all eyes on Joan

sorry no pictures - mike still hasn't had a look at our computer. however, W. inc did buy me a snazzy new-to-me laptop, so I can do paperwork stuff without leaving the kids alone, which is what I'm on now. Sadly, it doesn't have Photoshop, but I'm going to see what I can do. Hopefully, Mike can resurrect the desktop. My camera is bulging.

We're working through our crazy appointments for Joan. Last week, we had her pediatric check-up. It's just a well-baby visit, but becasue she's special needs, she's seen by a ped, instead of a GP, because they know more about these strokes and what she's going to need. She's also in a better position to apply pressure for whatever it's deemed she needs. Don't qualify for preschool funding? A strongly worded letter from a pediatrician can often sway opinions, she says. Joan has disabled status for the next four years thanks to a pediatrician's letter saying she will likely never walk without assistance. She says she'll help our therapy team get botox, too, if the orthopedic docs say no. She's also trying to push for a faster admission into the neuromotor clinic, which is where her orthopedic docs are. She has yet to be examined by one.

Anyway, the pediatrician said she looks awesome, and was really impressed with the progress she's made since her last check-up six months ago. She's still tall and slender for her age, but in a good way, she said.

That was last week. This week, we saw the opthamologist - ( the eye doctor.) Two bits of bad news there, for now. There may be more on the way, but it's too early to check for blind spots, and her field of vision test was inconclusive. (she admitted it wasn't very scientific - she just waved a toy in her periferal vision zones to see if she'd look.) However, she did see some nerve damage in her right eye - likely caused by the stroke. What does that mean? no-one knows for sure. In an older stroke victim, it means poor vision for that eye. However, she's seen other neonatal stroke survivors with similar damage, who go on to have perfectly fine vision, because the brain learns to correct the image. So it's way, way too early to tell. What we do know, is she's moderately near-sighted, and needs glasses. Things start to get blurry at about a foot from her face. She suspects that could be the cause of her extreme nervousness and shyness. She's had many patients blossom socially and developmentally, after getting glasses.

I did suspect near-sightedness. She's very clingy, even at home. She often sits on my feet, or wraps herself around my leg, if I'm standing. It makes her very cuddly, but not very adventurous. As well, she never points out things that are far away, and if we point them out, they don't seem to register. I thought it might be her language barrier, but she's good with books and near-by things, so this makes sense. I'm hoping this might help her venture out. The doc was actually hemming and hawing about writing the prescription. But then she held the lenses that would match her prescription in front of her face, and she really liked it. She actually got all pouty when they were taken away. When we saw that, we were both sold.

She said not to worry about her brain too much. She said she's a very bright little girl. The reason her periferal test was comprimised, was that Joan kept following the doc's hand around, as she was grabbing toys, and moving them to the side. "She's very observant," she said. "Most two-year-olds don't do that."

In other news, all is...ok. We're all working through a series of colds and flus. I'm hoping the flu shot the public health nurse practically forced into my arm when Dave had his shots will do some good. As it stands, I have three kids with eye infections. I almost cancelled Joan's eye appointment this morning, because her eyes were glued shut with gunk. John has a sore ear. Mike has a full-blown flu. I have a clogged ear from an earlier bug, but am otherwise in good shape. Just have to keep reminding myself to not touch my eyes, so I don't get what the kids have. Blech. I don't think I've ever washed my hands as frequently as I am now.

Dave's doing great. He's actually creeping now, which is a littlecreepy..no pun intended. He can flip himself from back to belly, and on his belly, he can scootch around a bit. He can raise up on his elbows now. Sometimes, I see him peeking over the top of his cradle. And he can do the tripod sitting thing, for a second or two - where he holds the floor with his hands. He sure is growing fast. I feel like we've been so busy, I'm missing out on his whole babyhood. At his last check-up, a month ago, he was 14 pounds, and has grown a lot since then. He gets more shots next week, lucky duck.

In other news, Mike is heading to Edmonton for a few weeks with work. It was a good opportunity to get some extra money, so he volunteered. We'll probably head up on his days off, or he'll come home, or a mix of both. But we'll generally be separate - John has school, Joan has therapy, and it's just a general pain in the butt to relocate with kids anyway. Mike's looking forward to catching up on his reading, and being able to go to bed when he wants. I'm looking forward to sleeping in - as much as the kids let me. And watching HGTV and Food after they go to bed, without listening to moans and groans.

Anyway, better go. Joan is having a rough time falling asleep. But I'll leave you with a John tidbit I've been meaning to write in for a while. It came after a discussion on pets.

Me - "What pet would you like?"
John - "I have cats."
Me - "But if you could have another pet, what would you choose?"
John. - "Oh. I don't know. Something normal, like a dog or a whale. Or maybe a pelican."