The Meyer Clan Pictures

The Meyer family (us, Nathan's parents & his sisters and their individual families) got together for some pictures a few weekends back. The photographer was a family friend who is very talented. We met in Old St. Charles and the pictures turned out pretty good. There were a few family members not there so they were missed for sure. I've attached a link from the photographer's blog where you can see some of the pictures. Enjoy!

www.picturesbyjay.com/2011/08/on-assignment-meyer-family-shoot/

Rocco's 18 Month Stats

Everything is on track - according to Rocco's 18 month check up. Here are his latest stats as of 8/3/11:

Weight - 30 lb 12.8 oz (90th percentile!)
Height - 34.25 inches (90th percentile!)
Head - 18.82 inches (average percentile)

That's our little average size headed bruiser! :)

Oh, and he may or may not have torn off a piece of a leaf that was wallpapered to the wall while we waiting for the doctor. But no one can prove anything!

-Dawn

Rocco's Latest Vision Updates

Wow, it's been quite a while since I posted. Summer has flown by and I will post some pictures soon but I wanted to update anyone who still reads this blog about Rocco's most recent vision updates.

Rocco continues to do very well visually but we recently took him to see a doctor in Akron, OH who has done a TON of research on nystagmus (the involuntary eye movement that Rocco experiences because of his Albinism). Rocco's eye doctor here is really good but when you hear about someone that is an expert on a condition your child suffers from, you have no choice as parents but to pack up and go see what he can tell you. And I'm so glad that we did. This doctor was really great. He had no ego whatsoever (which can be rare in doctors, in my opinion) and he explained everything very thorough and in a way we could easily understand.

We have been told that Rocco does not have a null point (which is a posturing of his head which results in his best line of vision). However, this OH doctor noticed that Rocco does indeed have a null point as soon as he saw him. It's a slight one so it's not that obvious. He said most clinicians miss it even though most kids with Albinism have it. His chin points down toward his chest (slightly) and his eyes have an upward gaze. We have seen this but didn't realize it's a null point. But as the Dr. pointed out, why shouldn't he be looking straight forward like most of us do?

The Dr. said it used to be thought that people with Albinism would never see better than 20/200 which prohibits them from driving. However, his research has found that the more actively and aggresively you treat the low vision when a child with Albinism is young, the better the chances they could have vision as good as 20/80 as an adult (which would allow them to drive!). The brain needs to see the most clear images as possible while it's developing so that it can recognize clear images in the future.

The way to do this is through glasses and/or contacts, surgery and, in some cases, with medicine. So, he gave us a prescription for glassess/contacts for Rocco. Contacts would be best because they give the best possible vision and they move with his eyes so his null point wouldn't be hindered. They can also be "painted" to block out light since his eyes are senstive to light. He said contacts on a kid Rocco's age (18 months) is possible but it's a family decision. His suggestion is to try them and if we can't make it work, try again next year. Keep trying until we get it. So we are going to look into contacts but I don't have high expectations since I can't see Rocco letting up put in or remove contacts from his eyes (and I'm not sure I can do this even though I wear contacts!). We did get Rocco fitted for glasses this past weekend and he should have them within the next 2 weeks. I'm hoping he will realize they help him see better and that motiviates him to wear them. We got ones that are super flexible so hopefully our "little bruiser" won't break them right away!

The other option the doctor reccommended at this point is surgery to correct or improve the nystagmus. The good news is that our STL doctor can perform the surgery. We have an appt. with him in Dec. but the OH doctor would like us to go in sooner. He already called our STL doctor and detailed his reccommendations. Eye surgery is scary to think about for Rocco but we have to do everything we can do help his vision. In additon to correcting or improving the involuntary eye movement (nystagmus), the surgery should also improve Rocco's null point so he will be able to look straightforward for his best line of vision. I'll update when I know more about when the surgery is scheduled but for now, please keep Rocco in your prayers that all of these measures will help him.

Rocco continues to do well with everything else. He has his 18 month check up today so I'll update with his stats. He has a substitute vision therapist right now while his usual one is out on personal leave. The sub came over for the 1st time this week and just couldn't get over how well he's doing. She said he is the coolest 18 month old she's ever seen and he has excellent receptive communication skills. She was impressed with his somersaults and she also couldn't believe how well he sat and looked at a book with her. She said she's never seen an 18 month with that attention span with a book. So needless to say, we're pretty proud of our little guy! He's definitely dramatic and a little rough but he's smart, funny and is developing into a quite the little boy!

-Dawn

Ray's Rockin 50's Style Birthday Party

My father-in-law turned 60 this month and my mother-in-law planned a surprise birthday party for him. The theme of the night was a sock-hop. Ray thought he was going to a themed trivia night so he was dressed in the proper attire but very surprised to find out the event was to celebrate his birthday! The decorations, music and food were great. It looked like everyone had a really good time. Gail even had Ray's classic car restored to working condition for him as a surprise. Here are some pictures:

The car on the cake is like his actual car.

Aubrey and Ray

The Meyers - 50's Style

Clayton, Graham, Kalei and Elaina playing on the shelves!?!?!

Skating Fools We Are!

The Meyers have been on a rollerskating and ice skating kick lately (if you count 2 times of each as a "kick") Nathan bought new ice skates for himself and bought a pair for Rocco. The smallest he could find was a size 8 so he will have to wait a while to get out on the ice. But we did put them on him at home.










Graham had to rollerskate in gym class and didn't know how so we took him to the rink to learn. He did so great pushing through his fear and going around multiple times. He said it helped him feel comfortable to skate when it came time to do it at school. We've been back once since then and had a good time. My mom walked the rink and pushed Rocco in his stroller. But not before Nathan found a pair of size 6 roller skates and took Rocco for one spin around. He did pretty good for just learning to walk in general about 3 months ago! Last weekend we bought Graham a pair of his own skates so he can get even better! Nathan wanted to buy Rocco some too since we found his size but I got him to hold off on that one for a while!

Rewind: Graham's 12th Birthday

We celebrated Graham's 12th birthday (Feb. 1st) at the bowling alley this year with some family members. Bowling is one of Graham's favorite things to do and this way we were able to celebrate without the preparation and clean up that goes along with a house bday party! Nice! We put all of the kids on one lane and divided the rest of the adults up between 2 lanes. We sang Happy Birthday, ate cookie cake and Graham opened some presents. Thanks to everyone who came out and/or gave him a birthday gift. It was a fun time!

I have tried to post pictures of this day several times to no avail. The universe does not want anyone to see them for some reason.

Sorry!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

My camera on my cell phone has a SUPER bright flash that washes Rocco out and really makes his eyes look red but I couldn't resist posting this. Poor kid-I just woke him up, threw his clothes on him and then flashed a bright light in his eyes to capture the moment! :) Love it!

-Dawn

Rocco's 1st Birthday and Birthday Party

It's so hard to believe that my baby boy is 1 year old. His birthday was Friday, Jan. 14th. I know he doesn't really get all of the hoopla behind turning the Big 1 but I think it all went fabulous! :) Thursday night me, Nathan, Graham and Rocco went to Red Robin. I counted that as his birthday dinner. :) Friday night we had Rocco open his gifts from us and then just hung out at home.

Saturday I took Rocco to a free trial class at The Little Gym. It was OK but I don't think it's worth the money at his age. He had fun crawling around on the mats but he wasn't into participating in the specific activities. He was more about exploring rather than sitting in the circle. But it was something different to do, especially since it was his bday weekend.

Sunday was his party. We held it at the community room where my mom lives. The theme was Baby Sesame Street Characters. We served little smokies, meatballs, White Castle type sandwiches, chips/dip, veggies/dip and fruit/dip. After we ate, it was time to open presents. Rocco got a lot of cool toys and even more clothes. It's nice that he got some clothes for spring and summer. Next was the big event - the presenting of the birthday cake. I knew he would not hold back and really go for it and he didn't disappoint. Anyway, thanks to everyone who came and/or gave him a birthday present. I think he had a lot of fun.

Opening Presents on Rocco's Actual Birthday:

Birthday Party:

Rocco's First Hair Cut 1-12-11

I hated to cut off Rocco's curls but his hair was starting to get out of control - especially after taking off his winter hat every morning. My mom stayed for dinner after she babysat last Wed. (1/12/11) and then she trimmed Rocco's hair for me. He kept reaching out for her to pick him up so I tried my best to distract him and get him to sit still by singing any and every kiddie song I could think of. At one point I sang, "This Little Piggy" and he preceded to take his socks off so I could do it right! He did better than I expected and now my baby looks less like a baby and more like a toddler.

Here are the Before and After pictures.

Before:









After:








Love it!

-Dawn

Christmas Extravaganza 2010

Christmas was extra special this year since it was our first with Rocco. It was a long holiday season filled with many parties and celebrations. Our Christmas started out this year with the Rocco Family Christmas party on Dec. 12th. It's always a good time to see extended family that we only get to see once or twice a year. And since our family reunion was canceled this year due to weather, it was the first time many of the Rocco family members got to meet Rocco. Here are some pictures from the day:

Graham

Rocco with his 1st ever Christmas present!

Josh and Tiffany

Me and my cousin, Amanda

Rocco & Graham waiting to eat!

The following weekend on 12/19, was the Meyer family Christmas. We always do that one the Sunday before Christmas and it's so much fun. For some reason I can't get the pictures from this party to upload. I may try again later.



The following week we went to my Aunt Kathy and Uncle John's house on 12/23 for a Christmas get-together with my mom's siblings and their families. It was fun to see Rocco and Alec, his 3rd cousin who is 2 months younger than him, interact. They mostly just stared at each other but it was still the cute all the same. He are a few pics:

Alec

Rocco

Rocco with Grandma Rose Ann

The next night was Christmas Eve and my mom, brother, his girlfriend, Tiffany, and my Uncle Joe who was in from Ohio, came over to our house. Graham was with his mom but the rest of us ate dinner, hung out and exchanged gifts. Graham did come back to our house about 9 pm and was so excited about Christmas day that he had a hard time sleeping. He woke up at midnight saying he could not sleep. I told him he'd have to try because we still had about 7 hours before we could open presents. Here are some pictures from Christmas Eve:

Rocco opening his gift from Uncle Josh and Tiffany

Rocco getting the hang of this opening presents thing!

The next day was Christmas and it was kind of ironic because Graham who usually sleeps in until 10ish, was up at 7 am ready to open gifts. Rocco who is usually up first, slept in until 7:30 so we waited for him to get up. It was so fun having 2 kids opening presents this year. I know that Rocco doesn't understand "Christmas" but he did enjoy opening presents and playing with the toys and the packages they came in. Later that day we went to my grandparents to spend time with my dad's side of the family (Graham went to his mom's house to spend the rest of the day with her). After my grandparents, we went by Nathan's parents' house to see my sister-in-law, Heather, and her two kids who came in from Texas. I don't have any pictures after Christmas morning unfortunately.

Rocco with his new Firetruck/Walker

Graham showing off a new shirt

Graham with new Ping Pong paddles since the old ones are worn out!

Graham with his new Blues shirt

The following weekend was New Year's Eve/New Year's Day. Nathan and I went to the Blues hockey game on NYE and were in home and in bed right after the ball dropped on TV. We're party animals - I know! :)

This past weekend was our last Christmas party. We celebrated with my father-in-law's siblings and their families. Rocco and Graham each got more gifts to add to their already-abundant haul. It was nice to see everyone at this gathering too. We got to see Baby Max who is 7 months old and doing so great after his heart surgery last month.

So, Friday is Rocco's 1st birthday (which is CRAZY!) and his party is this upcoming weekend. So basically this kid gets parties and gifts for 5 out of 6 weekends in a row in Dec./Jan. I think we need a bigger house!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Here's to 2011!

Resolution #1: Stop worrying and feeling guilty so much about things pertaining to Rocco. He will turn out just fine even if things aren't perfect!

Resolution #2: Get rid of the unused clutter in the house!

Resolution #3: Update/Fix the things in the house that need to be updated/fixed to get it in selling condition!

What are your resolutions?

Love,
Dawn