Ear Infections and not so great doctors

Well I finally took C to the doctor's on Wednesday. He's been in such a funk for the past two weeks that I thought it had to be more than teething.

We just got a new insurance starting March 1. I was really sad that we had to leave our old insurance because I absolutely loved the doctor at Kaiser (well technically I think she was a nurse practitioner). She was really warm and actually seemed to listen to any concerns that I had. She could get D to laugh (he's such a tough crowd) and C to sit still (he's such a wiggle worm.) Dr. F we'll miss you!

Wednesday I decided that I was going to just take C in. Fevers, loss of appetite, tugging on ears... this was all going on too long for it to just be teething. So I called the first doctor I could find on the insurance website and made the appointment.

When I got there, I noticed that there wasn't much for a toddler to do. Tons of magazines and books for the older kids and adults, but just a bunch of stuff to be torn up by the little hands of my sixteen month old. It took about twenty to thirty minutes for us me to fill out all the paper work and get verification that we were eligible for the benefits. During that time, D sat in a chair and read his book while C tried to sneak out the door, climb on top of tables, tear up magazines, and flirt with the lady at the front desk.

By the time they called our name I was ready to just go home. We walked to the back, C stood on the scale like a big boy (twenty six pounds with all clothes on and chunky shoes) and we got ushered into a small room on the left. I told the nurse his symptoms, she took his temperature (no fever at this time!), and left. All in under two minutes and without looking at me. Five minutes of waiting with a squirming C and a crabby D and Dr. G walks in. Introduces himself, looks in C's ears, declares that he has an ear infection, and tries to walk out the door.

Wait a minute! I have more questions and concerns for this little guy.

I ask him to check out C's soft spot to see if it's closing properly. A few good pushes on said spot, declares that it'll close by the time C turns two, and tries to head for the door again.

Wait a minute I have another question!

Can you please just feel my son's skull to make sure the bumps I feel are considered "normal" bumps for his age. C loves to climb and run and often falls on his head. Kel and I felt that he had one good sized bump on the top right side of his head, over his ear. So of course its a concern. Again, one (not so good) once over around C's head and he said, "Yup all is normal. Everyone has knots in their skull. Now let me go get that prescription for you and get you guys on your way."

Very condescending.

I didn't even try to bring him back with anymore questions. I just let him go thinking at least I will get some antibiotics for the infection and just bring it up with the actual pediatrician at the practice.

Whom I will insist I see at C's eighteen month appointment. Which of course I can't schedule until the week of his eighteen month birthday. Office practice apparently.

Even though he left much to be desired, at least Dr. G gave me the medicine to bring back my happy Buggy. I am also grateful that this has only been C's second ear infection. Much different than how D was.

Skinny

I think D is way too skinny. He's three and a half and I don't think he's changed in weight since he turned two. He likes to hover between thirty and thirty five pounds. Whenever I'd make a comment, Kel'd always brush it off, saying D was just fine and I liked to worry. I talked to other friends and family members, even his pediatrician, and everyone said that he was just fine.

But I can't help but worry. It would easier to pull my hair out one by one sometimes than get D to sit down and eat.You would think I'm trying to force brussel sprouts and liver down his throat with the way that he carries on sometimes. D won't try new foods anymore, won't go near a vegetable, and has started to lose interest in his "favorites". Which I don't blame him, but if he's bored with the "same old, same old" than he should at least try a bite of something new before he decides that he doesn't like it. So for now, I watch him push the food around his plate, drink his milk, and then declare "My tummy is full" and go back to doing... whatever it was that he was doing before I forced him to sit at the kitchen table.

I weighed him tonight and he weighs thirty three pounds. Thirty three pounds! And his height is at thirty eight and three quarters inches. According to About.com that is the thirty fifth percentile for weight and thirty third percentile for height. His BMI is in 16.1 which is in the sixty first percentile so at least he is considered average in that aspect.

Looking back through pictures, it seems like only his facial features have changed in the past year. Like his face has lost its' "toddler look" and has now moved onto childhood. Other than that, the only difference in his two and half picture and his three and a half picture is his hair cut.

This is D in March 2010

This is D in March 2011. Do you see much of a difference? I don't. (Don't mind the grumpy face, but this was the closest pose that I could find to the March 2010 picture.)

I think Kel is finally on board with the whole eating issue because he made sure that D stuffed himself at dinner time. And lucky for me, it wasn't with junk.

I think it's time to take D to the pediatrician again...

See the ribs?

A New Title

For the past three years, eight months, two weeks, and one day I have been called Mom.

For the past eight years, six months, two weeks, and five days I have been called Girlfriend.

For the past twenty six years, one month, three weeks, and one day I have been called Daughter and Sister.

Yesterday, at 7:32 pm, I got to add a new title to my repertoire.

I am an Aunt.

Not to just one, but TWO beautiful little girls who have already stolen the hearts of many.

MGJ was born at 7:32 pm weighing 5 lbs 4 oz and her little sister MBJ was born at 7:34 pm weighing 4 lbs 10 oz.  They are doing extraordinary well for being born at thirty five weeks one day. My sister is a champ and recovering from her c-section.

Congratulations M and K on your beautiful baby girls. C and D cannot wait to meet their baby cousins!

ABC's and D

D is a very smart three year old. He knows his alphabet and recognizes his letters, can count to 20,  knows the majority of his shapes and colors, and is the biggest techie that I've ever seen (for a three year old that is).

But I feel like such a slacker.

Apparently, three year olds should also be able to WRITE their letters and numbers, not just say or recognize them ( I thought that's what preschool was for). D started tracing the letters on his Leapster Explorer that GiGi got him for Christmas, but that's not the same. For one, it's still using technology and not HIS handwriting and and secondly, if it gets to hard, or if he's bored with it, then he can just switch it to another game. Blank paper doesn't work because he's not in to the whole "copy what mommy does" routine and would rather just draw circles and scribble. Which is wonderful, because getting him to color is like trying to feed him broccoli, but evidently it isn't productive.

So while we were at Target, D and I picked up a workbook that will help him write and learn the phonetics of his letters.

He was ready to start right away, but we waited till C's Monday morning nap so it could just be the two of us. I thought I would have to bribe him to do more than one page, but I have to bribe him to limit it to eight pages a day!

He's just so cute when he's concentrating so hard to make sure he stays on the dotted line. And he gets frustrated when he goes a little outside the lines (ok a lot outside the lines)

With the rate that he's going, I think we'll be needing another book... and he'll be ready for preschool in the fall.

Now if only we can get the potty thing down...