Do What?

You want me to do what?  This was my response to the optometrist at #2's recheck last week.  Let's just say the doc did not tell me what I wanted to hear.  I had actually thought I'd walk in there with #2, he'd check his eye, then promptly tell me what a great job I was doing and that #2 didn't need to wear his patch any more!  However, what ended up happened couldn't be farther from the above scenario.

The doctor said there wasn't any change in the farsighted eye and so we have two options:
1) #2 can wear a patch all day long.  Unlikely, he fights putting it on and keeping it on all day would be nearly impossible.
2) Put atropine in his good eye to blur the vision so the bad eye as to do all the work. 

Ahhhhhhhhh, I can't believe we have to do this.  I suppose the alternative isn't ideal, he would never see well, if at all with the bad eye.  We haven't started the drops yet, we're heading to Cali over Christmas for a McGilvary family reunion and I don't have the heart to start this terrible routine while we're having fun.  We're going to get the drops because one, they are easier, and two, once he realizes how awful they are, maybe, just maybe, he'll understand that the patch isn't quite so bad after all.  In a perfect world that's how it would work.  Right now he'll wear his patch for a long time once it's on (two-three hours).  Maybe we'll be able to get him to (reluctantly) put a patch on in the morning when he wakes up, off for nap, and then on again after nap.  I sure hope so. 

Most of the information out there on the world wide web makes it sound like this is relatively quick.  It doesn't give a time frame, but I'm hoping it's a month or so.  The doctor was positive and reiterated that because we caught it early we have time to try different treatments.

But really, ugh.  I hope this doesn't last long.

Beating the Cold Snap Blues

For those who read this blog that don't live in the interior of Alaska it has been really cold up here; not just cold, but cold for a really long time. It has been three weeks since I've had the boys out to play, and the last time we did that was when we flew down to ER to visit with Ahma and Grandpa. We haven't been outside because it's been below -20F for weeks, and a lot of that time the temperature was at -30 or lower. I have a personal cutoff for going outside at -20. It's really hard to keep cheeks warm at those temperatures, and #1 has the lingering frostbite to prove it.

So, we've been cooped up inside all this time and I've been challenged to find lots of things for the kiddos to do. Here are some of the activities to stave off cabin fever:

 

I pulled my van out of the garage and then "painted" tracks on the floor with water and let them ride their bikes.  #1 enjoyed pushing #3 in the stroller, and he enjoyed it right back!

 

 #3 watching, from a safe distance!, his brothers zoom around on their bikes.

The house was really cold this morning so I thought it best to play near the stove.  We rarely get these rugs out, so the boys were entertained for quite some time.

 

Yesterday I pulled out the large electric train and each kiddo took a turn using the controller.

I've been trying to get of my comfort zone and getting the paints out more.  Here the kids are making ornaments.  I cut out shapes from cardboard and they chose their colors.  

 

 Here they are finished.  I plan on stringing them and letting the kids put them on the tree.  It's been ages since we've had ornaments, and I figure no one will care if these break!  Headache free tree decorations.

 

 We bought a small magnetic dry erase board and hung it on the wall.  Something else for the boys to do when the lack of cooperation and cabin fever start to close in on us.  Here are a couple other painting projects. The apple and dinosaur are cheap wood cutouts from the craft store and after they were painted I glued on a magnet.  The snowflakes and tree are painted on cardboard with painters tape to make the shapes!

 

 Each of the boys playing with their computer.  #1 has a couple really cool games on his that uses the mouse to guide a spaceship through the air and a monkey through a maze!

A fort!  We don't have many boxes, so I made this with one box, the rocking chair, a play tent, and the babies JumperRoo.  Had to get creative!

How Do You Beat The Winter Blues?

How does one survive endless days of -20F (or lower, today was -35) with a (almost) 4 year old (yikes!), and 2.5 year old, and a six month old? You let them wreak havoc on your house and pray no one gets hurts or nothing gets broken! My kiddos love running in the house, especially around our pantry, it makes a great track. #1 has become really good at saying, "excuse me" to the little one instead of pushing him out of the way.  They do this at least once a day and somehow (yet thankfully) it never gets old.  Luckily I don't have to worry about #2 getting shoved down the stairs anymore!

#2 running around the pantry

 

We also take goofy pictures.  #1 has recently discovered he can make his face do funny things.  It sure does make for frustrating, uh, I mean interesting fun pictures!

 



Yes, I even let them jump off the couch.  For some reason a pile of pillows and blankets provides quite a bit of fun.  From jumping off the couch, to running and crashing onto them.  It burns a lot of the cabin fever off as well!

#1 in mid jump, and #2 just beginning his.  Lots of laughter!

 

The kiddos have also enjoyed playing "flashlight game" where they get flashlights and run around the house finding the items I say.  Lots of up/downstairs stuff.  Hallway bowling; although this doesn't last long.  #1 and #2 don't let the other actually bowl, they think it's funny to knock down the cups before any bowling can ensue.  And of course play dates with friends and story time at the library.

 

Here's a few extra pictures for the road!

 





 My big ham!  7 months in 2 days, 22lbs, 28inches!  And a happy pleasant boy!

 

Big brother helping to entertain the littlest one.  When he's not being to rough, he's been really helpful.  He is always telling me, "Mom, I love my baby brother!"  I'm glad he sees him as an asset!

 

Brothers getting along and posing for a sweet pic.  #3 really adores his brothers.  He watches them with an eagles eye.  He is both, soaking up everything they are doing, and at the same time watching out for danger!

What our winter looks like so far.  We have more snow then Anchorage.  However, with the cold temperatures we have an inversion, where cold air is trapped under a warm air pocket, so the valley (where we live) is super cold with really really really bad air quality.  So right now it's smelly and smokey outside with no end in sight.