'Twas the night before Halloween...

Catching up

Once again, I was flat-out sick for a week, this time with a throat infection. I'm declaring a war on germs, and would appreciate any ammunition you can offer. Seriously, I'm doing something wrong if I've had two major illnesses in six months.

Roxanne went to the pediatric opthamologist last week, and was found to be very far-sighted. To compensate, her left eye is working harder than her right, causing her "lazy"eye to cross. The treatment: we have to put a patch over Roxanne's good eye for five hours a day to strengthen her right eye. Today was the first day, and went surprisingly well. We use the kind of patch that sticks to her skin, and although she rubbed at the patch a bit, she didn't try to peel it off.

She was also fitted for glasses last week, which she will have to wear all day, with or without the patch. We'll see how she adapts to those. (Man, those tiny little specs were expensive!)

The doctor doesn't think her vision problems are related to her other neurological problems, but they could be. Either way, we hope the treatment works so she can see things more clearly!

In news of the cute: Roxanne says "o-tay" just like Buckwheat.
Roxanne: "Out-tide?"
Me: "You want to go outside? [pause to consider my answer]
Roxanne: "O-tay!" [what a great idea, Mom!]

Photo proof

Roxanne is great, and she cracks me up. The other night, while he was holding Roxanne, Dan threw a piece of macaroni toward the sink. When it landed inside, she yelled, "Two points!" Dan and I looked at each other and laughed -- where did she learn that?

She hasn't had any more neurological symptoms since we increased her medicine, but she's going to see a pediatric opthamologist next week, because she appears to have a lazy eye. We'll see what happens there.


In the meantime, here she is, stomping around in my boots.

Facebook is killing my blog.

I recently joined Facebook, which, if you're not a member, is a strange concept that I can't explain. But the Facebook "status" feature is kind of like a one-line blog. Since I've been updating my status, I've been neglecting my blog.

See, in a one-line status update, I don't have to have a narrative or a point, or even explain things. Sure, they're vague and trite, but they still provide a great snapshot of my life. They answer the question, "so what have you been doing lately?" Here are some samples since I joined about a month ago.

[My name]
is going to the gym.
wants Roxanne to be mellow.
is surprised at how much she likes Facebook.
had a good morning where other kids entertained Roxanne.
is wondering if I should have dessert.
is going to talk less, listen more. There’s something out there I need to hear.
is trying to learn how to use her new Blackberry.
had fun at the Revels reunion!
is feeling mellow after a lovely evening walk. Time for chocolate.
just ate Carvel!
is recovering from a kids’ concert.
just finished Revels rehearsal. Very French.
is sick of the rain, so to make herself feel better about it, bought a perky red raincoat.
got her Revels costume put together after trying on enough costumes to outfit half the chorus.
actually went out for dinner & drinks tonight with Dan and friends. Crazy!
is trying to recover from a major screw-up.
thinks she may have found a long-lost friend.
was simultaneously delighted and overwhelmed at Revels dance rehearsal today.
is working today, with a headache. Massage, please!
is eating popcorn in the backyard with Roxanne.

Major themes include Roxanne, desserts and Revels. The Christmas Revels is a show I will be performing in this December at Lisner Auditorium in D.C. More details to come.