End of September update

I updated the post about Todd's dad with a photo of the plaid jacket mentioned.  It's a classic!  Be sure to check it out~

This blog post contains some info from a post I started writing before Bob passed.  It doesn't necessarily seem like that big of a deal in the whole scheme of things, but here is some info on the kids + some photos to peruse.

We went to the aquarium earlier in the month.  This time, Isabella interacted more with the fish as she did her first trip here.  She definitely enjoyed herself!

We went up to the Chattanooga aquarium with our friends Mike & Sara and their two boys.  Mercer definitely seems to enjoy himself more when other kids are around.  We try to do a lot of stuff with the 4 of us, but I think - for him - it's a huge bonus if there are other little boys there.  (He's very social!) 

We prepped our friends to bring water shoes because of the outdoor plaza with a water feature that kids ultimately end up in.  The boys had a fantastic time getting absolutely soaking wet!  Luckily, everyone also brought extra clothes too~

Love this photo of Isabella at the aquarium.  I showed this photo to a doctor recently to have a discussion about an eye issue.  Since Isabella has been a few weeks old, we've noticed that her eyes don't necessarily align.  The pediatrician said to wait  to do anything about it -- if she had a weak eye muscle it would get stronger as she got older.  After her 6 month appointment, we decided to go ahead and call a pediatric ophthalmologist.  

He was not at all concerned about her eye alignment. He said that she has something called Pseudostrabismus (where a child's eyes may appear to be crossed, but they are found to actually be straight -- an "optical illusion" is generally created by an infant's facial structures. There is "extra skin" on the sides of the nasal bridge that cover the whites of the eyes and give the appearance that the eyes are misaligned. Typically, as children grow they mature into the facial features and pseudostrabismus becomes less noticeable. This appearance is frequently noted mainly in pictures, because pictures are usually taken slightly off center, which can exacerbate the appearance of a misalignment.) Just as this photo from the aquarium (at left) shows!

One thing he noticed, however, is that she does seem to be near-sighted.  He said that babies her age should actually be a little bit far-sighted as their vision draws in as they get older.   He wants to see her again in a year and check her again to observe any changes.  He suggested that she may need glasses when she's entering school.  Interesting to know this ahead of time instead of having her struggle & us try to figure out why!

On a similar note - Mercer had a dentist appointment recently. They suggested that he will need braces in the future because he has a small mouth and his bigger / permanent teeth are coming in.   Guess we have to plan ahead for both of the kids!  (BTW - Mercer lost a 2nd tooth days after he lost the first.  This pic was taken in early September.)

Also early in September, we celebrated the 5 year anniversary of Mercer's Adoption Day.  He said (after Isabella's adoption finalization party) that he wanted to have a party for his adoption. 

Of course he didn't remember the giant party we threw for him 5 years prior because he was too young!  But - we threw him a party at a local restaurant on the square / invited some friends / and had pizza, cupcakes, and balloons.  Hopefully he knows how absolutely special he is to us (if we throw him a party or not!) 















Here's a shot of him plus all of his friends that were invited.  Of course, he's not happy because we asked him to look up at the camera, but it's the only shot we have with all of the kids~








We also had a little something for him to open when he got home to round out the evening.

 

Isabella's favorite part of the evening:  she loved the balloons.















September also brought us a trip to Blue Ridge for apple picking at Mercier Orchards as well as hiking at one of our favorite spots, Sweetwater Creek. 

Mercer is no longer gathering apples from up on Todd's shoulders, as he's too big now. 















Isabella slept through much of the picking, but she was able to participate in eating freshly made apple sauce at the restaurant on site!

(Notice how much of the apple sauce Isabella is wearing.... she is a much messier baby than Mercer was!  She goes through a lot of bibs and clothing changes compared to him.)

We love hiking where there's water and ruins.  (Apparently other people love it too as there were props and electrical wires laid out throughout the woods for setting up a scene for filming of the next Hunger Games movie.) 

Here are some photos of our hike to round out this blog post: