Familiar Faces, Unfamiliar Places

Tuesday was a big day for Dylan.

His follow up RoP exam was scheduled for 11 am in Gainseville. It seems that the doctor that he was referred to is either the most popular pediatric ophthalmologist in the world, or she is woefully understaffed. His 11am appointment had us finally seeing the doctor by around 1 pm or so. After what seemed like a 5 minute exam, we were on our way. Through the entire wait, which I was dreading, Dylan was the perfect example of calm and serenity. He just sat in his carrier, looking around him and making noises at Barbara. Even after they took us in and put drops in his eyes to dilate his pupils, he was his usual happy self.

As far as the exam itself, Dylan passed with flying colors. RoP stands for Retinopathy of Prematurity. When babies are born early, the development of the blood vessels in their eyes can grow abnormally. This can lead to decreased vision or even blindness if not caught early enough. Thankfully though, Dylan had no signs of RoP during his first screening, and as of this last screening, his retinas are fully developed. So, no worries there. The doctor recommended a yearly follow up to monitor him for other possible preemie concerns like crossed eyes, lazy eyes or nearsightedness.

After the eye exam, we went to pay a visit with a few of the folks from Dylan's care team at the NICU. Dr. Baines, his doctor from June who did such a great job of taking care of Dylan and keeping us informed, his occupational therapist Elayne and his social worker Juda were all thrilled to see Dylan again. Dylan seemed to remember them as well. He started out a little cranky for Dr. Baines. but after he got a little food in him courtesy of Elayne, he was a much more pleasant visitor.

After our visit in Gainesville, we got a bite to eat at one of the local restaurants that we frequent and Dylan drew rave reviews there. Apparently it's very easy for anyone to see just how amazingly cute this little guy is. All of the waitresses who saw him couldn't help but comment on how cute he was, even when all he was doing was sleeping. But then, I knew that already :)

What surprised me the most was that even with all of the running around and being outside his normal element for the majority of the day, Dylan was only ever cranky if he was hungry. He really seemed to like the car ride, as I guess most babies do, but even when we were not in the car, he found things to amuse himself or he slept soundly. Hopefully this is just a sign of things to come.

Anyway, that's all for now. Sorry this is so late- so late that it is not even Wednesday anymore. Dylan wanted to eat right at the same time I sat down to type this, and he wasn't about to wait. When it comes to his belly, Dylan has no patience at all. I'll have another update on Sunday.