Stats from the Doctor

I finally took John in for his three year well visit.  I had to take him to the doctor a week ago for his millionth case of pink eye/clogged tear duct, and while I was there, I went ahead and scheduled his well visit.  Why is it so hard for me to make the call to schedule the appointment?!!!  Because I keep forgetting to save the doctor's number in my contacts list, that's why.

Anyway, we went this past Friday morning, and John was really excited about it.  No joke.  He knew that a sticker was involved, and also, he just likes going to the doctor?  He's also really excited about his upcoming visit to the dentist.  He and Ada could not be more different about this type of thing.

And, of course it was no shock to find out he is low on the charts for height and weight.  All I have to do is look around the church nursery to figure that out.  He is 9% for weight, and a whopping 3% for height, but the important part is that his growth is right on track.  He's just a little guy.  Everything else was great, which is a relief to hear.  I talked to the doctor about his eating habits, and he told me what I thought he would.  Don't make him eat.  Offer the food, he chooses to eat or not, don't let him eat junk in place of meals, etc. etc. etc.  And I really think we follow these things fairly well.  He also told me he just doesn't need that much food.  So, it's good to hear those things from the pediatrician.  We're doing what we're supposed to do; maybe one day he'll be a good eater.  We'll see.  He said most of all, don't make it a power struggle.  Offer the food at meals, but if he chooses not to eat it, don't make a big deal out of it, so that helps me.  Dinners have recently been turning into power struggles, so I can let that battle go.  Other than the, no you can't have a cookie if you don't eat your dinner.  The obvious things ;) 

Also, he had to get one shot, which I was nervous about.  He was a trooper, though.  He lay on that table, barely squinted his little eyes when the needle went in, and didn't shed a tear.  He didn't even make a sound.  Dramatic Ada was watching, and she said, "maybe next time I have to get shots, I'll do that."  That's a thought!!  At her four year appointment, last time she had to get shots, I am sure the entire office could hear her screaming.  The nurse and I both had to hold her down just to get the shots in her.  And you remember our dentist experience (though our last dentist visit went wonderfully, so I think she is finally outgrowing the dramatics). 

I worry about all the things I haven't taught John that Ada already knew at this point.  He doesn't know his alphabet; we don't spend a lot of time on numbers; he's just sort of along for the ride with whatever I'm teaching Ada.  I am going to try to be more intentional with him next school year.  We shall see.  I do have a funny John story that describes him perfectly...

He is obsessed with the letter H.  Who knows why?  I don't even know how he learned the letter H.  Why is John obsessed with a lot of the things he fixates on.  But, the letter H it is.  If I am writing his name on something, like a cup, he makes sure that I write H.  And if I am counting for any reason, he wants me to include the letter H.  So, one day, I asked him if he could write an H, and he very confidently answered yes.  And, indeed, he grabbed a pencil, and wrote a capital H, no problem, on the piece of paper.  The problem is, he has no interest in learning about any other letters.  Isn't it fun to see these personalities that God creates in our children.  He and Ada are so different from each other!!! 

Ada showing John some ballet moves ;)