Appointments, Camp, and Baby

Oia had two extra appointments last week in addition to her regular therapy schedule. The week was packed but now we can check the dentist and ophthalmologist off the list for a while. First up was the dentist. Her last visit to the dentist was fairly successful, meaning she didn't get too scared and she didn't really cry that much - aside from the scary "spit sucker". That was 6 months ago. Last weeks appointment was a whole different story. Maybe we can chalk it up to progress and a more knowledgeable girl these days but she was not in favor of any part of the dental exam whatsoever. She cried nearly the entire cleaning and exam and at one point I ended up in the chair to hold her in hopes of wrapping up the appointment tear-free. The whole experience felt like torture for both of us. Who really likes the dentist anyways?

The report is that Oia's teeth are clean and doing just fine. She does, however, have a molar with a significant ridge due to what the dentist believes is an enamel defect. The ridge will be a problem sooner than later as it is already trapping food and will need to be worked on but for now I have convinced the procedure-hungry dentist to just keep an eye on it and we'll cross this bridge when it's of an obvious bother to Oia. The procedure to eliminate the defect would require a slight sedative and more screaming and tears will ensue. I'm not up for it. Our girl needs a break.

Later in the week, we headed to northern VA for Oia's ophthalmology appointment. They tried to take pictures/measurements of Oia's eyes (again) but no such luck. Only if your 3 year old can remain as still as a statue, not blink, and stare at one tiny hole positioned just in front of her nose for several seconds is this task even possible. Following that, an eye tech flashed an image of a birthday cake on the wall in front of Oia and asked her what it was. Again, another fail. Not the best approach for a girl who struggles to communicate. I told the tech that Oia can't speak what she sees but that asking her a yes or no question would be more reliable. However, in this case, it wasn't. The black and white birthday cake on the wall was far less interesting than all the eye gadgets and fancy machinery in the room so she was too busy pointing around and asking "whass tha?" One day she'll nail those darn eye exams.

Dr. P said all seemed as it should. Eyes are doing as he expected and her cataracts haven't changed in size. Her eyes still will cross from time to time without glasses and Dr. P assured us this will probably always be the case. Her eyes are healthy, but the muscles that control them just have a mind of their own. As long as the crossing is minimal or nonexistent with glasses then we are in good shape. We must continue to patch via Atropine drops 2x/wk to continue to strengthen the right eye. We would use adhesive patches but at this stage of the game, Little Miss will not stand for it. So drops it is.

In 6 months we return to both doctors for another check-up.

And in other news, this morning is Oia's last day of Speech Camp. Camp was held for three consecutive Tuesday's this month for 2 1/2 hours each day. My goal for this camp was to provide Oia with some adult structure (without me) that mimicked the school environment while getting to play with a therapeutic purpose. I found this camp offering in our area via a local publication and the ratio of campers to therapists was 6:2. That fact alone sold me. I called to make sure that the therapists were comfortable dealing with children who had mobility issues before registering and thankfully they were. Each session is themed based and the campers get to participate in making their own snack and lunch. It's been a wonderful and fulfilling experience for Oia. She loves getting her speech bag ready for camp each Tuesday and happily waves bye-bye as we leave her at drop off. It's pretty neat to see her so happy and willing in a new environment. And as it turns out, the therapist in charge of the camp has Apraxic training. It's a win-win all the way around.

And the littlest Teaster is coming sooner than later... I hope. We are so ready. I have had a long night of mild contractions but seems they have stopped for now. Who knows - this could carry on for days. Though I have experienced irregular contractions off and on for the last couple of weeks now, this activity is getting more and more frequent and a little more intense. My due date is just 7 days away so we have to just continue to wait this out. I have a check-up scheduled for Thursday so we shall see what's going on then. Stand by.