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About amberhj

Mom, writer, worrier. And a stubborn idealist nonetheless.

Please do not do anything fun or exciting. Don’t you know that the world is scary, and you are incapable of navigating it on your own? The Micromanagement “Make sure both feet are always on the rope,” said one mom. … Continue reading

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Home

Back on October 1st, after a family vacation in California, a third birthday purposefully infested with ladybugs of the stuffed, cupcake and pinata varieties, and well-executed flower girl duties in Minneapolis, we moved into our first home. We’d looked at … Continue reading

Posted in Family update | 3 Comments

New glasses, a new outlook, and a wide open space.

Apologies for my last boring update. I felt obligated to ramble through our ophthalmology appointment. More of a Lord of the Rings style saga than a mere appointment. That said, writing it all out helped me put the many little … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Judgement Day for Stella’s Vision, Part 1: Ophthalmology’s View

Well, on Friday morning, Stella and I made our way to Seattle Children’s ophthalmology department for her yearly exam. The high-level stats for those keeping score and not wanting to sift through a lengthy post: Clear improvement of stereoscopy, virtually … Continue reading

Posted in Appointments, Milestones, Stella's eyes, The Patch, toddler, vision therapy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Prom bomb, un-edited because I’m not sure I can survive re-reading it

Recently, after complaining on Facebook about how a prom-related copywriting project evoked cringe-inducing memories, a friend from across the globe presented something of a dare. He said that if I agreed to write about my prom horror story, he’d share … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary and whatnot | Tagged , | 6 Comments

The Great Peripheral Awakening of 2011

A few weeks ago,  I noticed a distinct change in Stella’s vision. Bam! It could not have been more obvious if she slapped me across the face and said, “Damn it, mommy woman! My vision is changing! Give me a … Continue reading

Posted in Stella's eyes, toddler, vision therapy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

And now, a not-so-special message from Elecare

Two words: Marketing fail! I recently received the following (clearly heartfelt) email from a representative of Elecare. “Dear Amber, I’ve been following your blog and have enjoyed keeping up with your notes about Stella.  I’m glad to see that EleCare®* has been … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary and whatnot, copy qualms | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Artist, and goggles, at work

Stella’s Easter basket included a sweet set of watercolors and accompanying pad of paper. She’s used them every day so far, at her request, and as it so engages her, I’ve been putting the goggles on her while she paints. … Continue reading

Posted in Stella's eyes, toddler, vision therapy | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Quick VT note: TLC for Stella’s transitioning toes.

Stella’s toes are starting to relax. The yoked prism goggles continue to benefit her, but it’s created a small, surprising side effect. Turns out, her toes have been clenched so consistently for so long that the skin is actually having … Continue reading

Posted in Milestones, Stella's eyes, toddler, vision therapy | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Another copy qualm (little girls as decor)

That anxiety-inducing daily deal site I recently mentioned has done it again. Being a copywriter myself, you’d think I’d avoid tearing apart some other copywriter’s work. But apparently that is not the case. I’ve written for many fabulous clients but … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary and whatnot, copy qualms, toddler | Tagged , , | 3 Comments