When we arrive, Jaden is in a good mood. We're escorted to a very small, very hot exam room where his measurements are taken:
Height: 25 1/2 inches (55 - 60%)
Weight: 17.9 lbs. (75 - 80%)
Head Circumference: 43 1/2 cm (75 - 80%)
The percentages show how Jaden's size compares with that of children the same age. The nurse had to take his height and head circumference measurements twice because she didn't believe the numbers. He basically grew 2 1/2 inches in length and his head grew 3 cm around in two months! He also gained 3 1/2 lbs. since his two-month checkup.
After his measurements were taken, the doctor came in and checked his developmental milestones. Some examples are rolling 180 degrees, following mommy and daddy's voice, etc. He easily met all of them!
Next up was the physical exam. She checked his eyes and ears, and then used a tongue depressor to check his throat. He did NOT enjoy this. It all went downhill from here, with him screaming at her repeated attempts at checking his mouth and throat. After this point, he associated laying down on the examination table with unpleasant things, so every time I tried, he'd scream bloody murder. After she left, we were expecting the nurse to administer the shots. During this time, I was still rocking him around this tiny, hot room in heels, trying to calm him down. Then I felt the explosion in his diaper. "GREAT," I thought, because I knew he would not cooperate when I layed him down on the table. I knew I had to do it quickly because every poopie diaper this week has ended up all over him and his clothes. As soon as I put him down to change him, the screaming intensified. He was squirming, and then I discovered that it happened again: poop was all over his back side and onesie. I tried quickly to clean him up before the nurse arrived but he would NOT cooperate. Poop was getting everywhere - all over the table, all over his body, all over my work clothes and hands. I was trying to juggle him to put the diaper on and clean him up, but it just kept getting worse. The screaming got louder and my frustration through the roof. I finally managed to get his outfit off of him, his body cleaned and his diaper on.
I went to the sink to wash the shit off my hands, which is challenging when you have a screaming baby on one hip. I got water and soap all over myself, and Jaden decided he wanted to wash his hands too, which I guess is a good thing considering he was just covered in his own feces pretty much from head to toe.
Then I went to look for a new outfit in the diaper bag. Nothing. No outfit, only a small newborn sized jacket. He was naked save for the diaper, and I was going to have to strap him into his car seat in it. My strategy was to put him in an outfit so once his shots were over I could quickly strap him in and wheel him out of there, but considering it was boiling hot in that tiny exam room, I knew it was not the best idea to struggle to put on a tiny jacket before his shots. So, the nurse arrived with four needles, and Jaden is still screaming bloody murder.
I told the nurse that there was no way my kid was going back up on the table, so she agreed that I could hold him during his shots. This is usually the time when I need Mike. I don't fare well with hearing the screams of pain from my son, and was bummed that Mike couldn't be the daddy there to hold him down and comfort him (and me). So me and the nurse struggled with this four month old (he was winning) to pin him down to administer the shots, and we somehow got through all four, but just barely. Jaden was out of breath, red, screaming at the top of his lungs after the shots, to the point where he almost passed out. He actually almost passed out from the drama of it all, poor guy. I decided to stay a little longer to calm him down by nursing him, and that fortunately did the trick. I somehow managed to get his jacket on him while he was sleeping in my lap. When I strapped him into his car seat, I moved his sore leg, which woke him up and pissed him off. After he calmed down, I decided to take a picture of my defeated, exhausted little boy:
He slept until we got home. When he woke up, he smiled at us. Don't worry - he's gonna be OK. :)
Do you mean cm. for head circumference? A 43 in. head circumference sounds awfully HUUUUGE!
ReplyDelete