Travel, dance and health updates!

So, we are back for our (seemingly very short) vacation, and we learned a few things while traveling with a 26 month old!

• Airplane seat belts are the devil. Flying isn't a problem at all, even with all her ear issues. But being strapped in? Hollowing screams as though we were beating her! We were not.
• Finding “Saving Nemo” on the movie options was our savior; 4hrs on loop, both ways!
• It rained... a lot! But this vacation truly epitomized the statement that “life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain”; or in our case, more frequently nap through it! Who needs a white noise machine when you have fresh air and the true sounds of nature? 
• Even with a fever, a visit to the doctor, and yucky penicillin we had a great time! • Toddler hands fit perfectly into Pringles containers. 
• “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” proved to be a very emotional song for the LO one night at karaoke. Still trying to figure it out, but it was either speech delay frustration or tiredness. More likely a combination of both. 
• Know your limits and always pee before you board the bus! This is a personal note to DH. 
• Two-piece bathing suits aren't as scary as I thought. Frustrated with all of my one-piece suits, I came back and bought 3 new ones... All tankini’s! Regardless, I still hate bathing suits in general. 

As for dance class… we are done! The school claimed that the kids would “learn the basics of a dance class… how to work within a group, how to be patient… develop coordination, learn rhythm, and will help develop both large and fine motor skills...” but I highly disagree! It was nothing less than organized chaos, both during class itself and trying to get out the door afterwards while the older groups came in. After a week away, we came back to learn that the 18-36 month old students were now learning a choreography for the Spring showcase! Really?!? Spending the next 2.5 months primarily on a choreography? And the one part of class the LO enjoyed was now limited to “if they have time” only? Nope, not happening! I sent an email to the company the following morning and I am now awaiting a partial refund. They were the only school willing to take children so young, and maybe that should have been an indicator to me. I thought that maybe, due to their so-called prestige, they had some magical ways with younger ones… but I was wrong. I have since reached out to my mom-tribe and have been pointed in the direction of another school that emphasizes the love of dance and fun, rather than militant excellence and competition. They seem to have a more age appropriate way of teaching, including and it’s about 1/3 the cost! The LO can only start next January, if she is interested and ready. There will be plenty of other things to do this spring and summer so I am not going to worry about it.

As for health, this will only be a partial update as we still have some appointments to get through. Following a nasty ear infection on vacation, we saw her ENT yesterday. The tube that had been sitting in the canal all this time has finally been removed, but that ear is full of fluid. The other has drained nicely and the tube is doing its job. Clearly having one ear under water is a constant struggle, but we will continue to work on the language development as best we can. I may seek outside help but I am only starting to do my research now. However, she also seems to have some issues with her vision and has been a bit of a klutz in recent weeks as well, so we need to see an optometrist (scheduled for next week) and make further assessments. My heart breaks for her as she is clearly frustrated with all of this, as we saw during karaoke, but we are on top of things and hope to clear up her little world as soon as we can! She is a little trooper, and she seems to understand that we are trying to help her now, so that's a relief!