BLESSINGS COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

Rose had her visit with Dr. Mungan, a Pediatric Opthamologist, on Friday. She has been diagnosed with Congenital Ptosis of the Right Eye. I was already aware of this and prepared for this diagnosis long before Friday. My dad has been telling me she had this since the moment she was born. Basically, all it means is that the nerve did not grow all the way into the eyelid on that side. It is just underdeveloped. Some mornings it is not noticeable at all. Sometimes when she smiles, I forget she has it. Then, there are other times when her right eye barely opens. There are mornings in which I put her in the shower with steam and massage it hoping it will open more. I have tried cold spoons on her eyelid because it appears swollen when this happens. However, the Dr. told me that was pointless (which I already knew) - seeing as to how this is not an inflammatory response to anything. Steam supposedly wouldn't help either according to the Dr.(I kinda think it works good actually). But, I am her mother, and I am at least trying to do something..... Helpful or not, It is hard to watch your child struggle to open her eye.



This is a reflection in the mirror.  It is her RIGHT EYE that has the Ptosis. 



 

OUR MAIN CONCERN: Rose has a strawberry hemangioma on her right side. It is located in the hairline directly above the right eye. This has never caused a problem, and it has never affected Rose in any way. However, when Rose FINALLY got some baby teeth.... at one year old... they came in fused together on that side. Well, it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together to see that something just didn't add up. Quite the coincidence that the hemangioma, the eye, and the teeth, are all directly in a straight line down the right side of her face.... and all of which are not normal. Dr. Patterson noted at Rose's 6month check up that she once had a patient that had a hemangioma under the eye-lid, and she advised that we should explore all options of Rose's eye. My dad, on the other hand, had never heard of one growing "inside" the eyelid. Key word here - is INSIDE. UNSEEN. So, Dad immediately made the appointment with a Pediatric Specialist. It's best to just eliminate all possible reasons for the Ptosis.

 

THE REPORT: Rose does not have any hemangiomas in her eye!!!! YAY for that!!! Dr. Mungan did say it was possible.... but statistically only happens about 1/10,000 hemangiomas. I'm not sure if Dr. Mungan has seen more than one himself. He was excellent with Rose. He dilated her eyes and did a complete examination himself. I can not explain how FANTASTIC Rose did at the appointment. She sat in the big girl chair and allowed him to thoroughly check her eyes. Not once did she pull away or push him away. Not once did she cry (and, if I might add, you could hear kids screaming up and down the hall). She was such a Big Girl!!! I could not have been any prouder of her behavior!!!

THE DECISION: It is correctable with surgery. He described the surgery like an "eye lift." He will do them on children her age, but in the past usually has to re-do the surgery around age 5-7, after the child grows a little. He said at this moment the Ptosis is NOT effecting her vision in any way; however, that can always change. He took plenty of measurements, and we go back in 6 months for another check. If the measurements are worse, we will do surgery. If they are the same, we will wait. He would ideally like to wait until she is age 5 before he does the surgery. So, I know Rose will eventually have to have the lid raised, and I'm OK with that. It could be way worse.... I am also very glad we are at least going to try to wait. I will know more about it in February. He will be able to have a comparison of measurements then - so I'll know if its is getting worse or staying the same. I asked if she could "get better" and grow out of this. The answer was NO. It will not go away or get better. It will need to be corrected. We just want to wait as long as we can to get the best results, so as long as this does not affect her vision or cause her pupil to stop growing, then age 5 is our goal!!!! Dad said the surgery was "nutin to it," and the only thing I should worry about was the anesthesia. So now... who can guess what my worry is???

WHAT ABOUT THE HEMANGIOMA?  Well, he mentioned that he could put her on Proprandolol to treat the hemangioma.  I quickly snapped back with a strong NO.  I had done my research on that one.  Not No, but HELL NO.  He did review the side effects to the drug with me that are most noteable when a child is placed on such a strong drug (increased heart rate, arrhythmias, hypertension), and even he agreed that I was making a wise choice.  He stated he would never treat a child with Proprandolol unless it was absolutely necessary.  And by that, I mean, if Rose was the 1/10,000 who actually got the hemangioma in her eyelid and it was affecting her vision.  But, its not, and she's not. So...  The one on her head does not bother me.  It does not bother her.  Her hair is covering it up.  Its smaller than my pinky fingernail - who cares.  And... its part of who she is now anyway...  if it goes away - great.  And, If it doesn't - who cares????   

HOW DO I FEEL ABOUT THIS .... ?

I HONESTLY CAN NOT MAKE UP MY MIND...

AM I EXCITED? YES

AM I SAD? YES

IS THIS DEPRESSING? ONLY FOR ME

AM I AN EMOTIONAL BASKET CASE? ABSOLUTELY

AM I ACTING LIKE THE CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND WHO CANT LET GO? YES (INSERT DRAMA HERE)

AM I COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS UNTIL I SEE HIM AGAIN... ? YES SIR

DID I CRY MYSELF TO SLEEP LAST NIGHT? ASK MY HUSBAND

AM I TAKING THIS HARDER THAN HIS OWN MOTHER? I THINK SO

AM I ECSTATIC FOR THIS NEW ADVENTURE FOR HIM? OF COURSE

AM I THE PROUDEST BIG SISTER EVER? HANDS DOWN

I AM TRULY 100 MILLION EMOTIONS ROLLED INTO ONE...

WHAT WILL WE DO WITHOUT HIM................

Rose - sitting in a Rebel Biology Class day dreaming about Bulldogs

A huge thank you to Uncle Brent and Aunt Ramey for watching Rose while I helped unpack Samuel and actually move him into the dormitory.  We all know how much Rose loves the pool!  She had a great time!!! 

15 MONTHS

WEIGHT:  21.5 pounds

SHOE SIZE:  4

CLOTHING SIZE:  12 -18 months

TEETH:  5 - two on the top, three on the bottom

THINGS YOU CAN DO:

1.  Put a 3-piece puzzle together

2.  Put on your own shirt (inside out, backwards, but on)

3.  Put two words together ...  no mama, dada gone?, get it

4.  Sleep until 9:15 am!!!!  Holy Moly - that makes for one happy momma!

5.  Give the best kisses

WORDS YOU CAN SAY:  (other than the basics)

1.  Gone-Gone

2.  Down

3.  Uh - Oh

4.  Oh - No

5.  Get it (this one is extremely southern sounding)

6.  Go

I cant believe Rose is 15 months old.  Time sure does fly when your having fun.  She definitely has her own little personality.  My mother always said I was a very independent child.  I knew I was definitely an independent adult - I just really never grasp what it was to be an "independent child" until Rose turned about a year old....  I think she is worse than I was.  The kid even wants to fix her own lunch...  literally.  She thinks she can tie her own shoes, and buckle her own seat belt, and change her own diaper, and brush her own hair.  And, if she is really in the "do it myself" mood, then heaven help the person who is trying to help her.  I know other mothers just look at me sometimes like "your letting your kid do that?"  (swimming, climbing up a slide by herself, helping herself to a bag of Cheetos at a kid function, etc) and I have to say... yes, yes I am letting her do it, because - quite frankly - she can do it all by herself, and if I help her, well that's a whole nuther' story.... 

The crazy thing is, in all of her independent glory, she is still the most mild mannered, easy going, laid back child I have ever met.  She doesn't put up much of a fuss no matter where I take her.  She just goes with the flow.  When you combine independence with her also "stop and smell the daisies" personality - you get the perfect combination of SLOW! 

  Lord knows We LOVE this little Chick-a-dee.  She is full of sugar and spice and everything nice !!!!!

YAY !!!

IT'S A PIZZA PARTY !!!

Birthday parties are always so much fun ... but especially when Daddy goes with Rose... and of course, when Pizza AND cake are involved!!!  I wish you all could have seen Rose's reaction to all the other kids and the slide.  She gave them all this look like "oh, my gosh... amateurs..." She pranced her little booty right over to that slide, hiked her dress, and climbed to the top.  Of course she clapped for herself after she reached the bottom and then came look #2 to all of her "friends".  The one that said "and that is how you slide!"  Most moms had to help their little toddlers make it to the top and then hold their hand to slide down.  Ummm...  not Rose.  She is a champion who can do all things by herself.  I wonder where she gets that independent streak from????    Sometimes my little roo is 100% girl - not leaving home without that bow in her hair and a matching pair of shoes.  Then sometimes, out of nowhere...  she is 100% TOUGH.  She has the "I can do anything you can do.. but better" mentality about most things in her life.  I can not wait to see how much more her little personality unfolds.  She may not look anything like me and she may be extemeley laid back like her daddy, but every once in a while (like the pizza party) I feel like her little personality is ME 30 years ago...

 

JUNIOR AUXILIARY

BACK TO SCHOOL BASH

I must have been highly medicated or intoxicated when I agreed to be President of Junior Auxiliary for this year! So far we are 4 months in, and truly, its not that bad..... kinda.... Its just A LOT of planning. Thank goodness that I have lots of help and support from my little Rose!

I definitely think the Back to School Bash was a success.  This year JA partnered with the Indianola Promise Community and Delta Health Alliance to make it bigger and better.  Sonic brought hot dogs, bottled water, and lemonade.  IPC brought books and ice cream.  Delta Health did screenings for kids for hearing and vision.  And, last but not least, JA donated over 400 fully stocked back packs to all the kids for the upcoming year.  We included paper, pencils, erasers, glue sticks, crayons, rulers, notebooks, and hand sanitizer.  It was a great turn out - all of the book bags were gone in 17 minutes!!!!  Holy Moly....  thats a lot of kids!!!!  It was fun and a great community project, and I even appeared on the news (or so i have been told - I missed it)  But, it was HOT outside, and Rose was hot, and momma was hot, and all those little kids were sweaty and hot... and ugh.... miserable...

seriously mom ...  I am HOT and THIRSTY...  lets go home...