I was expecting the norm, when Monday morning approached. Of course, we all do! That was why it was so shocking to gather up Anna first thing in the morning, after the kids had all left for school.... and find that her sweet little eyes were crossed! I thought it very peculiar, but after an hour or two, they straightened a bit. Hmmm.... strange! But it happens, I suppose. Unfortunately, after her nap, I noticed the same problem. I was concerned, but not overly. To keep this long story short, after two days of intermittent crossed eyes, I took her in to see our pediatrician whom I trust very much! He's been with our kids for 4 years and he has always been spot on. It was kind of a dark day for me because our doc was very concerned about Anna's eyes. He was concerned because he noticed no eye muscle concerns-- her eyes seemed perfectly fine to him. Therefore, he concluded, this might be a neurological concern. Of course, I had never considered this... wasn't even really sure what it meant! So, I asked. And he told me not to worry quite yet, but that it might be indicative of a BRAIN TUMOR. And remember, I know this man and trust him. He's never led me astray and has always been so right about all of the kids' previous medical concerns. I was absolutely terrified!!!
Thankfully, we didn't need to wait too long... only a few days before we headed down to Radys Children's Hospital and the ophthalmologist examined Anna to find that there was in fact, a slight far sightedness issue- 2.0. Because it was slight, the doc could not positively rule out neurological concerns. She believed the problem could likely be strabismus (eye muscle weakness). But she needed to see Anna back in two weeks to determine if glasses had straightened out her eyes. If they worked, then this was most likely the problem. If they did not work, we would go in for further testing, MRI and such. Oh my!
This entire process has been so nerve racking for me. The past month drained all of my emotional energy, to say the least. But through prayer and God's constant awareness of my every need, I made it through without losing my mind! Anna actually wore the glasses from day one. This blessing alone helped to ease my mind. I know Anna (and frankly any two year old) well enough to know that she would never wear those glasses if they were not helping her in some way. The glasses were working and that was why she wore them. Of course, I had moments of panic during that two week period where I worried that her eyes were not straightening, or I felt she was "dizzy" or "nauseous" all symptoms of neurological concern. Of course as a mother my mind went there. But truly, Heavenly Father blessed me with a sound mind (for the most part) and my heart was SO full of gratitude last week when we went in again and the doc felt the glasses were doing the trick.
Unfortunately, it can take scares like this to ground us at times. I certainly didn't worry as much about my housework, or about my calling this past month! I wanted to just spend quiet moments with my kids. I wasn't as social or busy.... I stayed close to Heavenly Father. And now, feeling so very blessed, I hope to take away from the experience a more concerted determination to remain close to Him and to value what is of most importance here on earth. My family! And the gospel.
I think Anna looks pretty darn cute in her glasses. Man, I love this little girl.
