4 With Stats

Charlotte had her four year well child visit today. (Today is also Chris' birthday. Happy Birthday, Chris!)

When Dr. M. came in, I exclaimed: "She's at the doctor's and for once, it's not because she's sick!" We both cheered for that revelation.

She weighs 35 pounds and is still just shy of 40 inches (39.75 to be exact). Both measurements put her in the 50th percentile. Amazingly, she gained two pounds in three weeks. Then again, I can gain two pounds if I just look at food the wrong way, so is it really that surprising?

After she was weighed and measured, the medical assistant took her over to the wall to do her first eye exam. The M.A. started with the sheet that has different letters on it, but when it was apparent that Charlotte was clearly messing up letters badly, she switched to a sheet with hands facing up, down, left, and right. Charlotte did much better on this one and had fun moving her hand to match the hand she saw on the screen. She definitely had a little trouble seeing with her right eye when the left was covered, but all in all, good enough that she doesn't need any further scrutiny for now. They checked her hearing as well, which she easily passed.

I talked to Dr. M. about what to do about Charlotte's food allergies. Her sesame seed allergy was fresh in my mind because when we were in Greece, it seemed like sesame seeds were coating everything. It made me sad to think that Charlotte probably wouldn't be able to visit Greece or any other Mediterranean country (or Asian country) without fear of an allergic reaction. Mind you, we've only had that one incident three years ago, but it was severe enough to ensure we obsessively look at all food labels from then on.

So after Charlotte got her two shots (no crying at all), we headed downstairs to the lab to get her blood drawn. The lab was crazy busy and we waited over twenty minutes to get called in. Charlotte was bouncing off the walls, humming, singing songs. She cheered when her name was called - "I'm Charlotte Berry!" - and everyone around her laughed because, they knew, as I did, what  was in store for her. Sure enough, when the phlebotomist stuck her with the needle, she started screaming, her face turned beet red, and she didn't stop screaming until we were out of the building. Several in the waiting room shouted: "Good job! You did great!," but it did little to console her. She was still screaming as we passed the pharmacy, where everyone turned at the sound of her shrieks.

I pulled out my trump card.

"Charlotte," I explained. "Don't forget that we're going to see Monsters University this afternoon. I bet you'll even get to eat popcorn!" She nodded, and the tears were gone by the time we reached the car.