life together after a scare a year ago and is now off dialysis.  I was quick to remind him to "take care of that kidney," when I left his hospital room.

What an amazing feeling that must be. To go from spending 3 days a week, 3-4 hours each time, tied to a dialysis machine, (or daily dialysis at home), to having the freedom of your life back.  To go from little to no urine output, to urinating regularly.  To be able to eat and drink pretty much whatever you want, instead of complying to a 1500cc fluid restriction, low potassium, low phosphorus and low sodium diet.  (Plus add a diabetic diet on to that and that leaves you with limited food choices).  To know that receiving that transplant will keep you alive and more healthy than being on dialysis, and hopefully prevent you from needing to step inside a dialysis unit for many, many years must be a great feeling.

It's also important to remember our humanitarian donors. Those who decided to donate their kidney to someone they don't know, just to allow that individual to have another chance at life.  What an altruistic act.

Next time you renew your driver's license, check YES to be an organ donor, and discuss your wishes with your family because in many instances their consent would also be needed.