Sleepless in Seattle...

'Twas the night before Leap Day (almost)
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring...

except for mom, who was Photoshopping in a jittery flurry that can only be accomplished by parents who can't sleep, but are tired, but think, What the hell? She'll be up in a few minutes any way...

So, yeah, Photoshop. I love it. I dabbled here and there with the software in the past, but dagnabbit if this program isn't HARD. I just could not get beyond the whole layer thing for the longest time, and, let's face it, I really wasn't all that motivated to push through it and learn.

But now? I have all these precious baby pictures that are reaallllyy precious on their own but with a little editing here and there they can be just STUNNING ("stunning" being more of a reflection of my beautiful daughter and less on my editing skillz, as I am still a beginner).

You can probably even tell the point in time that I started actually using Photoshop by the pictures in my blog. I also got a really nice new camera (Nikon D5100) for Christmas/Birthday/Valentine's Day/Boxing Day. I haven't quite mastered the whole shooting in manual yet, but since I can take pictures in RAW format, there are a lot more editing options to be had.

 

So this one was more of a "project" to get me to practice manipulating the image and whatnot. If you stare at it long enough, you may actually temporarily go blind, but I think it's a fun one. Kind of like one of those Magic Eye pictures, no?

This I created for the sole purpose of making it into a canvas for hanging over Penny's crib in her room. This was the nighttime prayer from my own childhood, and I look forward to passing it on. The good news is there was a groupon deal, so I actually ordered it today. I'm SUPER excited for it to arrive!

One of the main things I like to do is make pictures look as professional as I can. And I really do think I'm getting the results I'd like. Between my camera and Photoshop, I don't feel like I'll ever really have to hire a professional photographer (except for *maybe* family shots someday), OR do the whole studio thing. So, in the long run, I think I'm saving money.

The main thing is I feel really blessed that I'm able to stay home with my baby this year, and spend my little bits of free time here and there developing this hobby.

Is it really almost March???

Penny is *thisclose* to reaching the 6th month mark on the 1st - and I just can't believe it. And you know what else? I'm excited about it. Sure, I miss my teeny tiny little bean of a baby, but so far, things seem to keep getting better, or at least more interesting because she is ALWAYS changing.

That said, there's not a whole lot really NEW, per say. She's on the cusp of crawling, and I can tell she wants to SO BADLY, but alas, her body will not cooperate. She really isn't even army crawling, so maybe she's not that close, I don't know. There is some serious scooting around being done in her crib, considering I find her at the other end completely facing the other direction than how I laid her there, but who the hell knows how that happens. I may eat my words, I know this, but I really am pretty excited for her to be mobile, mostly because she just seems to WANT to. She's sitting up great, but she has her toys, then she pushes them away, and then she wants them back, but she just.can't.reach.it. And I don't mind helping her out but a little independence wouldn't hurt anyone.

Her two bottom teeth have officially broke through, but you'll get a picture of them when she's about five because seriously, HOLD STILL, KID!

Any way, here are a few pictures, because, you know, she's cute.

With love...

Oh, bite me.

So, Penny has her very first tooth. Actually, TWO teeth. They are coming in like sharp little daggers growing from the depths of her gums.

The good news is, there's something to be said for her excessive drooling, chewing on everything, fussiness, and extra night wakings. The bad news is, there is still her excessive drooling, chewing on everything, fussiness, and extra night wakings.

I don't have a picture. Maybe that makes me a bad mom, but trying to take one was like trying to get a picture of a howler monkey's tonsils - not gonna happen.

I did, however, get a picture of our other *new thing* - sitting up all by herself!

She's not winning any baby awards for balancing yet, but we're getting there.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

So, in general, I love my house, I really do, but the people who lived here before us probably had conversations about decorating that went something like this:

Bill: "Sugar Plum, we need to get closet doors."
Liola: "Well, dear, go down to The Menards and get those mirrored ones."

Bill: "How big do you want the mirror to be in the bathroom?"
Liola: "That's a ridiculous question, honey, you know I like my mirrors like I like my costume jewelry - big and shiny."

Bill: "What do you want to hang on that there empty wall?"
Liola: "Hmm...  I don't know... Hey, I've got it - A MIRROR! Better get two just in case!"

So, yes, we have a lot of mirrors. As Andrew and I redecorate/remodel to suit our own tastes, we have slowly been changing out the mirrors with surfaces of the non-reflective variety, because, well, we're just not a fan of them EVERYWHERE.

But guess who is?

Vanity, thy name is Penny.

And, I won't even tell you how much Photoshopping I had to do to make my mirror look this good. Finger prints and dog slobber be damned!

Bath Graduation

It's an exciting night in our house - you can just imagine the celebratory whoops and hollars that echo the walls as Andrew and I do kart wheels in the snow.

Okay, it's not that exciting.

ANY WAY, Penny is now taking her baths in the "big bath." She still technically fits in the little bath, but her new favorite thing to do during bath time is kickickickick - and momma's tired of mopping up water.

We had some good times...

But they have to grow up some time...

In other news, it's been really cold out lately.

But that smile warms the cockles of my heart every time...

The apple of my eye...

So, I've been slacking, I'll admit it. I think part of it is I've been gearing up to share about The Big Pediatric Ophthalmologist Appointment and I just haven't quite wanted to relive that day again just yet. Not that it went badly, in fact it actually went pretty well, all things considered, but it was a LONG day and I got so worked up in preparation for it... it's like I haven't quite released all of the tension.

But hey, life goes on.

Penny did really well, despite being poked, prodded, and having various instruments put IN her eye (yeah, I know) and her eyes held open and whatnot. I LOVED the people there. The doctor was obviously very experienced and knowledgeable, and his assistant was super sweet. Although we drove through a snow storm to get there, it actually worked out pretty well for us because a lot of people had cancelled their appointments, so we had very little wait time and got in and out very quickly for how extensive the exam was. I was so fortunate to have Tom and Lu Ann there not only for their Ford Explorer to get us through the snow - but it made everything so less stressful for me and I can't imagine having to do that by myself.

The doctor is quite certain about what type of cataract she has, and this means that it is very unlikely that the cataract will multiply or grow (which would require surgery) or that it is a symptom of a hereditary disorder (which would require many more tests of the MRI/blood drawing variety).

This is the type she has: Congenital Polar Cataract with Persistant Pupillary Membrane

The cataract IS, however, somewhat in her field of vision, so it is important that we "exercise" that eye to make sure the brain doesn't turn it off since it doesn't see as well. To do this, she will have to wear a patch on her "good" eye for an hour a day, every day, and have her vision tested every 3 months.

The good news is, the patches are actually pretty cute, and she's young enough that she hasn't quite figured out that we stuck something on her face. You can tell that she KNOWS something's off - she'll rub her eyes and act a little differently when it's on - but she tolerates it pretty well.

And can I get an "Amen" for good health insurance???