What's the big eye-dea?

Yesterday was one of Kayci's favorite days of the year...her annual eye exam. She was excited to get new glasses, and had her fingers crossed that she'd get to try something new, as well.




That's right, this responsible young lady got contacts. Popped them right in and that was that--she had no trouble taking them out at bedtime, either. So impressed with her! She's been wearing glasses for a little more than two years, and it's been a long two years for a little girl who loves, loves her sunglasses. So the first thing we did was to buy her a new pair of sunglasses to celebrate!

I also got glasses when I was 7, but my vision had probably not been great for a while. That's why we were so vigilant about checking Kayci's vision--and we STILL missed it. I felt horrible when James pointed out that she was squinting. :/ We took her right to the optometrist and I'll never forget the look on her face when she put her glasses on for the first time, or the wonder in her voice when she talked about how much brighter the colors were. It was pretty cool to see that face and hear the wonder again yesterday when she opened her eyes after putting the contacts in. To be able to see when you open your eyes, without glasses, is something people with good vision take for granted. I got all choked up to see Kayci experience that for the first time since getting her glasses.

It was a big day. Sigh. She also got glasses, but our insurance doesn't cover new frames for her until next year. Kayci chose the frames I have (sweet, right?) but luckily, the ladies talked her into a more reasonably-priced pair that were a little smaller. For a while there, I told James it felt like I was hemmorhaging money...those fees add up, even with insurance! One of Kayci's classmates was also in the store, and I was reminded of how blessed we are when they had to leave without glasses because they didn't have insurance and couldn't afford them. My heart broke for that Mom who wants the best for her kiddo, just like we do. So that ended my personal pity party about our bill.

Given that I missed when Kayci's vision went bad, I have been watching Noble like a hawk for any signs of squinting, etc. I asked about an eye exam for him and the staff was like, well, we can take a look. Think about it-many 5 year old boys can't readily identify letters, etc. But Noble climbed up in that chair and took the regular eye exam...the doctor was floored, and said she'd never been able to test a 5 year old before. I noticed he was hesitant when there was a group of letters on the screen, and I finally figured out that he was trying to figure out what the "word" was! I think he breathed a sigh of relief when I told him they were just groups of letters, not words. :)

I had been telling him and telling him, you probably won't get glasses for a long time, we're just checking your eyes. Well, imagine my surprise and his delight:




These were his favorite, because they're a cross between Daddy's glasses and Uncle Ronny's glasses. No kiddy frames for this little man!