Quick and Dirty

Oh, my. I am beyond exhausted but I don't want too much time too lapse between posts. It's been a back-to-school extravaganza around here. Jeremy started last Thursday and Bekah started preschool today. We had an interesting visit to the optometrist last Wednesday (for Jeremy).

I think I've said before that Jeremy loathes doctors. It's nothing personal, it's just a result of overexposure to the profession. I never fault him about it and never press him to be kind to them. I was dreading the eye doctor for weeks and just wanted to get it over with, honestly.

Thankfully, when I told the nurse about Jeremy's diagnosis, they were extremely understanding. They didn't press about the digital eye mapping (or dilating) and made all sorts of modifications to the exam itself. Jeremy, in true Jeremy fashion, resisted any and all attempts to be examined. I finally had to have him sit in my lap and the doctor performed a manual exam on him.

All of this would have been fine had he and I been there by ourselves. As it was, I had Doug (whose nickname is Baby Destructo) and Bekah with me. Aside from ensuring that Jeremy didn't run away, my biggest priority was to not have to buy anything that Doug broke. I had filled out the new patient paperwork beforehand and then spent the rest of the appointment grabbing $300 frames out of Doug's chubby hands. I also didn't want him to break any displays (all made of glass) or fall down and injure himself (or someone else).

I will give it to him, he is cute for a reason. He grabbed for every expensive piece of eyewear and equipment he could reach (and then some). Bekah added to the level of difficulty by not wanting to listen to anyone's suggestions about where she should sit and what she should do.

After the exam was over, I breathed a sigh of relief. By this time Jeremy had escaped into the hallway. Our eye doctor is right next door to his psychologist, so I figured he was okay. I got the paperwork I needed to hand into the school and headed out to find Jeremy. I informed him we needed to go home and he had a meltdown.

I'll admit, this one was a bit unexpected. He had been telling me for days that when he closed both his eyes he couldn't see. I knew that sounded serious, honestly. I mean, like eye-surgery serious. What was even more devastating to him was that he didn't need glasses. I'm not kidding, fling-yourself-on-the-ground, scream out loud serious. All the way to Jewel (for a celebratory donut), he was telling me that the doctor was wrong, that I needed to take him back, that he needed glasses. I tried to explain to him that the doctor had examined him and found out he didn't need them. Nope, Jeremy just knew the doctor had made a mistake.

After about 15 minutes of the back and forth, he finally calmed down a bit. I am just grateful (as I'm sure my eye doctor is) that we won't have to be back there for another year. That gives me about 350 days to emotionally prepare. Hopefully, I'll be ready.