Days with the Dorans

It was not a good sign when Joey was driving and we realized he couldn't see well- especially in the dark. I got him and Ali an appointment (at a new place I really like) and they both got glasses and can see now! Joey is near sided (which we suspected) with one bad eye (like his mama). He tried contacts for about a half hour and gave up. I suspect if he really wants them one day he'll try a bit harder but he likes his Ray Ban frames- and they are transitions so built in sunglasses! Ali is an interesting case (as her eyes have had other blog posts about them. Turns out she is near sighted in one eye and far sighted in another. No need for contacts right now but if she does need them, she'll only need one for her near sighted eye! So crazy! She got some Kate Spade frames but opted against the transitions. I think they both look good (in appearance and they can see!!).

 So it was that time of year again (eye appointment) so Al and I were off to get our eyes checked (since we're the only two with yucky eyes... so far!).  With all the activities Ali is in (where she doesn't want to -or can't- really wear glasses) she was thinking of trying contacts! We went for our 9am appointments, got right in and Ali had "contact education" where we had the nicest lady who taught her how to put in and take out contacts and~ let me tell you... she had the patience of a saint!  I don't remember what it was like when I first put in my contacts~ but watching Ali do her contacts was hard for me and I was ready to just put them in myself for her! That being said she did it (three times actually~ in and out to be sure and we left a little after noon!!) and then we were off to lunch and a movie with Jen & Marin.  Ali Jane kept them in for that entire time and then had to take them out (per doctors orders) and then put them back in fo...

 Today is MLK day and we are off school for records day.  Because I feel like every day is records day, I took advantage of the day off from teaching by setting up appointments for Ali (both her 9 year well-visit~ which went great except for a shot~ and an eye appointment).  Ali failed her most recent eye exam at school so I knew that it was probably time to take her in (and I thought I knew what the diagnosis would be). When Ali was in preschool (and kindergarten) we patched her left eye (her strong eye) because there was such a discrepancy in the two eyes.  It wasn't horrible and her eyes actually did get better~ but even then, they told us that it was probably just a matter of time before she got glasses.  She does have her mama's eyes (literally I have one really weak eye and one 'regularly' weak eye just like her). So it was decided that she IS getting glasses! Once she started trying them on, they didn't seem so bad... Here are the different frames...

Ali Jane with Uncle Dan Ali has been a real trooper about wearing her eye patch each night and will come to me with them and remind me that she needs to wear them. Even Zach will sometimes get one (she keeps them near her bed) and bring one to her. The eyepatch seems to be working! I thought for sure that when we went to her last eye apt. they would tell me that her eyes had gotten worse. The way she was answering some of the questions I couldn't imagine that they had gotten better... BUT THEY HAD! Her eyesight went from 20/40 to 20/30! Yee haw! And so Ali Jane picked up some more pretty eyepatches and continues to wear them like a champ! Hopefully at the next "Ali's Eyes" blog- we'll be at 20/20- Here's to hopin'! Ali Jane with her fairy Godmother- Auntie Jodi

Poor Ali Jane. First she gets my thin, fine, straight hair and now it appears that she got my eyes... not just in appearance... but also in function (which is not a good thing.) She failed her 4 year old eye exam at the pediatricians and when a few weeks later she failed a vision screening at school, it was clear that it was time to make an appointment with the professionals. We made a day of it and talked a lot before the appointment... How they would look at her eyes and how she may need glasses like Mommy's... I even told her how fun it would be... like a girls' day out and afterward we could have lunch wherever she wanted to go! After dropping off the boys at school, Ali Jane and I hit the road. The first thing she did was get drops to dilate her eyes which she was NOT happy about! They stung and she cried for quite a while... the drops made her sad and clingy and I felt badly that my poor daughter was going through all of this because of me... (Daddy has GREAT eyes!) B...