Strabismus

A while ago we started noticing that one of Rian's eyes had a tendency to drift off to the side on its own under certain conditions. We usually only saw this when he was doing something that required the sight from only one eye, like looking through the viewfinder of a camera. At first, I thought he didn't know how to look through the viewfinder. It looked like he was holding the camera up to his face, and then looking to the side, as if trying to see around the camera. I mistakenly thought that he didn't know to look through the viewfinder, and tried to correct him.

But after seeing this happen a few times, we eventually figured out that his eyes weren't looking in the same direction. One eye would look through the viewfinder, and the other would just go off to the side, all on its own. This would happen just about every time he would look through my camera. Very strange.

So we mentioned it to the doctor. He referred us to an ophthalmologist, who examined Rian and ran him through some vision tests. He explained that this was normal, and that Rian's vision was fine. The eye, he explained, naturally reverts back to a different position when at rest. He demonstrated this effect to Lacey and told her that when Rian's eye would drift off to the side when looking through a camera, it was just at rest, and that happened to be where its resting point was. Everyone is a little different.

But that seemed a little strange, and when Lacey explained all of this to me when I got home, I was a little skeptical. She showed me an exercise the doctor recommended involving a string and a ball that is supposed to strengthen the muscles in the eye. I tried it, but grew even more agitated. It just didn't make sense to me.

But, after all, this is what the doctor told her, and he was an ophthalmologist. He probably sees this all the time. So I decided that I needed to trust the doctor.

Some time passed and everything seemed normal. His eye would wander occasionally, but it could usually be corrected by reminding him to "focus." But as time went on, we started seeing it happen more and more. Now it was happening in low-light conditions, like when tucking him in at night, or even in the living room during the evenings.

His teacher had noticed some things, too. She had seen him being very cautious when going up and down stairs. Having seen a few students with vision problems, she recommended a vision clinic that had a good reputation. We took him there and right away, the doctor could tell something was wrong. After running him through some tests, the doctor diagnosed Rian with strabismus. This guy actually specializes in this stuff, and told us that he was very surprised and disappointed that the first doctor hadn't seen it.

He explained that strabismus is a serious problem that can ruin depth perception and in some cases can lead to blindness in one eye (read about it at webmd or wikipedia). The doctor asked if Rian still preferred a tricycle to a bicycle, and if he seemed afraid of a ball when thrown to him. Of course! These are both indicators of a lack of depth perception. Sitting up high on a bicycle would make me pretty nervous too, if I couldn't see how close the ground was. And of course, it would be pretty hard to catch a ball if you can't tell how far away it is.

Since then, Rian has been back to see them several times. Although various forms of vision therapy are often enough to correct strabismus, because of the severity of Rian's case, he will need surgery. The surgery has been scheduled, and will take place one week from today.

And now, finally, I will explain the picture. Part of the preparation for the surgery is to identify exactly how far his eye wanders. This is so that they know how much they need to correct for during the surgery. They performed many vision tests, which we described to Rian as "eye games" (which he actually looks forward to "playing"), and they got a pretty accurate number. Then, they take a prism which bends the light by the appropriate amount to account for his eye looking in the wrong direction, and attach that to a pair of glasses. This allows both eyes to sit where they want to (looking in different directions), but because of the prism, both eyes see as if they were looking directly ahead. They needed Rian to wear these special glasses for 24 hours and then at the end of that period, they do a test to make sure they had the number right. They did.

One thing you'll notice right away is that the prism bends the light in both directions, so it looks like his eye is way out to the side instead of right in there next to his nose. This effect can be a little uncomfortable to see, because it changes the appearance of the shape of his face. It's not as obvious in this particular photo (which is why I chose it), but it is a lot more pronounced when you can see his eyes.

Anyway, please pray for Rian as he prepares for surgery on March 6th.

Back to Work

I have really enjoyed being a stay-at-home dad the last 2 weeks, but now it is time to go back to work. It was fun being able to take Rian to school in the mornings and then picking him up in the afternoons. Before this week I had only picked him up from school once, and that was when I had jury duty. And of course, I've enjoyed spending time with Ethan, changing diapers, and taking pictures. But alas, on Monday it will be time to go back to work.

Lacey's parents visited last week and got to meet Ethan for the first time. Here's a picture of Ethan holding onto (Grandpa) Bob's finger. This was actually Bob's idea, but I'm mostly satisfied with how it turned out. So thanks, Bob!

Blurry Moon

I was hoping to get some good pictures of the moon tonight, but unfortunately nearly everything came out blurry. The weather was mostly clear, but there were very thin clouds that disrupted the light just enough to make everything look out of focus.

I'm So Tired

I mentioned recently that I am surprised by how much Ethan sleeps. Well, I know that none of you believed me, so I decided to make a video about it. I hope this will convince some of you doubters.

Don't forget to turn the volume up.

What a Week!

Ethan is one week old today. He had a little operation on Friday, so changing diapers has been a little more challenging the last couple days. He's doing better now, though.

Last night I was trying to change his diaper when he started peeing all over the place. Fortunately, there was something in the way and so it was just deflected harmlessly down his side and onto the changing pad. No problem.

A minute later I heard something and looked down. My worst fears were realized as I watched the changing pad getting even dirtier...much dirtier. The diaper was just a couple inches out of position, but that's all it took.

Now I was really stuck. Ethan was still dirty from the diaper I was in the middle of changing, and the changing pad was dirty from...well, from Ethan. I didn't know what to do, so I started calling for Lacey, but she was asleep in the other room. Aaack!

Lacey eventually woke up, but she was so tired that I had to raise my voice to the level of what probably sounded like an angry, frantic yell. She came tearing into the room, looking a little alarmed and probably expecting something horrible. She came in and took over like a pro, cleaning him with an ease I'll probably never attain.

Stretching

Ethan cracks me up. I knew that newborns slept a lot, but I had forgotten just how much that was. Ethan usually looks completely wiped out, like he just finished something incredibly exhausting. He'll wake up for about 45 minutes and sit with Lacey, getting something to eat, but apparently nursing really wears hm out, because by the time that he finishes, he's fallen asleep again!

Spam with a Twist

I use gmail at home, and it usually does an excellent job filtering spam out, but this morning an email sneaked past the filters and into my inbox. Take a look at it and you can see how it got through.

From: chalbappah@gmail.com
Subject: underlaid Viiaxgra
Date: February 15, 2008 4:52:45 AM PST
To: ericjmarshall [---at---] (public email service mentioned above)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Viiaxgra from $1, 20 http://www.[domain removed].com

Very very well, said Madam Pomfrey, looking startled, and she too left.Not that I know of, said Mr. Weasley. Yes, its a minute off ...Wedcontrasting strongly with the black of his hair and beard

It's kind of funny how the spammers are trying to get past the filters by disguising part of the message as something that doesn't look like spam. Of course this is nothing new, but I hadn't seen a message quite like this one before.

Lunar Eclipse Coming Soon

There's a lunar eclipse coming up on February 21st. I had so much fun during the last one, back in August, that I'm hoping to take pictures of this one as well. I recently bought a 2x Kenko Teleconverter that allows me to get in a little closer. I took it outside today and took some pictures of the moon, and I think they have a lot more detail than the photos I took last August.

But you probably didn't come here to see a picture of the moon, so here's another picture of Ethan.

Learning to Read

I decided to do something a little different today. Ethan has been getting a lot of attention lately, and I can tell that Rian feels left out sometimes. It was especially evident at the hospital the other day. Some people came to visit and they were all talking about babies, but Rian found that boring and decided it would be more interesting for everyone to look at his soccer pictures from last summer, which I happened to have on my computer.

He started pulling the soccer pictures up on the screen and talking about them, but nobody really listened. It made me sad for him. As the youngest of 3, I remember what it was like being little and everyone being excited about something that I didn't appreciate or understand, and wanting to turn the attention of the room back to myself.

So, as cute and adorable as Ethan is right now, I want to show you a video that I made that is all about Rian. Rian is learning about some exciting things, and one of those is learning how to read. Today he brought home a book from school, so I sat down with him while Ethan was taking a nap and he read it to me.

Fitting In

I picked Rian up from school today, and his teacher told me that he was telling everyone in his class that his brother "came out of Mommy!" Lacey and Ethan were waiting in the car, so I asked him to guess who was waiting in the car. "Umm... Eli! I mean, ETHAN!" (His cousin Eli is 16 months old.)

Ethan seems pretty comfortable in his car seat. The straps have to be pretty tight in order to hold such a tiny body and I thought I was going to break him last night when I was getting him ready to go home. He slept through it though, so I guess it wasn't too uncomfortable.

It may sound strange, but it's easy to forget how small he is when you have been around him for awhile. But then when we put him in his car seat it puts his size back into perspective and I remember to appreciate his tiny little body.

We're Home!

Tonight will be our first night together as a 4-person family. I'm planning on sleeping through most of it.

Blue Steel

We're trying to break Ethan into the world of male modeling. We're calling this look Blue Steel.

Going Home

It looks like they are going to let us go home. With the exception of some difficulties upgrading to 10.5.2, everything is going well.

A little while ago a nurse came in and pricked Ethan's foot to collect some blood samples. He cried like it hurt, and I'm sure it did, but after a few minutes he had fallen back to sleep, even as she was still collecting the blood. I remember Rian cried and cried when he had the same thing done when he was a baby, and it was very traumatic for everyone involved. This time it was a little easier.

The lady told me that she pricks a lot of babies (which in any other context would be a little alarming) and that about half of them throw a fit, while the other half respond more like Ethan did.

Recovering

Lacey is recovering well - much faster than after Rian was born. Dr. Smith, who delivered Ethan, was at a loss for words this morning when he came to check on Lacey. "You look... above average!" She looks great and is recovering well.

Ethan is also doing well. He is getting lots of sleep and all of his little body parts are getting some practice. Last night I changed a dirty diaper for the first time in quite awhile. It was a lot harder than I remember.

If everything continues to go smoothly, we may be able to go home tonight.

Details

Dr. Larry Smith delivered Ethan at (officially) 11:08 am, although my records show he was actually born at 11:11 am. His birth weight was 7 lbs, 10.2 oz. He is 20.5" tall.

Baby Pictures

Here's a picture of Ethan. I haven't had much time to go through the pictures, but I'll update this post with more a little later.

*** UPDATE - 11:25 pm ***
As promised, here are a few more pictures.

It's a Boy!

We did it! Ethan Jude Marshall was born around 11:15 am. He weighs 7 lbs 10.2 oz.

Lacey did a great job. Ethan and Lacey are now resting.

Here We Go

After hours of waiting, things are finally starting to happen! Lacey is at 9 cm now, after being stuck at 2 cm for about a month, finally changing sometime after 6 am. The nurse thinks this is going to be quick. Lacey is resting now, but as soon as she comes back in it will probably be time to push. We could have a brand new baby before lunchtime!

This room is nice. It's a quiet and relaxed atmosphere. There is some natural light coming in through the windows. It is quiet, except for some classical music playing on my laptop and the baby's rhythmic heartbeat coming from some medical equipment. It's very soothing.

At the Hospital

We're at the hospital now, waiting in the delivery room for things to progress. We were at home keeping close track of how frequent the transactions were. They were pretty regular, averaging about 15 minutes apart for an hour. We were trying to decide whether to start getting ready to leave or wait for another contraction when Lacey's water broke. That made the decision a little easier.

A few minutes ago there was a guy in the hallway trying to give someone directions to the hospital over the phone. I think they were having some problems communicating, because it sounded like he was getting pretty upset.

"You're where? 395?! How'd you get over there?"
"You're in Pasco? I thought you were in Kennewick!"
(To a female voice in the hall) "She's on Elm--she's not supposed to be there. Do you know where Elm is?"

Things have quieted down, so I guess they figured it out.

Off to the Hospital!

It's go time.

Updates

You might notice a few changes I've made around here lately. The colors are a little different and I've moved some stuff around. But do not fret. We're still doling out the same old boring stuff.

Also, notice the new poll off to the right. I added that because let's face it, polls are fun. Now, it's going to be really embarrassing if the poll closes with like 2 votes, so take a moment and let your voice be heard!

Rian will be tallying the results and providing some analysis in a few days after the baby comes. As you can see, he's already hard at work. But he needs your help! Get out and vote!

Overdue

On Wednesday, when I had my 40 week doctor's appointment, I was pretty bummed to hear that things weren't progressing. My doctor had wanted to induce but I really want NT to come on his own. He's giving this little boy until early next week before he'll push for induction. I know this happens all the time but I still don't want to do it. Blah!

Someone said that he's just comfortable right now but I'm seriously doubting that with how cramped he must be. With all these contractions I'm hoping he's on his way! Funny how I look forward to each painful one. I'm just ready to be done with it and see our little guy! 

Almost There

NT's due date came and went without incident. Still no babies.

I think we're getting pretty close though. Tonight, Lacey had 7 contractions in about 90 minutes. Some were only 5 minutes apart, others were 10 minutes apart, but a couple were still as many as 30 minutes apart. Overall, this is much better than where we were just a couple days ago. The close ones gave us a little scare, but that didn't last too long as there wasn't much consistency to them. The doctors have recommended that we come to the hospital when the contractions are about 15 minutes apart, and remain that way for about an hour. We're almost there.

Contractions Increasing, Snow Falling, Patriots Crying

Lacey has been having contractions throughout the day, including 3 in the last hour and a half (as of a few minutes ago--she is sleeping now). She tells me that the intensity of the contractions is also starting to increase, as they are also becoming more and more regular. This whole baby thing is starting to sink in and become a little more real.

In other news, the snow from last week finally melted, just in time for some fresh powder to fall on Saturday. Here is a picture I took on Saturday night. I tried to get my HDR groove going, but I don't think it really helped.

Finally, I feel that this entire NFL season has been a success. Even though the Cowboys weren't able to win a playoff game, and subsequently lost nearly their entire coaching staff to the Dolphins, and even though their bitter division rival went on to win the big game (after losing to the Cowboys in both regular season meetings), and even though Marion Barber didn't get half the carries he should have, and even though I had to hear about how great Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were every single week, this season finally made up for all of its shortcomings on Sunday night when the Patriots lost. What a time to lose their first game of the year.

One more thing - February 5th is my half-birthday (I will be posting a wish list very soon), so if the contractions continue to progress as they are, there is an outside chance of Number Two coming on a semi-special day for me. If he misses that date, the next notable date is February 10th, which of course is (my sister) Amy's birthday. But I don't think any of us want to wait that long...