a view into my little ones world...

Nora's eyes are something that we have been aware of and carefully watched her whole little life, but lately we are taking note of once again.  We are reading a wonderful book by a woman who had Nora's same eyes when she was young, had a few surgeries and is now a professor/doctor who studies the condition.  She gives the grown up account of what it was like...something that Nora tries to do in explaining to us every once and awhile, but seeing it in print is literally "eye opening".  When Nora was little she would tilt that sweet little head and look at those cheerios on her highchair tray and reach to grasp right beside it...her little crossed eyes made her see two or more, and she reached for the wrong one! Then it came time to walk and she was ready...at 9 months like her oldest brother, she was ready to take off, but while holding on to just one pinky of ours, she was perfectly fine...letting go she appeared drunk and lost all balance.  She would cruise all around the house holding on to the wall.  The doctor told us to imagine spinning round and round and letting go to walk, this is similar to what she felt.

Four surgeries later, her eyes are relatively straight... they do wander out every once and awhile...if she is tired or focusing hard.  Now think of this little first grader... she is so eager to learn.  In kindergarten she was mad at me because "why didn't you teach me to read before kindergarten?"  I did notice that she could read those sight word cards (one word per index card) like crazy but if you got a book that had all of those words in it, she was confused... no words that she knew on cards were familiar in the book.  Did not make sense to me BUT she is only 5 at the time, so not worried!  This year it starts again and I wonder.  She tilts that little head and tries so hard!  THEN, Flynn hears this woman on NPR and we go out and get this book.  The writer says that the words on the page get all jumbled up.  I have been covering the words, revealing one at a time and it is like magic!  Being the perfectionist that she is (don't know where she gets that!) she does not want my hand there and prefers to point at the words to focus (again that head tilts, but) she is so pleased with herself!  Makes me hurt for her and proud of her all at the same time!