Fun Times

I’ve been talking about taking the kids to the Georgia Aquarium for a while now. I loved the aquarium experience from the first time I ever went, and wanted to share that with Micah and Corrin.  I think they are just as in love with the aquarium as I am.  Micah ran from tank to tank, dragging his daddy along behind him.  Corrin rode in her stroller at the start of the visit, but by the end she was running around under foot also, pointing out the different things she was seeing.

Corrin’s and my favorite was the otters.  They were very playful, swimming around and chasing each other.  The beluga whale also put on a little show swimming around and brushing the glass.  The whale sharks were HUGE!  I don’t know for sure what Micah’s favorite was, because he was so enraptured with everything. Possibly playing in the touching pools was his favorite activity, or it could have been the fishing boat play area.

There are so many other activities that we want to do as a family.  The adventures continue this summer.

Micah's Eyes

Micah was born with a clogged tear duct.  It wasn’t anything painful or troublesome.  Usually it just caused his eyes to fill with water and spill over.  At roughly eleven months old, he had an out-patient procedure done to remove the blockage from his duct.  He left good as new, if a little cranky.  During that time he was seen by a pediatric eye doctor, who recommended that his vision be tested at around age three.  Well guess who is three years old? Did you guess Micah?  Give yourself a cookie! You’re right!

About a month ago we took Micah to have his vision exam.  He did not do well.  He refused to verbalize to the doctor what the shapes were, choosing to gesture instead of talk.  He was fidgety, and just a little uncooperative.  We didn’t hold it against him, because he’s three after all.  The doctor suggested that we bring him back at another time. She gave us a prescription for drops to dilate his eyes and a copy of the shapes to practice with him. 

A couple weeks later, we had rescheduled his appointment, practiced the shapes, and administered the drops.  Micah hated the drops and reminded us for several days after his appointment that he didn’t need those drops. When he and I arrived at his appointment, I reminded him that he had to use his words and do everything that the doctor asked him.  While he was still a little fidgety, he did much better, and we found out that he got his vision from his dad, which means it’s not the best.

So Micah’s got new eyes.  He actually got two pairs of new eyes.  He does really well with keeping them on. I think that’s mostly because Mikey wears glasses, and what little boy doesn’t want to be like his daddy?  Of course, he has moments when he doesn’t want to wear them.  In those cases, we let him have a short break, but then he has to put them back on.  He has adjusted really well to wearing glasses.  Much better than I have adjusted.

Corrin {18 Months Old}

Post will be updated soon with pictures.

*****

Corrin turned 18 months old Tuesday.  She is a little diva tomboy.  At eighteen months old, Corrin...

... weighs 22 pounds, 8 ounces. She is 30.5 inches long. 

... wears size 4 diapers, and size 18 month to 24 month clothes.

... is currently getting all four of her eye teeth at the same time.

... likes to brush her teeth, and will begrudgingly allow her father or I to brush them.

... has started playing with her dolls. She tends to treat them really roughly, but she loves dragging a baby around with her.

... has a decent vocabulary.  She says mama, dada, My (for Micah), cookie, that, baby, belly, nose, eye, ball, cup, hey, bye, mouth, shoe, uh-uh (no), and a few others.

... can identify her eyes, nose, mouth, belly, and sometimes ears.

... loves clothes and shoes. She has been known to throw a small fit because she wanted her shoes put on her feet.

... loves to take pictures, and will smile and say "cheese" if she see a camera. She will also take electronics (camera, phone, anything that looks like it could be a camera) and pretend to take pictures.

... loves to talk on the phone. She has been known to call her mimi on both the landline and cell phones and have conversations before anyone realizes that she's actually talking to someone.

...  eats very well.  Corrin is known as the Pit in our home, because she appears to be bottomless.  She is usually the last one to leave the dinner table.  When she decides that she is ready to eat, she will drag her highchair away from the table, and climb up.

...  is the resident climber and dare-devil.  She's always running, jumping or climbing.

... has a silly sense of humor.  She finds the silliest things funny.  Sometimes I think she thinks her brother is a clown.  If no one else can get her to laugh, Micah can make her laugh.

...  can feed herself relatively well with a spoon. Of course, she still makes a mess, but usually more food ends up in her mouth than on the floor.

... sings along with music.  You can't understand any of the words, but she makes the general sound.

... is called Rin, Rinnie, Rinna, Mamacita, Little Miss, and Boss Lady.

My Funny Valentines

Conversations With Micah

Micah is learning new words everyday, and conversations with him are so much fun right now.  Here are a few of the more memorable one we've had lately. 

1. In South Carolina for a weekend:

Micah: Mama?

Me: Yes, baby?

Micah: Where's all the cars?

Me: You're not in Atlanta anymore baby. 

2. During a bath:

Micah: Rinnie got a wee-wee?

Me: No

Micah: Where hers?

Me: She doesn't have one.

Micah: Mommy, where your wee-wee?

Me: I don't have one either.

Micah: You take it off?

 Cue fits of laughter

3. In the car after pick-up from daycare:

Me: Hey buddy! You have a good day today?

Micah: I had a great day!

Me: Oh really? What you do today?

Micah: Work!

I love this little boy, and wouldn't trade him for the world. 

The Great Southern Snow of 2014

This week it has snowed across the southeastern portion of the United States. Apparently that is not a good thing.  We were sorely unprepared, and the evidence of that has made national news.  Personally, I was one of the fortunate ones.  I left work after being dismissed at 12:30 pm, and arrived home at roughly 4:00 pm on Tuesday.  My commute is typically between an hour to an hour and a half.  I prayed the entire way home as I gripped my steering wheel with a death grip. "Lord, please let me make it to my kids and then home safely. Lord please." That was my prayer on repeat for three and half hours.  Sometimes I could talk to Mikey or my mom or coworkers who were struggling to get home just like me. But the phone service was spotty, because everyone was calling loved ones to be sure they were safe.  Others weren't as lucky as I was on Tuesday. 

There are reports of children being trapped on buses on the roads, children having to spend the night at schools because they couldn't safely be transported home, and people spending the night in their cars or in businesses.  Some people simply ran out of gas in the gridlocks or gave up and abandoned their vehicles. It was bad.

The snow has allowed a much needed break for our little family. We have gotten to spend some uninterrupted time together, even if Mikey is having to work from home.  Micah and Corring have gotten  their first experience with snow, and Micah has certainly loved that. So here are some shots from the Giles experience of the Great Southern Snow of 2014.

It's Been Too Long

In case you couldn't tell, I took a break from blogging.  I found that my commute plus my work schedule, and spending time with Micah and Corrin had pretty much taken everything out of me by the time bed time rolled around in the evenings.  Also take a look back through the blog.  The posts that were up were the bare minimum.  I was tired of just getting by, and decided it was better to post nothing than to post mediocre posts. 

So now my goal is to post at least once a week, and not beat myself up if I'm not able to do that.  I think that is a manageable goal, because I've found, that with a better schedule and both kids sleeping through the night, I tend to have a little time to myself in the night. Some of that time will be used to work on Growing Up Giles.