Wednesday, July 26, 2006

15 Month Shootout

We might as well have placed a glaring red and white ringed bullseye on Aveline's shirt when we entered the pediatrician's office.

Aveline's 15 month check up was yesterday. We treated the appointment as family time, which felt very cruel. I knew what was coming at the end of the visit. Dan knew. Aveline, however, was a clueless victim.

This is the first time Aveline has been to the office since she became a full fledged biped. She squealed with delight as she trotted from one area of the waiting room to another. She eyed a large plastic playset that occupied the rear corner. Lots of stairs and slides and holes in which to climb. I'm sure at our next visit she will conquer that.

The office was very quiet. We were called back within minutes. Our nurse handed us the educational sheet, aka instruction manual, for the 15 month old child. This one covered tantrums. Ha. She then handed us a stack of information sheets on the vaccinations Aveline would be receiving. Wow. Four. It should be an interesting day.

Aveline was then stripped to her diaper and whisked away to the measurement room. Dan placed her on the scales and we drew in a collective breath. Was she gaining? We always dread seeing how much she weighs, much for the opposite reason that you and I dread the scales. Aveline has always been a thin baby, which in today's society, seems to equal bad parents. Most grandparents brag about the heft of their grandchild. Many parents swell with pride at the rolls that grace their baby's thighs and belly. We always get the suspicious or sympathetic looks accompanied with a polite comment about how petite she is. It makes me ache each time.

"Twenty-two pounds, ten ounces," the nurse announced.

Dan and I nearly high fived right there.

Yes, she is still on the thin side, but she did move up to the forty-fifth percentile for weight. Woo. Hoo.

She remained at the 75th percentile for height. I can't remember the measurement, as I was still beaming from a nearly 3 pound weight gain. We then returned to the exam room.

Dr. Hein entered immediately after the nurse left. Aveline charmed him with her giggles and smiles, zooming all around the room. We discussed the normal things with him. He checked her out and gave Dan and I our quarterly pat on the parental backs. Before he left, he made the observation that she was brimming with personality. Really? We hadn't noticed.

Since Dan had the most experience with target shooting, I went to pay for the visit. As I handed over the money, I heard Aveline let out a wail. Sounds like the shots had been administered. I wonder if she will ever put together that when we visit this place, it won't end well for her. She was still whimpering when I returned, but a few minutes later, she was back to her old self. Brandished with neon band-aids and relieved faces, we loaded into the van and went home. I realized the next time we visited would be for The Deuce, not Aveline. Whoa. I guess target practice will start again.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chey has her 9 month check up tomorrow, no shots this time I think?

Glad to hear all went well with the exception of the shots.Yuck for poor Ava. Hugs and kisses

Laura said...

Congrats to Aveline on the weight gain!! Good news!!

The Complimenting Commenter said...

That is a great visit. I have a ten month and she is very active and on the skinny side too. We are always keeping an eye out. She looks adorable and I hope future visits have good news too!