1st Day of School, New Piano, Retainer is IN and Akron Children's Here We Come!

First Day of School

Wow, it's already back to school time!  We had a great summer, but I think all of us were ready of the structure of the school year to return.  Reagan was very excited to start 2nd grade at Potowmack Elementary School in Mrs. Arthur's class.  Cole was excited to start Kindergarten in Mrs. Bretcko's class.  This will be Cole's 4th year at Potowmack so it's old hat for him, but he was excited to have three kids from preschool in his class.  Both have completed their first two weeks and are adjusting very well.  Cole is in full day kindergarten so his day is a little longer than last year.  He comes home a little tired by Friday afternoon, but is doing much better than I expected!  He has a calendar of homework and we are working at keeping up with it.  This is new for him and will take a little adjustment especially since some tasks like writing are very hard for him.

I'm not sure who stole our oldest child, but the little girl in her place is very excited about reading, doing science experiments and finishing her homework as soon as she gets home.  It is such a shift from last year and a pleasant surprise.  I am soaking in the excitement and encouraging it the best I can.  It's definitely hard to juggle them both doing homework at the same time, helping both and stopping Cole from chiming in on Reagan's homework (which he loves and does easily).  She is learning ordinal numbers and he keeps up easily.  I can already tell it is going to be a fun year!

Old Piano, New Purpose

Some of you may have heard we recently adopted a piano.  After going with me to Cole's music lessons Reagan decided she wanted to try taking piano lessons.  She is having a lot of fun and it has been a very positive experience.  Using her left hand is very hard, but she does her best and we are seeing improvement!  Her teacher, Jessica, is amazing and has just the perfect balance of being supportive and encouraging.  I'm so proud of Reagan.  Upon mentioning the lessons to a friend, she asked if we would be interested in inheriting her piano.  We were thrilled!  The piano is a 1954 Wurlitzer spinet and looks wonderful in our formal living room.  I've known my friend, Stephanie Bridgewater, since KINDERGARTEN!  The piano was one she learned to play on, as well as her father.  It was purchased by her grandmother who started playing after an accident playing on a hitching post (for horses).  The game involved standing on the rope (between the posts) and the kids would pull them tight and the person on the rope would go flying - she went flying and broken her arm so severely she needed surgery and it left a very prominent scar.  The doctors suggested she play piano to help strengthen her hand, and that is how she started generations of piano players!  When Stephanie shared her story it just felt like this was the perfect piano for Reagan.  I love the history and pray Reagan continues to see progress and loves to play.

Orthodontia Journey Begins

A year ago the dentist suggested we visit an orthodontist.  I called and they recommended we wait until after she was seven.  We started with a new dentist (after 40 years!), Dr. Kim and he also encouraged us to see an orthodontist.  We visited Wiger Orthodontics and the doctor said a palate expander would really help resolve her cross bite.  Unfortunately they said if we wait that her jaw bone could develop longer on one side.  Reagan was OVER THE MOON excited about this.  We had to wait one week to have the mold made and then two weeks for the retainer to be made. She asked almost daily when she was going to pick it up.  I was convinced that upon pickup she would change her tune.  Nope.  She picked glow-in-the-dark hot pink and as you can see in the picture she is still excited!  She picked it up September 7th, 2016 and has worn it consistently since we got it.  We have a key and "turn" it once or twice weekly.  She has already asked me to turn it.  Hmm...over achiever?  Perhaps :-)  Given we have a $1500 lifetime coverage on orthodontia work we opted to pay out of pocket at the low-low price of $1300 (instead of the $4300 that they would have billed insurance)!  Yikes, just the beginning of a very long journey.  We had a very serious conversation with Reagan about where to put the retainer and where NOT to put it...like on a lunch tray at school.  Reagan is very responsible, though, and I know she will take good care of it.  Apparently dogs love retainers.  We are hopeful the rule, "if it comes out, it goes in (the case)" will prevent it become victim to Shelby's toothy mouth (the dog's).


Baseball !
We went to a NY Yankees game at Camden Yards last weekend and I sighed as I thought about how normal life feels right now....in a good way.  I stress about the things other families stress about like retainers, the dog getting dirty and homework getting done.  Although Cole still has the occasional headaches and threw up the other night (all over the bed, pajamas, wall, and carpet), we explain them away and try to go back to living.  There are always stressors "behind the scenes" like ensuring his teacher knows how to set the accessibility settings during computer lab or even knows they exist.  I still stress about Reagan having a seizure - crazy we haven't raised her meds since KINDERGARTEN.  The neurologist seems to think her level is high enough but she has had a LOT of weight gain in two years.  Anyway, life is settling down and we are enjoying the feeling of not having so many doctor's appointments.


With that said, we are now gearing up for Cole's second eye surgery.  The surgery will be done at Akron Children's Hospital by a world renowned opthalmologist who specializes in nystagmus surgery.  For more information on the surgery feel free to watch a short video, although it is not for the faint of heart.  We will drive up Tuesday, September 20th and will return home the 23rd.  Day 1 is testing and surgical prep, Day 2 is surgery, and Day 3 is a final check up and discharge.

We are very thankful that Johnny's parents have offered to keep Reagan so she doesn't miss school.  We've been on a wait list for this surgery for almost a year and unfortunately were not able to get an appointment over the summer (that was our hope).  Reagan is SO excited about her sleep over and asks every day when she can start packing.  Cole on the other hand is starting to get nervous and ask a lot of questions. "Mom, will they take my eyeballs out of my head? Will my eyes get bigger?  Will they look different or be a different color? Who is doing it? Why do I have to have surgery? Do they use a drill in my head? How do they get into my eye?"  We are very upfront with him but it's hard for him to understand.  The vision he has is "normal" for him so when I asked if he has trouble seeing things he says no.  I've been in touch with several people on a Facebook group for Nystagmus and most don't know that their eyes shake or wiggle.  Anyway, we are gearing up mentally and praying that the doctor believes the surgery will help.  Only time will tell!  I will update once we get settled in at the Ronald McDonald House !