On our way back from our Spring Break vacation back in March, Scott noticed that Braden was going cross-eyed while he was watching his little T.V. (that we have for the kids when we go on long drives.) I thought it was probably because he was really tired, he had played really hard at the water park the day before and we had been traveling for quite a few hours. But then we started to notice that his right eye would go weird when he was watching TV at home or right before his nap or bedtime. We started to get really concerned. Scott called his uncle who is an optometrist in Idaho Falls to find some answers. He basically said that it could be nothing to worry about or that it could be a vision problem and that he'd need glasses and to watch him for another week and see if things would change.
Well, it started happening on an off during day, even after he had woken up from a nap. I knew he wasn't tired because he had just taken a nap. I remember bawling one time, when Scott told me that he would probably need to wear glasses. I don't know why, I know many people have vision problems and have to wear glasses. But my baby is only 2 years old and I guess as a mom I started to think how this would affect my little boy. The world can be harsh sometimes, you want your kids to fit in, to feel accepted by others and grow up having high self-esteem. I wondered how this would affect my little Braden's image of himself, etc, etc. and then I started to blame myself...may be it was something I did while I was pregnant with him, may be I was lacking a vitamin or he didn't get enough nutrients to help him develop his sight, etc, etc...I'm a worrier...Scott calmed my fears as he always does...
About the last week of April, I started to make phone calls to find an opthamologist here. I called and the next available appointment wasn't until the 8th of June!!!!!!!!!! Since the person who told us about this guy held him at such high regard we decided to wait a whole month and a half to get him in with this opthamologist. That month and a half felt like an ETERNITY!!! We were so worried because his eye just kept getting worse and worse and then his left one started to go crooked once in a while too.
Anyway, to make the LONG story short, I finally took him in on the 8th. We found out that Braden has strabismus, it's a condition that happens when the eyes are not properly aligned with each other, one of your eyes goes "crooked" (that is the term the doctor used) and your vision is VERY poor. The doctor basically said that Braden is EXTREMELY far-sighted, so he can see very far away, but not close. So everything close to him is blurry!!! He prescribed him glasses, very THICK glasses and we have to put a patch on his good eye to strengthen the bad one for an hour a day. I have to say that it was worth the wait to see this opthamologist, he was AMAZING!!!! He was so incredible with Braden and wanted to take Braden home!!! It was so cute! AND my Mr. Braden DEFINITELY earned a GOLD STAR throughout this whole process! He has been so cooperative with the patch (we have to bribe him once in a while with cookies and we have to keep him distracted) but overall, he has been so good.
I went to the library and found a few books on pirates to make him feel that is FUN to wear the patch...we taught him to say aaarrr matey!!! Here he is on his very first day with the patch after bribing him with chocolate chip cookies, Scott is reading him his book about pirates!!!:)
Distracting him for the whole hour can be challenging. So we try to make cookies, give him treats (he was LOVING these strawberries!!!), go to the park, go on a walk, read books, watch a movies, etc, etc.
We just barely picked up his glasses a couple of days ago, and it was so emotional for both Scott and I! I had tears in my eyes (and as I write this I'm getting teary-eyed)! But it is amazing to see him now look at things so carefully, it's like he's discovering the world around him!
We had notice that Braden can be kind of clumsy sometimes and it's because of this eye condition he has trouble with his depth perception. We are hoping he doesn't fall as much anymore!
I feel incredibly grateful for modern medicine!!! You have no idea how much I've thanked Heavenly Father for the time we live in and that Braden has the BLESSING and that we have the resources to buy him a pair of glasses so that he can see and so that his eye won't be doing funny things. That we can pick a phone, call a specialist for the eyes, that we can take him and he can get diagnosed the same day and that a week later he can have glasses to be able to see!!! What would his life have been without them? Honestly, if this is NOT a miracle, then I don't know what is a miracle!!! I can only THANK Heavenly Father EVERYDAY for our many blessings!!! And like I told the doctor, if this is the extent of our problems, then I MUST count my blessings...it could be MUCH worse!!!! I LOVE this little boy with all of my heart! He is so lovable and so kind! And I just hope he grows to be the kind of man that his daddy is!
(I don't know how Braden got that huge bruise on his little cheek...but it's awful looking!!!...this little boy always has scratches, bruises, etc...I guess, he IS a boy)
23 comments:
que lindo el Mr Braden!!!
He looks SO adorable with glasses! He is going to be one of those very cute smart guys!!! :-)
Oh my goodness Denisse! What an ordeal but what a blessing in the end!
I don't know how I would react if I were in your situation, but I think you are handling it well.
By the way, he looks so cute and so grown up with his new glasses! I bet people are going to think he is older than Brielle. He is such a cute boy!
I'm glad you got in to the Dr. that you did.
Braden is so handsome! My nephew is blind in one eye and has had to wear glasses since he was about 1 and it is no problem for him. In fact, he was in my primary class last week and he bore his testimony to us about how his dad gave him a blessing for his eye. Kids are way more resilient than most adults!
oh he looks so cute with his little glasses! love that little kid.
You are such a good mom!!! And Braden looks so cute in his glasses- yep, he's a stud. I love the video. SO cute! In fact, Emma keeps asking to watch it again. She cracks up laughing when Braden laughs at the end. Uh oh- looks like my princess is taking a liking to your stud...
oh my gosh...those glasses are the cutest things i've ever seen! he's such a stud! my cousins both had really bad eyes when we were little and had to wear the patches and everything, and you'd never know now...they're eyes are perfectly fine. he is adorable!
Don't beat yourself up about what you could have done. Many people have glasses. I was a 2 year old with glasses. I am far sighted and had a "lazy eye"-at least thats what they called it 25 years ago.
Anyway I had surgery to correct it instead of a patch. A friend had the patch and we wore glasses together. Now I just use reading glasses. *don't know how I ended up with better eye sight as I got older*
Kids with glasses look so much more cuter today than 25 years ago. I think the frames are better and the lens can be thinner. Braden looks adorable and now he can run off and discover!! You are a great mom and I have no doubt that your kids will be super cool in school and with friends.
*Great ideas for keeping that patch on, that is tricky*
Denisse,
I'm going to have Jeremy read this when he gets home. Your post kept sending chills down my whole body as I read along. We both love you guys so much and he LOVES reading about your kids. He always says "those parents are going to have their hands full when they get to high school!" because we think they are the cutest! Braden looks so good with glasses. I always love the posts you write because I can feel strong sense of love and emotion. You bring the reader right to where you are. And we are present with you. You and Scott are so in tune to your children. What a blessing!
I totally agree with Rebecca, I feel such emotion reading your blog. I got a little teary-eyed myself. He is SO cute in those glasses!
SORRY MAYBE HE GOT MY PROBLEM. THE DRS. TOLD MY MOM I HAD A LAZY EYE WAY BACK MANY YEARS AGO. NOTHING DONE AND PICTURES OF ME HAS MY EYE SHUT. I COULD READ SIGNS WAY OF DOWN THE ROAD BUT UP CLOSE I COULDN'T HARDLEY READ MAYBE THAT'S WHY I WAS SUCH A POOR STUDENT. I'M SO HAPPY FIOR GOOD DRS. AND MODERN MEDS.
Oh my heck, he looks so handsome with them!! What a cutie pie!! I understand what you mean though when it brought you to tears. You just want everything in the world to be perfect for your little kids. They are so innocent and you can't imagine them having anything but the best in this world, and to think that something could go wrong, even if it is as simple as needing glasses...it is just hard to face. But just look at that adorable little face and how cute he looks in those glasses. There are so many options now with eye sight and modern medicine, I'm sure he will have no problem. Look how happy he is in that little video...pirate patch and all!! Give him a squeeze for us! Love you guys!
Oh my heavens--I think Mr. Braden is even cuter with his glasses! What a trooper! That must have been quite the emotional roller-coaster finding out what was going on, etc. I am happy things are going good for that darling lil' pirate:)
He looks so handsome with those glasses! And, you're right, what a blessing and miracle modern medicine is that Braden (and everyone!) can get the immediate care and attention that we need to help us improve the quality of our lives. It truly is a miracle. I'm impressed with your positivity and creativity (e.g. pirate books!) with this situation. Braden and Brielle learn from your and Scott's positive examples in the way you handle a tough situation. Way to be a good mom!
I LOVE that video of him. So cute. He seems perfectly happy and healthy. And like everyone has said, he is adorable with those glasses!!! He is so darn cute Denisse and he is lucky to have you and Scott looking out for him!
what a stud! and the glasses are so cute on him!
Oh my heck, that video just made my night! He is so cute! He's always been a cutie but wow, with those glasses on he is just irresistable!
I understand what you mean about wanting everything to be perfect for our kids, fit in, etc. J.J. almost knocked his tooth out when he was 3, we weren't sure if it was gonna fall out or not. I remember just crying and crying about it!! I knew it was silly but I just didn't want him to be made fun of or feel weird about missing a tooth so early when it wouldn't grow in for a few years! Motherhood is WAY too emotional sometimes! And what's funny is, these things probably don't affect our kids half as much as they do us right now!
I think he looks cute with his glasses.
I love his glasses! He looks so grown up and like a handsome little man!!
He's so adorable! The glasses are so cute! I used to work at an optometrists office. Strabismus is not really a big deal. A lot of kids grow out of it if they stick to what the Dr tells them to do (like his patch). You're such a good mom!
Denisse, this would be so hard as a mom, but it's not your fault! He is so lucky to have you as his mommy. And he looks so adorable in his glasses! What a little stud muffin! All our love as he adjusts!
Ahhh he looks so cute in his little glasses. I loved the video thanks for sharing.
Lanie
Oh, i think he looks so darn cute in those glasses! You guys have such a beautiful family. And I agree wholeheartedly - glasses are such a miracle! I love them! Thanks for the upbeat attitude, and wonderful reminders.
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