Well-Child Check

Erik had his 2-year well-child check today. We both came down with a cold yesterday but seem to be on the mend already. In fact, both of us felt so crummy we skipped group therapy at the last minute yesterday and went instead to the grocery store to purchase cold medicine and Kleenex. Even when he is sick, which isn't often, Erik is still a happy boy.

Erik is doing well with his orthotics in the house and when he is playing, but when I attempt to get him to walk by my side across a waiting room or parking lot, his toes instantly migrate inward, especially the left side, and he walks pigeon-toed. I will to address this with the physical therapist. Maybe she can take him on a drag around the block at school.

Today at the pediatric office, Erik greeted the receptionist by saying "hi" like an adorable but persistent broken record and did the same with every person, real or imagined, after that once we were ushered into the exam room. The appointment went well, although I still detest the routine, age-appropriate list of questions the nurse asks each time about Erik's abilities. Since we are playing a completely different ball game than other kids, this can be a horribly depressing experience and has even given me the blues for a few days afterwards. I am noticing, though, that the list is less and less depressing as Erik ages. In the old days, I answered "no" to 95 or even 100 percent of the questions they asked about what he was able to do and had a good cry in the parking lot. Today I found myself reminded I have a 2-year-old who cannot stack more than two blocks on top of each other (and even that is a stretch), but that was the only answer to a question that stuck with me this time. Once the doctor came in to see us, I asked how often we should be drawing a serum calcium level, and the doctor admitted she needed to look up the protocol for routine tests in WS children. I got the feeling she was not aware of the calcium issue at all or perhaps thought we needed to make sure he had enough calcium, as she mentioned supplementation, which, of course, is the opposite problem that constantly threatens a young WS child. Her response was a bit unsettling, but I appreciated her honesty. There are only two known people in this entire town who have WS, including Erik, and she has never had a patient with WS. I will continue to educate myself and light fires under Erik's providers as his advocate.

Erik's weight is less than I had hoped but still quite respectable at 24 pounds, 12 ounces (10th percentile). He is 34.5 inches tall (50th percentile). He is a tall, lean drink of water. Dr. G. commented on how much better Erik looks in general from six months ago. He received his MMR/chicken pox immunization and resultant Spongebob boo-boo strip without too much trouble, and I took him to Gramma and Boppa's for a well-deserved nap before I went to work.

I am dying to upload photos of Erik's party, but Blogger appears to be on crack this week. In addition, we are in a pocket of Amishness, which means we can't get a pizza delivered from most places or high-speed internet. It's amazing we have electricity or toilet paper (2-ply!). That means in the time it takes to upload one photo of my precious morsel, I can wash the car, do five loads of laundry, thoroughly pick my nose (both sides), bake a pie, and write 12 dirty limericks while I wait. I will keep trying, because we got some really cute ones.