eyes and teeth

On Tuesday Eddie had an eye exam. Our pediatrician recommended it since I have an eye condition, Duane Syndrome. The optometrist told us right away that Duane's is not hereditary, so at first the visit seemed like a waste. They dilated his eyes, which meant some eye drops and he didn't even squeamish or squirm for them. Then we had to wait for a half hour for them to take affect. The eye exam indicated what we already knew: Eddie is perfect. The appointment, although seemingly unnecessary, did provide additional confidence, not only in the vision department, but also because it gave us more experience out and about in public. Eddie is really very well behaved and everyone, even strangers, seem to love him. A woman in the waiting room commented that he seemed "very good-natured." He enjoyed starring at the other kids, admiring their abilities to walk. And he really liked the doctor's office, full of equipment and machines. We were there from 10:30 a.m. until almost 1 p.m. and he only got fussy as we were getting dressed to leave. I decided he was hungry and breastfed him in the emptied waiting room, feeling proud of my son for handling the appointment so well, and proud of myself for exercising my right to nurse in public.

I wonder when the newness of baby companionship will fade into normalcy, and I will be able to feel completely at ease taking Eddie out and about - maybe never, I think, as I see other parents disciplining their toddlers and providing stimulation to distract their kids from the annoyance of waiting rooms and errands like grocery shopping. I tend to view every experience that occurs outside of our home with excitement and a bit of anxiety, not knowing how Eddie will act or whether he will become fussy. Today I took him with me to get my hair done - probably won't do that again though because I don't like him inhaling all the toxic hair chemicals and playing on the floor of a salon is not the most hygienic of places. Overall, he seems to respond very well to new people and situations - he stares with wide-open eyes taking in his new surroundings with wonder, and nine times out of ten he smiles at new people. I feel pretty lucky that so far he is so good, with no indication of any stranger anxiety.

An another note, Eddie is getting in more teeth. On Monday we noticed his two upper incisors, the ones next to the front teeth, poking through. They look like fangs. He is drooling a lot again, and gets fussy for brief periods during the day, but it is usually resolved by giving him a toy to chew on. He might not have any hair before he turns one, but looks like he could have a full set of teeth!