life in philly

Eyes are big big part of our life. First, Ryan is an eye doctor. There is nothing else that he has ever wanted to do professionally than care for eyes. Ryan got his first glasses at five. I got my first glasses in 5th grade, but have mainly worn contacts since age 14. Cora got glasses at age 3. Vera started wearing contacts at 4 months and more recently started wearing glasses full time. We are all nearsighted. Remember this post? Well, Vera really hit the jackpot with the genes. There's lots to it, but essentially, Vera is extremely nearsighted. Ryan focused his internships (or whatever you call those things) on low vision care and crazy enough, Vera was born to us....our own little low vision patient.

Vera had crazy eyes as a newborn, just as most newborns do. But they stayed crazy. Crossed eyes and eye turns all the time. So with Ryan's great connections, we got her into the best Pediatric Optometrist. I went in to the appointment thinking that with time and as she grew things would work itself out. Maybe we'd have to patch an eye here and there to get a jump on things, but I thought it would be pretty minimal. Ryan may have a different observation, but as the appointment progressed, it became apparent that she had a larger problem. Before they tested to see her prescription, they warned me that they would have to correct her vision with glasses/contacts if it was discovered she was greater than a 4. They started testing and kept testing, advancing to the next higher prescription every few seconds. I thought they either had really messed up or she really had a problem with her eyes. Well, they didn't mess up. She has a huge myopic prescription, -15. That's huge. They checked for other stuff and things look pretty healthy, but she is so young and things can change fast.

I've learned lots. Developmental delays (or not) due to limited vision. Risks associated with high myopia. Things that really scare me like retinal rips and detachments. I also learned to put in contacts into her eyes. Vera's eyes and her vision are going to be an issue her entire life. She is not and will not be a candidate for laser eye surgery, but once she is an adult there may be some options like an implantable contact lens. One good thing is that with vision correcting (ie glasses and contacts) her eyes have straightened out for the most part with an occasional eye turn here and there.

Vera wore contacts home from the that first doctor visit. Ryan and I did contacts for her for a few months until she got way too wiggly and she wasn't messing with her glasses while wearing them. Not only was putting in and taking out contacts challenging, but she had quite the adjustment period. Before contacts she only liked to be cuddled up in my arms or in the sling squished next to me. She would rub her face into my shoulder all the time and rest her face into my chest even when she was awake. She got scared easily and refused to be carried facing outward. She had freak out moments if I laid her down. She would flail her arms all around like she was falling. I know some babies do all these things, but it all makes since now that we know she wasn't seeing much at all. When she first wore the contacts, she cried and cried and slept. All that crying wore her out. The next day she refused to look around. She wanted to be all snug against me and rub her face on my chest and shoulder. It took a few days of lots of crying and lots of holding tight before she really looked around. I remember putting her in the stroller for the first time with contacts. She just about spazzed out because it scared her half to death. So funny and so sad. Once she got used to seeing that there is a world out there, nothing is stopping her. Although we don't frequently do contact lenses anymore, she hardly messes with her glasses.

Despite her vision and the worries that come along with her crazy eyes, Vera is growing and developing. She is 9 months today. She's learned to roll over, sits by herself, and now even started a little army crawl. So cute. She likes eating her vegetables and cheerios, but the fruits are a bit too sweet for her. She has 4 teeth on top and 2 on the bottom. She's a mama's girl, but daddy can sure make her laugh and smile. Big sister Cora is her favorite though. Those two sure love each other.

We are in the midst of moving and we still don't have a computer, but here are a bunch of pics off my ipod.