Princess Peepers

Among the many, many modern inventions I'm thankful for, contact lenses are definitely in the top three. I've had horrible eyesight since I was a kid, but hid it for years because I didn't want to wear glasses. I became an expert at finding ways to see the board at school, using conveniently-timed trips to the pencil sharpener or trash can so I could walk past the front of the room and read it up close on the way by.

When I finally 'fessed up (in junior high or high school, I think?), the optometrist told my mom he couldn't believe I got passing grades, much less straight A's, because I'm practically blind. Luckily for me, this meant they didn't even bother fitting me with ultra-thick goggles (why not just send me to school with a TORMENT ME sign around my neck?) and I skipped right to contacts. There are probably fewer people who've seen me in my backup glasses than people who know the truth about Area 51.

Bear wears glasses, too, so the chances are pretty good that the girls will eventually be sporting their own specs. At my optometry appointment yesterday, Keira had a blast trying on every kids' pair in the store, and the employees kept bringing her more because...well, because my kid is both cute and totally weird, and that's good entertainment! The only thing more fun than seeing how she looked in each pair was watching the goofy faces and poses she kept making:

Incidentally, one of Kiwi's favorite books is Princess Peepers, about a little princess who gives up her supremely-awesome wardrobe of glasses when the other princesses make fun of them:

It's a cute story, and also one of those handy Subliminal Message Books parents and teachers like to bust out when the situation calls for it. Although I picked it out a long time ago (more for the princess aspect than the "peepers" part), I guess it's never too early to start the pro-glasses propaganda in this family!