High Fives for the Little Man

Two, count 'em, TWO days of preschool with good behavior. Monday was our first day back to preschool after the mid-winter break (whatever the heck that is...don't get me started) and Luke had a substitute teacher. I was a bit stressed because he typically does not embrace change very well. Anyway, I prepped him and he seemed fine with the idea. She was clearly forewarned about Luke because she made a point to tell me at the end what an awesome day he had. She also mentioned reporting back to Mrs. Sue that things went well. This morning he was almost asleep in his car seat on the way to school, so I prayed all the way there that he would have a good day. When he gets tired, things seem to go downhill. But he surprised me and Mrs. Sue handed him off with a big smile. We went to french fry's house (home of the happy meal) to celebrate, along with another preschool friend who was also celebrating some outstanding preschool behavior. I used to mock mothers who embraced bribery. My, how my perspective has changed.

A Trip to the Zoo

Our first trip to the zoo for 2008. The weather was a bit chilly but we still had a good time. Jack and Megan were very patient with Andy and Luke. They were exhausted shortly after lunch and needed to go home. Both fell asleep very quickly and slept until we arrived home.

Spring, Is That You?

We finally got outside over the weekend and soaked up some much-needed Vitamin D. I can't believe how much energy these boys can expend when given the opportunity. It's amazing! Steve likes to be outside more than me, so he was quite content to play with the boys and invent ways to keep them entertained. There is a new development going in about a block away, so they spent a portion of Monday watching the bulldozers move the dirt. Luke is begging to go back to the dirt pile with dad. It isn't tops on my list of fun things to do today, but we just might venture over after nap time and see what's going on. The sunshine does wonders for everybody, sure hope spring is on the way.

Whose kid is this?

We attended a Valentine's party at Luke's preschool this week. All of the children exchanged valentines (which the mothers had selected and assembled, of course). They were supposed to sit in a circle and sing a little song. Each child had a construction paper heart to hand to their mother, as well. Guess who's little boy refused to sit in the circle? This is the same circle that he sits in every time he is at pre-school. He was extremely stubborn and insisted on sitting apart from the circle on a stool. He was happy to hand me the heart, along with a big hug and a sloppy kiss. It still didn't win any points. I am so FRUSTRATED with this child! Each time I pick him up from preschool or MOPS, I receive a discipline report from the teacher. The yelling and the talking back is probably par for the course right now, but the disrespect for authority and the hitting and kicking other children is becoming a bit disturbing. It's like he's two personalities: the sweet, articulate, enjoyable little boy who usually lives at our house and the obnoxious, disrespectful out-of-control little boy who arrives occasionally and mortifies his mother. We took him to the pediatrician yesterday for a little discussion. The doctor referred us to the behavioral health department of his practice. He said we aren't presenting a situation that sounds like any kind of personality disorder, but since we are concerned then he wants to refer us. The part that just makes me laugh is that the first available appointment isn't until the end of April. Looks like we could be in for an eventful spring around here.

A Future in Fine Arts?

Luke started a new Kindermusik class last Thursday night. He is the only boy with 2 little girls in a class called Imagine That. It is supposed to incorporate imaginative play with music and a basic intro to rhythm. I was horrified to discover that the take-home curriculum involves a drum. What are they thinking?!

Luke spent nearly the entire class running in circles and tapping his hand on the drum. His rhythm is actually okay for a little guy. The little girls sat quietly in a circle while their mothers just stared at me with polite little smiles. I could tell they were not nearly as impressed with Luke as I am. Ha!

This morning he went with Steve to his rehearsal at church. Steve helps with the worship time during the first service. Luke gets to hang out and "sing", using his favorite orange car as a microphone, while they practice the songs they are going to sing with the congregation. We'll see where this leads...

Not Again!

I took Luke to see the eye specialist on Friday afternoon. This was his 12 week follow-up from the November surgery. His vision is excellent but the eye lid still looks "droopy". The surgeon is fantastic, we are so impressed with his skills and his knowledge. However, he delivered some news today that I absolutely did not want to hear. He feels that the surgery was not effective. The eye still looks droopy because it still turns down slightly. He said he was "baffled."
I worked in health care in my previous life and I know that you don't want to be "baffling" or "interesting". That's doctor speak for "not quite sure what's going on here". The doctor did 3 times the normal amount of surgery on one particular muscle. If anything, you would expect that the eye was over-corrected. Unfortunately, the eye only experienced 3 or 4 degrees of elevation. We were hoping for closer to 10.
I was totally shocked because I thought the results were more positive. I knew the eye still turned down a little bit, but had no idea the change was so minimal. He referred me to a well-respected pediatric eye specialist in Seattle. He wants to hear that doctor's opinion before we even consider operating again. If that doctor doesn't know what to do, then Dr. L says we should consider going to UCLA for an appointment with one of the more knowledgeable specialists in the country.
I held it together until I got the boys in the car, then called Steve right away. He was terrified, I'm sure, because I was crying. Nothing like an emotional woman to make the situation seem worse than it is. Steve actually called Dr. L. right away to see if he could get any more information. I didn't even know what to ask. We didn't really gain any new insights, just that Luke's depth perception is at stake if we don't figure out what's going on.
We were so upset. I know it could be so much worse, but it is still so frustrating and a little scary when things are uncertain. I'm especially grateful that glasses aren't necessary right now. That would really be a bummer.