My Boys at the Doctor’s Office
My boys 
This week, Joshua had his nine-month well baby check-up, and Nathan had his four-year-old well child check-up. I scheduled them for the same time for the sake of efficiency and fewer trips there with all three kids, though sometimes I’m not convinced it’s any easier.
Anyway, Nathan is terrified of the doctor’s office. As in he started crying the night before when I told him what we were doing the next day. In his eyes, shots are just about the worst thing you could ever do. Last October when Emily had her finger pricked, he was visibly shaking and white. And he wasn’t even the one getting pricked!
Needless to say, I was not excited about this visit. Given previous history, there was no way this was going to go well. I let him pick our breakfast that morning (French toast), bring Chad’s iPod to watch some of his favorite shows, and bring stories and coloring books to keep busy. I even promised him a tasty treat if he did well. I know, bribing with food does not promote a healthy relationship with food, but it’s really effective for Nathan.
I wasn’t worried about Joshua – he’s still little enough that he’ll cry for a few minutes, I’ll snuggle him with his pacifier and bear, and by the time we’re driving away from the office, he’ll forget it even happened. I love it when they’re little.
Well color me shocked – Nathan did fabulously! The shots did live up to my expectations, but he did get five, and they really do hurt. The rest of the appointment, though, went really, really well. He actually answered the doctor’s questions, let her check him out, and he didn’t even cry when he got his finger pricked. He thought peeing in the cup was really cool too. And Joshua did well also.
How are they both doing? They’re both big. Nathan is 80th percentile for height and 75-80th for weight. Joshua is 95th percentile for height and 90-95th percentile for weight. Joshua is the same size as the average thirteen- to fourteen-month-old – he weighs over twenty-three pounds and is thirty inches tall. No wonder I’m having to buy him twenty-four month clothes for this summer. And they’re both completely healthy and right where they should be developmentally.
The best part, other than knowing that everybody is doing well? No more visits for Nathan until next year! Our next appointment isn’t until the end of June. Hooray!
How was your last visit to the doctor’s office? Did your little handle it well?
My girls handle doctors’ appointments pretty well. I wanted to give you a word of hope for Nathan. After his pre-kindergarten shots, he won’t have to have another until he’s 11. My firstborn jumped for joy when her pedi told us that.
Hi Brynn,
So…my 21-month-old is the about the same height and weight as your 9-month-old! Almost a year difference too! Holy cow (: Glad they both did well at the doctor’s.
Nathan will be thrilled to hear he’s done with shots for a few years! (And I’m thrilled too!) And Sarah, I have to admit that one of the reasons I included Joshua’s stats was that I was curious how close to Isaac’s size he was getting. And I’m not sure how I feel about him being about the same size. Yikes!