And the PEDs verdict is...

The Bear is healthy, healthy, healthy.

It didn't matter that he's just getting over a cold and had boogie-fever at the appointment. Overall, he's a typical healthy boy. Dr. Beth actually commented that since "he's slender..." Slender? MY BOY? I guess based upon his current measurements, he is slender. He's now 41" tall and 37 pounds. We tried to get an eye-check but the kid didn't understand what the gal was asking him. No biggie. But the Bear had to get THREE shots yesterday. He was brave though. He only cried while the nurse pushed the fluids into his arms. Once she finished all three, he stopped. I think it was more of a SHOCK to him than anything. He doesn't remember getting shots. But thankfully this'll be the LAST set of shots until he's 12 or so. WHEW!

What really got the Bear's mind off the shots was a photo that Dr. Beth showed him AFTER his shots. It was a photo of Mr. Incredible next to Dr. Beth! The Bear was wearing one of his Mr. Incredible shirts. Apaprently, one of the drug reps that stops by Dr. Beth's office is a huge blonde guy and he dressed up as Mr. Incredible for Halloween. And the Bear? He was so in AWE that Dr. Beth knew Mr. Incredible. The expression on his face was precious!

But there was an interesting hand-out at the front desk of Dr. Beth's office. It described the "new immunization recommendations" that the office was adopting.

1. Oral Rotaq to be given at 2, 4 and 6 months. A vaccine against Rotavirus, which causes potentially serious bouts of diarrheal illness. That's a biggie. I know that when my kids were babies, I dreaded and hoped they wouldn't get diarrhea. Thankfully, they never got it when they were that little. How much more hydration could a kid get at that age from breast milk or formula?
2. 2nd dose of Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine at the 4-5 year check-up. It isn't an additional shot. It's combined with the MMR shot. This is one that the Bear received.
3. Gardasil to be given at 11 years and up. This is that new HPV cervical cancer vaccine, which is 3 doses at 2 month intervals.

I'm glad that they had this hand-out. Now I know that my daughter will be able to get that new HPV vaccine when she's 11. That was something I was going to ask about anyway. By the time my girl is 11, I'm sure they'll have tweaked the vaccine to include even more HPV strains.

Now for those of you with daughters who are 11 and older, are YOU going to bring your girls in to get this shot? If your daughter(s) have already received it, what did your pediatrician say about it?