We have seen a different doctor for each of Jack's well-baby visits. I think it's partly my fault because I schedule them last minute and then take whoever has an opening. And I haven't met one I truly loved enough to insist on seeing again. Until now. Too bad we'll never be back to this clinic before we move, but I just loved the doctor Jack met with on Friday. He was an older gentleman with snowy white hair and a slow, soft voice. Perfect for my wild child. Who, while I was fillling out paperwork on lead poisoning, happened to be removing objects from the drawers when the doctor walked in. I was really hoping he wouldn't make us wait too long. I had only brought a few books and toys to keep Jack occupied in that tiny space full of drawers and buttons. Thankfully, he didn't. This has been the most attentive, thoughtful doctor we've met with yet. In fact, I think I was in more of a hurry than he was. He let Jack play with his equipment, and showed him how the tape measure and knee-knocker-thing worked. He seemed genuinely interested in my son. And he kept commenting on Jack's adorable rosy cheeks (they are kinda cute, but I'm afraid they make him look like he's constantly out of shape!!). But I think he was little taken aback at Jack's size when his shirt was off. Jack's a big kid, but you really notice it when you see that belly and all those rolls!! I thought he was starting to thin out, but now I'm not so sure. He's definitely clinging on to that baby fat. At 32 pounds he's currently wearing 2T clothes, but all his shirt and pants are tight around the belly. He continues to hang out in the 97th percentile, which the doctor seemed please with. But I have to wonder, at what point is it no longer "good" to be bigger than 97% of your peers??
We talked about his development, how he's interested in learning and likes to figure out how things work. How he "walks" up and down the stairs. How he maybe says 8 words max at this point - Mama, Dada, dog, uh-oh, what's that, ball, hoT (emphasis on the "t") ... apparently this is on the low end for his age but I'm not too concerned. We just have to make it a point to go over words and sounds with him for the next few months. We discussed how he's a great sleeper, and a generally good eater who loves his fruits and veggies, and that he's never had an ear infection or any other sickness since he was born. The doc seems to think it's because he's not in daycare but I personally believe it's because Jack and I both find visits to the military clinic extremely bothersome and do everything we can do avoid them!
We finished with the doctor and walked across the hall to get Jack measured and weighed. I set Jude's carseat down in the room, turned around and Jack was gone. I looked up and down the hallway and peeked in each of the other exam rooms. Nothing. The office isn't that big, where could he have gone in 10 seconds time? I finally found him out in the waiting room, playing with toys in nothing but a diaper and socks. Some random nurse said, "Oh I wondered who this child was!" Thankfully, Jude doesn't walk yet because his Mommy left him very much unattended while chasing after Jack!
Vaccinations were a breeze this time compared to our other visits. The "vaccinator" was a little more slow than I like to see (I prefer the fast ones that do all three shots before you can blink your eye!!) but Jack's one tough cookie. And the lollipop at the end definitely helped. Thankfully he handled the immunizations much better than last time, and was just a bit more clingy that day and night. And the best part is no more shots for the next 2.5 years. Hooray!
So that's Jack at 18 (eh, 19 months). He is really growing up. He may not say much, but he definitely understands EVERYTHING! And he's learning how to do new things every day. He loves jumping in the air with both feet. He insists that I use a changing mat whenever I change Jude's diaper, and makes sure to bring it to me each time. He gives himself a round of applause every time he throws something in the trash. He brings me his shoes when he wants to go for a walk. He has a habit of shutting all the doors upstairs before coming downstairs, although he probably doesn't realize I only do this to keep him out of our room and and the bathroom. He thinks pancakes always taste better when they come off Mommy's plate. He believes that everything that comes through the car window in a bag must be food, and gets very upset when Mommy doesn't give him a taste of her vitamins when she picks them up from the drive-thru pharmacy. And apparently, just today, he's even learned how to operate the lock on the gate in the church nursery. Thankfully they caught him before he made his way back into the sanctuary. Although it would've been interesting to see my son walking up the aisle in the middle of the sermon.
One of his favorite activities is crawling over the chair arm and hanging out in the small corner between Daddy's chair, the wall and the shelf. He would read some books or play with puzzles for a little and then start crying for me because he couldn't get out. Eventually he realized that with a few swipes he could clear all the books and puzzles off the shelf, and create an escape route that would deposit him behind the chair and back into freedom. He now does this on a daily basis.
Isn't it funny how proud you can be of a little child? Jack and Jude don't do much at this point, they haven't made any major contributions to society, haven't solved any world issues, haven't scored any touchdowns yet or came home with A's on their report cards. They can barely even talk. But those boys are just the light of my life! And I love 'em like crazy!!
Isn't it funny how proud you can be of a little child? Jack and Jude don't do much at this point, they haven't made any major contributions to society, haven't solved any world issues, haven't scored any touchdowns yet or came home with A's on their report cards. They can barely even talk. But those boys are just the light of my life! And I love 'em like crazy!!
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