Inaugural Post

It's now been three weeks since Kelly's eye surgery. She is doing better than anyone expected! Which means we were able to cut back on her eye drops, which is a relief because they're a headache for everyone involved. She is also talking a lot more since the surgery, including social language (as opposed to simply labeling things).

Her opthamologist (Dr. Kevin Clark -- he's been great!) does not believe there's a causal relationship between the vision problem and her speech delays. However, we've heard enough anecdotal evidence from several people in several states that we think there's more to it than most people realize. We were eager to see how her language progressed after the surgery, and so far she has exceeded our expectations. The downside is that, to encourage her language, we need to reward her for communicating with us. So when she carries in her third package of fruit snacks in a row and says "thank you" when she hands them to me ... well, what else can I do? Let's just hope she doesn't clue in and use it to her advantage.

Janna is on vacation with her mom this week. We all miss her. Heather, who shares a room with her, is not sleeping as well now that Janna's not here. Which means that J. and I are not sleeping as well, since Heather sees fit to let us know every time she wakes up.

We got back from our own vacation last week: a trip to see the folks in Kentucky and then a stop-over in Cincinnati on the way home. We had intended to stay one night in Cinci, visit the zoo, and then come home. Then we checked into our hotel at dinnertime and received passes to an indoor recreational center, which we made the mistake of actually trying to use. We showed up at the place only to discover that the kids' area was closed because of an earlier "accident." (No need for alarm -- I don't think she was referring to an injury.) Here's some advice for you parents: never show your children a wading pool with a playground in the middle of it and then take them away without letting them play in it. No amount of explaining will appease them. So we added another night to our stay and took them to the pool the following day, after the zoo. All was well with the world again.

Since we've been back, the girls are acting as though they've never seen any of their toys before. They're setting record time trying to play with all of them. As I write this, the Dora's-Talking-House family is having a party with the Littlest Pet Shop animals, and there are four jigsaw puzzles on the floor. Correction: There are four puzzle frames on the floor. The pieces are nowhere to be seen. For any of them.

Sorry to burst the bubble of anyone who thinks we live a glamorous rock-star life.