4 yr appointment

This morning my daughter had her 4-year pediatric check-up.

Let me tell you that when she was born she was a long and lanky baby. She was 19 1/2 inches long and only 5 lb 9 oz. She is STILL a long and lanky child! She's now 41 1/4 inches tall (75%) and weights 31 1/2 lbs (25%).

After the nurse got those measurements, she got another piece of equipment out. Can you believe they had a kid size blood pressure monitor? It was too cute. Of course, the Princess remembers when I was pregnant with the Bear. So I said "This is just what Mommy always had done when she had the Bear in her tummy. Remember?" She said "Yes, I do Mommy!" So she wasn't intimidated at all by this thing, which I think the nurse was being cautious about. I guess some kids freak out when the band tightens up on their arm.

They tested her vision. How did they do that? The nurse showed her a card with some shapes on it and asked her what each one was called (circle, square, house, apple). The nurse then brought her into a room and had her stand up against the door. She had the Princess cover one eye and then showed her a line of shapes. She pointed to each shape and had the Princess tell her what shape it was. The Princess did one line and then did an additional line with smaller shapes. She did the right eye first. Then the nurse had her cover the other eye and the nurse went to a different board of shapes (no copying). Turns out she's got 20/25 vision. I'm hoping the Princess keeps this good vision as I've got the WORST vision in the world.

They did a hearing test as well. They put a little headset on her. They asked her to raise her hand when she heard a sound. The first time she heard the sound she didn't do anything. The nurse had to ask her if she heard something and then she raised her hand. Once she got the hang of it she blew through the test with no problems. Woohoo!

We then waited in the examination room for the pediatrician. He came in and we chatted with me for a couple of minutes.

"Is she taking any medication?" No, she isn't on any medication.

"Is she allergic to anything? to any medication?" The only thing she's ever reacted to was oatmeal when she was a baby. But she's over that. She loves oatmeal. She's never had any reaction to any kind of medication.

"Is she typically a healthy child?" Yes, she's very healthy. She rarely gets sick.

"Has she ever had any surgery or hospital stays?" No, she's never stayed in the hospital, but has had an MRI. She has an extra dimple on her bottom. They were checking her spine.

"Do you have any firearms in the house?" No

"Has she ever been to a dentist?" Yes she has. She actually has an extra front tooth that's up in her gums still.

"Is she at home all the time?" No, she goes to preschool three days a week.

"Do you have any concerns about your daughter?" She still wears a pull-up at night.

"Do you have any family medical history that you're concerned with?" My father & my hubby's grandmother have adult on-set diabetes. My father has glaucoma & used to have high blood pressure.

"How is her behavior?" Typical. It's usually challenging when the two don't want anything to do with each other.

Then he focused his attention on the Princess.

"Do you enjoy preschool?" Yes!

"Do you brush your teeth?" Yes...then Mommy & Daddy do it.

"Do you ride in a carseat?" Yes

"Do you sleep well?" Yes

"Do you eat your fruits & vegetables?" Sometimes

"What's your favorite food?" Macaroni & cheese

"How many fingers do I have up?" Three

"How many now?" Five (she giggled & gave him a look like "obviously!")

"An oven is hot. An ice cube is..." Cold!

"An elephant is big. A mouse is..." Tiny! (note that she didn't say small...but tiny)

Then he had her look at a paper with shapes on it. He pointed to a shape & asked her what it was. "A circle!" Then he had her draw it. Then he pointed to another shape & asked her what it was. "A cross!" Then he had her draw it. Then he pointed to another shape & asked her what it was. "A square!" Then he had her draw it. He then looked at me and said that most kids her age don't usually draw a square that well unless they have it demonstrated to them first. Hmmm....

He then had her sit on the exam table to check her heart and her lungs. He then her lay down to check her belly. He then sat her back up to check her ears, her nose, & her mouth. He then had her hold her arms to her sides at shoulder length. He pressed down on them and told her to push up against him. He pushed up on them and told her to push her arms down. He had her squeeze his finger with each hand. He had her extend her legs while he held them and asked her to pull her legs towards her bottom. He then had her legs hang while he put his hands against her shins and asked her to push her legs up.

Then he got her on the ground. He asked her to lift her left leg and balance on the right (he did it with her). He counted to 10. He then asked her to right leg and balance on the left (he again did it with her) and he counted to 10. She didn't lose her balance at all! He had her walk on the tippy-toes and then on her heels. He even had her squat and walk like a duck!

He told me that she just passed tests that he'd normally ask a 5 or 6 year old. He said she follows directions really well. She did great and I'm just so glad she's developed into such a healthy girl!