Strabismus Surgery Update

Chloe's surgery went well. It was scheduled for 10:30am. She's usually had a bottle and breakfast by then so we were a bit nervous about fasting for that long. I've joked before, though, that Chloe could go all day without eating. She's never once fussed for food. And fortunately (or unfortunately) I was right. She didn't seem to notice a thing. Maybe it was the extra bottle that I snuck in at 11:30pm that was holding her over...hmm...

Anyway, the surgery went well. She can't wear her contact for a week so she gets to wear her glasses. We had a new left lens put into her old glasses to act as a substitute for her contact (the left lens was only a bifocal before - meant to be worn over her contact). Check out this monster. It's just about the fattest lens I've ever seen!

Chloe's been a good sport about her glasses, though. She leaves them on for the most part. I noticed them falling off her face so I decided to save the 30 minute drive to the hospital and do the adjustment myself. Bad idea. All I did was tilt the pads so they dug into her nose leaving little red indentions. We went back first thing this morning and they installed a nifty "uni-bridge" to help keep her glasses on. Chloe's just about the cutest baby nerd you've ever seen. She seems to be getting around just fine, too. She's still standing and cruising as much as before. I don't think the adjustment to her "new world" will be as dramatic as her vision therapist made it out to be. Either that or Chloe's just a kick-butt baby!

The only nasty side effect of surgery is Chloe's new ability to fuss. She came home crying at the drop of a hat. She obviously felt pretty crappy. Who could blame her? I found myself running around saying, "What's wrong sweet Chloe? What can I do to make you happy? Are you hungry? Do you want me to hold you?" You know when they cry in that way that makes you desperate to make them feel better? It ocurred to me that Chloe NEVER cries like that. Never even after her previous surgeries. This was new and definitely disconcerting. She got a couple doses of Aspirin and went to bed a little early. She was much better the next day and today. The only problem. All that running around I was doing for her crying...she took good notes. Little turkey! I was eating a piece of bread with Nutella today and she was trying to get it from me. I decided to tear a little piece for her and she got all angry because I wanted to put it in her mouth instead of handing it to her. (We were sitting on the carpet and I didn't want Nutella rubbed into the carpet.) She started flapping her arms up and down and yelling at me! I could hardly believe it. Who is this baby? But I complain in jest. I think a little 'tude is a good thing. I'll probably eat my words in a few weeks but I like this new side of Chloe.

Her follow-up visit is in two weeks. It's difficult to say how straight her eyes are now. Her left eye looks pretty buggy through her coke bottle x3 lens. Dave thinks they look straighter, though. Here she is blowing a kiss on her way to bed after surgery - one of her newer tricks.