Look out Picasso!

I am happy to report that everyone is feeling much better now (and sleeping again)! 

Since recovering from her flu/cold, Makayla is working diligently to master the art of  temper tantrums.  And she's doing a beautiful job!  She certainly takes after her mother with that stubborn streak (did I just type that out loud?!).  Everything seems to be a trigger, from not getting her food first, to Austin tripping and falling too close (but not even touching) to her.

Austin however, is not big on tantrums.  Instead, he has learned how to get around some of the baby gates in our house.  Admittedly, the gates are not drilled into the wall, because we have some VERY wide entry ways and awkward angles that make babyproofing this home a nightmare, and Austin is going to use it to his advantage!  It seems that some of Austin's recent bumps to the head (he also takes after his mother, and frequently breaks his falls with his face (we just discovered this kid already has a chipped tooth!)) may have concussed him into forgetting what it means when mommy says, "No Austin, no, no!"  I give him my best, "I mean business" glare and head shake, he smirks and giggles....and off he goes.  Ugh...isn't that cute, but it is, but it's NOT!

With all this chaos, I'm excited that we have one of their friends with us for the next couple of weeks.  She is a total angel and seems to help mellow Makayla and Austin.  To all those parents I've heard say that having an even number of kids is best, I may have to disagree.  Having a third wheels seems to help diffuse some of the fighting.  I'm hoping she can teach them a thing or two, but if she picks anything up for Makayla and Austin, I'm going to swear to her mother that it wasn't from us!

Since having another little one around keeps us home more than normal, I decided to try something new today to help with the boredom blues.

I picked up some washable Crayola finger paints.  These were super affordable, even without a coupon.  Just $4.99 at my local Target.  And I put three colors in each of three zip lock baggies.

And I tapped the baggies to the window.  Before I could even get them up, Austin was eager to check them out! (Please pay no attention to the Dennis the Menace hair)

All fun and no mess! And totally safe for 15-month old's who LOVE to put their hands in their mouths!

Makayla enjoined this the most.  Singing and talking as she smushed the colors around, long after the other two lost interest.  We kept the baggies up and I'm hoping they'll keep playing with them after they wake from their naps, and maybe tomorrow.  There is almost no air in the bags, so they paint should me fun to play with for a few days.

Wordless Wednesday - Twins Plus One Is So Much Fun!

Back From Crazy

This has been a rough week.  Two miserable babies, and no sleep or rest. 

You would think those early months with twins would have prepared me for a sleepless night or two.  But the truth is, not at all.  I believe, with all of my heart, that something super-human happens in a new mom when she's caring for her newborn(s) that gives her the strength to function without sleep.  As little sleep as I was getting in those first months as a new mom, I still felt alert, happy and capable of driving a car.  I remember saying at the time, that I didn't really even miss sleep.

I am definitely no longer super-human.

In this past week, when our sleep pattern went back to the first days as new parents, when we were up each hour for feedings, I was a complete mess.  My husband might tell you I went crazy (don't tell him I said so, but he's probably right).  I was sore, I was disoriented and had trouble keeping my train of thought, and I ate entirely too much (because what I felt, was really similar to the feeling of low blood sugar) and was definitely a total bitch bit crabby.
But, I'm happy to say, last night we got a solid six hours of sleep.  Yes, I'm jumping for joy over six hours.  I feel like a whole new woman!

Excited to be feeling like myself again, and hopeful that the distraction of the outside world might make my kiddos feel better, I packed up the kids in their wagon and went down to one of our local wineries for Gourmet Food Trucks at the Vineyard.

The kids were amazing.  So well behaved.  Austin enjoyed all the people watching and made a few new friends.  They both got to try lobster for the first time, Austin didn't seem too impressed, but had no real complaints.  Makayla, on the other hand, was entirely offended that I would even consider offering her such a vile snack (...or she wasn't feeling so good).

I felt pretty bad when we got home.  Makayla's cheeks were super pink from the fever she now had.  Feeling a bit like a failed mommy, I loaded her up with Tylenol and water, and sent the kiddos to bed early.  Still, I'm grateful for some time in the sunshine with my family, and the food and wine was absolutely delish!

Makayla showing off her new shades!

Austin waving, "Hello!"

I will feel so much better if my little girl wakes up happy and feverless tomorrow...

Like a referee with a whistle!

It's official, like a referee with a whistle!  Makayla and I will be heading to Ohio in just a month and a half, to see the very best doctor in, quite possibly, the world, for Nystagmus.

I had several conversations with our insurance company last week and they confirmed that all the services from Dr. Hertle, including the surgery (IF Dr. Hertle thinks surgery is the best treatment) will be covered under our plan.  Unfortunately, the travel expenses will not be reimbursed, but I knew that was probably too good to be true.

I notified Dr. Hertle's office right away, that our insurance gave us the thumbs up, and they called me yesterday to schedule her first appointment with Dr. Hertle.

She will meet the doctor on April 18th.

That's just barely a month and a half away!  That is half the time it took me to get in with ANY of our local specialists!

This visit will be four hours long and in addition to meeting with the doctor, will include several tests.  As I understand it, all of the following tests will be preformed in those four hours:

• Comprehensive Exam
• Detailed Exam
• Electroretinography (ERG)
• B scan
• Gaze and Fixation Nystagmus Eye Movement Recording
• Color Vision Extended
• Ext Ocular Photography
• Fundus Photography
• Sensorimotor Exam
• PLT Pref Looking Test
• Visual Evoked Potentional (I don't think they are testing for MS, but this was the best discription I could find.)
• Visual Field Extended

I'm excited beyond words.  I was nearly hyperventilating on the phone while making the appointment.  My tummy flips every time I think about how much getting Makayla this appointment means to me.

But....

I have to admit, I'm a little worried about how well a 16 month old is going to tolerate so much testing.  I know that for me, as an adult, by the time I'm done at my regular optometrist's eye exam, I've looked through so many "one, one, or two" slides that I just start blurting out numbers to get it over with since everything looks the same at that point.

The reading material that Dr. Hertle's office sent me says to make sure that Makayla is well rested before the visit since it will be a long day for her, but since this will be her first time traveling, I'm concerned she won't get much sleep.

I'm worried how Makayla and Austin will do being separated for the first time.

I wonder how the heck I'm going to travel, by myself, with all that I will need to care for a child under two.

I'm so scared Dr. Hertle will say the surgery isn't for Makayla.

I'm scared to death he'll say she needs the surgery.

But mostly....

I'm excited to know as much about her Nystagmus as possible.

I'm hopeful that we'll finally get an answer as to what is causing her Nystagmus and why.

I'm hopeful that we'll find a treatment effective enough for her to live independently, and enable her drive some day.  And that it helps her enough that she needs no intervention in the classroom and that she's able to make friends easily.

And the award goes to...

ME!

You probably thought this was going to be something about all Oscars from last night.  But, I have no idea what movies or actors where up for awards, or who wore what.  I can't remember the last time I got to see a movie and last night I was too busy attending a good friend's baby shower followed by quality time with the fam while I snipped my coupons.

However, there was one award DID get my attention this weekend.  The very sweet Melissa, at MaMe Musings awarded my little ol' blog the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award.  This is my very first award for...anything at all, actually!  I an I couldn't be more excited to accept it!

One of the conditions of accepting this award is that I have to share seven things about myself that my readers may not have known before, and then pass the award along to other blogs fulls of ooey-gooey sweetness.

And so, my acceptance speech:

8th Grade

• I have seen every single episode of Golden Girls, and Mad About You.

• For a brief moment of insanity, I had hot pink hair when I was in middle school.

• Although, I didn't even like pizza, my first job was as a pizza maker at our local pizzeria.  During my short time there, I perfected the art of pizza and found a deep passionate love for all things doughy and melted cheese.

• I have researched my family tree back to the 1200's.  Specifically to King Edward I of England, also knows as Longshanks.  What started out with a goal to simply right down as much information as my grandparents know in hopes of storing it for my kids and their kids, with a little research, it evolved into a full blown tangled tree with many branches.  My tree currently has 1,028 people in it.

• Although I live, and always have, in California, I have an irrational fear of tornadoes.

Aubrey and me in 2nd or 3rd grade

• I hoard friends.  Just like the guy on hoarders that had 257 cats.  I hoard friends.  Once in my life, I do my best to stay in contact forever.  Facebook was made for people like me.  Of my five best friends, the shortest friendship has been for seven years, and the longest will be 25 years this summer.

• I'm clumsy.  Painfully clumsy.  I once broke my fall with my face right outside an IHOP window, for all the retirees to see.  I also do synchronized tripings with good friend while walking in too high of heels down the Vegas Strip.

And there you have it!  Seven things you never knew, that are hopefully mildly interesting!  And now, drum roll pleaseeee!  I would like to Award the following deliciously tasty blogs the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award!

I'm going to Twirl

Daisy, Roo and Two

Genie In A Blog

Double Dootie

One and One Equals Twin Fun

No really, to Ohio!

Yesterday, I got a call back from Dr. Hertle's office regarding the inquiry I sent them for more information.

I talked to the friendliest, patient, most informative woman.  Knowing that she probably had very little time to actually hear what I needed to say, I blurted out Makayla's entire medical history and at least thirty questions in rapid fire fashion.  She very patiently listed to me as I sputtered our story.  Never interrupting or rushing me, only stopping me to ask extremely relevant questions.  What was truly shocking was how she spoke to me like a concerned mom, rather than a busy office assistant who has heard similar stories a thousand times and really needed to get to other clients.

By the time I was off the phone with her, Dr Hertle's assistant had emailed me six informative documents including information regarding the surgery, what to ask our insurance, and an outline of what the visits with Dr. Hertle would entail, and a link to the American Nystagmus Network for support and additional information.  She also sent me some paperwork to fill out for Makayla so they can get her in their system and schedule her first appointment with Dr. Hertle.

After speaking with our insurance company yesterday, who confirmed that Dr. Hertle is a covered doctor (wooohooooooooo), they said that since Dr. Hertle's care is so specific and specialized they may even be able to reimburse us for some or all of the travel expenses!  My fingers are crossed, but that sounds too good to be true!  They are currently looking into it for me and will be calling me back to confirm.

I quickly filled out all the paperwork and sent it back to his office along with a short summary of Makayla's medical history, and already this morning I got confirmation that they received the paperwork and it's been sent to their scheduling department who are supposed to contact me on Wednesday.  We are hoping that we'll get an appointment as early as May.

This appointment will be a chance to meet with the doctor, and have some unique testing done, like an Eye Movement Recording and an Electroretinography (ERG), just to name a few.  Based on the results of the exam and tests, the doctor will recommend the best treatment.

I am still really scared of putting Makayla through a surgery, and hope that the doctor tells us that she sees good enough that she won't need a surgery, or that her Nystagmus may improve over time.  However, I have read that if surgery is the best treatment, then the best age for the surgery is between 12 and 24 months.

I am so excited to have so much new information at our finger tips.  I feel a huge sense of relief to know that my little girl is going to be seen by a someone who knows as much as possible about her condition.  But I am sooo nervous about all that it entails too.

Lions, Tigers and a Baby Giraffe! Oh MY!

Someone forgot to tell the sun that it's February!  Yesterday it was 80 degrees!  So, we packed up the kiddos at took them to the Oakland Zoo to meet their new baby giraffe, Maggie!

There's Maggie!

Makayla shows daddy the chimps!

Austin watches the chimps eat lunch.

Austin gives Makayla a ride!

Unfortunately, we totally forgot to take our beautiful red Radio Flyer wagon with us, and instead had to push this cumbersome, squeaky, front and back stroller around....but eh, live and learn.  Not a mistake we'll make twice!