Henry had this three year check up on Friday. I knew he would
be great during the visit (unlike Isabelle who screams bloody murder at the
mere chance she might get a shot) and I already knew what to expect since I had
a 3 year old last year as well. It’s
still challenging though to get him undressed,
assure him the blood pressure cuff won't rip his arm off, hold him during finger prick blood work, and do the eye test while having the other two
kids in tow. I remember last year when Isabelle had her 3 year eye test and she
was a wiz at it. I also knew that Henry would not be a wiz. Henry is sweet and
adorable and can play independently for hours. However, ask him to complete a
simple task and it can be a challenge.
Me: Hey, Henry, can you pick up that dinosaur on the floor?
Henry: What?
Me: The dinosaur, right by your feet. Can you pick it up?
Henry: Dinosaur??
Me: Look down…it’s almost touching your feet….the dinosaur.
RIGHT THERE!!
Henry: (Looking around the ceiling) I no see it.
Okay, back to the doctor’s office and
the eye test, they bring us down the end of the hall and have Henry sit in a
chair and show him a few shapes that will be on the cards: Circle, House,
Square, and Apple. Perfect, he’s got all
the shapes down so the nurse heads a bit down the hall to start the test. I
cover one of his eyes with my hand which means I need to let Daniel run wild.
The nurse says, “Okay, Henry, what is this first shape?” Henry proudly and
loudly declares, “Octagon.” It was then that I knew just how the test was going
to go. Let’s recall that octagon wasn’t
even a shape on the cards! The test continued on like this with Henry calling
out random shapes, staring off at the ceiling, trying to pull my hand away from
his covered eye, etc. Meanwhile, Daniel is trying to remove a fire extinguisher
from the wall. Isabelle had been very good until I start hearing her say things like, “Henry, it’s a house” in a whispered voice. The nurse finally bribes Henry with a
prize if he can just focus and complete the test. Oh, and for the record there
were only 8 objects (4 shapes total) on the cards yet it felt like the longest
eye test ever! At the end, the nurse
said, “I think his eyes are fine but that maybe he’s just a bit young for the
test. It's okay, I’ll pass him.” I’m pretty sure he could have been blind and she would
have passed him just to get us out of there!
