Four Eyes

A little over a week ago, Katie had a follow-up appointment with the opthamologist. The doctor has been monitoring an astigmatism in Katie's left eye. We had hoped the astigmatism would get better as Katie aged and her eyes developed. Unfortunately, the astigmatism had gotten a bit worse so the doctor decided it was time for glasses.

We spent about a week looking around for glasses. Katie has a TINY face, and we went to 4 stores/dr. offices before we found a decent infant/toddler selection. We ended up getting 2 pair - one that is plastic and more durable, and another pair that's more formal looking. So, in about 10 business days....our little girl will have a new look.

I'm a bit concerned about how she will react to wearing the glasses. Unlike her helmet, she hasn't had the glasses since she was 8 weeks. And, the glasses are a bit easier for her to remove. Matt and I are hoping the glasses make such a difference in her vision that she will be motivated to wear them. But, time will tell.

Beautiful Weekend

I absolutely live for the weekends. The weekend means I get to spend time with Katie and Matt. Sounds simple, but with Matt working Sunday-Thursday evenings and me working Monday-Friday daytime hours......our family time is limited.

This weekend has been absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! I'm so grateful for the warm weather. Its been a long winter for illnesses in our household - especially since Katie started daycare. Each opportunity we get, we take advantage of the warm weather and let Katie play outside. Matt took her to Maymont Park on Friday and today we played at the playground near our home.

Our little girl just loves the outdoors!!! A few pictures from our day. Can you tell she likes the slide?!?!

Explosion

As in - word explosion! I've heard from so many moms that their child's vocabulary just took off in the 18 to 24 month time frame. I think Katie is officially there. Over the past week alone, she's added 10-20 words to her vocabulary. I had previously been keeping a record and official count of how many words Katie could say. Good, bad, or indifferent - I've stopped counting.

Some of her words aren't very clear. For example she says "Han" instead of "Hand." And then for other words, she over enunciates (like "HOT"). She is also making more of an effort to repeat sounds of words that Matt and I say....such a huge difference from just a month or two ago. I can't wait to see what another month or two will bring!!!

Absent

I've been an absent blogger over the past couple weeks....my apologies! We've been traveling each of the last 3 weekends which hasn't left much time for blogging. Also, Katie has had both strep throat and the flu over the last couple weeks.....so getting her healthy has been the highest priority. Long story short....time to play catch up!

A couple weeks ago Katie had a playdate weekend. On Saturday, Aunt Katherine kept Katie while Matt and I attended the Tech/UVA basketball game in Charlottesville. It was a great chance for the cousins to play together....in their matching UVA attire! :-) You can see how much fun they had. I just love these 2 little girls!

Kat told Claire to put her arm around Katie....she's such a good big cousin! :)

Then on Sunday afternoon Katie and I headed over to my friend Niki's house. Niki's little boy Ryan is 2 1/2 and her daughter Annika is 6 months. Ryan and Katie played well together - minus the occassional sharing issues (and of course, subsequent tantrum over having to share). Katie is NOT very good about sharing a toy she really likes. Fortunately, Ryan has a bit more experience.

Happy Thoughts?!?!

I'll post today about some happy thoughts, although things aren't 100% happy in the Barnes household. Matt's Aunt Annie - his mom's sister - passed away yesterday following a tough battle with lung cancer. I'll try and post more later about Annie....not today.

Katie's picked up a couple of new habits over the last couple weeks. First, the word "NO". Its not a new word in her vocabulary. She's just started using it more often. I'm really hoping that's just a phase and that it will pass. Time will tell.

The second thing she's picked up - wearing my shoes! This little habit is SOOO much like her mommy. There are a bunch of pictures of me as a little toddler wearing my dad's cowboy boots. No, I'm not joking. The boots came all the way up to mid-thigh on me. I wish I had a scanned copy of the pictures to compare with the videos below of Katie. Up to this point I'd say Katie's personality is more like her daddy than me.....but sometimes I see glimpses of her mama in her.

Bye Bye, So long, Good riddance

Its official - the Helmet is GONE!!!! We got the word today from Katie's neurosurgeon and her orthotics specialist. Its strange. Matt and I've been waiting for this day for months, but now that its here we don't quite know how to react. Should be an interesting transition....

Off to School

Katie started "school" this week. I like calling it "school" instead of daycare, although I'm not sure what the difference is at 18 months of age. They do have a specific curriculum they follow with a letter of the week, number of the week, and sign language sign of the week - plus music, art, and other activities.

School/Daycare has been a big debate in our house for the past couple months. My mom's time in Richmond is coming to an end in April. I'm so sad to see her go for many reasons. First, she's my mom and excluding Matt - she's my best friend. The selfish side of me loves having her here in Richmond. I also love the bond that she and Katie have developed from spending so much quality time together. I hate to see anything change that - though I know when mom goes back to Woolwine it will be different.

Matt and I considered hiring a nanny, but that option has its drawbacks as well. Katie needs some socialization, and she will get that from school - but she wouldn't from a nanny. I have all the usual concerns.... How often will she be sick? How will she adjust to the separation from mommy, daddy, and nana? Will she thrive in such a different environment, or suffer some developmental setbacks? Is school the best option for her? Is 18 months too early to start? My list of questions is endless. But, sometimes you've just got to give things a try.

So, that's what we are doing....giving it a try. This week Katie attended 2 days from 9-12 AM. On her first day she cried for the first few minutes, but shortly after we left she was happily playing with new toys and new kids. On Day two, she was a little more tentative, but didn't cry at all. Unfortunately, she's had some trouble going down for naps this week. We can't tell if its related to the transition to school - or if its related to the 2 teeth she's currently cutting.

Next week Katie will be attending school 4 days a week. Its going to be interesting to see how it works out. I'm hopeful that her 2nd week will be as good as the first!!

The pictures for this post are from her first day of "school." Mommy and Daddy's big girl!!! :-) (Sniff, Sniff).