Category: Photos

Off we go to the actual snow! Chicago & “Big G.,” here we come. 🙂

Finny had an unexpected visit to Dr. Feldman, our optometrist, last week. Recently, we’d noticed that his right eye had started to turn too far inward when he was focusing on near objects – like while he was drawing, or watching videos, or playing with Legos. He’d been to Feldman for a check-up in the spring, and everything checked out fine, so we thought it’d be a good idea to have him checked again to figure out what was going on with the eye.

Turns out Finny is farsighted, and after a few quick tests that indicated the issue, Dr. Feldman performed a more extensive exam to confirm it. Finny’s brain and eyes were working really hard to compensate for his inability to focus at certain distances, which is what was causing his eye to turn inward. The doc told me that Finny should be fitted with glasses, and he’d need to wear them pretty much full-time – the only exception being outdoor physical play where he is not focusing on near objects.

So, Finny tried on several little pairs of frames, and we picked the ones that looked and fit the best (and ordered two pair since one will inevitably meet a destructive end at the hands of a 4-year-old). A couple of days later, we were back at Feldman’s to get the completed specs fitted to Finny’s face, and then he was off to the races. Ever since we picked them up, he’s been super-cooperative about wearing them, and trying to remember to put them into their little case at the end of the day. He’s working on taking them on and off without stretching or torquing the frames, as well as how to clean them with his little lens cloth. I think his easygoing nature is helping make the transition pretty easy, and I also think the specs make enough difference in his vision that he can’t argue with the fact that he’s seeing more clearly. We think our bug guy looks pretty cute in his new frames, and we’re happy we got his vision sorted out!

An interesting side effect of Finny getting glasses is that he and I have established a noticeably tighter bond with each other. I think because I wear glasses, and I was working really hard to make sure he was comfortable (and even excited) about getting his own pair, he’s been especially affectionate toward me. I’m hearing lots more frequent “I love you, Mom-o”s, and he’s even bestowed one of his favorite stuffed lions on me to cuddle with while I sleep. It’s very sweet, and I’ll take as much as I can get!

When it comes to PJ pants, Finn makes me think of Sly & The Family Stone: “I wanna, I wanna take ya high-er!!” 🙂

Wow, talk about brilliant timing: No sooner did new rain boots arrive for the guys & Mom-O than we got our first really big rains of the year. So, are we going to let the weather keep us cooped up all weekend? Heck no! We suited up & got our splash on, with Finn taking particular interest in “dam breaking” (aka removing leaves from drains) with Mom-O. The guys enjoyed hearing about how Grandpa Nack had raced newspaper boats down the gutters of Galena, and they liked watching various “boats” (notable leaves) head for the drains. Check out a little gallery from this morning’s mayhem.

Oh man… It’s 12:47am the night (morning?) after who-knows-how-many days of little Henry doing his best impression of a two-ended Mt. Vesuvius. Actually it’s not quite that bad: it’s been just a few days, but having just scraped up another night’s load of barf from his bed, I’m a little spent (yet now too wired to sleep).

Earlier in the week Henry acquired a cute little panda we named Peter. As Hen sleeps on his big n’ beloved Panda Bear, he’s decided that Peter is Panda Bear’s kid, “and the Ollies are the moms.” Just now when I dashed into his room, I found that everyone had gotten pretty yucky. Hen was distraught: “I puked on Peter’s parents!!”

Ah, but that’s the thing of it: “When I puke it feels like not fun,” Henry said in the kitchen (as I scrubbed off the animals), and yet these little moments can have their charm. We love the lads so much, and we can bond through a little humor & enjoy pulling through the rough patches together. And now, having said that, let’s get past these bugs and get some sleep!

Our scissors-wielding lads have been cutting up a storm—and cutting, and cutting, and cutting; they’re now well acquainted with the terms “confetti” and “sweeping.” I always worry that they’ll blind or stab someone, so we try to enforce smart scissors-handling, requiring the guys to carry them blades-down (or by the blades). I guess that wasn’t quite enough for Finn, though: the other day he popped onto the back porch, gripping his scissors in Mom-O’s oven mitt, as you can see here. “Dad-O!” he proudly announced, “Now I can run around with scissors!!” Well, something like that, son. 🙂

Henry ambles past an unintended (?) dribble-painting in Oakland last Saturday:

As I left my cab & ascended the stairs at 9pm tonight, I was shocked to see a little face peering out at me:

To my surprise, Henry didn’t come out to see me. I entered his room & found him behind the blinds, coolly maintaining his vigil.

“Hi, buddy. Er, what are you doing?”
“I’m just looking out my window. I’m watching some cats.”
“Oh, okay…”
“And some bikes. One went by before you got home.”
“Gotcha, gotcha… So, are you going to get some sleep at some point?”
“No, I already got some.”

Henry Nack: Keepin’ His Own Counsel Since 2009 🙂

Never before has a kid been so excited about going to the dentist! For several days leading up to his appointment last week, Finny had been anxiously awaiting the trip to Dr. Vandi’s office. He loves seeing his buddy Charles, one of Dr. Vandi’s hygienists. And Charles loves visiting with Finny just as much!

Charles is originally from Ghana, and on Finny’s previous visit, he told Finny that lions (and other exotic animals) live in the wild there, just wandering around on the plains. Needless to say, Finny was beside himself. He told Charles all about his constant companion/blankie buddy Leo, and asked all kinds of questions about Ghana – which Charles was only too happy to answer. Charles was also very obliging and let Finny examine all the dental implements he’d be using that day – the little water jet, suction tube, and motorized tooth cleaner. He showed Finny how everything worked and let him press some of the buttons and pedals.

At the end of the last appointment, Charles promised he would either bring Ghanian currency or stamps to Finny’s next visit. And last Tuesday was the day! As promised, Charles was there bearing Ghanian stamps to show Finny, and once again let Finny examine the various tools around the dental chair. He even let Finny wear his special glasses with a little headlight! And Charles got to meet the infamous Leo. Here’s a little gallery of photos.

I see you, suckas. 🙂