Day 732 - ETHAN'S Eye Exam

Sequels are definitely a big thing right now. If you need proof, take a gander at the top grossing movies of 2019. Literally every movie on the list is a sequel, remake, or part of a franchise. Another note of interest is that the top eight movies were all Disney/Pixar/Marvel/Lucasfilm productions. In other words, Disney reigned supreme at the box office this year. The only two on the list to not have Disney ties? 'Joker' and 'It: Chapter II'. I guess it is true that there's no originality in Hollywood anymore.

If you look at the man above and say, "Hey, isn't that Crosby from Parenthood?", I want to know about it.

 

My reasoning for this little informative soliloquy about sequels is simple. Today, we had a little sequel/remake of our very own as Ethan made his first trip to the eye doctor. I'm going to guess that the average reader won't remember but Ellie had her first eye exam all the way back in May of 2017. I certainly remember that day like it was yesterday though. The massive saucer eyes. Well, actually I mostly remember the massive saucer eyes. That's why there's a blog post about that though.

Like any good sequel, one needs enough differences between it and the original to keep your audience interested. Lucky for me, I had a big difference since it wasn't just me and one child at the eye doctor. I had two children! Rather than bother with finding a baby sitter to watch Ellie for approximately 40 minutes, I decided to take her with me. To keep her happy and entertained, we packed a shoebag full of books, toys, crayons, and paper to color on. Of course, as one can probably guess, that wouldn't quite be enough. First things, first; let's take it from the top.

Upon arriving at the doctor's office, I first had to fill out the typical stack of paperwork while Ethan and Ellie played in the kids' area. By "played", I mean Ellie took an appraisal of every toy in the area while Ethan methodically studied one blue Lego, turning it every which way in his hands. Basically the very second I handed in Ethan's paperwork, we were called back to the exam room for his appointment.

Upon entering the room, I pretty much had an idea of what to expect this time. And guess what? I was right. I was first asked to sit in the big exam chair with Ethan on my lap. Then, the nurse grabbed the dilating spray. Yes, I said spray. Unlike adults who receive drops, small children are essentially maced by something resembling a can of compressed air. Ethan, like Ellie all those years ago, recoiled in confusion and blinked repetitively. There was nary a tear shed or a scream heard though. With that, the nurse left the room and we were on our own for the next ten minutes.

Comparison time: which one is Ethan and which is Ellie?

While I assumed Ellie would spend the entire appointment digging through her little bag of goodies, instead it was time for a question and answer session while I fed Ethan his morning bottle. I watched as Ellie wandered around the exam area, taking stock of all that she was seeing. Then, the questions began. "What's that do? What's that for? How does it work? Why does it do that? Will they use that on Ethan?" I did my best to answer every one of her questions until finally, our eye doctor made her appearance.

With Ethan still sitting happily in my lap, the eye doctor began her exam. Using a variety of lights and magnifying lenses, the doctor rapidly checked Ethan's eye movement, response, and muscle control. Ethan for his part did great. The one downside was his fascination with continually trying to steal tools out of the eye doctor's hands. Try though he might, he was unable to wrest control of that pesky light away from his doctor.

Before we knew, Ethan's eye appointment had come to a positive end. His check-up was excellent. The only thing of note is that he is currently farsighted. However, that is perfectly normal for babies his age and he'll grow out of it. Actually, given the prescriptions for Bethany and myself, he's very likely to end up nearsighted but that's a problem for future Ethan to deal with.

Of course, there was one final thing that needed to happen before we could leave. Since I knew there was photographic evidence of Ellie's first eye exam, it was only fitting that Ethan receive the same treatment. Therefore, I asked the eye doctor if she would mind snapping a quick photo of Ethan and me in the exam chair. Not only did she not mind, but she went and got a special sign pronouncing this to be Ethan's first eye exam. There's one of those slight differences that help to differentiate a sequel from the original. 

Remember, this was ETHAN's first eye exam, not mine.

Oh yes, for the record, if you're the parent of an infant and want to take advantage of this program, it is called InfantSee. It provides parents with a free eye exam for their child provided that said child is still under a year of age. Even if it might seem slightly unnecessary, I can assure you that it's a good thing. After all, it's free. Who would ever want to turn down something free? Am I right? #DaddyWrite