"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.

glasses.

Tomorrow we are going to Anderson's next follow up visit & we are getting his glasses prescription. I am not scared of glasses as I wear them and so do most of the people I know. But, let's be honest, how many of you got them when you were 14 months old? I am about to be brutally honest with you all and myself. I need to know what I am dealing with so I can accept it. Also, I have big hopes that I am going to look back at this post in a year and laugh at my petty concerns.


Here are my concerns about glasses:


1. He won't look the same. I know, "little kids in glasses are so cute!" Everyone wants to tell me this. I agree. Other people's little kids in glasses are so cute. I mean, triplets are cute but I don't want them. These won't be an accessory that I can take off like a shirt with his name written in a Santa hat. These will always be there. I will miss his little face that is hiding behind them. I know I will get used to them and his new adorable face but I kind of like the one he has.


2. We will lose/break one pair a week. Or maybe more. From what I've read, infant glasses are not cheap or made well enough to withstand what a 1 year old is going to put them through. Since we live in reality, the financial issue is just as real as the inconvenience.


3. EVERYONE will ask about them. Now, don't get me wrong, I do like a good chat but I just don't see myself being in the mood to explain the whole story every 5 minutes when we venture out in public.


4. Totally shallow-what if I can't take as many pics because of the glare?


5. People will be mean to him/treat him differently. He will be "the kid in the glasses". I know this is better than "the kid with the peg leg" but it is still reality. Be honest, how many cartoon characters wear glasses? I find myself staring at kids on commercials or the random birthday kids that flash on the screen between Oso & Mickey Mouse. Where is the kid with glasses? Where is the superhero who wears glasses?And, maybe even an eye patch? How am I going to explain this to Anderson when he asks me? The "you're special" thing will only go so far.


6. They won't work. Ok, let's get to the real stuff. All of the surgery, patching, glasses, doc visits are supposed to help him see out of his left eye. What if it doesn't? This isn't just a rhetorical question. This is the fear that lives in a deep part of my heart. What if I fail to save his vision? He can't regain that. As a mom I am supposed to fix it. What if I can't?


ok, I feel better already because most of that sounds petty. It also probably sounds way overdramatic to most of you, but you really have no idea how I am feeling unless your 1 year old has had eye surgery and is wearing glasses & an eye patch. It doesn't seem like it should affect me so much, but it does.

But, I am sure the next post will be a pic of the cutest new superhero in town. Didn't you hear? Yeah, he wears glasses. It helps him see ALL of the bad guys.

14 months going on 14 years

Anderson has lately decided that he is a grown up. Or, at least a teenager. He meets all of the requirements: desire for independence, a teeny bit of selfishness, random tantrums...Seriously, he no longer sees himself as a baby. This is sadness for me because he is, of course, my baby.

An example of his grown upness is the fact that he has recently become addicted to belts. He will spend minutes (this is huge) trying to get it on. Sometimes he will let us help him, but usually he wants to do it himself. I find myself carrying a belt in my purse, just in case we need a distraction.Making a fort with a sheet & a chair!Free pancakes at IHOP day! This is our tradition with the Futcher family & we are excited because next year he will get his own stack! Please notice that I am not even sitting next to him & those aren't even my pancakes he is eating.

A couple of things with this picture: first, he has dumped out an entire tea bag & is playing in it, second, the patch is in the middle of it and third, that is a plastic skunk in his hand! What kind of cruel joke...

To celebrate the grown up, Jessica, in typical Jessica style, brought Anderson the cutest pirate themed birthday gift! It was so great to see her & loves his goodies.

A Lady Admiral basketball game- just another outing with the other high school students. GG & Jpa decided to join us for a little fun. Just another reason why I have the best family. At pretty much every game, my parents, Brandon & Anderson or they are there to support me. Cheerleading is a pretty big part of my life & it is so great when people recognize that & take the time to come hang out! GG even dressed the part in the navy shirt.

A little fuzzy, but this is when Brandon was leaving with A & it was maybe the cutest thing I've ever seen. He really thinks he is a grown up.

He is precious because he can do stuff if we ask him to. We hand him something & tell him to throw it away & he does, he helps me carry the clothes to the washing machine, he tries to help take his clothes off for his bath, he gets a wipe & tries to clean Chloe off when she comes in from outside. If only I could direct that desire to some hard core cleaning & folding of the laundry. Possibly, some cooking? In this picture he was trying to clean Chloe & I kept telling her to "sit!" and, of course, she wasn't obeying. When Anderson walked in, he sat immediately. It was so cute. And, kind of sad that my toddler is better behaved than my 7 year old, obedient school trained dog.

Things that we are loving right now...

1.Shoes/belts of any kind. Pumped when he sees them.

2. Munchkin sippy cups. He LOVES milk in this thing. And, what is great, is 2 months ago I was terrified at just going cold turkey & ripping away the bottle. Another lesson in the fact that kids are way more flexible than adults.

3. Truman monkey & Blue blanket. He would sleep forever if we let him have his blanket, but he always wraps it around his head so we can't. I will go check on him & Truman will either be over his head or wrapped around the back of his neck. I have been tempted the last few nights to give him his blanket because he keeps waking up in the middle of the night but I fight the urge.

4. Being a picky eater. I know that this is normal for a toddler but it is still odd/worrisome. Some days he will literally eat a half a cracker the entire day. We brought back some baby food because he decided he liked that again. So baby food, cereal bars & yogurt are 3 pretty big staples right now. He used to love blueberries & cheese, but not this week. I am not a fan of this eating stage.

5. Hide & seek, balls, being outside, climbing onto anything he can...

5. Words! He can say ba (ball), da or da-dee (dad), bop (bop), ba ba ba (mom), ee ee (gg), ot (hot!), dite (light), du (duck), dack (quack), bye bye (frantic waving)

This is just a 2 second video of him dancing at halftime again. I didn't get my camera out until he was almost done because I was laughing, but it it is still pretty cute.