And so it begins…
I start the new year with two children. I am going to end this year, God willing, with two children. I do not need another “surprise” pregnancy. I will be content to watch other people be pregnant and have babies.
As it is, the two children are very healthy. We visited the doctor last week. Baby Boy checked in at 14 pounds, 14 ounces (40th percentile), 26-3/4 inches long (90th percentile), and a perfectly average-sized head (17 inches, 50th percentile – sorry, Friend and Doc). He got raves for his alertness, his lack of stranger anxiety, his beautiful smile, and his strong neck and legs. Then he got 4 shots. However, this kid has a high pain threshold. His crying was over within a minute of the shots finishing. And because Mommy is now experienced, he’d had a dose of Tylenol before the shots, and fell asleep in the car on the way to lunch and stayed out for a couple of hours. He was cranky for the next day and a half (unusual for him, so we knew it was the shots), but a few doses of Tylenol (now up to a 0.8 dose every four hours!) got him over the hump and he is back to his usual, happy self.
The Munchkin is a lean, mean toddler. She checked in at 26 pounds (40th percentile) and 36 inches (3 feet tall – wow! 95th percentile! Although her legs are short – it’s her waist that’s long – just like Mommy). The pediatrician noted that “she has all of her bruises in the right places” – if you see this girl’s legs, you’d know what he means. She has a parade of contusions running from her kneecaps down her shins. She got kudos for her language development, her motor skills, and her friendly attitude. She only had one shot, and was easily distracted from it – though she let out one huge whimper when the shot actually was given to her. She was then consoled with the promise of fries at Red Robin, which did the trick. We then met up with her aunts and uncles and Little Cousin for lunch, where she got a birthday sundae. The funniest part about that was actually receiving the sundae. She loved the fact that she was being presented with ice cream (and hot fudge and whipped cream and spinkles to boot – Mommy ate the cherry on top), but then the servers began singing a happy birthday song to her. She was looking at them as if to say, “What are you doing? I got my sundae, thanks! You can stop now!” It was very funny, but she had a ball.
So,the year begins with two healthy children, who are very normal and happy and developmentally where they should be. The Munchkin’s speech becomes just a little bit clearer each day (Mommy, as chief interpreter, can tell, but so can Daddy and Grandma and Gichan and Auntie), and Baby Boy, the sweet little angel, continues to grow more solid and boy-like all the time.
I couldn’t be prouder or more pleased or feel more blessed.
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