34 - Playing Catch-Up

A lot has happened in the past week and a half. We have gone to 2 birthday parties (though for 4 different birthdays). We introduced Connor to the "Johnny Jump-Up". Katie learned to use chopsticks (I was being sneaky about getting her to eat). Connor had an appointment with the opthamologist. Katie had a bowling field trip. I tried to put Connor's crib together only to find that the headboard has a crack in it, so we are waiting on a replacement. Connor has been introduced to a bunch of new foods. So far his favorites are Pears, Green Beans, and Sweet Potatoes. Not in that order :) The food or the events.

She even used the chopsticks for her rice. Only problem was that she wanted to eat everything with chopsticks after that. She even took them to bed with her one night.

2/22/08 Next up was our bowling field trip with her Kindergarten class. As you can see by the shoes, she is an old pro at bowling. She did pretty good overall. However, it was PAINFUL sitting there waiting for the ball to make it all the way down the lane. The kids had a pretty good time. I let Katie use the old camera to take pictures, so of course her friends also used the camera. Good thing they did!! Katie's friend Jaclyn took the picture of Katie and I, not bad huh! Toward the end the kids were more interested in playing with each other than bowling. We would tell them it was their turn, they would toss a ball and run before it got halfway down the lane. Katie and Jaclyn spent a lot of time chasing each other, and Toya (Jaclyn's Mom) and I spent a lot of time threatening them with the teacher taking away points. They did not really care, they were having a blast. Empty threats anyway ...

2/23/08 Then it was the Crawford Birthday Extravaganza!! Anna Catherine, Jackson, and Chloe were all born so close together that they were able to combine them all. Katie was so excited about seeing all her friends. As usual we were late, but we were able to spend a lot of time with our friends. Katie loved being in the gym with the basketball court (maybe she will take after me!) and her favorite thing of all ... the pinata! I wish we lived closer to the Crawfords and the Bergerons!

2/25/08 Two days later was Lucas's Birthday Party at Incredible Pizza. We were a little late, of course, but not too bad. The funny thing was that Lucas had all girls at his party! That little boy is a ladies man already! You can see why though. Fun was had by all ... cruddy toys were bought with tickets ... one tooth was lost! Katie even hit the bonus on one game, winning 250 tickets!! October lost her second tooth in the bounce room. Not real sure whether it came out naturally or was bumped out forcefully. She was such a big girl though, and a few minutes later she was ready to play again.

2/27/08 Opthamologist. We have been noticing that Connor's pupils are not dilating correctly. Or to be precise, his right pupil is not dilating. We have noticed it before, but when the pediatrician did not mention it at his 2 month check-up I thought it must just be normal baby eye development. We had his 4 month check-up and I brought it up when the doctor was checking his eyes, and he referred us to a specialist. She checked his eyes out, and tried to dilate the eyes with drops. Even with the drops the eye did not dialte all the way.

So, we are looking at what might be Horner's Syndrome. What is that you might ask ... I sure as heck did not know. There is a long nerve that controls eye dilation. It starts in the brain, goes down the spine and back up and around the shoulder to the eyes. Why in the world would it be that long? Who knows!! But, if something happens anywhere along this nerve it can cause the pupils not to dilate correctly. I have done some online research, but have really learned nothing more than that yet. The doctor is supposed to consult with his pediatrician and the urologist (his enlarged kidneys may be affecting it) and get back to us. I don't know what it is about our kids. At 4 months something major has to happen. Katie is diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes - which turn s out to be this extremely rare form called "monogenic" where she is like the 15th in the country to be found with it. THANKS MOM FOR FORWARDING THAT ARTICLE! Now Connor is looking at some syndrome we have never heard of, and I have no clue what the results and outcomes might be. Guess it is just what you have to go through when your children are in every other way perfect! Connor is the sweetest, happiest baby! There is no way he can smile at you without you smiling back. He also has the best baby kisses ever, and don't forget that sweet sweet neck sugar. Even his poots are the most adorable thing I have ever heard. But maybe I am biased :)
And, totally proud of my Katie!! She got perfect 5's all month long at school. 5 is the best behavior score you can get! We are definitely going to have to come up with a good reward for Katie! Now if I could just get her to be that good at home ...