beautifulinmyeyes.net

Random ages here…but you get the idea…this kid has beautiful eyes (completely unbiased opinion, of course!)

Good news first!  We went for a follow-up eye appointment to check on Aidan’s visual acuity and eye health.  He was starting to squint a little right before bedtime, and we thought it was a good idea to get him checked out.  His opthamologist told us we could wait 2 years since his last check which was in October 2006, but to call if we had any concerns.  Because ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) is a concern in former preemies who received any supplemental oxygen, we wanted to take the safe route.  Back when Aidan was in the NICU he got a little ROP.  He only got to a Stage I, Zone 3 (the mildest of classifications of ROP).  Then it resolved just 2 weeks later in the NICU. 

But premature babies that had any ROP should be followed by an opthamologist.  They did several tests on Aidan today.  And he did great!  They did something similar to flashing letters on the screen like they do for adults.  I told them that would probably be GREAT for Aidan since he knows all his letters.  But the tech insisted that “children this age do better with shapes.”  Ok, whatever.  He did great.  Named every shape they showed…even some I didn’t think he knew.   Then dilation and a more thorough exam.

The doctor told me Aidan’s acuity was good.  That he has some astigmatism, but that is mostly due to the fact that during the early years children’s eyes can grow faster in one direction than the other.  In Aidan’s case his eye is growing a bit faster horizontally than vertically causing the astigmatism.  He said Aidan compensates perfectly for it, and that by the end of the day his eyes are just tired.  He told me that his eye tissue, retina, etc all look perfect.  Awesome news!

Now for the bad news….err, frustrating news:  Aidan doesn’t want to close those beautiful baby blues at night.  This child is running Brandon and I through another toddler patience test.  For the last 3 nights in a row, he just does not want to stay in his bed when we put him down.  We are doing the exact same routine as always.  Stories at 7:45 and lights out at 8:00 with soft music.  Last night between 8:00 and 10:00 when he finally passed out, he must have left his bed 40 times.  I am not kidding!  Brandon and I took turns listening for him.  We buckled and tried a “Supernanny” tactic last night.  I’m not sure if it had an effect…hard to tell from one night.  Hard as it was, after the first emergence from his bedroom when he was greeted with, “Time for bed, sweetie” and then an escort to his bed; every subsequent trip was greeted with an immediate appearance of one of us outside his door and then silently putting him back in bed.

I have thought about whether or not something needs to be modified, and I am coming up empty.  He naps from about 12-2 and he still *really* needs his nap.  Otherwise he is a crankpot.  I had thought maybe he was ready to give up his nap, but he has demonstrated on the random napless day that he is not ready.  We have quiet time before bed and the 15 minute story time in his bedroom with dim lighting.  I am at a loss.  Maybe he is just going through a phase.  Ugh.  I know some kids who sleep later when they go down later….not Aidan.  He was up and at it at 6:30 sharp. 

Advice fellow parents?