as a family
with other friends
leaving a grad party
talking and shuffling
kids moving about
adults saying good-bye
I take two steps
from the driveway
onto the sidewalk
that leads to our car
a distance away
a mEYElestone
I will never forget...
a tiny, but LOUD voice
rings in my ears
instantly
a tiny, but FIRM hand
grabs me from behind
wait I forgot my tact-jones
Easton immediately
leads me a few steps
backwards
towards
an exact spot
the point where
the gray dusty
concrete driveway is
glimmering
shinning
in the late evening sun
in absolute disbelief
I instinctively
lean down to find
a tiny round
rolled over
silicone disk
is it
could it
possibly be
HIS CONTACT
I question
this moment
for a millisecond
and then begin
to float
everything
is blurry
after this point
I remember
showing Easton
asking Easton
praising Easton
I was in shock
and overcome
with intense feelings of
Pride
sure I was relieved
sure I thought of the
what if's
he never told us
we notice later
search the car
search the house
never find it
feel discouraged
and despite
having to open
a new lens
continue looking
into the next day
just because
this
this is beyond
that relief
2 years and 9 months
I have dreamed of
this moment
since the first
lost contact lens
when Easton was
barely 3 months young
wishing
wondering
waiting
for the day
when he not only
literally says...
Mom, my contact just fell out
but also
Here it is!!!
WOW
unbelievable
how
when
did we get
here
this journey
never ceases
to amaze me
any imom knows
as exhilarating as
mEYElestones
can be
they don't come
for free
discipline
tears
tantrums
routines
habits are formed
this moment
this feeling
is earned... this
is what will make
tomorrow's path
brighter
and speaking of
tomorrow's path
Easton's Eye journey
continues to evolve
along with his
new found awareness
of obviously his contact
he is evermore aware
of all things
Eye related
drops
contact time
patching
glasses
he willingly
eventually lays
accepting
understanding
that drops
and contact time
are not optional
he will sometimes be
5 steps ahead of me
and lay down
hold still, knowing
whats to come
there are those days
if he wakes grumpy
or wants to flex
his independent
oppositional toddler
protest
but again behind all
the fuss
he knows
it's gonna still happen
the same goes
for patching
but he now knows
how to AND
that he can
simply peel off
his patch
it started
a few months ago
during nap time
he would take it off
and we would
put one back on
when he woke up
not really
an issue
however
as of this past week
he has fully realized
he is unreachable
in the car
along with
his shoes
his socks
his sippy
his sister's
same stuff
his glasses
and now
his patch
all removed
all whipped
into the way back
of our family SUV
and fits of
giggles follow
I try
I try really hard
not to make an issue
out of this new
passive-aggressive
toddler tantrum
which is less Eye related
and more emotional
development
but it is hard
again any
imom knows
on a busy day
on a bad day
that is a lot of time
that is a lot of patches
that is a lot of patience
that is a lot of persistence
on a good day
he is a busy
ever more aware
toddler
who understands
the importance
the structure of
life with the Eye
on a good day
I can actually
reason with him
I can actually
distract him
I can actually
reassure him
to keep it on
because he will
eventually
be able to
take it off
mEYElestones
they help me
See the Distance
That Is Awesome! I am SO happy for you. This is huge. Just curious, was he patched? Either way that is huge.
ReplyDeleteNo, he was not patched... which just makes it even more CRAZY that he CARED to tell me! ;)
DeleteThis means he is using his eyes together, I think. CRAZY AWESOME!
Deleteso fully and totally amazing!!! Go Easton!!
ReplyDeleteI had a super long/great comment, but blogger ate it, so I will try again...
ReplyDeleteI am SO excited for you guys and SO excited for me that I get to be a part of this eye journey with you. I am sorry, but our ikids are so much more amazing and inspiring and just awesome than kids who don't get to reach these meyelstones.
I love when you pointed out how this victory is HARD WON! These victories are legitimately some of the hardest won battles in the world of parenting. ( not that I'm biased...) Anyway, YAY!!
Crying here! What an awesome, amazing mEYElstone for you and for Easton.
ReplyDeleteKeep going imom!
Happy tears here, what an awesome mEYElstone!
ReplyDeleteI tried posting a comment on another of your posts, but it didn't go through. I apologize if it ends up on here twice:
ReplyDeleteHello, wondering if you all are still eye patching. I have an almost 3-year-old who was born with a cataract that blocked all vision in his left eye. He still wears a contact lens, and he has to patch 50% of the time. Even though he disliked it, we got it done fairly easily with a normal day through age 2.5. This past August he learned he could rip off the patch. That began the real nightmare, which got worse when he had to have scar tissue surgery in the eye a month later. After a month and a half of barely getting an hour or two of patching done per day following the surgery (due to him constantly ripping off the patches no matter what we did), we finally got him an iPad. This has been our patching savior, but I also despise it. We are getting the hours done again now, but it is still hard to get him to do anything other than iPad while wearing the patch. Usually lunch; that's it. Does anyone have any other ideas? We are desperate. I have planned all kinds of special activities to do while patching, but none of them are enough to make him want to wear the patch.
I also wanted to ask: does your son wear a contact and eye glasses, or did the glasses replace the contact? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHello...sorry for the delayed response. Yes, my now 4 year old son is wearing both a contact lens and glasses. And he patches 8 hours a day. I am sorry to hear that your son is hitting a rough age on his patching journey. I am glad you found my blog and decided to reach out for support. Getting through the tough days can feel so isolating and heartbreaking. Know that your efforts will be worth the struggle some day and this too shall pass. Stay strong and continue to be persistent!
DeleteAs for ideas on how to stretch out the day while patching... have you tried a reward chart? You can make one or the ortopad website has some pre-made posters to fill in. I think you have to complete 50 days, but for him right now you might have to lower the goal (50 hours?!). Have him choose the prize? Also, doing any and all hands on activities you can think of... cooking, coloring, play-doh, painting, stinging beads, etc. Technology helps that but certainly won't fill 50% of his day, I get it.
I hope this offers some help. If anything I hope it simply encourages you to just keep going. In time he will understand ripping it off is not an option, but I know that's a painful truth for all involved. I know I haven't been very active in blog land these days but we are still seeing the distance. If you are looking for daily support, I post bits of our day on Instagram... let me know if you are interested in following our journey there. All the best!