We are really trying to jam in any doctor visit or test that we can before I go back to work --only one week of precious summer left. I am avoiding the thought to try and spare myself the heartache and anxiety that I have not missed one bit. 
On Thursday of last week, we saw Parker's ophthalmologist (I have subsequently learned that in every single post I have written about the "eye doctor" -I have spelled this word wrong!). We heard as we expected...Parker needs glasses! Yes, to those unfamiliar with the world of ophthalmology like me, they do make glasses for babies that are safe and even a little cute! The best glasses for kids come from Miraflex, a company that realized that metal frames and tiny, curious, sometimes frustrated hands/faces do not go together. These glasses are made with kid-safe lenses that won't break if thrown, chewed, or lost in the depths of the couch, and frames that are flexible and rubbery. We ordered Parker a cute blue pair that we should be getting soon!
On Friday, we had his "sleep deprived EEG." This was no fun for anyone...but the rough moments really crept up on us sneakily. Matt stayed up with Parker until midnight, which wasn't nearly as difficult as expected. They ate and played until Parker fell asleep on his playmat promptly at 11:57pm. I had morning duty starting at 4:00am. Since I went to bed at 9:30 the night before, it wasn't horrendous to wake up at 4. Parker played for a few hours in the morning...with the occasional attempt at snoozing when I would walk away to put something in the kitchen.
Really, the hardest part of being sleep deprived (for all of us!) was the car ride. Unfortunately, this procedure required us to drive down town, close to rush hour. So it was about an hour drive...with all of us running on 4-6 hours of sleep. It was nearly impossible to keep Parker awake...and I quickly realized that sitting in the back seat with him and trying to act like an idiot to keep him up really wasn't effective. All in all...he slept for probably about 10 minutes of the ride...with maybe a few snoozes here and there. I count that as a success!
One thing I didn't like, and really don't understand upon arriving, is that the EEG technicians only allow one adult in the room with the child, so Matt had to wait in the reception area. The rooms were plenty big for the procedure, but I'm sure they have their reasons.
The tech started the procedure by taking a big Q-tip with cleaning gel and rubbed it pretty forcefully in about 20 spots on Parker's poor little head (that I was holding tightly). She then added a paste--which I am convinced was a version of those glue sticks we used in school and pushed down an electrode into the glue, with a piece of gauze on top...again, pretty forcefully. By about the 5th or 6th electrode, P had reached his breaking point. He was pretty unhappy for the rest of the electrodes and the surgical tape that pressed them down! Finally, I was able to jump in bed with him swaddled, and give him his bottle...in the pitch black, laying in a bed.........in the pitch black. Guess who fell asleep first? Just kidding...he did, but I wasn't far behind him.
P was allowed to sleep for about 40 minutes while being monitored by the computer system. I appreciated the 20 minute power nap too! He was rudely awakened by strobe lights, loud claps, unswaddling, and many, many more strobe lights. He was surprisingly calm during this, and even giggled and laughed a few times. Really, it was the removing of the electrodes that was the worst part, and lasted throughout the day and weekend. The tech soaks the tape and glue until she can pull them out and rub out the glue the best she can. She assured me that soap and water would take out the rest at home...but I was skeptical. All but two tiny parts of glue did come out, though, which led us to need to cut teeny pieces of hair at home.
Really, the babe was a trooper...as always. He only cried if in pain, and even that was pretty short lived considering. If someone yanked me out of bed after 4 hours and did all of that...I would probably be throwing punches! Love this boy...and am always so proud of him.
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