Dain's new glasses

Well, we haven't had much happen since we got back from IN, with the exception of Dain getting new frames and lenses. He had his old frames since he was 11 months old, and finally outgrew them! So we got the next size up. We're also trying out bifocals without the bi-nasal tapes to see how he does with those. So far so good!

Here's a picture of Dain at the pool in his goggles. He insists on wearing them, even though he won't put his face in the water! He had also just finished eating Cheetos, which is why his face is all orange. Silly boy!

And here's Dain at the zoo, at the river otter exhibit. I got really lucky with this shot! Less than 5 seconds after I took it, we were swamped with kids! Also, most of the time we don't even get to see the otters while we're there.

Time Flies, especially for bad bloggers like me

Wow, how time flies!!!!!

I'll try to catch up a bit...

Part 2 of Aruba was fun - we did a half-day snorkeling trip, part of it at an old shipwreck from WW2. We took a jeep tour (I say "jeep" loosely) around the island and we saw lots of things we wouldn't have seen otherwise. We went to the Aruba Aloe factory and to the Butterfly farm. I will post some pictures at a later date, as I am currently out of town and away from my computer (and all my pictures).

Dain and I have been spending a lot of time at the pool this summer. For the 2nd half of June, into July we've gone at least 3 times a week. Hot sunny mornings, perfect for the pool, followed by lovely afternoon thunderstorms. Ah, our summer weather has finally returned after a too-long drought! So far Dain and I have some very impressive tans/tan lines. And this is from wearing at least a 30 spf most days.

Poor Jeremy has been going through a lot. He got bronchitis, had to start physical therapy on his shoulder and elbow because of an old injury, and then just had a nasty 12-hr flu bug. Otherwise, he's still working and playing baseball. He's also trying to fit in fishing when he has the time.

Dain and I are currently visiting my friend Jenny, who lives halfway across the country from us. It's been great, since I haven't seen her for 2 years. Yesterday we took Dain to a splash park (he freaked out when the fountains turned on). Last night, while Jenny's husband Max bravely watched Dain (he has a fear of toddler poopy diapers, can't blame him) I went with Jenny to a Brazilian Samba class that she teaches. Yes, I shook my booty. And looked ridiculous doing so. Thankfully, so did everyone else since it is a beginner class and has only been going for a few weeks. And, I did have a lot of fun and got a great workout!

Today we took Dain to the zoo. The morning was gorgeous - not too hot, although a bit stickier that I'm used to (I never have been a fan of humidity).Here's Dain petting a very fat goat at the petting zoo (picture courtesy of Jenny).

I have also been shopping - right here in Jenny's house! :) Jenny is a very talented jewelry designer and makes all of her own jewelry. Each piece is so unique. I've really had to hold myself back from buying everything that I liked. Take a look at her website for Black Rock Design. She has some really beautiful stuff! Needless to say, one or more family members might be getting something pretty and unique for Christmas! :)

Tomorrow we're off to visit my aunt and uncle, who live about 2 hours from here. I'm really looking forward to it. And I think Dain will be fine in the car as long as he gets to watch Nemo for the hundredth time. :)

Dain's 2nd birthday

On March 11, the day before Dain's birthday, I decided that he needed a haircut. He was bordering on the mullet - and I love my child too much to let him have a mullet. Here are the before and after pictures.

Before:

After:

Here is Dain on the morning of his birthday, playing with his new table and train set we bought for him. He was so excited that he kept saying "wow!"

Here are a couple of pictures from Dain's birthday party.

a little "pick-me-up"

A couple days ago, Dain was playing with this play-doh, along with all the toys and a mat. To my surprise, when he was finished, he put the play-doh back into its cup. Then he handed me the mat to fold up, picked up all the play-doh toys and put them in the play-doh toy caddy, grabbed the mat from me, and put it all away.
I couldn't believe it!
What a pick-me-up that was!

Dain-isms

Jeremy and I are really enjoying the process of Dain learning how to talk and communitcate. Here are a few things that we are delighting in:

Every day, several times a day, it's "MOM! (very urgently)" "Yes, Dain?" "Ga be scoobable ditset bo!" (or something like it)

Face (while pointing): "Eye!" (sticks finger in your eye, or the cat's or his) "Eeew!" (ear) "Mouw!" (mouth) "No!" (nose)

While eating: (Me) "Dain, do you want another bite?" "Bi! Bi! Bi! (bite)"

Getting ready to leave: (Me) "Dain, let's go get your coat!" "Coke! Coke! (coat)"

Asking Dain a question: (Me) "Dain, do you want to...?" "Ummmmmm.... gi ba scoble so beled ball!" (or something similar)

Dain's favorite: "up, up, up!" (this always works on Daddy!)

And my favorite: (Me) "Dain, you're such a happy boy!" "Happy, happy, happy, happy! (singing)"

Dain's Surgery

Hello, blog followers! (Or should I say, Erin?) :) Well, Dain's surgery was this past Thursday, Dec 4. The surgery went very well and Dain did great. Just wanted to let you know. I will post more details and some pictures later on.
Thanks for all your prayers and support.

Halloween Pictures

Why Dain doesn't need to go Trick-or-Treating....

Where's all the good stuff?

Shiver me Timbers!

Hello? Oh hi! There's no candy left here! Go to the next house please!

Yesssss! Jackpot!

Dain's eyes

Today was our 1st consultation with the ophthalmologist, Dr. C. She did a very thorough examination of Dain's eyes, including dilation. There was one test she did with prisms to measure the extent of Dain's crossing. 1 is perfectly straight, with 50 being as bad as you can get. Well... guess what, Dain measured a 50.
Technically, Dain has what is called Strabismus, which means the 2 eyes don't line up. The form of strabismus he has is a mixture of Congenital and Accommodative Esotropia (eye turns inward). He also has a chance of developing Amblyopia, (or may already have it) which means that he sees better out of one eye than the other (thus the patching to prevent it).
Dr. C said that with patients in the 30 - 50 range, she typically recommends surgery. So, here we go! So far we haven't nailed down the time-frame for the actual surgery. However, Dr. C wanted to do a few more measurements to make sure that his degree of crossing stays steady. She has also recommended that we get a CT scan done in order to rule out the minute possibility of any neurological problems that could cause the strabismus.
Please pray that God will give us wisdom in moving forward, and for peace for Dain's mommy and daddy who are a bit apprehensive about the prospect of their little boy having any kind of surgery.

More pictures of Dain

Road Trip, Labor Day and pictures

Well, yesterday we got home from a short road trip to NE. We went for Jeremy's childhood friend Brandon's wedding on Saturday, in which Jeremy was a groomsman. I was designated as Dain-chaser. Dain was not a very easy kid to travel with, and we caught our first glimpses of the two's, which seem to be starting a bit early! He learned how to throw a tantrum to a captive audience (in the car) which gave Mommy and Daddy a headache! I'm so thankful that the trip is over! Unfortunately, there were no pictures taken in NE.

Today, after a nice long sleep (even Dain slept in till almost 8 am) we decided to go to the zoo since Jeremy has the day off. We met up with my parents and 2 of Dain's cousins. Here are a few pictures from it:

I guess this is from Jeremy playing with the camera or something.

Here's Dain with Grandpa on his first Carousel ride ever! He was a bit unsure but liked it by the end of the ride.

Jeremy and Dain at the playground at the zoo. Dain loved the slide!

Dain and Jeremy watching the grizzly play underwater. What a cool exhibit!

Updates

Hi, I'm back! Sorry about the long lag of no blogs. We had Jeremy's dad visiting from CA and Jeremy's grandma visiting from MD. Both stayed with us for about 2 weeks so I didn't really have a lot of free time. We had a nice time visiting. Dain had a blast having 2 more people around to play with. I think right now he's kind of wondering where they went, just as he was getting used to having them around. Here's a picture from when we went to the zoo on Wednesday, the first sunny day we had during their visit.

Dain's eyes: On Tuesday, we saw Dr. P. He has recommended that we have a consultation with a surgeon to discuss the surgery Dain will need. We're not in a hurry, and have time to "shop around." However, he did say that if the surgery is done before Dain turns 2, he has a better chance at developing better binocular vision. I'll keep you updated, as we haven't heard from Dr. P. that he's ready for us to make the appointment yet.

Tigger: Due to some questions about my prior post (remembering Tigger), here's what happened (I won't share too many details). To preface, we live on the very edge of town where there is still quite a bit of wildlife around. Tigger didn’t come home Thursday morning, which happens sometimes. Thursday night we still hadn’t seen her. Yesterday (Friday) morning, Jeremy looked out window and saw her in the small field behind our house. He went outside and took a closer look… it looked like the coyotes got her. I ended up burying her after Jeremy left for work – I didn’t want to leave her out there all day. Needless to say, I cried most of the day yesterday and I think it will take me a while to get over losing her.

Well, to brighten things up, here's another picture of Dain with yet another new toy. :) His aunt Carrie recently bought a motorcycle as her Master's Degree graduation present, and Dain thought it looked like something she should have gotten for him .

Dain's new favorite toy

Dain has a new favorite toy... he kept playing with it at bedtime tonight. Guess there's more than one use for everything! He thinks it's more fun than his real toys!

Here's Dain without his glasses, right before bed. :)

Swimming Time!

Today Dain and I went swimming. The weather continues to be in the high 80's to low 90's. We don't get to go every day but love it when we can! Dain has gotten more and more comfortable in the water. He loves it now! Here are some pictures from today.

Playing in the kiddie pool.

Taking a break for a snack!

Oh, boy!

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday is that Dain figured out how to open doors. Uh-oh! I think he's actually had it figured out for a while, he just hasn't been able to reach the handle (we have levers instead of doorknobs). Yesterday, he got up on his very tippy-toes and just barely caught the handle... and found out that the door opened when he did that! Oh, man. Now there's going to be no way to contain that kid!
Jeremy and I have been hooked on the Wii - especially Mario Kart. We've been playing it so much that now I dream about it. In fact, at this moment Jeremy's playing while Dain's napping!

Random Updates

Well - here I am. I'm sorry it's been a while. Things are always crazy around here, but at the same time not much actually happens! :) Here are my updates:

Dain (& glasses): Dain saw Dr. P today and although his eyes are more straight than they've been in a while, Dr. P is concerned we will never get them fully corrected with just eye therapy. He pretty much told me today that surgery for Dain is inevitable. :( It kind of makes me feel sick to my stomach to think of Dain in surgery! However, Dr. P is VERY conservative and would not even say this unless he truly knew that was the only way to fix things. Bummer!!!!
Otherwise, Dain is still charming the socks off every lady (and most men) he meets. He loves spending most of his time outdoors, either at the pool or at home in the sandbox. He likes to walk around the neighborhood and meet the neighbors, with Mommy in tow.
He's got most of his molars in now. But he's started drooling alot, and I noticed now he's getting his canine (bi-cuspid?) teeth in.

Jeremy: not a lot to report there. Jeremy is still really enjoying his new job and is excelling at it. He's been playing in a summer competitive baseball league and really enjoying it! He also went fishing a couple weekends ago and brought home some trout. I don't like fish, so we gave them to my parents. :) He longs for the day when Dain is old enough to enjoy camping, hiking and fishing one-on-one with Daddy.

Me: still working 2 small ministries (accounting work) during nap time, which provides a little extra income but not much free time! I've lost 35 lbs now, which means that I have 25 to go. There IS light at the end of the tunnel! I've been enjoying an expanded wardrobe as this week, I went down a size and am now officially in my pre-pregnancy clothes! Took me long enough! :) I've now officially got a tan on my legs after spending time at the pool this week with Dain. It was in the 90's this week. Thankfully things have cooled down a bit with some rain. Can't say I haven't been lusting over my neighbor's new A/C unit though!

Extended family: Remember my nephew that was born at the end of May? Well, here he is with his daddy Josh. Thought this picture was too cute not to post.



Cats: somebody left this on my back porch today. I don't know who it was, Tigger or Butters... but soon after I took this picture the mouse disappeared...

Pool time!

Today, Dain and I went to the pool, as it was around 90. The pool was crowded but we found a spot, lathered up the sunscreen, and went in. I usually take Dain into the big pool in his floatie, which gives him a sense of security. Today, however, he got bored in it after about 10 minutes. So, I took him out and he played his heart out while I held him in the water. He had ahold of one of those "splash bomb" water balls, and he kept chucking it (he can throw it a good 5 inches away!). So we started a game of him throwing it, me telling him to "go get it! go get it!", then holding him out to get the ball. He thought it was great fun. After about the 3rd or 4th time, he would throw the ball, then yell "Gedit! Gedit!" I love how he's talking a little bit more and more each day! It's so much fun.
Tomorrow, we have plans for a family day at the pool with my parents, my brother & sister-in-law, and their kiddos. I hope it's not as cool as they say it will be (around 76). If we get any good pics I'll post them later on.

D'you know what?

Dain has started talking more... somewhat intelligibly. For a week or so (and we still hear it now and then) he demanded to know "what?" and "why?" all the time. But now... it's "d'yewnowut?" and "d'yewnowhy?" all the time. Cracks us up! Whenever he says "D'you know what?" we always say, "what?" Then he'll babble something in baby speak. Then, if we ask him "Do you know what?" he'll say, "what?"
He also has decided that my name isn't Mommy. Nope! Everyone calls me Becky, so he does too. But it sounds more like "ecky!" or "yucky!"
Great - my son thinks I'm Yucky! :)

Update on Dain's eyes

I'm sorry - when I was on my soap box I forgot to give the update for Dain's eyes. Good progress has been made with the patching. We usually patch Dain's left eye once a day for as long as he will wear it. This can range from 1 to 4 hours, depending on how much it bugs him. (If we're in the car, forget it!) He is now using his right eye a lot more. The issue now isn't trying to get him to use both eyes equally... now it's to try and get them to stop crossing. If Dain uses his left eye, the right crosses in, and vice verse. Dr. P did mention the "S" word again (surgery) because I think at this point he's starting to think of it as more of a possibility to help Dain to uncross. I'm hoping that we won't have to go that route. After all, Dr. P fixed my eyes without surgery! However, I'm getting the feeling that I wasn't quite as bad as Dain, and I didn't have the problems start as early.
Dain is being such a trooper throughout all of this!!! The only time he complains about wearing glasses or his eye patch is when he's either bored or tired.

On my parenting soap box....

Here is finally a picture of Dain swimming in the pool! He's been having so much fun there! He loves to lounge around in his floatie, as you can see.

While we were at the pool on Saturday, Jeremy and I let Dain walk around the kiddie pool. He can keep his balance in there pretty well. Then this little kid (I'm guessing he was around 3 or 4) walked right up to him and pushed him down before I could stop him! Of course, I grabbed Dain out of the water right away. He was sputtering and surprised, but thankfully he didn't cry. The little boy's dad was sitting right there but didn't see the incident. I felt that it was appropriate to tell him what happened, which I did. The dad told his son that he shouldn't do that because it was "dangerous" and because Dain was "too little." I never once heard him say that it was wrong. Then he made his son sit out of the water for maybe 3 minutes, with a threat of going home if he did something like that again.

I'm thinking... WHAT?!?

If it were my son (at that same age), he would have been out of the water for the rest of the day, and he would have been told that it was WRONG to push other kids and why it is wrong.

I've been reading an amazing parenting book lately that advocates dealing with the heart of the child, not just the behavior. The author points out that regrettably, most parents these days think that parenting is about caring for the child, i.e. providing food, clothing, and shelter, and maybe some quality time. This incident seemed to back that up... the child was not corrected for what he did, just slightly punished to the convenience of the father.

OK - enough on my soap box! Of course, I am still (and always will be) a parent-in-training also! :)

Totally different topic - here is a fun picture of my cat Butters. He managed to get under this blanket by himself. I thought it was cute. :)

Pictures of Dain

Well, I finally got a picture of Dain wearing his patch over his left eye! He now has to wear it for about 1 hour, twice a day. It does seem to be helping a bit. Still trying to re-train him to switch to using his right eye as well as his left. :) As you can see, he's not a huge fan of the eye patch.

Here is also a picture of Dain at the pool, after he had been swimming a while and I had to warm him up and give him a snack (note the messy mouth). We will try to get some actual water shots later on, when the weather is a bit warmer (and not quite so windy!).

Yesterday we took Dain to his very first tail-gating party. He thought it was fun to run around with the other kids and climb all over the bean-bag game. Here is a picture of Dain and his daddy hanging out at the tail-gate party.

Yesterday was Dain's first haircut ever. I gave him the haircut. We don't have pictures of the actual event because it took both of us. Check out his new haircut in the above picture with his daddy.