The girls had their joint 15-month and three-year doctor appointments yesterday. I know they’re just well-checks, but these appointments are easy markers for comparison as a mom, and so I’m always interested to see how they go. Overall, this was a pretty good one, minus the pediatrician running an hour behind schedule [the kind of thing mom nightmares are made of]. Despite the wait, E.V. and Cricket were very happy and entertaining from start to finish, thankfully. In fact, as we walked into a full waiting room, Emma Vance stepped into center stage and proudly announced our arrival with her arms opened wide:
“This is Princess Mommy, and I’m E.V. Vance!”
I literally laughed out loud. I mean, from a toddler girl, there is no greater compliment than to be labeled a “princess” and nothing cuter than to hear her mess up her own name with such earnest. I just smiled and shrugged to the other waiting room mothers, silently chuckling to themselves at my eldest’s boldness, and took a seat. And then waited an hour. Thankfully I had stuffed a couple of my grandmother’s chocolate chip cookies (the girls’ favorite) in my bag, which came in handy for keeping them occupied toward the end. Regardless, we survived. ;)
I LOVE our pediatrician, and seeing her specifically was worth the wait. The girls are bright and intelligent and sweet — and hearing that from someone other than their grandmothers is always encouraging. While we were there, Cricket pointed out a giraffe on the wall and correctly named it, which caused a nurse to stop mid-sentence, and also insisted that her baby “go first” during the actual examination. (Note to self: A great pediatrician is willing to listen to a Cabbage Patch Kid’s heartbeat as well as a toddler’s.) To my delight and surprise, E.V. was able to answer the doctor’s questions on her own for the first time. Of course, she chose to demonstrate her abilities instead of simply answering yes or no, but hey, showing the doctor your talents when it comes to climbing and running is way more fun than just sitting still and politely responding, right?? ;) It was also E.V.’s first eye exam with this doctor, which was nerve-wracking because we’re trying to avoid glasses for as long as possible (due to the crazy astigmatism she inherited from me), and thankfully she passed with flying colors. Wahoo! In fact, the whole visit was pretty darn great until the nurse gave Cricket her shots (cue tears), and E.V. started screaming and trying to save her little sister. It was hard to deal with in the moment, although super sweet, and then when all was said and done, she looked at the nurse square in the eyes with disdain and chastised her, “You pinched her! Don’t pinch her!” Good luck to the first boy who breaks Cricket’s heart; he’s going to have quite a few Shoves giving him a piece of our minds!
As far as the girls’ numbers, both are evening out in size to be pretty average for their age. Emma Vance is 37.5 inches and 30.5 lbs., putting her in the 50th percentiles for both categories. Cricket went from tall and thin with a big noggin to average height and weight and just a medium-large head. (Specifically, she weighs 21 lbs. 6 oz. / 50th percentile; is 30.25 inches tall / 60th percentile; and has a 46.6 cm head / 75th percentile.) Overall the girls are healthy and happy, so who could ask for anything more? (Except for no more shots for little sister, I suppose! ;) )