Watermelon Roses

A collection of random thoughts, commentaries, and journaling. There is a lot to explore here, including links to other sites of mine. These are mostly for my own benefit, but guests are welcome to browse and explore as much or as little as they like.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Meanwhile, back at the ranch ...

Wow, good thing my resolution wasn't to keep my blog current. I'd have already failed! As it is, I still have 9 months left to write my little children's book.

Speaking of 9 months, we're expecting our last addition to the family near the end of October, right around Layla's birthday. How we'd love to have a little Layla-ry girl to name after Layla and to give Maya some sisterly relief from a houseful of boys! Given my "advanced maternal age" and all the scary percentages that go along with it, though, we'll be delighted to have a happy, healthy baby whether it's a girl or not. Still, we're hopeful, since this is our last chance to give Maya a sister. I'm definitely feeling my age now and marvelling at the fact that when my mom was my age, she was not only finished with diapers, but had me out of the house as well. I can't imagine being able to come and go as I please and having actual time to do things I want to do!

In other news, at our pediatrician's recommendation, little Rayan was assessed at Kindering yesterday, a center that specializes in early intervention and children with special needs. The assessment was actually fun for both of us, as it was more like a playdate and the specialists were very likeable playmates. After about an hour of playing and asking questions, the three specialists went off to compare notes and decide on recommendations. It was agreed by all involved that Rayan needs speech therapy, since he's 22 months old and has a very limited vocabulary. All three specialists also individually noted short periods of blank stares and some possible visual disturbances in his left eye. K and I have noticed occasional times when we can't really get Rayan's attention, but we've just assumed that he was lost in thought or intent on whatever he was doing. I was assured that the visual disturbances are not something moms would necessarily pick up on, and was referred back to our pediatrician to discuss the possibility of mild seizures causing the staring and to arrange to have his vision checked. We saw the pediatrician this morning, who arranged for us to see a top neurologist next month. He'll also be getting an EEG and seeing a neuro-ophthalmologist. We're not overly worried about seizures, because I feel like they'd have made themselves better known if they existed, but it will be good to rule it out. I'm a little more worried about the vision, because Layla had severe astigmatism and we had no idea until she failed her vision test at her preschool. I felt terrible that she had spent four years of her life with distorted vision. At least we'll be catching it earlier with Rayan if there is a problem, or ruling it out if there's not.

With all the upcoming doctor's visits and no luck finding a nanny who wants to work our limited hours for our limited pay, I'm planning to visit a few preschools with Maya to see if we can find one that is a good fit for her. Now that she's three, the pediatrician and I both think she would benefit from a few half-days a week for social interaction and development. She still has no interest in using the potty, and is a screamer when things don't go her way. Hopefully preschool would help with that, too.

I've updated the 40 Weeks blog, and that will be the site to watch for baby-related news.