Check-Up Time

We spent this afternoon at the doctor.  When I scheduled Holt's six month check-up and Hayes' six year check-up to be at the same time, it seemed like a great idea.  The closer this day approached, the more I began to dread it.  My fears were validated.

There was no one else in the waiting room when we arrived.  The office was actually very calm and quiet.  That is, until my mangy crew arrived.  I was handed a stack of papers to update records for each of my two boys that were being seen that day.  Just as I sat down to start updating, they called us back to a room.  You know what a pediatrician's exam room looks like.  Now picture my three rambunctious boys and a baby in a carrier all wedged in there.  We were literally on top of each other.  And have I mentioned that my three year old has trouble with volume control?  He seriously makes noise just to hear himself make noise.  And in that tiny room, it is all amplified a hundred times.

The next thirty minutes were a whirlwind, similar to that of a Nascar pit stop.  Shifting kids between weight checks and height measurements, temperatures, a urine sample and a finger prick.  I think I've decided since I have only boys, that it is only fair for Daddy to attend the check-ups so that he can assist in collecting the urine sample.  After all that had been completed, I felt like I had been put through the ringer.  I needed a rest.

Knock. Knock.  It was Dr. Owen.  He opened the door and hadn't even gotten all his hello's out yet before Houston, much like a senior citizen, thrust this in his face:

Mind you, he was not one of the boys with a check-up today.  Turns out it is an overactive lymphnode attacking a bug bite directly above it.  But to be safe, Dr. Owen wanted to run bloodwork.  Earlier when the finger prick lady was in, Houston was promised he was safe.  When she flung the door open, I knew we were gonna have a problem.  Every time before, Adam or I have had to lay on top of him.  Much to my surprise, he took it like a man, never even whinced.  I hope this is the new trend.

We went ahead and completed Hayes' check-up first, since Holt was being very quiet and content, unlike all his brothers.  Dr. Owen said he looked great!  See stats below.

I got the big boys settled (see highly concentrated faces to the left) for Holt's portion of the check-up, which just left my noisemaker child.  There wasn't a seat for him so while I attempted to discuss Holt's development, he proceeded to push Hayes and raise his voice and cry.  I snatched him up to sit on the table and explained that I needed him to be quiet.  That worked...for a minute.  "La la la la la la la!"  he began shouting while shaking his head back and forth.

Holt received a great report as well.  I requested a consult about his mishapen head.  So, we will be heading to a neurosurgeon in the near future.  And we got a green light to start adding vegetables and fruit into his diet.

At the end of the check-up, I hadn't even touched the stack of forms that the receptionist had handed me an hour ago.  And since Houston got blood drawn, I now had a stack for him as well.  The kids went out to select their suckers while I filled out the papers.  There was only one green sucker.  Hayes chose that one, which of course is the only one that Hawkins wanted.  So to wrap up the whole doctor experience, we walked out with Hawkins having a full blown meltdown trailing behind.  Why should our departure be pleasant?!

Let's just say after all of that, I had a headache, immune to any pain medication that I can take while nursing, for the rest of the evening.

Hayes
49 pounds -- 50th percentile
45.76" -- 50th percentile

Holt
17lb 1oz -- 40th percentile
27.5" -- 80th percentile
Didn't catch the head measurement but it was the 97th percentile -- go figure!