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Victory! (We think…)

Natasha hasn’t had an “accident” in over a week, is entirely self-sufficient in the bathroom, and is (proudly) wearing panties today.

Grandma Florie came home last night, and she and Natasha picked out some colorful new underwear, first stop from the airport.

We are all very pleased.

Melody wanted some of the “Curious George” character panties, but not enough to be interested at all in using the potty. One funny thing, though. Last Tuesday she wanted candy enough that she went and used the potty all by herself. So we know she knows how. She just isn’t interested yet.

If her older sister is any indication, though (and I think it’s fair to assume that), if I “don’t care” long enough with her, it will only be she who is potty training, not both of us. Which, honestly, is more my style.

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Elisha’s eye

We took him in to his appointment this morning (yes, on a Saturday), and after a great deal of fussing, squirming and enforced immobilization, the eye doctor told us the “deformation” Jay observed a couple months ago was completely benign.

It has a name, and the fellow wrote it down for us, but somewhere between then and now I misplaced it. Along with the appointment card for his follow-up in April.

Found it. The name: Nodular Flocculus. “Prominent pupillary frill” another scrawl seems to be saying.

Dr. wants us to come back for a second look, to make sure it hasn’t changed, then we can wait until the “normal” toddler check-up, “around 3-yrs-old.”

I asked why a child needed to be seen at that age (feeling like this was asking a salesman why I needed his brand), but I really wanted to know. Doc (I honestly don’t remember who we saw– he even had to write on someone else’s business card, said he was out of his own) said the reason is to try and catch a type of one-eyed far-sightedness.

This can sometimes cause an eye to cross, because the brain shuts-off receiving from that eye. The dr. said that if this isn’t caught by about age 6 and a half the brain-induced blindness (it’s not using that eye anymore) is permanent. He said they like to do at least one appointment around age three, in case the eye didn’t cross, so they can catch it. Called it the leading form of preventable blindness.

I can remember seeing younger kids with glasses and an eye patch when I was in high school. Don’t know where I picked it up, but I told the kids I was babysitting that the patch was over the “good” eye (counter-intuitive, I know) to make the crossed eye work harder.

Putting that together with what I picked up today (seems to make sense) it’s all very interesting, and seems a compelling reason to get the kids checked as toddlers. Or, at least, as little kids. I’m beginning to tell the difference.

I signed Natasha up for an eye exam the same day Elisha gets his follow-up. She’ll be four.

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Flu shots and more talk

We have a new plan for family-wide shots (if we ever do them again):

The biggest child goes first. That way, if the remaining child(ren) is(are) distressed by the reaction of the first it’s a smaller body to restrain.

Natasha told the story to Mom this way: “Dad, and Mom, and I, and Muddidee all got shots. Elisha was too young.”

The two things that caught me out of that description were her use of I and calling Elisha young, rather than “little.”

There were free flu shots at Pioneer Park (I still want to call it Alaskaland!) as part of a emergency/disaster preparedness practice thingy. Anybody over 6-months could get a shot, and Jay came home over his lunch hour to help the whole family go over for it.

Jay went first, as we had (as a family) discussed. Then Natasha held back, and Melody was willing, so she went first of the girls. Of course she cried (I observed to another mother that somebody offering doses of children’s Tylenol for 50-cents a pop would make good money here. We sure didn’t think to bring any).

Natasha continued to resist, and ended up having to be restrained, and was teary and (I’d dare say) resentful for quite a while afterwards. That is, until nap, and then again after nap until dinner time. She wanted us to know her displeasure.

Fortunately she lightened up by bedtime, and we had a sweet snuggletime.

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Fish tank

We moved the fish tank from the yellow room into the master bedroom Thursday night.
Jay (accurately) saw it as a reasonable way to prevent me from getting a little tank for my desk.

He cleared my dresser after dinner, took out more than half the water in the tank and said he was ready for my help.
I knew before we started that there was nothing in that room I was going to be able to do to help. He made like he was going to try and carry the thing himself (which was a little frightening. Honestly. That thing was *heavy*).

I begged him to give me a chance to go ask a neighbor for help, and was surprised/thankful when he didn’t object.

Three doors (and a discussion of knocking etiquette with Natasha) later, Jim, from sideways across the street, grabbed his hat and came over to our house to help Jay get it across the hall.

On Friday morning the kids and I picked out a frisky catfish-like thing, and an small school of neons.

The tank has definitely livened up (the shark doesn’t continually hide out in his rocks anymore), but we have only one neon left. We didn’t even find any bodies. If they’re dying of “natural” causes, the Pleco is finishing them off before the autopsy’s back.

Too bad, really. They were really fun to watch schooling on the first day. *sigh*.

Jay says we’ll give it a week, and then we can see about getting a little more color.

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Been *sick*

Well, I’ve missed two Sundays in a row now.

Last week the girls were sick (Natasha had that fever I think I mentioned), and Melody had an awful sounding cough.

This week I (thankfully) didn’t have the fever but had everything else– the leaky nose, cough, sore throat, sneezes (I can’t remember sneezing so much in my life!) and general tiredness.

Jay (Bless that man!) stayed home today and ran herd on the kids all morning so I could sleep some more. I still feel a little below normal, but *loads* better.

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I have such nice kids.

Melody was such a sweet helper last night.

Elisha has begun actually playing with things: Attempting to grasp, hold and gnarl whatever is in reach. During a family movie last night he played with a colorful squishy block quite contentedly—until it fell. Then he became quite distressed.

Melody realized what had happened and (pitching her high young voice even higher) she gave it back to him with comforting words.

This repeated several times. He wasn’t dropping it on purpose (I don’t think he’s old enough yet to know that game), since he was so obviously still learning how to hold. I had a new appreciation for the unflagging attention of toddlers.

Those who complain about short attention-spans in young children are only sharing/aware of half-truths. What they aught to say is that the child does not stay interested long enough in what the adult wants to do.

If allowed to pick their own activity/book/song their attention span for that one activity almost invariably lasts longer than the adult’s. (We have a “sanity rule” that each book can be read a maximum of three-times in a row. We invoke it almost daily.)

At Elisha’s doctor appt Wednesday (he had a skin infection, we got some ointment for it) we waited an *insane* amount of time, and if I’d remembered to count I would have learned the girls’ actual attention-span for a number of songs and rhymes I usually leave behind after 3 or 4 repetitions.

Side note: Elisha weighed in at 15lbs, 0oz, on Wednesday. On Thursday (his scheduled 4-month appt and shots), barely a week before, he was 14lbs, 5 oz. Can we say, Good-Eater! ?

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Almost Rolling Over

I don’t know what the “normal” age is for rolling over, but Elisha’s getting closer ad closer every time I change his diaper.

Actually, that’s only true when I’m doing it at the changing table. The fish tank is just above his head, and in his persistent efforts to see the little swimmers he contorts himself quite creatively. I have to work fast to get him out and back in before he pulls onto his side (quicker every time).

I wonder if this means I’ll develop a new diapering technique…

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Did you ever consider this a blessing?

Melody knows how to blow her nose now, and she does it with conviction.

I don’t remember when Natasha started, and even now she doesn’t do it with as much… emphasis as her sister, but with the cold weather returning and noses developing drips, I’m thankful they both know what to do when I say “Blow.”

Now when she wakes all stuffy (like last night) there’s actually something she/we can do about it. It’s surprisingly comforting.

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Puppies

The kids and I went to North Pole to look at some whippets this afternoon.

If you didn’t know, I’ve been doing my homework on different breed types, looking for a good match for our family. There’s a lot of attractive things about the breed, but a couple drawbacks too…

But I found there was this lady with a half-dozen in her home (along with as many shelties!), so we went out to see what they were like in person. (The short conclusion is that they are just what I thought they’d be like, only softer.)

She also had a litter of 4-week-old puppies, and Natasha was just smitten. I wished I’d brought the camera. That first five minutes of her holding the little white dog was priceless. I’ve never seen that look on her face before. Here was a real, live baby that was the same size to her that Elisha is to me. She could hardly stand for me to hold him. She wriggled almost as much as he did, begging, “Can I have a turn now?” before I’d pet his soft head twice.

Very fun.
It never ceases to amaze me that puppies look like puppies no matter what breed they come from. No matter that the parents are long sharp and lean, these babies were still rounded. Maybe not as pudgy as some puppies I’ve seen, but I’d never have guessed their type looking at them.

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Over-all update

Let’s see, Natasha has used the potty un-prompted for 4 or 5 days now. She’s eagerly awaiting the time Grandma Florie will take her shopping for big-girl panties. We still have to figure out how many “perfect” days must precede this event. Melody currently has no interest in starting herself. I’m okay with that. Except when she whines about not getting the (reward) candy. All she’d have to do is sit on the potty, but she *Don’t want to!*

Elisha had his 4-month check-up and shots yesterday. Has been sleeping (and crying) hard since then. Alternately.

He’s a thumb-sucker now; has been for a long time. He’s actually not much of a crier; very content little boy, mostly self-soothing. He loves face-to-face interaction and tries to talk all the time. (Someone told me that 4-months is when deaf families start seeing real signs from their babies, and it totally makes sense.) The girls adore him. Still too rough sometimes (at least a couple times a day), but the vast majority of their interactions are very sweet and enjoyed by all parties.
Jay wants to try again with signing when Elisha’s a bit older (NJ took to it, Melody didn’t). We’re thinking he might do it too, partly because we think the girls will enjoy teaching him with us.

Melody is still has the widest extremes (so many tragedies for such a young life…) but she is getting good at regaining self-control. (Prompted) she takes a few deep breaths and wipe her eyes, settling down (most of the time) enough to be understood. I’m so proud of her. She works very hard to settle herself.
Elisha sleeps like a dream now. 10-12 solid hours each night, and at least two good naps during the day. Definitely sleeps more than he’s awake.

(If you go visit the Who Are We? page you’ll see some fun tickers displaying the *exact* ages of each of the children.)