If He Walks Like A Duck

We had Will's two year check up last week. I have one piece of advice for you if you are trying to take two kids to the pediatrician's office by yourself: Don't.

When Emma had to go in for a jaundice check at 3 weeks, I attempted this feat alone and it just wasn't doable. I mean, it was doable, in that we all survived and she got checked out by the doctor, but I think I heard maybe 10% of what the pediatrician said. I felt rude and I also couldn't even focus on what she said to me. It was a waste of a co-pay.

Since I did have a couple of things that I really wanted to ask about in regards to Will's development and I didn't want to be rude to the lovely Dr. Swanson, we went as a family, with the intention being that M could look after Emma and I could focus fully on the appointment.

If I do say so myself, Will was a super star. He stood still on the scale for his weight, sat still to be measured and examined, and only wiggled a bit when Dr. Swanson checked his diaper area. M needed to get the TDAP vaccination, so he got a shot first, then Will got his. He only flinched and gave me a bit of a disgruntled look at the poke. There were no tears. And he got his sticker and Daddy's! His height and weight both settled in around the 50th percentile.

I filled out the four page survey that looks at Will's development. I really think they should mail those out ahead of time. I am fast at filling out paperwork and I still wasn't done with it by the end of our appointment. It was four pages, front to back, and it involved some questions that needed props I didn't have (will he drop a bead in a bottle?) and some things I needed Will's assistance for. I am pretty sure Will is on-track for development. He might be a tiny bit behind in some areas and a tiny bit ahead in others, but I think he averages out.

My concerns going into the appointment were twofold: Nightmares and toe walking.

Nightmares were pretty easy. I just wanted to make sure that she supported handling the nightmares the way we have been, which is to give him a few minutes to settle on his own, and then heading into his room if the cries get frantic. She agreed with the tactic.

Toe walking was my other concern. I was a toe walker as a child. Correction, I am still a toe walker. It's not a huge deal, but my own pediatrician said that I had shortened achilles tendons. At the time, the surgery for that was considered highly invasive and not very successful, so he didn't recommend it. I was teased for my toe walking throughout childhood and people still comment on it now. Toe walking can be inherited. It can also be a symptom of autism (I don't really think he has autism), so I wanted to make sure we had documented it and if there was something less invasive that could be done, we might be interested in looking into it.

After examining his legs, Dr. Swanson recommended duck walks, where I walk around on my heels and encourage Will to do the same. To make it more fun, I add in quacks and "wing" flapping. Will thinks walking like a duck is pretty funny, but he doesn't get the idea. He continues to walk on his toes and quacks. We'll keep at it.

So, Will got the all-clear for his physical health and development. His next Well Child exam will be when he turns three! I'm sure we won't make it that far before heading into the pediatrician again, although that would be very nice. We'll be seeing Dr. Swanson plenty with Emma!