Haircuts and hectic days

The boys are all buzzed again as of Sunday, officially making Audrey the young child with the longest hair. (Alena still wins on all other accounts.)

It was next to impossible to get them all to sit still and pose long enough to get a photo of them, and the younger two looked at my attempts to amuse them, rather than their father holding the camera. At least Ethan and Aidan had their focus right... Anyway, it's been a bit hectic around here, to say the least, mostly due to the picture. An acquaintance of mine on the Internet happened to notice something that occurs in many of Julian's photos- a white eye, instead of a red one. I had never thought anything of it. In fact, I'd edited it out often, thinking it was a trick of the camera. It just so happens it is a legitimate sign of a potential issue (as if we have not had enough issues lately) and requires medical attention.

Of course I called and had him seen right away, and his doctor looked straight on at him and didn't see it- she saw the normal red. But she doesn't know anything about checking eyes at angles (and very well shouldn't, she's not an opthamologist) and his pictures seem to only do that to his left eye, when he is glancing toward his right. Soooo, we shall see. He was referred to an opthamologist, and she said she'd like to see him go regardless, considering his slightly lazy eye. She is concerned about him losing some vision in that eye if it's not corrected. Of course, last night I went all manic and looked at just about every photograph of him that existed and found some other prime examples of white eye reflections. Here is another one, at about the age he started to stop progressing as rapidly:

Nothing more than food for thought right now. I am trying to stay rational. My mantras at this point:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

In loving memory of
Fr Bertram Griffin -- 1932-2000
Requiescat in Pace

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will direct your paths.

Proverbs 3, 5-6