"Eyemaker, Eyemaker, make me an eye."Corny, I know, but this (sung to the tune of "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" from "Fiddler on the Roof") is what I think of when we come to see Vaune, Camille's ocularist (ok-you-LARE-ist) in Iowa City, Iowa.
I really don't have any idea what possessed me to come up with the pairing of that song with those words, other than the altered sense of humor that one must develop when dealing with prosthetic eyes.
At any rate, after the "exciting" (this term is being used VERY loosely, I might add) events of last week, Camille and I set off yesterday for "eye-making days" here in Iowa City. This is Camille's second prosthetic. The process takes two days, at the end of which Vaune has produced a wonderful work of art that can and has fooled many-an-opthalmologist and most lay people.
It would have been more appropriate and entertaining for me to take a picture of the actual prosthetic as I trust most of you have never seen one. HOWever, I was not willing to wake up this sleeping beauty to take out her eye, so you get this beautiful picture instead. This is Camille sleeping in the bed next to mine in our hotel with her beloved Bubba Grizz, her little self tired from a day's work of eyemaking and swimming in the hotel pool, her tummy full of a Perkins Belgian Waffle, pancakes, and three bites of eggs that she ate without a struggle to boot!
At this point, with lack of sound literary transition, I must tell my favorite eye-making story. Last summer, Camille's cousin Patrick (then 6 years old) was at our house the weekend before we left to come get Camille's first prosthetic eye made. As you can imagine, his little mind was working overtime trying to wrap his brain around the whole idea of first of all needing, and second of all having a prosthetic eye. You must know that he is completely the most affectionate being when it comes to his little girl cousins. He didn't know that I was watching him (poor child thought he was having a sacred moment with Camille), but as he was getting ready to leave our house, I saw him lean over and whisper in Camille's ear in the most sincere and loving voice ever, "Good-bye, Camille. Have fun gettin' your fake eye, okay?" And then he gave her a little hug. Priceless.
So, that's what Camille and I are doing. Hanging out in Iowa City, having fun gettin' her fake eye.
2 comments:
Oh, 'sister' dear-how you can make me laugh and cry all in the same moment. Give my niece a great big hug and a kiss and I will give one to her sister when I see her tomorrow at G'ma's.
Jen, I make up songs all the time, so I'm glad to know that I'm either not insane or not alone!
As for the tornado last week - Jack had to wake us up to tell us the sirens were going off. We didn't have any damage in our neighborhood but, like you, I felt horrible that I might have slept through it - and the impact that would have on my family. A tornado coming through in the middle of the night is one of my worst fears.
You and your beautiful family are never far from my thoughts.
[Bill shared your blog address with me].
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