Specifics about the Specs

This is my little guy, trying on glasses in the shop.  After one of his well-checks, the pediatrician recommended that we see a pediatric opthamologist.  This is because "M" crosses his eyes a lot and often one eye will go inwards while the other looks straight.  All babies cross their eyes, so we didn't think much of it.  But then it wasn't going away.  

Turns out he has accomodative esotropia.  I'm still learning about it, but it has to do with his brain trying to focus his eyes.  When he tries to look at something up close, his eyes cross instead of focusing.  I guess that also makes him farsighted.  Glasses are supposed to fix the problem and help him see better.  Supposedly surgery is an option down the road as well, but is not always effective.  If not treated soon, the long-term damage would be loss of vision as his brain gives up trying to send signals to the eyes when they don't respond properly.  

Finding glasses for him proved to be more difficult that I thought.  I called a number of places and they all said that they don't provide the type of frames that we needed for him.  The frames are almost like goggles in their soft-ness.  Very flexible and almost indestructible.  And they have a soft cord that goes around the back of the head.  My husband happened across a website for a company that specialized in children's eye wear.  People fly in from across the nation to pick up glasses for their kids.  Turns out this place is just about a half hour from where we live.  So we headed out there and were able to chose from a bunch of colors, etc.  The ones in the picture are the ones we decided to get.  He seemed to enjoy trying them on.  He likes to be the center of attention and loved the laughs he got for his goofy glasses smiles.  Keeping them on him at home is going to be the real challenge.  That same day we dropped them off at a more local place to get the lenses put in and in a couple days he'll start wearing them.  

Here's the thing, though.  I'm still trying to get used to the fact that he even needs his eyes to be corrected.  In my family only one of us siblings wears glasses and that started in high school.  My parents do, but they are in their 50's.  I think I somehow see the need to have vision corrected as a degenerative problem.  And now "M" is not as perfect as I see him.  In my mind he's starting out life fresh, with no health problems.  But now there is this.  I know that many parents face much worse health problems with their kids.  In fact, we have faced worse as well.  But it kills me to think of him starting out behind, if you will.  

I do want the best for him though, of course.  I want him to be able to see small things when he holds them instead of having to move them back and forth in order to focus.  And all the positive feedback from friends and family about how cute he looks is helping to sugar-coat how I feel.  But I guess I'm still working through it, but something inside hurts when I think about the sentence of glasses for life.  

High Chairs and High Jinx

So, "M" has figured out how to get out of his high chair.  This is partly my fault because I have cut the straps off of it.  His sisters used the same high chair for over two years each and I never once had to strap them in.  They just didn't climb out. And since the straps just got in the way and all full of food, I lopped them off.  Well, along comes "M" and it takes him just under 10 seconds to escape.  So, time to go out and find a cheap high chair.  This is apparently easier said than done...

My inital plan was to go to Ikea.  I know that they have one for $25, in stock.  But Ikea is a 30 minute drive away and I decided to investigate some more local options.  

First we went to Sears, because they supposedly had a $20 one.  It was pink, but oh well, I'm cheap.  Turns out they don't actually have it.  

Next we went to K-Mart (I think one store owns the other, the websites were rather connected...).  K-Mart had just the one I was looking for.  Nice and cheap, would probably fall apart in a month.  I could see the display one, but not the new one in box.  Had someone call for a sales person to come give me a hand.  After a bit of a wait, this lady shows up.  She is on a bluetooth headset, talking to someone on the phone.  She proceeds to try and help me while staying on the phone.  This makes for rather awkward conversation, since I'm never sure if she is talking to me or the person on the phone.  Finally she says "You know, I should probably get off the phone".  You think?  

OK, so I tell her what I need and she takes about 5 tries to comprehend what I'm trying to tell her.  Now, this is not a person who has difficulty with the language or anything.  Neither is she a young person.  Probably almost old enough to be a parent for me.  In the middle of this confusion she turns to me, rather abruptly, and asks me a question.  "Do you think I'm beautiful?", she asks.  Um...what?  Now, what to say?  She is perhaps one of the most hideously ugly women I have ever seen.  Bed-head hair that is dry and crackly and some unhealthy, malnourised color.  Lots and lots of caked on make-up that looks like she has put it on in the dark.  Clothing just falling off a super skinny frame.  I have already called the kids over to me, real close.  And now I have to tell her if I think she is pretty?  In what universe is this even remotely appropriate?  So, after a pause I say "Are you not going to be able to help me?".  This seems to make her snap out of it and she starts to say sorry...lots of times.  And then she tells me that the person on the phone had asked her to ask someone if she was pretty.  Oh my.  After leaving, she comes back again only to tell me that they don't have any more of that high chair in the back.  And I can't buy the display, so I'm done at K-Mart.  

Next we head off to Wal-Mart.  Only the $80 high chairs there.  

Next is Target.  By now we have been out for about 2 hours in the late afternoon and I'm astonished at how well the kids are behaving.  The girls are totally engaged in trying to find the high chair and "M" is just hanging out.  Nothing at Target either, though.  

Target was my last local option, so I head over to Petsmart.  Not because I think they have high chairs, my day has not been THAT long.  My husband has decided that he wants to try eating waxworms...with the kids...kind of a family activity.  Hmm.  Anyways, I go in to see if they have any and turns out they just sold the last of them.  Bummer...  

So, looks like I have to go to Ikea after all.