Five Year Checkup

Today the boy and I went to see his pediatrician for his five year checkup.  We were met by the nurse that we've had ever since Connor was first born.  Mindy.  She's the sweetest thing with the thickest Minnesota accent.  We adore this gal.

Mindy checked his height (just under 45 inches) and his weight (just north of 36 pounds) and then proceeded to the vision and hearing screening.

Now, I've needed corrective lenses of some kind since I was about nine years old.  My husband still doesn't wear any.  So, whenever either one of my children get their vision tested, I always keep my fingers crossed.

Daddy's genes were the winner today.

Then, on to the hearing test. The machine they used on Connor today looked like it was the same one they used in my elementary school days with one main exception. In "the olden days", we'd have to raise our hand to signify if we heard the electronic beep. Right hand if we heard it in our right ear. Left hand if we heard it in our left. This machine had an awesome Jeopardy buzzer that Connor got to press any time he heard the beep. I was a little jealous. I would have so cleaned up during the Audio Daily Double.

The test confirms that he DOES hear us. He just ACTS like he doesn't.

When our doctor enters, she does the routine checkup. Checks his reflexes. Looks in his eyes, ears, and throat. Checks out the white patch of hair he developed since his last checkup. She asks Connor what he likes to do for fun. He was a little too quick to answer "play the Wii", but I guess it's a sign that he's not coached, right?

The doctor then sits down to put all of her examination notes into the computer and she then shows me Connor's height and weight on those growth charts. While he's in the 50th percentile for height, he's only in the 16th for weight.

She turns to Connor and asks, "Do you like ice cream?"  My internal mommy dialogue sounds a little like this, "Good God, woman! Don't ask him that unless you plan to give him some!" followed by "Why would you ask that question without talking to me first?"

After he answered an emphatic YES, she turns to me and says, "A little ice cream before bedtime might be good for him. I normally have to tell parents to cut back on calories but in his case, he seems to be burning most of his. A smoothie or ice cream or something like that after lunch or before bed might be in order."

No wonder my kids love their pediatrician. I would too if I got doctor's orders to eat ice cream.

After the doctor had left, I let him know that it was now time for shots, something I had prepared him for the night before. I said that I was very sorry that he had to have shots and he assured me, "It's okay, Mommy. It helps get rid of bad stuff in my body." I have no idea who provided him these pearls of wisdom, but hearing my little boy trying to comfort me when it was his stick legs that were about to get punctured three times in a row brought me that much closer to tears.

Three Snoopy Band Aids for two stick legs.

There were tears. Not all of them were his. He was extremely brave and only needed about three minutes before he was ready to go choose a sticker. I took a little longer to mentally gain my composure.

Before we get to the sticker counter, Connor pulls me down by my arm so that he can whisper in my ear, "Can I get one for Cara, too?" Mommy's composure after I answered that question? Gone. As stubborn and argumentative and frustrating as this boy can be, it's his huge heart and compassion that keep us from selling him on Ebay.