my girls

I know your first thought was Chloe & Gabs but this is about my other girls-all 16 of them! My year of being the cheerleading sponsor has just come to a very bittersweet end. Well, actually it ended on Sunday at the banquet, which meant I had exactly 2 days "off" until tryouts for next year started. Here is a pic of the 10-11 team. I know, they are precious. I am especially attached to this group because the seniors were my first class of freshmen. Even after 4 years I find myself a little surprised that I am in charge of this team! Let's just recognize that not only was I not a cheerleader, but I knew nothing about cheerleading! And, I was pretty busy with my job as a teacher before I decided to take on a part time one as cheer coach. This commitment is pretty intense with practices, football and basketball games, fundraisers, camps, countless emails/phone calls/stalking of awful uniform reps who still haven't sent something I ordered a year ago. There are definitely times where I am so exhausted at the end of the week that the thought of driving an hour away to sit in the cold for 4 hours on a track makes me a little sick. And, I often find my mind wandering to the millions of things I could accomplish with the seemingly vast amount of free time I would have without my involvement with this. The last year has been especially different as I miss my bug so much when I am at work that adding on a few more hours away from is a little crushing. So, why on earth do I still do this? Well, I do make about 50 cents an hour, so the big bucks is definitely appealing. Ha. Honestly, I do it because I can't imagine NOT doing it. These girls and their families have become a part of my own life so much that it is like they are family! I cannot explain how amazingly special you feel when you are pregnant and your son has an entire fan club before he is even born! I have become so close to some of their moms that I would consider them a source of advice, comfort and support without hesitation.Also, I like being involved in school! I enjoyed it when I was in high school and I still do as a teacher. I had so many great teachers who made my experience so meaningful and I feel that it is part of my job to try to create that for my own students. But, perhaps the most important reason I keep doing it is because I just love them. I really do. Forget every stereotype you know about cheerleaders and imagine 16 sweet, smart (collective GPA of a 3.6!), unselfish, caring, goofy, inspiring girls and that is what I get to hang out with! They make me laugh (and cry-you should've seen me at the banquet) and they make me want to be a better person. I know I am lucky because I have an amazing husband who is so supportive and is way more hands on than most dads. Also, Anderson has NoniBop & GG who are always willing to step in and have a little extra hang out time when I have a game and Brandon has to work. None of this would function without them! I see it as a win-win for everyone because Anderson gets extra time with everyone! Maybe this post is just a justification to myself as I continue into next year but I really do think they are that wonderful.

My 3 original freshmen. My first year was SO awful. Let's just say I wasn't readily accepted by the girls who didn't know me and didn't care for my ideas. Anyway, these 3 stuck it out and joined my side & I have become so close to them I just can't imagine them not being there next year. In a way, we all kind of grew up together. They knew me as a naive 1st year sponsor, a "Don't mess with me" 2nd year sponsor, a pregnant 3rd year sponsor & a new mom 4th year sponsor. I will miss them a lot but am so proud of who they have become! My pic with all of my seniors is really blurry but I will miss them, too!

We cut around the picture and then ate into the background but we never could quite bring ourselves to eat the actual faces.

Photo books for the seniors! Another reason I love this job is because I get to plan stuff. I love to order tshirts and uniforms, get all of the stuff ready for senior night & the banquet and plan service projects. I think I just like to plan. I have become my mother.

Little goodies.

Got these from etsy!!

AHHHH! How cute are these? They are bobbleheads!

"miraculous little windows!"

We are really getting the hang of this glasses business around here. I say "we" because, let's be honest", when your toddler wears glasses the entire family does, too. Everyday is a little bit better & I am pretty much to the point where he looks different to me without them. And, I find myself thinking, what if they do really help him see? Duh, I know that is the point but I thought he was too young to really notice the difference. Teddy Roosevelt managed to put this in perspective for me when he was quoted as referring to his new glasses as "miraculous little windows!" Granted, he was 10 or a more normal age to first get glasses, but still. Fun stuff.

Shout out to Teddy with our onesie!

Let me just tell you that if a business wants me to spend money, it will help if they have a cookie decorating area. Verizon was hosting Safety Day complete with balloons, face painting, stickers, coloring and, of course, the cookie situation. Why on earth can't Target figure this out?

I have a feeling that Anderson's next word is going to be "outside"! He always wants to go outside and smash the flowers, pick up rocks, chase Gabbi and just be a boy!

Book from Aunt Cole! Anderson wears glasses!

Goofy looking picture but it was one of the first ones I took with the glasses in public. People definitely notice/look twice but not nearly as much as I thought they would. And, for the most part, people comment about how cute they are! I agree, of course.

So, you're telling me that you don't have a "patch" drawer in your house?

Visit from Lily last week! The best part of the week was when she got so excited to see Uncle Brandon! It was hilarious. She was jumping and yelling and ran toward him. I acted the same way when I saw her.

He was very concerned about the Lorax being cold. Anderson got to hang out with GG so we could go to the cheer banquet and he had so much fun!

We celebrated J Pa's birthday with dinner at Naples where I was reminded that toddlers+restaurants=NO. He was pretty good considering it was past his bedtime, he doesn't really eat and there was no where for him to walk around. We spent most of the night looking at the "hot" (candle). It was fun to celebrate one of our favorite people!

Who are you calling 4 eyes?

Here he is. I know. He IS even cuter than you imagined. This is really the only picture I have of the glasses & I stole it from a flip video, but since they are now a part of our everyday life I am sure you will get your fill of them over the next few years! How is it going, you ask? Well, I am a little nervous to put in writing how AWESOME my kid is. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Did I mention Awesome? Seriously, I was so nervous last week I could barely eat on Friday. I knew it was going to be bad. The cougarpatch was so awful that I just couldn't imagine adding something new to the mix. I love when I am proven wrong. First, he looks so stinkin cute I literally cannot stand myself. Then, he actually leaves them alone most of the time. When he takes them off, we just put them back on without making a big deal of it. I do think that it is a tad easier for us to make this adjustment because we have been patching for 4 months. There isn't much that can challenge us now. Try to keep an eyepatch on your kid for 4 minutes and you will see what I mean. Anyway, I think the positive thing is that we are all sort of used to stalking him waiting for the little hand to get close to his face.

On another note, I am so proud of this boy. I have been proud of him for rolling, clapping, walking, etc. but I have a feeling there will be very few things that will be up there with this eye thing. We are looking at a long few years, but in the end I genuinely believe he will be more resilient, accepting of a challenge and able to see life with a little more perspective. We might just be in that same boat, too.

a cougar in the mother country

I know, this is a snake. While we were packing, Anderson insisted on running around acting in this towel! It was hilarious.

There are 2 things any real pirate needs: an eye patch and a sword. Pants are optional. Speaking of the patch, we can't anymore. Speak of it, that is. Anderson now knows the word "patch" and p.a.t.c.h. We can't even spell it. The only way to keep it on is to literally keep him so distracted that he forgets about it. Any little reminder, such as a spoken or spelled out word, immediately draws a hand to the eye & with a quick swipe, it's gone. We have now started referring to it as the cougar. Just one of the many reasons that I love my family is they didn't even question this & started using it in conversation as if it were normal. "So, how many cougars do you go through a day?" and "How many colors do the cougars come in?"

Since this was Anderson's first trip to Memphis, he got to meet a lot of new people! Memphis will always be a "home" to me because it is like my mother country! He met 2 of Pops' siblings, Uncle Jerome & Aunt Bernice. I am sad Aunt Ann wasn't in town because he would have loved to meet her, too!

Uncle Jerome accidentally shrunk his hat & Anderson loved it! A little background on the Salvaggio family-first, how cool is the last name Salvaggio? And, to top it off, all 12 of them have some really fun, Italian name. Yes, I said 12! Pops is the youngest of them & was always seen as the baby. Uncle Jerome is just awesome and makes the best olives & managed to spoil Anderson in the short time we were there by buying him toys! Anderson wanted his cane at one point & I swear he would have given it to him if I hadn't intervened!

My little leprechaun! Thanks for our shirt, Great Aunt Lori & the shoes/green patch, Aunt Cole!

Another milestone in his life-meeting Anna! It is a rare person who can break into the mold that is Melissa/Nicole, but Anna definitely did when we met her in 4th grade. The 3 of us literally did everything together. She is my childhood. And, spaghetti. Lots of spaghetti. Sadly, this was the best pic I could get. I am hoping that he is looking at her glasses with jealousy.

Meeting some more of the fam.

Aunt Paula, savior of the vision! We met her at the eye place where we ordered Anderson's glasses. He pushed my hand away to hold hers. It was like he knew that he owed her a lot. She clearly appreciated this as she showed up with toys for him later.

One of the best parts of the trip was getting to hang out with my 6 year old cousin, Jacob. He is everything a boy should be-adorable, curious, energetic, sweet and hilarious! He was a great distraction for Anderson & the cougar & kept trying to take care of Anderson by giving him toys & putting stuffed animals in the pack & play. Sweet.

We decided that the trampoline was only for pirates (and their moms). Anderson had on his pirate pjs from Marisa, pirate shoes from GG & pirate cougar, of course.

Anderson loved the trampoline when I was holding him, but did not want to be put down! I was trying to take pics of Jacob doing his spiderman jump & the bug kept sneaking in them.

Spiderman!

Cousin Shae also was a fun distraction as she jumped right in to help wrestle the cougar. Having cousins was such a big part of growing up & I realize now how lucky we were to all be together so much. So many of my memories include my cousins and I love that Anderson gets to experience that now!

My favorite part of this is the fact that the conversation is continuing around the kids sitting on the table. Only in my family. Tye dye shirt from Thanksgiving!

Oh, the cougar strikes again. I feel like having a toddler without an eye patch would be like a vacation. Maybe not a 2 week, all inclusive one because toddlers are interesting little people, but a brief bit of relaxation nonetheless. I would be lying if I pretended like the cougar wasn't kicking my butt a little. He requires CONSTANT supervision. And, I am not talking being in the same room, I am talking holding his hand, carrying him or sitting him in your lap. It is pretty intense stuff. But, what a great problem to have-too much time with your baby! GG picked up his glasses today and they are being introduced tomorrow, so more to come on that.

I paid $25 for all of these wipes & diapers! You MUST sign up for Amazon mom & use the subscribe & save option. It is so much cheaper than generic or the real stuff with coupons/sales in the store. And, it is delivered to your house! If you have a subscription to Parent magazine, there is usually an additial 15% off coupon inside! There is always a deal for the magazine free or like $1/year so it is worth it for the coupon.

patching & the ba

No glasses yet! Apparently there are very few places that actually sell infant glasses in Knoxville. And by that, I mean one. Don't let "pediatric" glasses trick you into thinking that means your 14 month old. Lenscrafters, Target, individual eye docs...no luck. I thought WalMart was going to be our answer as they carry the Dora/Diego infant line. This means that they have 1 pair of girls glasses & 1 pair of boys & they sell so few of these that they are kept in some random storage closet. Still, the price wasn't awful & the hours were convenient so we drove straight there from Bham. Too bad the infant glasses apparently are designed for 4 year olds. They were huge! So, our last resort is a place in Children's Hospital that is closed on weekends so we are headed there on Monday. I am sure that much more on the glasses will follow...

As part of our "keep the patch on at all costs" motto, we do a lot of vacuuming. Anderson LOVES the vacuum. He used to let me hold him while I did it, but now he insists on climbing on it. It took an hour to do one room, which was actually kind of nice because he didn't bother the patch at all the entire time.

Mom & I made a 1 day Bham trip on Wed for his doc visit. 5 hours of driving there through a monsoon, 3 hours at the doctor's office, 4 hours back & 20 minutes with Lily & Aunt Manda. This is the only shot I managed to get. Let's just say that when I walked in to her house & Lily said, "Sissa!" as soon as she saw me, it was totally worth it. She totally knows me. And loves me.

Anderson found the old yoga mat under my bed. We were all a little shocked by it. I used to work out? Ha.

While I have spent the better part of the last month praising Dr.Cogen (and, most likely, the better part of the rest of my life), I do have one small suggestion. Make your rooms bigger so that the kids you see aren't so tempted to play on the really expensive machinery! Because Dr. Cogen treats every patient like his only one (amazing), you spend a lot of time waiting. Waiting=trying to prevent your 1 year old from destroying everything. I love this little pirate shirt from GG.

We found out that we need to up the patching to 10 hours a day. Yes, you read that right. He said the hardest ambliopia (blindness) to reverse is pediatric cataract so we have to be very agressive at the start. He compared it to a war where you have to come out strong. I maybe embarrased myself when I started talking about the Battle of Bull Run & the Blitz but I think those were perfect examples. Anyway, he was very honest that we won't know any results until much later but the #1 variable in success is patching, patching & more patching. 10 hours is a long time. I will say it now-Thank God for Noni who is really the one who is saving his vision. Brandon & really only have to do it a few hours/day, which is hard enough, so we are so lucky. I read that floaties on the elbows prevent them from reaching the patch so we tried them out. He was pumped at first and couldn't wait to get them both on. Then, that novelty wore off & he just pulled them off! We didn't even get a minute out of them!

New riding toy. Also, patches from Aunt Cole! These (Krafty patches) & the plain bandaid colored ones are the best kinds. The ortopad ones, which are the decorated ones, don't stick as well. I think as he gets older we will be able to use the other kind. I love how the dogs are just everywhere. And, I just noticed he is wearing the police mardi gras necklace from Aunt Manda!

Besides "patch", the other word that is dominating our house is ball, or "ba". Being a boy apparently comes with knowing how to make the car "vroom" noise, building forts & loving balls. He will stop everything if he sees one. And, don't plan on buying oranges with him near you because he will scream the entire time you are checking out for the "ba!"

There are various balls everywhere in our house. How young are we in that picture??

This video is a few random shots. First, we are reading this book called "The Marvelous Toy" & he thinks it is hilarious. It is a nice, calm way to get him ready for bed. Second, he has become an adult as he likes to dip his bread into olive oil. Don't get the wrong impression-we are not fancy around here. Kroger sells these bread dipping spices in this huge thing for $6 & we are a carb loving family so we definitely enjoy them. He won't eat his bread without dipping it. Third, he loves hide and seek & I decided to record him hiding because it is so cute. He got distracted during the hiding but it was even cuter. These are all videos from the last few weeks which is why he is sans patch.