Friday, January 30, 2009

Camping, pirates, and other fun stuff

We've been busy lately so I thought it was time to give a little status update...

Today Fiona went to see a pediatric opthamologist(which is apparently better, or at least snootier, than an optometrist, at least if the Doctor's reaction to being called the wrong term is any judge). Despite the snooty factor, I liked this Doctor and her staff. They were very nice and great with kids. Happily, Fiona doesn't need glasses yet, although with a diagnosis of "nearly normal" vision that may change eventually.

While discussing the family history, and in particular Saskia's vision problems, with the assistant I found out that her one really bad eye is actually a treatable medical condition... if it's treated before the eye stops developing, which happens around the age of 7. Shit, she IS 7. Sure wish that optometrist at Lenscrafters had mentioned this before. So Saskia has an appointment in late February (this woman is so overbooked) to see if there is anything that can be done for her. Of course I'm kicking myself for not finding out about this earlier, when her vision might possibly have been improved to the point where she wouldn't need glasses except for reading. The worst bit though in Saskia's opinion is that the treatment involves wearing an eye patch over her good eye. Can't imagine much worse for a self-conscious pre-pre-teen than going to school looking like a pirate. I can only imagine how awful the tantrums are going to be if she does need to wear a patch. Argh.

In happier news, yesterday we booked our first REAL vacation since 2004 (not counting weekend camping trips with friends). I am so excited, we rented a cabin up near Traverse City, in the Sleeping Bear National Forest area in August. We are going to be right on a lake, with canoes, boats and swimming a few feet away as we step out the door. Some very good friends went there last year and had a great time, they went to a different place each day and all were gorgeous (trust me, I've seen the pictures). Oh yeah, and the best part? OUR FRIENDS RENTED THE CABIN NEXT DOOR! I'm so excited, and so are the kids. The thought that they can get up each morning, run outside and jump in a lake with their best friends has got them screaming with glee. And that they get to spend a whole week with their friends is better than any present I could come up with. I can't wait to sit out in the morning with my friend and watch the kids play, or watch the men barbecue something while we toast our toes in front of a campfire. Vacation here we come!

Let's see, in other news, we celebrated the induction of 3 new girls into our Girl Scout troop last Saturday, and rededicated the 11 girls who were with us last year. I must say, I grow to love Girl Scouts and in particular MY scouts more each time we do something like this. It's great to watch our girls grow up, becoming more thoughtful and more patient. It's great getting to know them and know that you are an important person in their lives. I truly care about and enjoy the company of ALL of my troop members and I'm so happy to know that the work that my co-leaders and I do for these girls is valued by them and their parents.

Lastly, I joined a "small group ministry" at my church which had our first meeting this past week. It was very interesting, a little intense, but thought provoking too. The best part was carpooling with a neighbor and getting to know her better, I'm very happy to find a kindred spirit close by and look forward to more thoughtful conversations with her and other members of my church.

That's probably more than enough for one post, besides, the nasty, messy kitchen is calling.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

i am SO ridiculously jealous. where you are staying near TC is one of my all time fav locations. i have so many good memories of the lake and sleeping bear. sigh.

hopefully they can do something for saskia's eye . . . that's good news, even if the pirate patch sucks the big one!

jae said...

All you have to do is tell her that if anyone makes fun of her, she should growl ARRRRRR and brandish a cutlass*. They'll scatter for sure when she pulls that out.

Vacation sounds awesome! I'm sure time will drag on the way to August, but at least you have that to look forward to in the meantime.

*Legal disclaimer: if she gets expelled or suspended don't you dare blame me!

Jenni said...

I like Jae's thinking, but if you want to go the non-expulsion route...you could have Saskia convice her friends to wear one too and they could all claim it's the newest fashion trend.

Your vacation sounds like it's going to be a blast!

Jess said...

How exciting about the vacation! I bet you guys will have a great time, plus with your friends going, the kids will have so much fun! You really deserve this!

I hope that there is something that can be done for Saskia's eye, even if she has to wear an eye patch for awhile. Tell her you'll wear one too in support! ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!

Alicia said...

Your vacation is something right up my alley. It sounds devine. I hope you have a wonderful time.

I'm happy to hear you're getting to know one of your neighbors better; finding people who have common interests nearby are so hard to find.

And lastly, Harry had to wear a patch as a kid. Naturally, he hated it, but it beat the surgery one of his doctor's wanted to perform on him. He does need to wear glasses as an adult, but I think his vision would have been way worse without that patch.

They have some pretty cute ones out now for girls so they're more like a fashion accessory.