Day Off

Tommy lost his contact... again.  Lost it for good this time.  I don't know where or how.   He's been fussy lately (teething boy)- and I would have thought it would've popped out during one of his fits... nope.  I thought it might pop out when I made him cry (shriek) himself to sleep.  Nope.  I think it happened while his sisters were having breakfast while he was happily playing on the floor... the floor that was so nicely vacuumed later that day.  It wasn't in any of his normal spots, not in his carseat, and not at his daycare provider's house.  Gone.
Oddly, I was less frantic about this than I have been the other zillion times it has been lost.  I called the clinic to order a new one, we'll see if insurance pays.
Regardless, Tommy has enjoyed a patch-free, contact-free day!  No fits today, I guess we all need a day off now and then.

Family Business

I'm afraid our other 3 kids are too worried about Tommy and his contacts and patch.  I don't mean that they are worried about his future or are all doom and gloom.  They worry about the day-to-day stuff.  If they notice his patch is off, their first reaction is "Mommy!  Tommy's patch is off!" in near panic- even if it is the evening.  They worry about his contact and whether it is in or not.  My oldest was born a worrier- but she is constantly gazing into his eyes to make sure she sees it.  It is difficult to see, so she regularly sounds the alarm "I CAN'T SEE HIS CONTACT!"
It struck me most when Tommy rubbed his contact out last Friday on the drive home and it was sitting on his cheek.  My 4-year old was in the car yelling that Tommy lost his contact!  At first, I just thought she was trying to get in on the panic action.  Her 6-year old sister peers over the back seat and said "It's true, he lost his contact!"  Lo and Behold, the contact was sitting on his cheek, plain as day (and thankfully safe!)
While I am happy to have help in keeping track of all of this, other times I worry that they are too worried about non-kid stuff.  No 9 year old should have to worry about her brother's patching time.  (Although, if I am honest, she'd find something else to worry about if it wasn't that!)  No 4-year old or 6-year old should watch out for her brother's contact.
I guess that's just one more reason my girls will be spending time on a therapist's couch someday....

Telling our story

Tommy is now 5 1/2 months old.  His cataract is such a small part of who he is, that I don't even think about it on a daily basis.  Sure, I think about his contact (whether it is there or not) and his patch (and how much he hates it), but all that is just part of our routine... much like brushing teeth or getting dressed.  While I don't exactly forget that he has a patch, I don't often remember that it is strange for a baby to be wearing one!  So, it has started to surprise me when someone asks about it.  
I've had to explain the story quite a bit lately, as my husband gave a testimony in church a few weeks ago about small groups.  He told Tommy's story- it relates to small groups as our small group was an amazing source of support for us. 
Now a lot of people in our church (in our relatively small town) see us around town and ask about Tommy.  It is very difficult to explain the patch.  People think we patch the "bad eye" to protect it, or we previously patched the "bad eye" after surgery.  They are often surprised that we patch the "good eye" to make the "bad eye" stronger. 

Strangers are a different story.  I think I have it down pretty well, I usually tell them that he had a cataract at birth, similar to the cataract you get when you are older.  I also tell them that it is different, because 1) it is rare and 2) since a baby learns to see after birth, the cataract is a much bigger deal and we are working to correct his vision.  I tell them that he wears a contact, and laugh about how much it costs ($250 EACH, not for a year's worth!) I explain that we patch the "good eye" to make the cataract eye get strong.  Those who are interested will ask follow up questions, those who are bored will glaze over and be glad when I am done talking.  Interestingly enough, I have never had a negative experience with all of this.  I've caught people staring, which I completely understand, I tell them the story (whether they asked or not!) and it is fine.  We certainly have had quite a few kids ask us what happened, and I modify my above speech just a bit.  But really, no one has been malicious.  I've had a few "poor baby" or "isn't that terrible?" comments- and I agree with them, it is terrible that he had to go through this and will deal with a lot growing up with this.  But I also feel very thankful that he is otherwise a healthy, happy little baby.