Catching up: May 25th, 2016 - Kindergarten Graduate

In the last 11 days this little girl turned SIX, graduated Kindergarten and is getting her first permanent molars. I can vividly remember and recall each emotion the second she was born and It's beyond confusing and terrifying that that moment was over six years ago. How can that be? 

I have this love-hate relationship with time. It seems to pass impossibly fast and I find myself trying to grasp it and save it from slipping by, but then I see the changes my daughters make in that time that I'm so selfishly trying to hold back and I'm forced to let go. The older they get the more I truly see them and know them so why would I want to try to prevent that? Knowing them is my greatest joy and that will never change.

Catching up: May 14th, 2016 Maisie's 6th Birthday & Tavaci Performance

Maisie's sixth birthday was chock full with excitement. For one Grams and Gramps came to celebrate with us and secondly, Maisie's Tavaci class (performance choir) had their final performance ON her birthday. Maisie loved the excitement, she adores performing so I think that was just one extra gift to her on her birthday. Speaking of gifts, Maisie was very spoiled this year! It was quite the birthday weekend. How in the world is she SIX already?!

p.s We didn't have a birthday party on her actual birthday because she wanted a "Summer party" post on that coming soon :)

"Let it go"

A few months ago Ellie (and Maisie... again) went through a big Frozen obsession. It all started when Maisie would come home from school and the girls would watch it (wearing their princess dresses obviously). It then turned into excited Ellie screams every time she saw anything related to Frozen any where (Elsa and Olaf being her favorite, but she doesn't discriminate). Then one day a couple months ago, I hear them bouncing on Maisie's bed belting out the famed and way overplayed "Let it go". I walked in as they finished, sat down on the bed and started another round of the song, but this time recording it. I still laugh when I watch it- Ellie's hesitant face at the beginning and then her enthusiasm as she hits her stride. 

Enjoy!

Purple Cheetah Glasses

Maisie had been waiting for the day that she could pick out some fun glasses and not the ones our insurance covers (boring ones). And as scared as I was to give her that much power because my child is very capable of picking out bright and flashy things, I am pleasantly surprised with her pick. She did an awesome job! Not only are they super cute, but the purple leopard (she calls it cheetah because she thinks they will make her fast) really suits her don't you think?

Amblyopia

-crazy dilated pupils-

In November Maisie came home from school with a letter stating that after a simple eye screening, they felt she needed a full comprehensive exam. I made an appointment with the doctor who had done her school check up and upon walking into the building, the staff instantly recognized Maisie. The assistant excitedly remembered her because Maisie had held open the door for her (which Maisie does every morning- she holds open the door for at least a minute every morning for the kids and parents. It always makes me smile seeing her sweet act of kindness). Maisie was extremely brave the entire time. The dilating eye drops were quite painful, but she dealt with it like a champ. After a couple hours Maisie was diagnosed with Amblyopia aka "lazy eye", but not that her eye looks off in a funny way, but that her left eye being as blurry as it is, her brain started to ignore it and therefore didn't use the eye at all. So now we need to try to strengthen her eye with patching for 6 hours a day and an extreme prescription lens (+4.25) then after the Doctor determined the course of action, Maisie was fitted with her glasses that wouldn't arrive for a couple of weeks.

The second week of December her glasses arrived and boy, does she look cute in glasses:

For awhile I couldn't quite put my finger on why I was somewhat upset about finding out Maisie needed glasses. It wasn't a vanity issue because I think glasses are darling on kids and I have plenty of loved ones with glasses, but I did feel upset. It wasn't until I started to feel emotional about it that I kind of honed in on the cause. Now I know it was because I felt guilty as her mother that I never realized sooner that she couldn't see out of her left eye. She never displayed any of the signs I have associated with needing glasses, but Amblyopia can be hard to catch and I was reassured by many friends and the Doctor that it's quite normal not to catch them until their first eye exam, which can sometimes not be done until middle school or later. So I am thankful to have caught it when we did and that we can be helping her now. While she isn't a fan of the patching, she is already having so much improvement with her left eye getting stronger and by her next appointment she will already need a less severe prescription! :)