And the Glasses Go To. . .

My girls are infatuated with glasses.  So much so that B and M have multiple pairs of fashion glasses from Claire's and L bought her first pair over the Summer.  Last year, after Spring Break, B went to school wearing her fashion glasses and had most of her class fooled.  She wore them daily for a week and then one day forgot to put them on.

"Mommy! Guess what?," she cried as she came out of school.  "My teacher asked where my glasses were!  She wanted me to go to the office to call you to bring them but I told her they were fake.  She said she was completely fooled!"

Sometime after that, though, B's desire for glasses faded.  During the Summer, M and L would complain about headaches and blurry vision.

L wants glasses so badly that at her last appointment a few months ago, she attempted to throw the exam.  I never even knew that was a possibility.  Her attempt was unsuccessful and she left dejected that once again, her vision was fine.

We had the girls annual appointments today (L was being followed up for a small astigmatism).

"I hope I need glasses!," exclaimed M.

"Me too!," L chimed in.

"Not me," said B.  "I hope I never need glasses.

All the way to the eye doctor all M and L could talk about was how much they wanted glasses.  When I was little, glasses were square.  We did everything in our power to avoid them (and I started wearing them when I was 2!).  How times change, that now glasses are such a coveted item.

As soon as we were escorted into the exam room, M and L started asking, "Do I need glasses?  Do I?"

"Woah!," said Beau, the eye tech.  "We need to examine your eyes first before we can determine that.  Who's first?"

All 3 of them shouted at once, "I am!  Me!  No me!"

After we figured out who would be first (M), Beau started the exam.  After every part, M asked anxiously, "Do I need glasses?"

"We have to wait for Dr. G," I said in an annoyed tone.  

We get it.  You want glasses, I thought to myself.

After Beau finished with M, it was L's turn.  

"So, L, I understand you get headaches sometimes.  Can you tell me when they happen?," he asked her.

"Yes.  I usually only get them in school when Freddie annoys me," she said matter-of-factly.

Beau started laughing.

"What?," asked L.  "It's true.  Freddie is very annoying and gives me headaches everyday!"

"Well," Beau told her.  "Unfortunately, I can't help you with those kinds of headaches."

After L, it was B's turn.  B has been being followed for strabismus for a few years now and is an old pro at the exam.

"So," asked Beau.  "Do you ever have double vision?"

"Only when I'm very tired," B replied.

"I do!," piped up L, from her seat where she was looking at a book.

Both Beau and I looked at her and I said, "You do?"  I turned to Beau and said, "This is the first I'm hearing of this."

"Yes.  Whenever I do this, I see double!," L said, stretching her eyes up and out.

She looked perplexed while Beau and I were laughing.  

"It's true!," she insisted.

"Then don't do that!," I laughed.

The girls had the joy of having their eyes dilated and based on the screams they emitted, you'd have thought we were giving them shots or sticking bamboo shoots under their nails.  

An hour later, we were back in the room with Dr. G.  She examined all the girls.

"Well, L's astigmatism is getting worse, so we're going to put her in glasses and see how that works," she said.

"L needs glasses?," M asked.

"Yes," I replied. "Now shush."

"L!  You need glasses!!," M told her excitedly.

"I know, M.  I can hear, you know," L said pointedly.

"Do I need glasses?," M asked Dr. G.

"Nope.  You have perfect vision!," Dr. G happily told her.

"Oh," said M.  To her credit, she did not cry like I thought she would.  She has been wanting glasses for years now and I'm sure there was a part of her that was quite green with envy.

B was so excited to find out that she didn't need glasses, she let out a huge "Whoo!  Perfect vision again!"

"Do I really need glasses?," L asked, with a change of heart.

"You do," I answered, gently.  "Aren't you excited?"

"I am," she answered.  "But what if no one recognizes me?"

"Oh, my love," I said gathering her up in a hug.  "People will always know sweet L!"

Secretly, I have always hoped for at least one of my daughters would need glasses.  I love seeing kids in glasses.  Is it because they remind me of the little me?  I don't know, but I always thought I'd be excited when Dr. G announced that one of my girls would need glasses.

Strangely, today when I heard the news, my first thought was, "Oh!  I'll never see that sweet face without glasses again!"  

In the very next second, though, my excitement shined through.  We listed all the people we know who wear glasses and by the time we left the office, L was super excited at the idea of going tomorrow to pick out her very first pair of glasses.