At about 3 months old we noticed Talon was sensitive to bright lights, particularly in stores, and not tracking objects.  At first we dismissed it thinking this might be "normal."  We are first-time parents so we didn't know any better.  We thought "perhaps this is what babies do."  Then at about 4 months old, we decided to make an eye appointment with an opthalmologist.  At this visit, the doctor said he was too young to make an assesment and would like to see him back at 6 months old.  Though, the diagnoses he provided was called Myopia and Astigmatism.  Myopia is nearsighteness which is a common cause of blurred vision.  If one is nearsighted, objects in the distance appear blurry and out of focus.  Astigmatism is an eye disorder in which the cornea (the clear tissue covering the front of the eye) is abnormally curved, causing out-of-focus vision. An astigmatism makes it difficult to see fine details, either close-up or from a distance.  The doctor mentioned perhaps Talon being born preterm could contribute to his poor vision.  (Talon was 3 weeks early.  Though, I think it was inevitable since Eric and I both have terrible vision!)

We returned to the opthalmologist at 6 months old.  He again diagnosed Talon with myopia and astigmatism.  The doctor wanted to continue to monitor the situation.

It was between the 6 month doctor visit and the next that we started to realize Talon was looking cross-eyed.  So, we returned to the opthalmologist at 15 months old.  This visit was a bit different.  The doctor noticed Talon's vision not getting any better.  He too noticed the crossing of the eyes, particularly with the right.  The doctor diagnosed Talon with esotropia.  Esotopia, or strabismus is a disorder in which the eyes do not line up in the same direction when focusing. The condition is more commonly known as "crossed eyes."  The doctor asked that we patch Talon's left eye 2 hours daily.  My initial reaction was that I wanted to cry.  I felt terrible my lil' baby boy was going through this and now had to patch his eye.  People would make fun of him, and I wouldn't be able to handle that!  I had to suck it up and be strong for Talon.  If I show any negativity, it will shine through and Talon will feel the same.  Then, my next thought was "how am I going to keep this 'band-aid' on Talon for 2 hours?!"  The doctor said it might be a battle with Talon wanting to take off the patch, but to remain consistent.  Amazingly enough Talon kept on his patch the required 2 hours each day.  He never grabbed or pulled at the patch to take it off.  The first day I put on the patch, I noticed he was more clingy than normal.  Again, I felt like melting because I knew he knew something was wrong and he wanted mommy right by his side.  After about 3-4 weeks of wearing the patch, we noticed the "good" eye now crossing.  The patch seemed to be a reversal of what we intended.  However, the doctor said this is normal but to discontinue wearing the patch.  It was at this point, we decided we should get another (doctor's) opinion.

We visited an optometrist that specializes in helping infants & toddlers outside of the Kaiser network just to hear somebody else's opinion.  The doctor provided a thorough exam and was excellent with Talon.  I felt really good about the visit, though she diagnosed Talon just as the other doctor did.  She provided us with eye exercises to strengthen the eye muscles, so they would work to see outward rather inward.  She too wanted us to return 3 months later.

Our latest visit with the Kaiser opthalmologist was recently, at 18 months old.  The doctor gave Talon another eye exam in which he saw Talon's eyes not getting any better.  He decided Talon needed to start wearing glasses.  The news wasn't too shocking.  I had been prepared for this since the doctor had forewarned us in one of our earlier visits.  He also told us at that time surgery would be the last option.  (In surgery the doctor cuts the muscle in the eye to help it see straight.) 

We made an appointment to get Talon fitted for his glasses, and picked them up a few days ago.  At that time, the eye glasses guy said it would be a battle to keep the glasses on Talon.  He told us to be consistent, not give up and work as a team.  So for the first few days, I wore my glasses as I woke up Talon, and his glasses.  Sofia, our nanny, also wore her glasses in support of Talon!  The first day of trying to put on the glasses we played around for a bit in his crib by placing the glasses on bear-bear (stuffed animal) before actually placing them on Talon.  It took 2 times to actually get the glasses on Talon, 1 time of him saying "off" and he has kept them on ever since!  Well, we take the glasses off when sleeping. 

Talon has been amazing through this lengthy process, which isn't over yet, but we're making progress.  I think he realizes that, so that's why he cooperates so well.  As a mother, you're heart just melts as you see your child in pain or in need.  But Eric and I have come to realization we need to remain strong and continue to do what the doctor recommends.

The next time you see Talon, make sure you tell him he looks cute, adorable etc. in his new glasses.  The positive reinforcement will help!  

Talon is now 14 months old - wow time flies!  Talon has evolved into a lil' boy.  He is not only walking real well, but he has picked up the pace to a slow jaunt.  He must have his mamma's blood being that he loves to run.  As a matter of fact, Talon runs too fast that he trips himself sometimes and falls down.  But most of the time it doesn't seem to stop him -- he picks himself up and keeps on going!  He enjoys playing with the kids across the street and in the neighborhood.  Though he's one of the youngest, he still tries to keep up with the big kids.  

He is always such a happy kid, well, for the most part.  Unless it's nearing dinnertime.  Talon knows when I am cooking and/or preparing dinner.  He always seems to get right in between me and the cabinets -- maybe he's waiting for lil' morsels of food to fall.  Talon loves to eat.  He will pretty much eat anything we give him, but he definitely does not like yellow squash.  I have even tried to disguise it, but he knows my tricks!  Talon even ate ahi last week.  I think his favorite at this point, besides his ba-ba (bottle of milk), is yogurt, grapes and blueberries.  We have been able to successfully switch from formula to whole milk -- not completely yet though, we still provide 1/2 formula and 1/2 whole milk.  We wanted to ease into the switch just in case he was allergic or lactose intolerant.  

Talon loves the water -- he seems to find a tiny puddle of water to play with.  Whenever Eric is watering the lawn or flowers, Talon loves to play in the hose water.  We take him to GiGi and Pops house to swim in their pool and he loves splashing around.  He has learned to kick/swim like a frog.  We plan to put him in swim lessons though so he can learn more and especially how to hold his breath in the water.

We have been very lucky still with his sleep pattern.  We put him to bed by 8:30pm and wake him up at 8:30am.  And even sometimes when I wake him in the morning, he doesn't want to get up!  Now that Eric has a new job, I wake up Talon in the morning and feed him until Sofia arrives.  But on the weekends, Eric and I can't wait to wake him up together -- we love to see his smiling, bright face!  It's a perfect start to every day!

Talon has learned how to climb up and down stairs quite well.  He turns around backwards to go down a step or the stairs.  Both Sofia and GiGi taught him that.

Each Friday when the trash man comes, Talon will stop what he's doing to listen.  He then will run to the door to lookout and grunt while pointing.  Talon and I will run outside to see the trash man -- he is enamored with the truck and noise.  He will also hear a plane or helicopter and points to the sky.  I don't think he can actually see the plane or helicopter but he hears it and can distinguish it.

Talon is starting to babble a lot more as we try to figure out what he's saying.  I believe he can distinguish mamma and da-da -- he'll say "ma" or "da."  He knows meaning/association of words more than actually saying them.  For instance, when we say ba-ba, he goes crazy and wants his milk!  He also knows what bath means and I've heard him say "ba."  It's interesting trying to figure out what he wants.

Talon is such a great kid and we adore every second with him, but then again I'm sure every parent says that about their child.  :) 

Eric thought he and I should get away for the weekend before starting his new job, just the two of us. We decided to take a quick trip to Palm Springs, which is my favorite.  Eric also thought it would be good because it's close to home in case "I have a melt down from not seeing Talon, we could quickly drive home."  (However, I think he was meaning himself.)

Eric and I left Friday morning for Palm Springs and Sofia watched Talon until 5:00pm until GiGi picked him up for the weekend.   We stopped at the Cabazon Outlets for some quick shopping before checking into the Rivieria Resort & Spa.  By 1:30pm, we were sipping our cocktails poolside. The weather on Firday was about 103 degees - it wasn't too bad if you were in the pool.  We had dinner reservations at LGs Steakhouse at 7:00pm so we got out of the pool to hit "the strip."  Dinner was enjoyable until Eric was signing the check and spilled half my Mojito in my lap! Of course I was wearing white pants, so we headed back to the hotel for the night. We called GiGi and Pops to check in and talk to Talon about 3-4 times on Friday -- yes, we missed him already!

Saturday I went to the fitness center while Eric slept off his headache for the night before. We ordered room service for breakfast before meeting up with our friends Jill and Jason and their little boy Jax at the hotel pool.  (Jill, Jason & Jax had come out to stay at her mom's house for the weekend, too.)  We were in the water by 11:00am.  The pool was much more crowded than the day before.  Since the weather was hotter than the Friday, about 109 degrees we didn't get out of the pool unless we had to get suntan lotion on or go to the bathroom.  By 4:30pm, Eric and I decided to get ready for dinner.  We ate at Las Casuelas, a popular Mexican restaurant on "the strip." Then we hit Lapperts for dessert. On Saturday, we probably called GiGi and Pops about 2-3 times to check in and talk to Talon.

Sunday morning we woke up and both worked out at the fitness center.  We got ready for the day and headed to breakfast.  After breakfast, we decided to checkout and drive home.  Yes, we were missing Talon!  We got to my parents house to get back into the pool and enjoy the rest of the day with Talon.

According to GiGi and Pops, Talon did very well!  "He didn't even miss us."  Hmmm, I'm sure he did.  :)  He slept good, ate well, played hard and enjoyed spending time with his grandparents while mommy & daddy were gone for the weekend.

Talon had his 12 month well baby check up on June 10.  The doctor measured him, weighed him and then the nurse gave him his shots.  Talon measured 31.5 inches and weighed 22 lbs. - the doctor considered him "tall & skinny."  Talon was to get 6 shots - 2 in each of his thighs and 1 in the back of each of his arms!  He's had the shots before and this many, so I didn't think it would be a big deal.  Though, I think if I had 6 shots in one day, I wouldn't be very happy.  The first shot given in his thigh was fine, then the second was like "ouch, what was that?"  Then the next 4 were terrible -- Talon screamed and cried.  After the nurse was finished, we got Talon dressed again and he seemed to forgot about it.  Until the doctor said he ordered lab work to test for anemia and lead poisoning.  We didn't have to do the lab work but Eric and I thought it was only one more shot.  (Ya, easy for us to say, right?!)  The lady at the lab said it's easier to get blood from babies in the crease of the arm.  Before she placed the needle in, Talon started screaming.  As she placed the needle in, Talon jerked and it fell out.  I thought "oh great, now we have to prick him again!"  So the lady said she would have to get the blood from his finger.  The lady slowly filled the 2 vials with his blood, drip by drip as Talon cried.  By the time we got to the car, Talon was fine again.  As a matter of fact, he was playing with his new band-aid on his finger.

Sofia watched Talon for the remainder of the day, with minimal activity.

That night when I put Talon down to bed, I noticed his head was hot.  He quickly closed his eyes and went to sleep.  I thought "that was too easy, something's up."  About 2 hours later, Talon woke up crying.  I went in and his head was really hot.  I took his temperature and it read 101 degrees!  Eric and I took him out of his PJs to only leave him in his diaper and shirt and tried cooling him down with a damp cloth.  I rocked him to sleep once again.  But then about 2 hours later he woke up.  This time I took his temperature it was 102!  I didn't want to panic yet, but I was getting worried.  Again, I rocked him and we fell asleep together in the chair.  

The next morning, we let him sleep in until 9am to get a little more rest since he didn't have much that night.  We took his temperature which read 101.  Before returning home that afternoon from a meeting I had, Eric texted me Talon's temperature wasn't going down and he wasn't eating or drinking.  I called the doctor on my way home, in which the nurse told me it's normal for this to occur and would take 48-72 hours for him to get better.  She told me to keep giving him Tylenol every 4 hours and liquids.  Apparently Talon rested on Sofia throughout the day trying to get comfortable and rest.  

That night (one day after his shots) Eric had left for a fight with the boys so my mom came over to help.  Talon was now to the point he was whimpering, squirming around to get comfortable, crying and just miserable!  I felt terrible!  Finally by 7pm, Talon fell asleep on my chest for the next hour.  By about 8:30pm when Talon woke up, I believe his fever broke.  My mom tried feeding him and giving him some water -- finally, Talon ate and drank!  My mom then held Talon as I tried to eat my dinner and clean up around the house.  By 9:30pm we put Talon in his crib.  It was another long night as Talon got up several times.  We were still giving him Tylenol every 4 hours to subside the fever.  At that point, it was going down, now to about 99-100 degrees.

Finally by Friday, 2 days later, Talon was back to himself again!  As a matter of fact, Talon and Sofia went to the park that afternoon to get out for fresh air.  Whew, I don't think I'll ever do that again -- next time we'll spread out the amount of shots!  Good thing is, Talon does not have anemia nor lead poisoning and he will hopefully remain healthy from all those shots.

(You might ask why test for lead poisoning?  Lead poisoning occurs when too much lead is absorbed by breathing or swallowing a substance with lead.  Too much lead in the body can cause irreversible problems in growth and development in children.  Lead is toxic in which can damage the brain and other parts of the body.)

Wow, our lil' boy turned 1 years old yesterday!  Eric and I still cannot believe Talon is already 1 years old.  Talon said he had a wonderful day...

We have been celebrating since Tuesday, the day before.  Sofia took cupcakes and juice to the park they visit everyday to kick off Talon's birthday celebration week.  All the kids in the park sang "Happy Birthday" to Talon.  Even one of Talon's park buddies made a sand cake for Talon.

The morning of Talon's actual birthday, Eric and I woke him up and sang "Happy Birthday" as we took pictures.  When Talon is unsure or scared, he turns down his bottom lip as he is about to cry.  That is what he did when we sang and took the pictures.  (It might have been our singing that made him sad.)  Unfortunately I had to go to work in Pasadena and I was upset for leaving him on his birthday.  I tried to keep telling myself "he doesn't know it's his birthday" to make me feel somewhat better.  But my day was made when I was at work emmersed in projects when I thought I heard Talon.  All of a sudden, Talon, Eric, my mom and Sofia were in my office!  Eric gave me a framed photo of Talon they had just taken at a studio before coming that I placed on my desk, as I took my lil' baby boy to give him a hug.  Since I couldn't celebrate with Talon on his b-day, they brought the party to me.  I was so overjoyed, happy and surprised I got tears in my eyes.  It was the BEST surprise.  I have been so stressed lately with work and planning Talon's b-day party, but that all went away.  I couldn't have felt any happier!  The office gathered around the b-day cake my mom brought and sang "Happy Birthday" to Talon.  Eric, my mom, Sofia, Talon and I walked to Wahoo's for lunch.  Afterwards they had to go home while I stayed to get my work completed.  But when I came home, Eric and I sang "Happy Birthday" one more time as we gave Talon his cupcake.  I don't know about Talon, but I had a good day!

This Saturday we will continue the celebration with a big birthday party!  I look forward to the memories and pictures.

Eric and I look back in the last year and cannot believe time has passed so quickly!  We have enjoyed EVERY moment with our son and love the memories we have created as a family.  Talon has grown up so much.  We remember when he was a TINY 5 pound 12 ounce baby.  And now he is "talking", eating adult/normal food, and even walking.  Talon took his first steps 2 days before his 1st birthday!  Talon's personality and character have developed so much in the year.  He is such a happy baby, always laughing, playing and having fun.  It's amazing how the dumb or little things can make him smile.  He is such an easy-going baby that doesn't ask much.  We are very lucky parents, not to mention proud!

Eric, Talon and I spent the night at GiGi and Pops house, along with Shane, Katie and Vaughn.  The next morning, we all lounged around the house playing with the babies and enjoying each other's company.  Eric kept making the comment that Talon needed a haircut.  It was not the first time.  In fact, Eric had made several comments that we needed to cut Talon's hair for the last few months.  I thought Talon was still too young and I didn't want to cut his baby hair yet.  I was trying to wait until he was at least 1 years old.  So as we're all lounging around at GiGi and Pops house, Eric made the comment again and walked away.  I was tired of hearing it, so I said "fine, cut his hair."  GiGi got the scissors out as Talon sat on my lap.  She cut the front portion of his hair, straight across. There was nothing straight about that cut GiGi made -- it was crooked!  Eric heard all the laughter and came back in the room to see what was going on.  I innocently said "nothing."  Then he took one quick look at Talon and said "Brittany!"  What you wanted his haircut, right?  I do have to admit the haircut GiGi gave him looked pretty bad.  We tried going to a hair salon/barber shop but nobody was opened on a late Sunday afternoon.  So when we returned home, Eric and I tried fixing Talon's terrible first haircut.  I think we did a pretty good job, for what we were working with.  Now, Talon looks fine.  He can probably see again without the long hair in his eyes.  Though, he looks like a little boy now, not a baby anymore. 

For Valentine's Day weekend/President's Day weekend, the Tase-Clark family took a trip out to the south, that is Memphis, Tennessee to see the great grandmothers.  The husbands got away without doing much for their lovely wives for V-day, but the memories and fun spent seeing family far exceeded the typical Valentine's Day celebration.

GiGi (Sharon), Talon and I departed Thursday morning for Memphis.  We left early in the morning since it takes 5 hours to get to Memphis, with a stopover in Dallas.  Our first leg of the flight was full so Talon had to sit in my lap.  However, after giving him his bottle upon take-off, he fell asleep for about an hour.  With only about an hour left, my mom and I fed him the rest of his breakfast and played until we landed in Dallas.  We had about an hour in between flights, so the 3 of us went to the Admirals Club to relax.  Then, our flight from Dallas to Memphis was nearly empty, so Talon had his own seat (in his car seat).  Soon as we buckled him in, he was asleep again for almost the remainder of the flight.  We arrived in Memphis with my Aunt Romney greeting us.  She took us to my grandma's house, Jean-Jean, which is my mom's mom and Talon's great grandmother.  At Jean-Jean's house, my dad, Shane, Katie and Vaughn were waiting and playing.  We visited for a bit and then left for our hotel downtown.  We quickly checked in and left to eat dinner at the Rendezvous, which is a famous BBQ joint where my parents actually used to hang out.  

It was a bit difficult putting Talon down to sleep the first night, but I think it was mainly due to the fact that we were in a "strange" place, and not to mention he was not in his own crib.  It took about an hour to actually get him settled and to sleep.

Friday morning we all woke up leisurely and headed out to walk around downtown Memphis and ride the trolley.  For lunch, we ate at a swanky grocery store nestled into a quaint community, part of downtown but on the (Mississippi) river.  Afterwards we walked around the lil' town and went down near the river bed.  Then we headed to Jean-Jean's again.  While Jean-Jean was having the time of her life visiting with Vaughn and Talon, Eric was picked up from the airport.  As Eric arrived, my Aunt Pat, Uncle Michael, Aunt Romney and the Tase-Clark family gathered around the dinner table to fix BBQ sandwiches.  (Now, when I say "BBQ," I mean southern BBQ that is shredded pork.)  We visited for a while longer until the babies got tired and was bedtime.  

All the Aunts and Uncle, my cousin Mallory and her boyfriend Jonathan, my other grandmother (my dad's mom), and the Tase-Clark family decided to head out to the Memphis Zoo Saturday morning.  It was actually quite fun.  

That evening, we had dinner reservations at the Inn at Hunt Phelan.  This 1828 mansion has been restored into a restaurant and lounge.  Luckily, we had a private room for the 14 of us.  It was Talon's nap time as we arrived and I realized how sleepy he was so I rocked him to sleep while everyone chatted and situated themselves at the table.  Talon slept for about an hour and a half while we all recalled how we met our spouses, ate appetizers, drank wine and was merry.  Dinner arrived and Talon awoke.  Therefore in between our bites of dinner, Eric and I fed Talon.  After dinner we all decided to go to Beale Street, which is a long stretch of bars, restaurants, shops, music and loud people!  The street is closed off to cars so people can walk around and party on the street.  Beale Street is known for their "Big Ass Beers" or "King Kong Beers" so we stopped immediately to be part of tradition.  As people were yelling, singing, and partying Vaughn slept.  Talon, bundled in 2 layers of clothes and 2 blankets, was awake watching all the action.  I believe that night got down to about 30 degrees, so needless to say, we didn't stay out too long.  On the way back to the hotel, we walked pass the Peabody Hotel so we stopped in for a drink in the lobby.  By this time, Talon had fallen asleep, despite all the loudness!

Sunday morning we all decided to get some "real Southern food" (breakfast) at the Blue Plate Cafe before heading back home.  We filled our bellies and headed back to Jean-Jean's house for one last visit.  Then, it was off to the airport.  The first leg of our flight was completely full again, so Talon sat on my lap.  However, for the entire plane ride which is about an hour and a half, he slept in my arms.  Again we had an hour layover in Dallas and relaxed at the Admirals Club.  We were lucky for our second leg of the flight that the seat in our row was blocked for an infant, that being Talon.  Therefore, we were able to put Talon in his own seat, in the car seat.  He giggled and played for a little bit before falling asleep.  He slept for a majority of the flight.  As a matter of fact, I woke him up so he would be able to go to sleep when it was bedtime (at home).  So GiGi and I played with Talon until we landed.  Talon did such a great job on every flight, I was amazed.  In fact, passengers around us were even amazed and commented on what a good baby he was.  I was quite nervous to fly, because I didn't want to me "that family with the crying baby!"

I am so glad we were able to take the trip to Memphis and see the great grandmothers.  It was a trip full of great memories!  And not to mention, it was the best Valentine's Day weekend!

Talon's first teeth are coming in!  About 2 weeks ago I felt some in the back trying to break through.  And now, I can see his 2 front teeth coming in.  When the teeth come in, it can be very painful for babies since the teeth break through the skin and it can be a lingering process.  At any rate, Talon seems to be doing fine so far.  He drools a lot!  We are constantly wiping his mouth and chin so a rash doesn't occur.  Sometimes Sofia will have to change his shirt during the day because it is full of drool.  Talon also seems to put objects in his mouth to suck on, and perhaps relieve the pain.  Every so often at dinnertime, I think his teeth really start to bother him that he starts crying.  He'll continue to eat but big crocodile tears run down his face.  So, we'll stop and I try to distract him by walking around the house.  Then we continue with dinner.  Thank goodness the teeth don't bother him while sleeping -- he still is sleeping through the night.  We put Talon down around 8:15pm and then we wake him up at about 8:30am.

When I saw Talon's front teeth, at first I thought "how cute!"  But then I realized how quickly he is growing up.  I remember when Talon was first born, a tiny lil' thing.  And now it's almost 8 months later...where has time gone?!  I know people have told us "they grow up so fast."  But I never really expected this fast.  Thank goodness for the photos and videos so we can capture time and the memories.  We are enjoying every minute with Talon!  As a matter of fact, Eric and I often say before we go to bed "we have such a good son!"