Wednesday, September 7, 2011

New Doctor

Today Punkin had his 18 month well baby visit. 18 MONTHS! Ugh. He's getting so big so fast. I keep imagining him at 16 and totally obnoxious and telling me he hates me. It feels like it's going to be here before I can say boo. I'll be saying "Remember when you LOVED Winnie the Pooh? And you used to dance to Heffalumps and Woozles? Just like this! *inset corny mom dance*" and then he'll be all "MUH-THER! You're so embarrassing!". And then he'll total the hovercraft on the way to school.

Okay, so maybe that won't happen so soon. But I guarantee it'll happen sooner than I want.

Anyway, back to the hovercraft-free present.

Punkin had his 18 month well baby visit today and it was our first visit to a new doctor. I really loved his old doctor, but mainly because she was my pediatrician and she still sees my brother and has vowed to forever even though he's 22 and a handful (he's mentally disabled and finding a doctor that deals with him well without suggesting placing him somewhere is hard to come by). Also, I love a good run-on sentence.

So I loved the old doctor, but I always felt so rushed in her office. We would wait forever for him to be seen and then she was in and out in (literally) less than 5 minutes. No feedback, no discussion. Just "He's fine, see you next time". I need reassurance. I'm one of THOSE moms that constantly scours the Internet for the latest research on developmental milestones and ways to help them achieve those milestones. I wanted a professional to tell me he's right on track.

This doctor did exactly that.

First of all, when we got there we were handed the standard paperwork to fill out. On the very top was what they called a "communications checklist". At first glance I could tell it was really an "autism checklist". When you've been around it as long and as much as I have, you know the signs and symptoms. You also become super paranoid. Fact is, no one knows what causes autism at this point and it very well could be genetic. The fact that I have more than one autistic family member has always made me a little more aware when it comes to Punkin. Our old doctor never even brought up the possibility or what to look for. This office was asking me about his development right off the bat. Score 1!

When we got into the office. The nurse was super sweet and asked us some general questions. She was very patient with him since he was being a bit of a grump (it was nap time and you could tell). She did the usual height, weight, head circumference check. When I asked if she could tell me his percentiles, she said the doctor would go over everything with me. Um, what?! The doctor will actually voluntarily look it up and tell me what it means and EVERYTHING?! I was seriously giddy at this point.

So we impatiently waited for the doctor to arrive (like I said...nap time). By the time he came in, Punkin was running around throwing his shoe across the room saying "Shoe! SHOOOOOOOOOE!". Doctor C didn't seem phased. He introduced himself and gave us a little of his background. He asked if Punky has ever had any issues and I mentioned his circumcision. They left more skin than they should have so it kind of looks like half a circumcision. He told us he used to regularly perform circumcisions and went into why he's such a big advocate of it from a medical stand point. This made me feel better, mostly because I've always felt guilty about getting him snipped in the first place. It seems so unnecessary. But he explained the reasoning behind it and and took a look and said he looks just fine. He's only 18 months after all so he has some growing to do. I'd rather him have too much skin than too little you know? That can be very painful for a guy.

So after the initial exam he talked to us about his development and what we should be doing to help him along. He talked to us about nutrition and safety and everything else under the sun. He answered all of my questions in depth and left room for as many questions as I had. He even went into discipline with me a bit because I've been so conflicted on what to do with him. He never told me what I should do, but offered suggestions on what I can try. At the end he looked over his "communications checklist" and said "Well, he doesn't have autism!". Hey, thanks Doc! It sounds silly but hearing it said out loud by a professional makes my little mommy heart all a twitter.

Before leaving he said "He looks great. You're doing a great job". Be still my heart! My reassurance! I wanted to hug him! Maybe some people will think I'm silly or not a good mom to need reassurance from a doctor, but hey, when you've seen what can happen with kids when just yesterday they were perfectly normal or when they're maybe just a little behind, you'd probably feel the same way.

So, Punky has a new doctor and mommy has a new peace of mind. He had three shots today which were no fun at all. When I got home for lunch he was still sleeping so I imagine he was pretty tuckered out.

He doesn't have to go back for 6 months until he's two (TWO!! Sigh) so he can forget all about the shots and start learning about the potty.

In the waiting room. Notice the matching outfits down the to dirty black Vans.
One guess on who dressed him this morning.

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