In which Connor goes to the eye doctor

Today I took Connor to see the eye doctor.  He didn't really need to go, but I figured that since everyone else needs vision correction, we should at least keep an eye on Connor's eyes.

So, we went.  And the eye doctor told Connor that he had "the healthiest eyes he has seen in recent memory."  Then, he proceeded to tell Connor that as long as he doesn't notice a change in his vision, he does not need to have another eye exam for 10 years.  He told him to schedule something around the time he is set to graduate from college.

So that's great news.  We just crossed ten years worth of eye doctor visits off the to-do list.

Pokemon Go Level 40 Alert

Today while we were at the eye doctor for Lex, I was playing Pokemon Go in the waiting room, as any good Pokemon Go player would.

Sidebar: Lex had an annual check up today, and everything is great.  It's so nice to be past the eye patching days and the eye exams every few months.  He just got a new prescription for a new pair of glasses.  End sidebar.

That's when it happened.

I reached Level 40!  I am now the highest level trainer I can be.  I am the very best, like no one ever was (sing it with me).

I couldn't have planned the date any better.  I started playing on July 7, 2016, and I reached level 40 on January 7, 2019.  It took me exactly 2 and a half years.

Gotta Catch 'Em All!

Wordless Wednesday: When I Went to Wake Lex Up in the Morning Edition

Nana & Grandpa are Here!

Yes, Lex put Nana's glasses on Poppy.

We went to the Ship & Anchor Pub for dinner.  It was amazing.  I had some really great bangers & mash.  This is a pub that we will be returning to in the future.

Lex & Skeleton Pirate

Look!  It's Grandpa & Nana at the Ship & Anchor.

(This post was brought to you by the ampersand.)

Lex had an eye exam

He can still see!  We got a slightly updated prescription for his glasses, and all is well with his eyes.  He has truly graduated from the eye patch days, and he could not be more thrilled about that.

Solar Eclipse 2017

We decided to stay in Amarillo for the eclipse today, where the sun would be covered about 80%.

Connor and Lex tried on their solar eclipse glasses at home before we left for the viewing picnic at the park next to the science center.

There was a pretty good sized crowd at the park, but we were able to find a great place to eat and view the eclipse.

Bonus?  The park had some great Pokemon around.

Pirate Lex with his Psyduck Pokemon Parrot

Photo by Connor

We had a great view.  The clouds moved out of the way as the eclipse was beginning, and we were able to see the sun get smaller and smaller, until there was just a nice yellow banana in the sky.  Then, we watched as it got bigger again.

The kids were happy to see the sliver of the sun this time, but they want to make sure to be in the path of totality next time, on April 8, 2024.  Cities in the path of the total eclipse for that one include Austin, Dallas, Indianapolis, and Cleveland, so that should be fine.
 

20/20

Today we took Lex back to the eye doctor to check his vision since he stopped wearing his eye patch on December 1st.

He is still 20/20!  So, unless he starts noticing any changes in his vision, which are not expected, he should be good with just his glasses from now on!  NO MORE EYE PATCHES EVER!!  Lex is very relieved and excited about that.

We celebrated with ice cream and french fries from Freddy's on the way home from the doctor's office.

Another One for the Tally

I've been using this blog as a means to keep track of how often we have to replace Lex's glasses.

This past weekend, we had to visit Wal*Mart again to get another warranty replacement pair.  The metal frame that holds the lenses in his glasses had separated from the rest of the frame.  Again.  This must be a flaw with this design.  I'm not really concerned about it, though, as they are warranted, and because they just took his lenses out of the old pair and put them into the new frame in under 10 minutes for free.

In which we say goodbye to the era of the eye patch

Today Lex had a visit with his ophthalmologist to check to see if his vision had decreased at all while we were weaning him off of his eye patch.  If you remember, he had only been wearing his eye patch for an hour a day since his last visit in October.

Well, he totally rocked his vision test!  He did the 20/20 lines with his glasses, one eye at a time, no problem.  He even read the 20/15 line with both eyes and his glasses.  He even read most of the 20/10 line!

So, he doesn't have to wear his eye patch any more.  No more eye patch!

NO MORE EYE PATCH!!

He has had to wear an eye patch every single day for most of his life.  He's been doing it for four whole years, and he is only seven.  And he really doesn't remember a time before he had to wear the eye patch.  It's a whole new era around here.

He was so excited that he ran all over the doctor's office, dancing.  He did the victory lap/dance combo thing again at home, too.

So, to celebrate, we had a party.  Nana and Grandpa and Uncle Kevin got him a cake.

The cake has eyes.

If you want to eat a cake with eyes, you have to sneak up on it from behind.  I mean, obviously.

So, we are having a great time here, not wearing eye patches anymore, and being able to see clearly with our glasses.  It was a ton of hard work, and there were lots of tears, but it worked!

In which we go to COSI

They boys love COSI.  They have very fond memories of our trips there. They still say it is the best science center ever, and we have been to a lot of science centers.

We took Nana with us this time.

The first thing we did was explore Adventure.  The boys did a terrific job solving all the puzzles, and they found all the clues that they needed to unlock the observatory and discover the treasure hidden within.



After Adventure, we watched Rat Basketball, in which real rats really play basketball.

After lunch, the boys were basically just running around the entire museum trying to find all of their favorite things from long ago.  And it turns out that COSI is a really great place to play Pokemon Go, so I was pleased.

Lex loves to ride this rocket ship in the 1962 side of Progress.




We all really love the mythological side of the Ocean exhibit.







These giant blue foam blocks were new, and we have seen them at many science centers, but the building wall that goes with it was a first for us.

Lex found Optometry Brutus in the Life Exhibit.  Go Bucks!  Three cheers for COSI.  We left before the museum closed for the day, but the kids were totally exhausted when we left.  Tired, but very happy.

It's a Happy Day!

Today we are celebrating.

I took Lex to the ophthalmologist today for a check up, and he is still seeing well.  His glasses are the correct prescription.

And, since he is turning seven next week, we are going to cut the number of hours that he has to wear his eye patch down from four hours to JUST ONE HOUR A DAY!

We will return to get another check up in two months, and as long as there is no loss of vision, he will be done with the eye patch forever.  In just two months!  He seriously can't wait for that, but in the meantime, he is super excited that one hour is so much less than four hours!

Also, we caught a Charmander while we were waiting for the doctor.

All is right with the world.

Create! Amarillo Festival

We took the boys to the very first Create! Amarillo festival at the Main Library.  It was a joint event with the library and the art museum, and it turned out to be a pretty fun event for the kids.

I'm not sure which booth they got these awesome glasses from, but I'm glad they did.  They look awesome.

There was a climbing wall set up right next to the library, and the kids tried it out a few times.

Lex climbed the wall the most times, but Connor got higher up.

Wordless Wednesday

Lex got new glasses

I offered to take him to a different place to pick out his glasses this time, but he said that he wanted to buy them from Wal*Mart again.  I was totally okay with that, because no matter where we go, if something happens to his glasses, there should be a Wal*Mart somewhere nearby where we can go to get them fixed or replaced.  Also, they have a great warranty, which we have used every single time.  Basically, every time we buy him a pair of glasses, he gets a free replacement pair sometime during the 12-month warranty period.

When we were picking out his glasses, he tried on every single pair that they had.  And he picked the same glasses he picked the past two times again.  I can't argue with that.  He went in with an open mind, and the ones he bought must just be the ones fit the best.  They look good on him, too.

These are his back-up glasses (from two prescriptions ago, now) and the pair that he just quit wearing.  His new frames are exactly the same.  The top pair is the most recent pair, and the frame is totally broken.  If you look closely, you can see where the frame holding the right lens has separated from the rest of the frame.  But both of these are already the warranty replacement pair for that year.

Here's to another new pair of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle glasses!  

In which the end is in sight (pun very intentional)

Lex wants to have a huge party when the doctor says that he can stop wearing his eye patch.  He is planning to invite everyone he knows, and honestly, Kevin and I are totally on board.  We will throw him such a party!  The biggest party ever.  He has really earned it.  Wearing his eye patch has never gotten easier for him, and he has been doing it every. single. day. for most of his life.  He is currently wearing it for four hours a day.  It's like a bad part time job that he doesn't get paid for.

But.  But.  But.

It's totally working.

We went to see his eye doctor today, and with his glasses on, using both eyes, he is 20/15.  20/15!  That's better than 20/20!

With his glasses, in his good eye, he is 20/20.

With his glasses, in his weak eye, he passed at 20/20, even though his missed one letter.  He read one letter C on the chart as an O.

Totally huge news!  Totally great progress!  This kid can actually see!

As to his eye patch, we have an end game officially planned.  He is going to continue to wear the patch for four hours a day until he is about seven years old.  He turns seven in October, and the week before his birthday, we are scheduled for a return trip to the eye doctor.  As long as his vision is still good then, we will start the process of weaning him off the eye patch, with frequent visits to check his eye sight to make sure that it doesn't get worse at all during the weaning process.  She doesn't think it will, though, because by the time he is seven, the neurological pathway between the eyes and brain is supposed to be totally solid.

Hopefully that means he will get his epic eye patch completion party sometime later this year, or early next year, when he is seven years old!  Stay tuned.  Your invitation is in the mail, as they say.

Lex is 20/20 again!

We visited the eye doctor again yesterday.  You know, the pediatric ophthalmologist (easy for you to say, right?), and Lex's vision is perfect again!

Three cheers for his new glasses!

Three cheers for his prescription swim goggles!

Three cheers for wearing the eye patch for four hours everyday...

Well, he still hates that, but we are all so pleased that it is working!




No, these cookies really don't have anything to do with this post.  Except for the fact that they are summer cookies; celebratory cookies.  And we are celebrating Lex's good vision, right here.  Right now.

He'll have another check up in four months.  We'll still be patching for four hours a day until then.