Patching Week 1 & Other Adventures

What a week!! We have had our ups and downs as usual, with a few more downs for all of us, thanks to the addition of patching. For my imom friends & their friends and family - more on these awesome ladies in a bit - you get that a little patch can have a huge impact in your day to day existence. For my non-imom friends, and I was one of you just a couple of weeks ago, it doesn't sound so bad.. .it's "just" a patch. I still hear myself mutter that under my breath some days when we're deep into Hour 5 of a long week day, but now there is more force behind it, like I'm trying to convince myself, Addie, and even the blasted patch.

To Addie's credit, she has rolled with the patching MUCH better than I expected and much better than she let on, on Day 1. She never ceases to amaze me with her resilience. Where perseverance has never been my strongest suit (God has a not so funny sense of humor), Addie exemplifies that quality daily. ..with a big smile on her face. Oh my the lessons I am learning from my daughter! She went through several days this week where putting on the patch didn't phase her, and she didn't even pull at it much. Yesterday and today, though, she has started crying when she wakes up enough to realize I'm putting the patch on. It.breaks.my.heart. I know it's necessary, but I feel so bad. We get it on, and she recovers pretty quickly. Yay for resilience and baby A.D.D.! She has started pulling on her patches more, so we've actually had to replace them a few times the last 2 days, and that is so not a good time. All in all, it is going much better than expected, but I purposely set the bar very low. The three of us are exhausted by the end of the day, and by the time the patch comes off in the evening Addie is often in full meltdown mode. She's just frustrated, annoyed, tired, and I would guess has a head ache since the unpatched eye still doesn't have good vision.

One side effect of a major change like this is set backs in other areas. Addie is struggling more with her sitting, and she is stiffer in general than she has been in quite some time. Unfortunately, she responds to stress by tensing up (like most of us!), and tensing up for her is a big problem since it causes muscles we have worked hard to stretch out to shorten and stiffen back up. She's wanting to stand and bounce more now, which is fun, but her therapists are discouraging it since that also strengthens her already stiff leg muscles. ..I just want her to figure out a way to be mobile! I know that's terrible, and I know it is better to do things the right way in the right order. ..but she loves it and who knows. ..maybe she will just skip crawling and walk. ..a mommy can dream, right? :-)

All of my grousing aside, there have been some fun moments - I got my "hair did" on Wednesday afternoon! I love my hair people. ..Eric has been cutting my hair since college when we met following an unfortunate highlighting episode at another salon (picture me, but with Cruella DaVille hair. ..NOT a good look). He saved my hair way back when! Over 10 years later (wow, I'm old!), and he is still my hair hero. Getting my hair done at Twisted Scissors is quite possibly the highlight get it. .."highlight". ..of every 3 months. ..I get to relax, put my feet up, enjoy a refreshing drink, and basically be held captive for 2 - 3 hours (I have a LOT of hair) since I would raise some strange looks leaving the salon prematurely with foil in my hair. I get to spend time with friends that know my history and who have become like family to me over the years. It was the best afternoon! Another fun moment was our first dinner out as a family of 3 tonight! I know. ..she's almost 14 months old, and this is her first time out in a restaurant. . but, I refuse to apologize because she has managed to stay healthy minus one cold last month. Addie got to experience Casa Don Gallo with her Aunt Jenny and Uncle B for the first time, and we all had a great time! We did play a little "Pass Addie Around the Table" to keep her pacified, but overall, she did an awesome job letting us all eat without making a scene.

One of the brightest spots in my week has been hearing from other imoms and friends and family of my imom "sponsor" and TriDelt sister (See, you do make friends for life through sorority!) Melissa Glover. Melissa's son Anderson (ADORABLE!!) has been patching since before his 1st birthday, and they will be patching until he is 7 because he was born with a cataract on his left eye. He and Addie patch on the same side, which makes me feel even closer to this cute little guy.  **If you have small children / infants, take them to get their eyes screened as early as you can!!! More children have vision problems than we realize, and early intervention is key to rehabilitating their sight!** Melissa has worked so hard and has figured out all the tricks that make patching more tolerable, and she has quite honestly kept me sane this past week. She also sent out an SOS to her imom's and to her friends and family, and they responded to a sister in need and have sent me so many encouraging notes and approving messages. It seems like every time I was about to lose it, I would get a happy Email from a new friend. I can't thank you ladies enough!!!!!!! It's not a club anyone wants to be in, but I am proud to be a part of such an amazing group of moms.

I have added a few photos from our week... Some happy, some not so happy, one showing off her enthusiasm for the "throw it in the pan" part of Patty Cake, and one with both eyes so you know that her right one is still there. I'm always strangely nervous uncovering it at the end of the day.. Will it still be there and work?! I'm such a goober.. I know.. Goodnight!