New Blog!

I guess I should post here that I started a new blog recently! Come and visit me over there and follow me on that blog, if you'd like. I plan on keeping this one up, but not posting on it anymore. Thanks for reading the past couple years (or however long you've been here)!

Ryan's Peepers

Totally slacking on blogging again, but I thought I should at least update on Ryan's sedated eye exam yesterday. He has had glaucoma in his right eye (his "bad" eye) since the NICU. He gets 2 different eye drops a day (one in the AM and PM and another just PM). He was on the same 2 drops from the time he was in the NICU up until one year ago. Last May when he had a sedated exam done, the pressure was elevated in his right eye even with the drops. So his opthalmologist changed the drops and we went back for another exam in July to see if they were working and they were. Well, yesterday the pressure was back up in his right eye. (His left/"good" eye is still doing great...no problems other than the nearsightedness.) Dr. B. told me that one option would be to increase his one eye drop to 3 times a day, but that's not usually tolerated well in kids. He also doesn't want to start him on anything oral. So he wants to try him on Timolol, which is a beta blocker and it will decrease fluid production in the eye, hopefully decreasing the pressure. He has me a bit nervous about it because he told me to watch Ryan for difficulty breathing or being easily tired out. He is on the lowest possible dose, though, and Dr. B. thinks he will be fine. He goes back August 4th for a regular visit and we'll go from there!

Ryan did really well yesterday, but the anesthesiologist really ticked me off. Right before he came in to see Ryan, the nurse had put the drops in Ryan's eyes to dilate them so he would be ready for the exam. Ryan flipped out a little because they burned and he was still settling down when the anesthesiologist came in. He was talking about giving him Versed to calm him down (which I would have NEVER agreed to), but then said we'd wait and see how he was in a few minutes. Then his brilliant idea to get Ryan to go back with them without freaking out was to tell him they were taking him to a game room and Ryan got SO excited. So when I went back to see Ryan after it was over and he was awake, that was the very first thing he asked about. And he kept asking to go to the game room up until we left. I somehow managed to get him out of there without him totally flipping out. We had to stop over at the optical place to pick up his new prescription and he did fine in there. Then he slept in the car the whole hour ride home. I gave him the choice between stopping at McDonald's or for Chinese and he picked Chinese, so we had lunch together before we went to my mom and dad's (my mom kept Brooke while I took Ryan). Luckily he seemed to forget about the game room.

Here's hoping the Timolol works and Ryan has no ill effects from it!

Wordless Wednesday - Photobucket Fun

Wordless Wednesday - All Because of a Bandaid on Her Toe...

What a weekend!

It was long and tiring, but good. Really, really good :-). Friday after Ryan got home from school we headed out to Joe's. We had tickets for the Shrine circus Saturday morning and it was easier to just stay over Friday night. The kids played and we ate dinner and then Ryan threw a 30 minute tantrum because he didn't want to watch a movie before bed and he didn't want to go to bed yet, either. It was insane. He finally settled down and ended up going right to bed anyway for acting the way he did. It was almost 8:30 by that time anyway.

Saturday morning we got up and got ready and we were out the door for the circus at 9am. We got there about a half an hour before showtime and you could buy tickets for elephant or pony rides or for the inflatable slide or to get your picture taken with a snake. Both boys wanted to try the slide. I was worried about Ryan being able to climb up it because it was steep and he struggles with things like that at times, but he did great and loved it. This is something he never would have even tried a year or so ago :-).

I wasn't sure how Ryan and Brooke would do during the show, but they really surprised me. Their favorite acts surprisingly weren't the animals, but the trapeze acts. I really enjoyed them, too. The tigers were beautiful. I think I would be scared to death to work with them lol...ANY wild animal for that matter! Brooke even managed to fall asleep on my lap right before intermission and slept the whole way through intermission. LOL. Thank goodness for that tiny catnap! Speaking of cats....

They even incorporated Batman and the Joker in to the show. Cole is a big fan and he was mesmerized! A little too nervous to meet Batman after the show, though.

Ryan wanted one of the light up swords in the worst way.

The circus ended around 1:00 and we were crazy enough to head straight to the zoo after that ;-). This month you can get a free admission with every pair of old prescription eyeglasses you turn in, so we all ended up getting in for free :-). The kids were a little more trying there than at the circus and Ryan had one pretty minor and short-lived tantrum, but overall it really wasn't that bad. The weather was perfect and not too hot, so that made it really nice.

On the way home we stopped and got some KFC to take home and eat for dinner. Then we took the kids outside to play for the rest of the evening. They played on the trampoline and swingset in the backyard and then we took them in the driveway and they played with the Power Wheel and wagon. They all had a blast and burnt off a lot of energy.

Not sure what is funnier here...her hair or Myron peeking over the side of the trampoline lol.

I make Ryan take his glasses off while on the trampoline. Don't need another pair broken lol.

It's hard to get pics of Ryan smiling, so this is a great shot.

Crazy hair even off the trampoline lol.

Yet another fear Ryan has gotten over...Power Wheels. He had a Jeep for like 3 years and probably spent more time in this car Saturday evening than he did the whole 3 years he had his Jeep.

I can't tell you how much I LOVE this picture of Ryan! It is so, so rare to get such a nice smile from him!

Trying to get a pic of all 3 of them looking at the camera was NOT happening. LOL.

Here's the best one of Brooke.

And the best one of Cole.

And here is one of Ryan after fleeing the scene lol. Another GREAT shot!!

And I think this one pretty much sums up how we were all feeling at the end of the day Saturday ;-).

I just have to say that Ryan had such a wonderful day Saturday, even with all the excitement. He was the best behaved out of the 3 of them and honestly, that is rare, even though he is the oldest. He did have the one tantrum at the zoo, but aside from that he was overall pleasant and agreeable all day. It was sooo nice and gives me a glimmer of hope that one day that will be the norm instead of the exception.

All 3 kids watched a movie before bed and had a snack and they all went to bed without a fight and fell asleep quickly. It was a long day!

Sunday morning we got up and went to church. Ryan surprised me yet again with agreeing to Sunday school and then actually doing it without a fuss, even after having a tantrum right before we left. He enjoyed it! Brooke went to the 2 year old nursery and she had fun and did great as well. I really enjoyed going...it's been way too long since I've been to church!

After church we headed to Walmart to get a few things. Ryan had another tantrum as we left there, but again it passed quickly. We stopped at Steak'n'Shake for lunch and then went back to the house. Brooke went down for a MUCH needed nap and Ryan and Cole played outside. We hung out there until around 5 when Cole's mom picked him up and then we headed home, Ryan riding with me and Brooke with Joe, so Ryan and I could have a little one on one time since we don't get a whole lot of that anymore. Not too long after getting home, the kids went to bed, but not before Ryan had yet another tantrum that lasted about 20 minutes. You can see why Saturday was such a big deal to me ;-). Joe and I watched some TV and had a late dinner and I fell asleep on the couch around 10 while he was doing some work on his laptop lol. One word - exhaustion.

If you made it through all of that, then you can see why it was a long and tiring weekend ;-). But a great one!

Wordless Wednesday - Easter Comparison

(Ryan always turns his head to the left because it's how he can focus his good eye the best.)

Easter

We had a great Easter this year. The kids got their baskets in the morning and then we got ready and went over to my mom and dad's around 10. The kids got their Easter present from my parents and we had an egg hunt with them, which they loved. Their dad picked them up at noon and took them over to his mom and dad's for dinner, an egg hunt, and cake and ice cream for Brooke's birthday. I picked them up at 4 and took them back to my mom and dad's and we had dinner an then another egg hunt since they loved the first one so much. Of course I have pictures to share :-).

Brooke's basket...she got a My Little Pony, stuffed duck, Littlest Pet Shop bunny, 2 mini baby dolls, and candy.

And Ryan's basket....he got Yahtzee Jr., a How To Train Your Dragon egg, a Play-Doh play set, extra Play-Doh, and candy.

Brooke getting excited because she saw me carrying the baskets in. She said, "Awww, cute!" LOL.

Checking out the loot.

She loves the bendy rabbit.

She emptied it out in no time lol.

He loved the sports ball eggs.

And the dragon egg.

The kids' gift from my mom and dad.

Reading the sidewalk crayons package. He will read (or try to read) anything.

Brooke was standing at the window calling for Pap when he was outside.

Trying out the sidewalk crayons.

One wasn't enough :-P. LOL.

Ryan liked cleaning the writing off. Brooke was trying to write with the wrong end of the (closed) marker lol.

That's better.

Ryan drew an Easter egg :-).

LOL at Brooke's expression!