Where has the last year and a half gone? Seriously? Scout is now 2 pregnancy's old. When you start thinking of it that way, it really seems crazy! I'll tell you this, it's been the most exciting 18 months of my life. Scout teaches me more than I would have EVER known. I love being her mama, she blesses me so much each and every day!
Over the last couple of weeks, we've been very busy, as usual. We've been enjoying all of the free "Christmas in the City" events in Knoxville. Scout's loving every minute of it.
The day after Thanksgiving we went to "Regal Celebration of Lights" where they lit the Knoxville City Christmas tree on Gay Street and you could enjoy other lights in Krutch Park and festivities in Market Square. We didn't stay for long because it was so cold, but we did get to enjoy the most important part, lighting of the tree.
On Friday, December 3rd, Scout attended her very first parade. WIVK/Fowler's Christmas Parade going through downtown Knoxville. She really enjoyed herself despite being bundled up. She danced to the beat of the drums as the marching bands went by and loved seeing all of the lights. This Friday, we'll attend the Comcast Christmas at Chilhowee Park. They have a forest of lighted trees on the lake and lots of fun activities. We might take time to see Santa again and even go for a carriage ride. I can't wait!
This past Sunday, we attended our first ever "Living Christmas Tree" at Thompson Boling arena. I was a little concerned that Scout wouldn't cooperate because she is just 18 months old and sitting for a long period of time can be difficult for her at times. She proved me wrong once again. She was outstanding other than playing musical chairs in Grumpy, Gran, Papa's and my lap. She ended up crashing in my lap towards the end. As for the show, I was amazed! I will never miss another "Living Christmas Tree"!
Scout recently went for her 18 month check up. She received her last immunization until she's 5 (Kindergarten Check up). It's kind of sad to think about her going to kindergarten, but they have to grow up as much as we don't want them to. I would love to keep Scout young and innocent forever. Scout's check up went well. She's up to 20lbs 15oz in weight (we're almost to 21lbs!!), she's 31in long, and her big ole' head circumference is 50. Her body is finally catching up with her noggin'! She's still "petite", but as Dr. Rimer says, she isn't scrawny! He said when you see her age and weight in the chart, you would think she's a little, skinny toddler, but really she's filled out nicely. I was happy to hear that! They did an autism screening on Scout, which was a Q & A for Adam and I to fill out. They didn't tell us what it was for until after he gave us the results. I guess so we wouldn't cheat. Anyhow, good news...she has no signs of autism. As far as her development goes, she's above a 2 year old level. She was off the chart actually! We are very proud of our smart girl!
On a not so good note, we found out yesterday that Scout will need to wear glasses. We are hoping this is just temporary. A couple of months ago, Adam started noticing Scout's right eye floating in a little bit. I guess I was in denial because I didn't notice it until a few weeks back. I ended up calling a pediatric opthamologist to schedule her an appointment. She's way too young to go to an optometrist. She saw Dr. Allyson Schmitt and was diagnosed with accommodative esotropia. Basically, it means you are "cross eyed" due to being farsighted. The good thing is, Scout's case is not severe and it doesn't cross all the time. When she tries to focus on something at a distance, her right eye floats in. Dr. Schmitt said patching her good eye will not fix the problem because her left eye (based on examination) has the tendency to do the same thing. So, if we patched the eye, we would be creating another problem. Our first option to fix the problem is to get Scout glasses. She has a very simple prescription +2.25 for both eyes. It may seem like a lot, but toddlers eyes are very different than adult eyes. They still aren't fully developed at 18 months. Dr. Schmitt said Scout's vision is actually average for her age, which was a huge relief knowing family history on Adam's side. Wearing glasses may or may not fix the problem. If it doesn't, surgery is our next option and it's a definite fix. Since this was caught at such a young age, Scout may not have to wear glasses when she gets older, as long as it gets corrected. I'm not going to lie, I did cry after we left the doctors office. I was a bit overwhelmed. We've never had to deal with anything other than her normal check ups and an occasional sick visit. I kept questioning myself, "why??" am I having to deal with this as a parent, but then I looked up and saw the pediatric cardiology office that we were passing by to get on the elevator and I realized that we are really blessed to have such a healthy girl. I am still having a hard time dealing with this soon-to-be change, but I'll be fine. I'm mostly frustrated that I can't find cute toddler frames. I had no idea it would be this hard. We'll get through it and who knows, Scout may only be rockin' the specks for a few months before her problem is fixed. It can make a difference that fast. I'll keep everyone update on our eyeglass finding adventure and will post pictures as soon as we get them. Please just pray that she takes to them well and doesn't break them within a week. Glasses aren't cheap!!
Attempting to Get Scout's Picture in Front of Our Christmas Tree
Over the last couple of weeks, we've been very busy, as usual. We've been enjoying all of the free "Christmas in the City" events in Knoxville. Scout's loving every minute of it.
The day after Thanksgiving we went to "Regal Celebration of Lights" where they lit the Knoxville City Christmas tree on Gay Street and you could enjoy other lights in Krutch Park and festivities in Market Square. We didn't stay for long because it was so cold, but we did get to enjoy the most important part, lighting of the tree.
On Friday, December 3rd, Scout attended her very first parade. WIVK/Fowler's Christmas Parade going through downtown Knoxville. She really enjoyed herself despite being bundled up. She danced to the beat of the drums as the marching bands went by and loved seeing all of the lights. This Friday, we'll attend the Comcast Christmas at Chilhowee Park. They have a forest of lighted trees on the lake and lots of fun activities. We might take time to see Santa again and even go for a carriage ride. I can't wait!
This past Sunday, we attended our first ever "Living Christmas Tree" at Thompson Boling arena. I was a little concerned that Scout wouldn't cooperate because she is just 18 months old and sitting for a long period of time can be difficult for her at times. She proved me wrong once again. She was outstanding other than playing musical chairs in Grumpy, Gran, Papa's and my lap. She ended up crashing in my lap towards the end. As for the show, I was amazed! I will never miss another "Living Christmas Tree"!
Scout recently went for her 18 month check up. She received her last immunization until she's 5 (Kindergarten Check up). It's kind of sad to think about her going to kindergarten, but they have to grow up as much as we don't want them to. I would love to keep Scout young and innocent forever. Scout's check up went well. She's up to 20lbs 15oz in weight (we're almost to 21lbs!!), she's 31in long, and her big ole' head circumference is 50. Her body is finally catching up with her noggin'! She's still "petite", but as Dr. Rimer says, she isn't scrawny! He said when you see her age and weight in the chart, you would think she's a little, skinny toddler, but really she's filled out nicely. I was happy to hear that! They did an autism screening on Scout, which was a Q & A for Adam and I to fill out. They didn't tell us what it was for until after he gave us the results. I guess so we wouldn't cheat. Anyhow, good news...she has no signs of autism. As far as her development goes, she's above a 2 year old level. She was off the chart actually! We are very proud of our smart girl!
On a not so good note, we found out yesterday that Scout will need to wear glasses. We are hoping this is just temporary. A couple of months ago, Adam started noticing Scout's right eye floating in a little bit. I guess I was in denial because I didn't notice it until a few weeks back. I ended up calling a pediatric opthamologist to schedule her an appointment. She's way too young to go to an optometrist. She saw Dr. Allyson Schmitt and was diagnosed with accommodative esotropia. Basically, it means you are "cross eyed" due to being farsighted. The good thing is, Scout's case is not severe and it doesn't cross all the time. When she tries to focus on something at a distance, her right eye floats in. Dr. Schmitt said patching her good eye will not fix the problem because her left eye (based on examination) has the tendency to do the same thing. So, if we patched the eye, we would be creating another problem. Our first option to fix the problem is to get Scout glasses. She has a very simple prescription +2.25 for both eyes. It may seem like a lot, but toddlers eyes are very different than adult eyes. They still aren't fully developed at 18 months. Dr. Schmitt said Scout's vision is actually average for her age, which was a huge relief knowing family history on Adam's side. Wearing glasses may or may not fix the problem. If it doesn't, surgery is our next option and it's a definite fix. Since this was caught at such a young age, Scout may not have to wear glasses when she gets older, as long as it gets corrected. I'm not going to lie, I did cry after we left the doctors office. I was a bit overwhelmed. We've never had to deal with anything other than her normal check ups and an occasional sick visit. I kept questioning myself, "why??" am I having to deal with this as a parent, but then I looked up and saw the pediatric cardiology office that we were passing by to get on the elevator and I realized that we are really blessed to have such a healthy girl. I am still having a hard time dealing with this soon-to-be change, but I'll be fine. I'm mostly frustrated that I can't find cute toddler frames. I had no idea it would be this hard. We'll get through it and who knows, Scout may only be rockin' the specks for a few months before her problem is fixed. It can make a difference that fast. I'll keep everyone update on our eyeglass finding adventure and will post pictures as soon as we get them. Please just pray that she takes to them well and doesn't break them within a week. Glasses aren't cheap!!
Attempting to Get Scout's Picture in Front of Our Christmas Tree
It's really hard to get Scout to sit still long enough for a picture these days. 1st attempt at getting her picture in front of our Christmas tree.
Several attempts and minutes later, I thought I'd bribe her with Smarties candy. She LOVES them!
As you can see, she out smarted me. It didn't work!
Nearly 10 minutes later, she's over and decides to go play with her toys.Scout's 18 Month Photo Shoot and Our Family Christmas Pictures
Taken by: Days Go By Photography (Tammy Keith)
Location: The Museum of Appalachia (Clinton, TN)
