You get what you get....

To Jacey (when she doesn't get the  correct lip gloss): You get what you get and.....

Jacey: You don't throw a pig.

Well OK then. That works, too.

Singing, I Love you

Me (in a singsong voice): I love you, Jacey.

Have I said that enough today/

Jacey: Say it lots and lots.

Me: I love you, I love you, I love you.

Do you like it when Mommy says 'I love you'?

Jacey: Yes, it makes my heart feel warm and happy.

.....this girl....she melts my heart.

Jacey's Initial Eye Appointment

Jacey's regular eye appointment in December (December 31st, actually) showed signs of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in both eyes during her retinal photos.

Thanks, 2014, for that one last punch in the gut...you weren't kind to me. Not at all, so thanks for getting that last one in as you were being ushered out the door.

We had gone through the entire visit and it had become obvious that Jacey is farsighted in both eyes and also has astigmatism in both eyes.  One eye is markedly worse than the other.  While she was sitting on the examination chair, she remarked to the doctor, "This eye" (and pointed to the eye that had examined worse) "doesn't work."  I was floored.  Completely and totally taken aback.  She had never mentioned anything like that to me before, and I was totally caught off-guard by that comment.

The doctor, a stand-in for our 'normal' doctor, who was on vacation that week, was looking at the photos as I walked back into the room from a conversation with hubby, as I had let him know this appointment was taking much longer than we had originally anticipated.  The doctor and I had already discussed the need for Jacey to have glasses based on how the appointment had gone so far, and I was anticipating going to the lobby upon the conclusion of our appointment to try some on and select some with her.

Well, the doctor turned to me, with a look I'm not sure I can describe on her face.  It was a combination of "I have bad news and really don't want to share it" and "Oh CRAP", but at any rate, I read it and immediately said something to the effect of, 'So what do we have?'  The doctor went on to indicate that Jacey's retinal photos showed signs consistent with RP.

So I made her go through comparisons....Jaceys's photos with Tatums.  Jacey's with Kellen's.  Jacey's with mine.  Jacey's with a confirmed RP.  Jacey's with a normal child around her age.  It was clear - even in my limited knowledge, that was I was seeing was very different than what was supposed to be there - except for the similarities between the confirmed RP photos.  In those photos Jacey's bone spicules (they show up like black lines) weren't as abundant as the confirmed RP case, but they were there. In both of her eyes.

The doctor immediately suggested that we hold off on getting her glasses until we see a pediatric specialist through Houston Eye Associates, and that their office would research which of the doctors through that office (they have many) specialized in this disorder group so we were seeing the best doctor for her issue and that they would call us early next week (despite it being a Wednesday, we were rolling into the New Year's Holiday) with that information so that I could call Houston Eye Associates to schedule the initial consultation.

And that was that.

Jacey and I walked into the lobby and she immediately asked, "So do I get my glasses today?"

I responded with a calm, "No, we have to go see another doctor about your eyes first, honey." It was all I could do to hold it all inside...a swirl of emotions whirling.  It wasn't as if RP was new to me...I have immediate family members with it.  I know what this looks like day in-day out.  But this is my baby.  These were my genes that did this to her.

Kellen overheard my response to her, since he had come with us to get his glasses adjusted and immediately started in with, "But Mom, why isn't she getting her glasses today?  Mom, did you hear me? Mom....why isn't she getting them today?"  Then a quieter, "Mom, what's wrong with her eyes and why does she have to see another doctor?"

I turned to him and simply said, "The doctor here wants another doctor to look at her eyes because she has special eyes....Your eyes and my eyes are normal eyes and they only need one doctor. Hers are special."

Although I thought that was a pretty good answer, it didn't satisfy big brother for long. His questions continued as we left the doctors office, got into the car, and headed home...my emotions got ever-closer to the surface, threatening to spill over.

I quietly said to him, "Honey, I need to talk about this all with your Daddy.  If he and I think there is something you and your sisters need to know, we will tell you.  But let me talk to your DADDY first.  STOP asking me questions."

When I walked through the door my hubby was outside chopping wood for the fireplace.  He popped his head inside and asked nonchalantly, "So, how did it go?"

"I need to talk with you." was what I mustered.

He motioned for me to come outside while he was chopping wood....and something on my face must have given it away, because in his joking manner, he said, "Just tell me she isn't going to be blind."

And at that moment, I could no longer stop the tears....."She has it" was all I could say.

And we both knew...we had been watching for this with all of the kids and it had arrived.

God help us.

The only thing either of us can say is that she is still the same Jacey....the one that God created. The one that is fearfully and wonderfully made...by Him.  He made her JUST the way HE wanted her to be. And my God, hubby's God, JACEY'S GOD...He doesn't make mistakes.

So there is a reason for all of this.

Do I sing that badly?

Mommy singing Greater by Mercy Me in the car

Jacey: Mommy?

Mommy: Yes?

Jacey: I just want to listen to the song.

Translation: Mommy, stop singing now.

Jacey wins this round

This morning Jacey commented that she thought she needed her umbrella and raincoat.  I assured her that it was going to be hot and that she would be fine.

It rained.

When I picked her up from daycare, our conversation in the car was interesting.

Jacey: I was RIGHT!!!

Me: Really?  (having completely forgotten about our morning conversation in the first place)

Jacey: Yes!!  I said we would need my rain jacket and burella today!!

TAMU Good Bull police

Today was College Colors Day.

In our house, that means Aggie Maroon, of course.

When I picked up Jacey from daycare, she was fired up about clothing.  It was quite entertaining.

Jacey: Some moms did not let their kids were Aggie shirts today.

Me: Really?

Jacey:  Yes.  So-and-so's mom did not let her wear an Aggie shirt.

Me: Hmmmm...

Jacey:  I am SO MAD at so-and-so's mommy for not letting her wear an Aggie shirt today!

The girl takes her Aggie clothes seriously, y'all.

Sweet dreams

Jacey:  Good morning, Mommy!!  Did you have good dreams?

Me: Hmmm??

Jacey:  Did you dream about ME??  (smiling sweetly)

Life with a 3-year old

Daddy: We need to get a new calculator

Me (pondering what our now 5th grader is doing in math that might necessitate the need for a more intensive calculator....): What kind of calculator?

Daddy: One that hasn't been in the toilet.

Oh such is life with a rambunctious 3-year old!

Perry

Just had an interesting conversation with my 3-year old about Perry the platypus.

Traps.....hats.....She is a crack up!

I think it may have been a rouse to delay bedtime, but tonight, I'll take it. 

School Fall Festival

Lest you think the Halloween fun was finished when the holiday itself was over, Jacey's school hosted its own Fall Festival on the Friday following Halloween.

Yet another opportunity for her to dress up.

Again.

As something completely different.

This time she was a Care Bear.  Only in her world, when she put on the 'helmet', her version of a Care Bear growled at people.

'Cause I guess that's what bears do, and since we don't watch the Care Bears, she really doesn't know any better.

She was priceless.  And adorable!

Olympic proof

As mentioned in my recent post, Jacey and I have been watching a lot of sports lately...there is this world-wide sporting event taking place right now.  Happens every four years, maybe you've heard of it?

She and I are watching 'lympics!

...and cheering for the USA!

Watching 'lympics

Jacey and I have been watching a lot of Olympics over the last couple of weeks.  She is absolutely enthralled by it - virtually ANY of it.

I'm not sure if there is anything cuter than a two year old, fist pumping in the air, chanting, "USA, USA!".

It's precious, really.

If I was better at getting video of it, you could fully appreciate it, but you'll just have to take my word for it.

Tonight she wanted to watch the " 'lympics " and made sure that she was all set up to do so, continually telling me, "be right back" while she got yet another thing to snuggle with.

Yes, it was a full couch.  And she fully expected me to snuggle with her, getting quite upset if I had to get up to get anything.

She is serious about her 'lympics,folks!

Turn around

I finally did it.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants and toddlers ride rear facing until they are two or until they have outgrown their height/weight restrictions on their carseat, and my particular feeling is to keep the kiddos rear facing as long as possible (with the girls, I didn't know as much with Kellen and he obviously turned out fine) to maximize their safety. Please note that I am not saying that the kids are unsafe if they are turned around prior to this, they are simply safer rear facing. Heck, I stood up behind the driver seat when I was little and apparently turned out just fine.  Maybe.  Well, that's up for debate.

Considering that Jacey was 26 lbs and 35 inches long at her 2 year check  up, and that she seems to be growing quite a bit in the way of her height lately, I finally did it.  That in and of itself is reason for celebration, so go ahead and celebrate that growth right there!!

I turned the car seat forward facing tonight.

And I'm sad about it.

Such a strange thing to be sad about.  But I am.

She's my BABY!  She isn't supposed to be forward facing yet.  She's just not.  But when I get into the car tomorrow, I'll be able to look into the rearview mirrow and the special kids mirror attached to it and see her sweet cherub face smiling at me as we head to school.

And we'll begin a new chapter where she isn't as much of my baby anymore.

Pamper time

Jacey is just a hoot...she's a total ham when she wants to be.

She likes to observe herself in the mirror after every bath when she's wrapped in her hooded towel.

And tonight, she decided that she wanted, 'Pretty' nails.  I did her fingers first, then she stuck her feet toward me and wanted me to do them, too.

My goodness I just adore her!

Elmo invaded Jacey's World!

We had Jacey's party this weekend.  I cannot believe she's almost 2!  It was a small party.  Just a few of her friends (4 friends total for her - that whole thing about the number of friends equal to how old the kid will turn has apparently gone out the window with us).  This was supposed to be my no-stress party.

I will say, I wasn't really all that stressed out on Saturday.  Except about the floating fish.  But that wasn't all that bad and I'll get to that later.  I wasn't stressed out because I had been up late all week turning my pinterest finds and other ideas into reality.

The result: Jacey LOVED her party and I think everyone had a good time  That equaled success in my book!

Activities
Elmo's Music Magic was playing in the background on the TV (kudos to my genius of a hubby for that brilliant idea!!), and there were a few times that I noticed that the adults were busy watching the show and the kids were doing their own thing.  Interesting. Apparently Elmo appeals to a wider audience that I originally thought.

We played Place the Nose on Elmo (thank you Maw Maw for finding this activity!!). The kids had a blast with this once they understood what it was they were supposed to do (and a thanks goes out to big sis Tatum for demonstrating the process).

We got video of each of the little kids placing the nose on Elmo, but I'll only post my kiddo here.  I will; however, share the video with each of the families for their viewing pleasure.  Spinning a preschooler who isn't yours (or who is, for that matter), can be quite entertaining.  I'm glad we have those moments on video.

There was also a coloring station with Elmo coloring pages and crayons for the kids to color and take home (with individualized cups filled with crayons to minimize tantrums or fighting!) 

We also had a tattoo parlor, and all of the girls were able to get Sesame Street themed tattoo's for their wrists/arms.  The birthday princess got two (mommy saved her one of the Elmo ones and then she picked out her mommy's favorite, Ernie, herself!).

I had intended to have story time, with both Paw Paw and Grandpa taking turns reading a story, but we never did get around to that....I think the kids would have loved that!

Food
We had Elmo cupcakes and a larger (half cake) Elmo.  We also had cake balls/pops (my first attempt - see separate post on that fiasco).  I must have blocked out those cake balls so much because of it that I almost forgot about them...I remembered them about 30-45 minutes into the party!

Happy Birthday was sung and cupcakes were eaten in the dining room (I think I may have had a nightmare or two about two-year olds and our light carpet...).  So we staged her cake area first using the "Jacey's World" sign I had made for her and the Happy Birthday banner Maw Maw had gotten.

It took a while to get Jacey to actually blow out the candles.  I kept trying to get her to blow on them like she blows on her nails. Yeah...that's the reference I used on my princess at her 2 year-old party. Yup.  Incidentally, we had just finished painting her nails as her guests were arriving because she wanted them 'pretty' and I wanted them red for the party.

Considering it was really red frosting, I considered it a smashing success when all of the kids faces, hands, arms and a few legs were red-stained.  I knew I chose the dining room for a reason!

We had Oscar the Grouch and Elmo veggie trays and a Big Bird cheese tray as healthy(er) options for everyone to snack on throughout the party (and down where the kids could reach them).

As you can see from the picture above, we also had goldfish crackers in a small goldfish bowl.

We had small 'grabby' snacks of jellybeans, red hots, and more goldfish crackers as well, and the kids could put them in red cupcake liners (just the right size for two-year old hands).

I had orange and red buckets with water, capri suns and an assortment of cokes in them for beverages.  Oh, and dear sweet hubby cooked hot dogs, and we served the buns on a red tray and everyone ate on red plates.  (Obviously, we went with a primarily red and orange theme).

Party Favors
I initially decided to go easy on the party favors, and just decorate bags with Elmo on them and use those as part of the decor.

I set this up one night and the next morning, Jacey come out - gasps - and then I hear her singing, "Ya ya ya ya, Elmo's world!"  I took that as a positive sign.

And then, since I was letting Jacey watch Sesame Street and listening to it for ideas, I kept hearing, "Elmo loves his goldfish, his crayons, too...." I had the idea........

Goldfish.

Not just for snacks.

But since I'm not that crazy, I did send text messages to the parents of the girls coming to the party and ask permission to buy their children goldfish.  Luckily, they all said yes.

The fish were all doing wonderfully, by the way (in case you were wondering about my earlier reference). Unfortunately, hubby and I hadn't communicated well about the actual number of girls attending, so I had one bowl with two fish in it (for Jacey - and as a spare in case one went belly up before the party), but when I realized that I needed another whole set up, I didn't have time to acclimate the fish to the new water, so.....it didn't adjust to its new environment very well.

So all of the girls took home fish and Jacey and I went and picked out two brand new fish Sunday afternoon!!

Making Memories
Part of the decor was a five foot replica of Sesame Street that Maw Maw found and we hung on our wall that had a cast of the characters on it.  So, naturally we lined the girls up for a photo op.  I wanted ALL of the girls and then each of the girls individually with the birthday girl.

One of the dads was wary about my grand idea and didn't think I could manage to pull it off.  I just looked at him and laughed...I don't think he's been introduced to the lengths my stubbornness will go to get what I want.  Especially when pictures are involved. 

We decided to leave up a lot of the decorations until her actual birthday, and then we'll take them down.  So we have a couple more days of living in Sesame Street!

Cindy Lou Who

Doesn't she look like Cindy Lou Who from The Grinch?  Can't you just see her with a blanket saying, "...but why, Santa Claus, why?"

BV Bombers Baseball

Through a random series of scheduling events, Jacey and I were the only ones able to attend the BV Bombers 4th of July celebratory game this year with the research students, so we made the most of it.

She was very excited to attend.

In case you're wondering, this is her smiling for the camera and saying 'Cheese!'.

And when we got there, she quickly made friends with Zaboom (Boom, to her) and the puppy (who has a name I either never learned or can't remember). 

She liked the puppy more and spent the remainder of the night asking for the puppy.  (And I spent the remainder of the night making sure she didn't wander off looking for said puppy).

We had our pre-game picnic, then went to the Kid Zone to play some of the game and bounce in the bounce houses.  She enjoyed that tremendously as well, and lucky for us, we went on a Monday night when there weren't a lot of people.  Translation: she didn't have to fight with big kids in the bounce house.

Success!!

She tolerated some of the actual baseball game, but only 3-4 innings, and we left the game to go back to the Kid Zone for more bouncing, then called it a night.

All-in-all, she had an absolute BLAST.

Sweet sisters

Since they rarely do this, I thought it was worth memorializing. Books tonight were read while sitting on Jacey's bed.  Then Tatum (not Jacey, which was really the shocker) wanted to lay down and snuggle with Jacey.

After reading our two books for the night, they decided they wanted to sleep in the same bed tonight, so I obliged (again, a rarity around here except for when everyone manages to end up in our bed by morning).  I only had to go in to settle them down and get everyone (read: Jacey) back in bed twice (that might be an all-time record!) before they were both out.

And by 8 PM.

My sweet princesses.  My goodness they're so adorable sometimes I just can't stand it.

Jacey's first fish

We all went fishing yesterday afternoon as the finishing touch for Daddy's father's day.  Jacey was sitting in her stroller watching, when she decided she wanted a turn.

During the second cast, Daddy indicated they had one, so I started the video....How often do you get your baby's first fish on video?

Daddy was so proud. It was a fitting finale to his Father's Day.

Mischevious One

This morning I walked into my bathroom to this...

Luckily, it was just my make-up and not a permanent marker.  But in case you can't tell from the picture, she got awful close to her eye with this one.

She keeps me on my toes.  And I'm not doing pirouettes!