The One About the Eye Doctor

    Today Gavin went to the eye doctor for his first appointment.  Ernie and I visited the eye doctor a month ago, and our doctor encouraged us to bring Gavin in for a quick screening since he is three years old.  I haven't noticed anything with Gavin's vision, but wanted to get the screening.  Gavin was excited to go to the doctor, and really liked the different things they had him do.  It was like a game, "Name this picture!"  He did a really good job sitting in the chair and following instructions.  At one point he said, "The eye doctor is fun.  I want to come here every day."  He did have a hard time keeping himself from touching the expensive equipment.  Before the eye doctor came in the room, Gavin looked over at all the buttons and said, "What do you think that button does?  I bet it blows bubbles out at me."  :) 
   After his examination, the eye doctor gave me the bad news.  Gavin has astigmatism in both eyes, which is making his vision blurry.  He ran three separate checks to make sure, and they all came out consistent.  For those of you who don't know what astigmatism is, basically it means that your cornea is irregularly shaped, more oval than round.  It is likely hereditary, and I know this because I have it in one eye.  I had Lasik almost ten years ago, but still have to wear glasses when I drive or need to see things faraway.  When we drive in Omaha, Ernie can read the street signs way before I am able to.  Sadly, Gavin suffers from it too.  The doctor talked about how children develop 20/20 vision, but need to have 20/20 vision in order to develop clear vision.  Right now, he doesn't have perfect vision and therefore can't develop it.  So by putting him in glasses, it is possible that he can correct this problem or outgrow it.  Now this is just a possibility, not a guarantee, and knowing that I still struggle with it today, I am not holding my breath. 
   So we sat down to pick out glasses.  At this point, Gavin is excited about wearing them because he knows that his Mommy and Daddy both have them.  He immediately said, "I want green glasses, because green is my favorite color."  So I am thinking, "Oh, please have green glasses that I like for him."  Luck was on our side, because there was a flexible, durable pair of green glasses for kids that looked really good on him.  However, when he first put them on his face, I seriously had to fight back tears.  I can't help it...I am the weepy mother.  And lately with this 4th birthday coming, EVERYTHING is setting me off into fits of tears.  I held back, we placed our order, and Gavin will have his glasses in 7-10 days.  I am still considering going to get a second opinion, but I have gone to this eye doctor since my first pair of glasses in hmmm...maybe 5th grade.  So I trust him completely.  Still, we'll see.  I plan to do some "google research" tonight.
    Now in the bigger picture of life, I realize that glasses are not that bad.  There are children dying of cancer or who have awful diseases, so I feel bad that I am so depressed about Gavin needing glasses.  Still, I have two petty concerns right now:  1) I hate that these glasses are going to hide those beautiful blue eyes.  It doesn't matter where we go, someone always stops us and comments on Gavin's gorgeous eyes.  They are his trademark. The blue color and the long, perfect eyelashes.  2)  How in the heck are we going to stop Asher from ripping those puppies right off Gavin's face? 

Look at those beautiful, blue eyes.  How can we possibly hide those behind glasses?