May 2009

May was an interesting month. We continued with the waiting for Rob's security clearance for his new job at OPG. I continued planning a surprise birthday party for my brother. We continued getting prepared to sell the house. We continued imagining scenarios of quick sell vs wait for price; Rob living with his parents; buying a new home quickly instead, etc.

Knowing we were going to have a period of time without medical/dental/vision benefits, I focused (LOL) on getting those things checked up. I wasn't due for a vision test or new glasses, so I started with kid #1, Hugh. He had been to Rob's opthamologist when he 1, and then to my optometrist when he was about 3. Or 5? All I remember is that I had a crawling baby with me too. At the end of grade 1, the class got vision screenings by the Lions Club. He came home with a note saying that either he didn't understand the test, or he might have some colour blindness issue. Knowing that Hugh often has trouble with directions, I filed the note away and promptly forgot it, thinking we'd take him in 'someday'.
I mentioned this to the assistant doing the pre-screening. She got out the colour blindness test book (click the link to test yourself!), and right away it was obvious!! My about to be 9 boy is colour blind! He's always been good at art, and very detailed, so we were stunned. Now, his is not severe, but can affect future occupations. We started remembering instances that could have tipped us off. Reading the diagrams and putting together Lego of various shades of grey. Not 'knowing' the difference between the beige house and the grey house. Not realizing I had coloured my hair. We began questioning him all the time...he didn't understand why Daddy would bother repainting the living room the same colour when we had always said we didn't like it, LOL!! He has trouble with shades of grey, esp. in combo with lavender and beige. Dark blue and black are hard to tell apart. Different shades of rust/orange/brown in combination appear very similar. He will be able to drive.
Further research indicated that colour blindness is passed through the mother's side. Apparently, my mom's dad was colour blind. Shortly after this, when we had that surprise party, my cousin's (my mom's sister's daughter) son was wearing something that made me question him too. Don't know if she's followed through though.
Huey is a little farsighted, and like me, is very light sensitive due to pale pigmented retinas.

Next came Lucy's trip. It was her first time. Turns out her eyes are totally wacky and she needs glasses!! But no colour blindness or light sensitivity.
Then it was Meg's turn. She didn't get perfect on the colour blindness test, but she was only 3 1/2 (they use one with shapes). She is also light sensitive.

We have bushes out front, and every year, there are baby birds, usually these ugly starlings/grackles (?). The momma's get upset when the birds fall out of the nests, and they'll hover nearby, but they can't do anything about it and they don't last long. Good lessons on life for the kids.

I managed to get the kids to pose for the almost annual crabapple tree portraits.

It took a LOT to get a picture of Lucy smiling!

And Meg and Lucy discovered 'meat on a bone', aka "Cavegirl meat".

I had been having a lot of dental/jaw/joint pain over the first 5 months. It was absolutely horrendous at times. My dentist adjusted a filling, and that gave relief for a short period, but I just sort of resolved that I would forever have an 'issue'. I did decide to get a new nightguard. Oh, that was fun, getting the mould. She had to use a small child's size tray!! A little while later, one night while washing my face, I felt a lump on my jaw. Well, not quite the jaw, not quite the gums, sort of really deep in the gum/fleshy part. When I went back for the nightguard check up, she took an x-ray, and noticed a spot that 'could become troublesome' and 'should' get looked at. But not by her, of course. I'd have to go to Brampton. Although her ad in the phone book said they do root canals, they don't actually.

Well, with all the business of 3 kids, about to sell the house, possibly not having dental plan to cover any treatment, and feeling better....I neglected to go get it checked. Stay tuned for what happened in September!