Seven Year Doctor Appointment

Hadley had her seven-year doctors appointment Thursday. Here are her stats from the appt:

Height: 121.9 cm or 4′ (53th percentile)
Weight: 58 lbs 3.2 oz (80th percentile)
BMI: 17.76 (86th percentile)
Blood Pressure: 90/60
Pulse: 110

Hadley’s 7 year appt

After the nurse measured Hadley’s height, weight, and blood pressure, we saw our doctor. Unlike previous appointments, we had a few things to discuss with the doctor. So after his exam and questioning of Hadley’s habits and skills, we brought up our concerns. The first was a bump she has on the back of her knee. He said it’s just a small wart and wrote a prescription for this “magic wart cream” that was created by a pharmacy out in Clackamas. Medication to be applied topically to the wart and it should go away with a few weeks.

Secondly, we have had a few issues with random vomiting (with Hadley already having a very sensitive gag reflex, this added up to more vomiting than I was comfortable calling “normal”) that were not accompanied with any other issues. No fever, no flu, no cold. She would throw up once and go on like it never happened. He asked her some diet-related questions (eating spicy foods, too much food before bed, drinking chocolate milk, etc.) and speculated that it was likely due to the caffeine in the chocolate milk, Hadley’s drink of choice, and asked her to limit it to once a week or for special occasions. He also asked her about her bowel movements (thankfully, this no longer something I am involved in). He said that whenever she pooped at home she should have me look at it and, showing me a chart on “types of poop,” see if it looked normal. I assured him that Hadley could certainly tell him what her own poop looks like. She quickly looked at the chart and declared, “I always have ‘deer poops’ like number 1.” He said that solved that matter and she is severely constipated and needs to start taking MiraLAX daily until she can be more of a “number 4” on the chart. And the poop talk just keeps on coming!

Our final issue was with bedwetting (or the clinical term of “nocturnal enuresis”). Hadley is such a deep sleeper that she is unable to wake herself up at night to use the bathroom. We weren’t worried about it, knowing she would outgrow it eventually, and the doctor assured us it’s perfectly normal and that as many as 15% of seven-year-olds have the issue. He said it just becomes a concern when the child is embarrassed or ashamed to wear a pull-up (usually when around others, like at a sleepover). Hadley said she doesn’t want to have accidents anymore and so we decided it was time to take action. He said they have had great success with the bedwetting alarms that teach the child, through a Pavlovian response, to wake up to use the bathroom. Hadley was really excited and we went home and ordered one right away.

Despite all of our questions and concerns, the doctor assured us that Hadley is perfectly normal and healthy. He gave her a clean bill of health. She got a flu shot from the nurse and we were good to go until next year!

Us Over the Years-Vol 15

Today is our 15 year wedding anniversary. We have been together for 19 years (well, 20 in January) and friends for many years beyond that. It’s hard for me to even wrap my head around that, so to assist you I’ve added to my growing compilation of “Us Over the Years.” Sit, back, relax (15 years is a LOT of pictures) and enjoy. Try not to get too distracted by my ever-changing hairstyles.





















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Us at the Arc de Triomphe
Us at the Eiffel Tower IV
Us at Musee Du Louvre II
Us at the Berlin Wall














































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Happy 15th anniversary, Simeon. I love you.

All the First Days

One of my favorite things about Facebook is that it likes to remind me of “On this day” posts from previous years. But for things like the first day of school, those aren’t all going to be on the same day, so I get them in random order. And you all know how I like things to be in proper order. So here we are. A collection of all the “first day of school” photos, in chronological order.

Ana’s first day of Preschool:
Ana's First Day of Preschool

Ana’s first day of Pre-K:
First Day of Pre-K

Ana’s first day of Kindergarten:
Ready to go!

Ana’s first day of 1st Grade:
Ana First Day of 1st Grade

Ana’s first day of 2nd Grade:
Ana First Day of 2nd Grade

Ana’s first day of 3rd Grade:
Ana First Day of 3rd Grade

Ana’s first day of 4th Grade:
Ana First Day of 4th Grade

Ana’s first day of 5th Grade:
Ana First Day of 5th Grade

Hadley’s first day of Preschool:
Hadley first day of preschool

Hadley’s first day of Pre-K:
Hadley First Day of Pre-K

Hadley’s first day of Kindergarten:
Hadley First Day of Kindergarten

Hadley’s first day of 1st Grade:
Hadley First Day of 1st Grade

And just because I love the side-by-sides:
2015
Ana 3rd Grade, Hadley Pre-K

2016
Ana 4th, Hadley Kindergarten

2017
Hadley 1st, Ana 5th

Ten Year Doctor Appointment

Ana had her ten-year doctor appointment today. Here are her stats from the appointment:

Height: 4′ 10.11″ (92nd percentile)
Weight: 88 lbs 9.6 oz (82nd percentile)
BMI: 18.45 (73rd percentile)
Blood Pressure: 100/70
Pulse: 100

Ten Year Dr Appt

According to her numbers Ana has had a recent growth spurt. The doctor said girls her age don’t typically have that big of a growth spurt this early so he thinks she may be growing a little faster than normal which may mean she will be done growing sooner. I said she was following right in my footsteps because I grew early and was done by 8th grade. He thinks she is right on track for that but may only reach 5’6″ (I’m 5’8″). I’m holding out that she can at least grow to be taller than her Aunt Jeni and Aunt Darcie.

During her exam he noticed a little curvature to on her back. Official chart diagnosis “Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis of cervicothoracic region” but said it was very minor and we will just keep an eye on it. Otherwise there wasn’t much to note. She’s growing, she’s healthy, and that’s all we can ask for. She got her flu shot at Hadley’s annual appointment in November so she didn’t have to get any shots today! She was quite happy about that!

Six Year Doctors Appointment

Hadley had her six-year doctors appointment last Thursday. Here are her stats from the appt:

Height: 115.5 cm or 3′ 9.47″ (56th percentile)
Weight: 51 lbs (79th percentile)
BMI: 17.34 (87th percentile)
Blood Pressure: 90/58

Six Year Dr Appt

After the nurse measured Hadley’s height, weight, and blood pressure, we saw our doctor. He had a conversation with Hadley about her habits (drinking milk, eating veggies, exercising, getting enough sleep etc.) and how she likes school. He asked if she knew her ABCs (which she promptly recited in record speed) and could count to ten (“I can count OVER 100!”). He asked a bunch of questions that felt like an interview which Hadley answered extensively like an enthusiastic celebrity while he performed her physical exam. In fact she was so distracted by giving her thorough answers she didn’t even notice he had done the reflex test (which she loves) and tried to call him out on it. “Um, you forgot to do the” mimes hitting her knee, “test.” And we all laughed and assured her he did the test–which she passed with flying colors. He said she did great and everything looks fantastic. She was also happy to hear that she didn’t need any immunizations, just the flu shot, which Ana would also be getting (I’m all about equality).

Flu Shot Survivor

Hadley got her flu shot, declared it didn’t even hurt, picked a sticker, and we were done!

Nine Year Doctor Appointment

Ana had her nine-year doctor appointment today. Here are her stats from the appointment:

Height: 4′ 6.33″ (79th percentile)
Weight: 72.6 lbs (74th percentile)
BMI: 17.29 (67th percentile)
Blood Pressure: 100/60

Waiting to see the doctor.
Ana is growing right on track. They even mentioned the dreaded “p-word” (puberty) which we already knew was in our imminent future. Ana, always wanting to be prepared and know what’s going on, used her birthday money to buy the American Girl book “The Care & Keeping of You” so we’ve already discussed these, uh, changes. (If your daughter hasn’t read it, I highly recommend it.) I figure it’s best to be open and educated than learn the wrong thing on the playground!

Ana's blood draw
Anyway, back to the appointment. Since high cholesterol runs in the family, the doctor wanted to run a lipid profile to check her cholesterol. Better to be aware early than blindsided later! So Ana got to have her first blood draw! She did great and the lipid panel came back totally normal. Whew!

Got her flu shot!
The appointment wasn’t totally shot free, as she had to get a flu shot but otherwise everything was good to go!

Five Year Doctors Appointment

Hadley had her five-year doctors appointment last Thursday. Here are her stats from the appt:

Height: 43.07″ or 3′ 7.07″ (64th percentile)
Weight: 44 lbs (76th percentile)
BMI: 16.68 (84th percentile)
Blood Pressure: 94/40

We started her appointment with her usual weighing and measuring. Then we moved on to the eye exam. Hadley was excited to pick out the shapes on the wall and they said she did great.
Hadley's Eye Exam
Then once we were in the exam room, the nurse checked her blood pressure. Hadley was very interested in watching everything that was happening.
Checking Hadley's Blood Pressure
Then she got to do another game, er, test. This time it was to check her hearing. Once again she did great…so there are no excuses for not listening to me when I ask her to clean up her toys!
Hadley's Hearing Test
Then she got to get into the Looney Toons gown (which she was very excited to model for me) to get ready to see the doctor. Our regular doctor was out because he is recovering from back surgery, so we saw a different doctor who is actually a friend of ours. It was fun seeing her for the first time in a professional setting and it really made Hadley feel relaxed and comfortable. They were able to chat and go over all the usual appointment checklists without Hadley feeling uncomfortable or nervous.
Hadley Modeling the Looney Toons Gown
Eventually our time with the doctor ended and it was time to send in the nurse with Hadley’s immunizations (IPV and DTaP) as well as her flu shot. Knowing she needed three shots did not go over well with Hadley. After the first one, she let any pretense of bravery go and burst into tears. But she was happy to wipe the tears away as soon as the box of prizes came into view. She picked a tiny purple slinky and it made everything better. Until next year…

Breaking Bones

On Friday, March 6th Ana was out playing on the trampoline. And she fell off. But before you get all high and mighty about how unsafe trampolines are, she wasn’t even being wild or dangerous. She was walking backwards and thinking she was closer to the center than she was, stepped off the side. She landed on her back but managed to break the fall with her right arm. It could of just as easily happened stepping off a curb. She was more shocked than anything else and barely cried. Simeon sent her inside to take a break (poor choice of words, in hind site) and before too long she was back to playing as if nothing had happened.

Then about an hour after we put her to bed she came downstairs crying. Thinking she had a nightmare or woke up disoriented, we comforted her and tried to get her back to sleep. We tucked her back in and gave her water (as parents do) and it wasn’t until that moment that she mentioned her arm was hurting. As we had gone through all the “wiggle your fingers,” “does this hurt?” “can you bend it?” like we see on movies or TV and everything checked out ok, I figured it was simply bruised. Maybe sprained. But since it was now close to 9:30pm the doctor’s office and Urgent Cares were all closed and the only option would have been the ER. None of us wanted to spend the night in the emergency room, so we gave Ana some Children’s Tylenol and put her to bed explaining that we would see how she felt in the morning.

The next day, Saturday, she got up and went about her day as usual and didn’t mention her arm once. We figured that was the end of it.

Sunday morning I took Ana to her sacramental prep class and I went to mass. Then we decided since it was just the two of us (Simeon and Hadley were at home) to run by the mall and do some shopping. She was happily picking out clothes to try on and it wasn’t until she was sitting on the ground trying on jeans that she tried to push herself off the ground with her right arm. She dropped to the ground, wincing in pain, and started to cry. It was then I realized that maybe it was more serious than we realized.

After a few frantic texts with Sim, I called our pediatrician’s office. They have Urgent Care hours on the weekend by appointment. Until noon. I looked at my watch and it was 12:10pm. Naturally. So I called around to the Urgent Care’s in the area to see if they had imagining. The last thing I wanted to do was take her somewhere only to be sent somewhere else for X-rays. Luckily Scholls Immediate Care was just down the road and they had imagining. It wasn’t until I walked in the door that I realized it was the same place I took Hadley for her broken leg. Ana was very nervous but they were amazing. Before we even finished checking in they told us they were ready for Ana in X-rays.

Ana's First X-Ray

The X-ray tech was awesome. He explained everything he was doing as he went so Ana would know what was happening. Then he asked her if she wanted to see her bones. Who would ever turn down that offer? So he showed her which bones made up her arm, her wrist, her finger, etc. I snapped a picture with my phone and sent it to Sim. He instantly replied back “Great! Nothing is broken!” But I replied that I didn’t know how to read x-rays so I wasn’t getting my hopes up.

Nice bones!

Then we were taken into the exam room and they took all her vitals and asked a bunch of questions. The doctor came in, looked at me, and asked Ana if she brought her fan club. I explained that I was simply the chauffeur. Then she pulled out the X-Ray and I instantly noticed the little arrows she had drawn on the paper. I uttered “Uh oh.” and Ana’s eyes opened wide in panic. I said, “Do you notice anything that wasn’t there before?” Then Ana saw it too. So the doctor explained (to Ana, since she was the patient, after all) that children’s bones aren’t hard like adult bones. They are soft because they are still growing. And since her bones were soft, they can break and not be as obvious as a crack or line on an X-ray. In Ana’s case, she pointed to the little “bumps” on the outside of her radius bone (one of the large bones in the forearm) on the X-ray, her bones were leaking microscopic amounts of fluid. They consider this a fracture. Since it wasn’t a severe break, all we needed to do was to stabilize it with a splint or a cast. The doctor was incredible. In my experience, people tend to dismiss children and talk over them. But she talked TO HER and explained everything so Ana knew what was happening. She didn’t dumb it down or talk down to her. She just told it like it was. It put Ana at ease and I was very impressed with the doctor’s bedside manner.

X-Rays

Then we were given instructions to follow up with a orthopedic specialist but until then Ana needed to wear a temporary splint. A nurse came in and wrapped Ana up.

Getting a temporary splint

Ana smiled and giggled through the entire process.

Splinted up with her X-Ray

We weren’t able to get an appointment with the doctor until Tuesday afternoon. The splint was cumbersome and left her right hand nearly useless. Ana had to do everything (eating, writing, etc.) left handed. Let’s just say, we were very anxious to see the doctor.

Enjoying the waiting room fish
Synchronized sipping

Since we had already taken X-rays we just had to wait for the orthopedist to make a decision about what to do next. He came in and talked with Ana and explained that she would need to wear a cast for one month. It would stabilize her arm and allow it to properly heal.

Waiting to talk to the orthopedist

Now it was time for the fun part! She got to pick out the color cast she wanted from a bright necklace of cast samples. Ana quickly decided on purple. She declared it was a lucky cast color.

She picked a purple cast

The tech slid a sleeve over Ana’s arm and proceeded to apply the cast material, shaping and molding as she went. Hadley and I got to just sit back and watch the show.

Prepping for her cast
Putting on the cast

We had to admit, the purple cast was pretty badass.

Pretty purple cast
All patched up!

After wearing that wrapped splint for several days, Ana was thoroughly impressed with the increased mobility the cast offered. The tech purposefully applied it low on/around her hand so she would be able to use it. As soon as we got into the car, Ana put it to the test and happily reported she could write with her right hand again!

She can still write!

Our next stop was Fred Meyer to pick up some Sharpie’s (metallic colors, since the cast was so dark) so her friends could decorate her cast. This girl was feeling the love and every single inch was filled with friends wishing her well.

Signing Ana's cast
Graffiti Love

Skip ahead to one month later (and numerous skipped baths) it was time to get her cast off! We had the same friendly tech who, upon seeing Ana’s nervous expression, explained that it was a special tool that just vibrated enough to cut through the cast but NOT skin. She even demonstrated on her own arm. It was loud like a vacuum and made Ana giggle through the entire process. Before we knew it, the cast was off! And Ana was free…to wash her hand for the first time in a month! She promptly washed (twice) and was feeling much better!

Cutting Off the Cast
The Cut-Off Cast

Then she was sent off to take another set of X-rays to make sure everything was better. So we waited for the doctor to come back with the verdict.

Snuggles Waiting for the X-Ray

He came in and proclaimed Ana’s arm healed! But he said she still needed to take it easy for awhile longer. He wanted her to wear a brace for the next month when she was at school or playing, simply as a reminder to her–and her friends–to protect her arm. But she was happy to hear she could take it off to shower and sleep.

Brace Time

I was very impressed by the whole situation. It could have been so much worse and we really got off easy. I’m mostly impressed with Ana for being so brave and handling it all like a rockstar.

Eight Year Doctor Appointment

Ana had her eight-year doctor appointment on Thursday. (Between the delay with her six year appointment and her pediatrician passing away this year, she never had a seven year appt.) Here are her stats from the appointment:

Height: 51.57″ (71st percentile)
Weight: 60.2 lbs (63th percentile)
BMI: 16 (53th percentile)
Blood Pressure: 100/72

8 Year Check Up
Ana was a little nervous about having a new doctor, but having been to her sister’s appointment last month she was a little more at ease. He came in and asked her a bunch of standard questions (Do you wear a bike helmet? Yes. Do you eat fruits and veggies? Yes. When do you go to bed and wake up? 8pm, 6:45am Do you play sports? Soccer, swimming, biking, running. What is your favorite things about school? Math, science, spelling.) which she responded very thoroughly. They talked back and forth for several minutes and then he looked at me and said, “well, I am obviously not concerned about her. Clearly she is just perfect. I don’t even have anything to recommend!” Then he gave her a “healthy high five!”

Ana was very happy to find out she didn’t need any immunizations at this appointment and ecstatic to find out she won’t get one until she is 11! But both girls did have to get flu shots so the appointment wasn’t entirely without needles. Ana didn’t think it was a big deal. Hads on the other hand left the office in tears. Oh well. You can’t win ’em all.

Four Year Doctors Appointment

Hadley had her four-year doctors appointment on Monday. Here are her stats from the appt:

Height: 40.25″ (62nd percentile)

Weight: 37.2 lbs (68th percentile)

BMI: 16.14 (73rd percentile)

Blood Pressure: 90/52

Last year our beloved pediatrician passed away suddenly from pancreatic cancer so we had to find a new pediatrician. I polled my mom friends, made a spreadsheet (as one does), and finally decided on a new doctor for my girls. Since we haven’t had any health issues in the last several months, the first time Hadley was going to be meeting her new doctor was for her annual appointment. She was a little nervous to be going to an unfamiliar place, meeting a new doctor, and the ever looming threat of shots. But as soon as we arrived at the office the girls were instantly at ease. They ran around checking out all the new toys, books, finding Nemo in in the fish tank, and searching for all the hidden items in the giant wall mural.
Finding Nemo in the fish tank
Finding pictures on the waiting room mural
When it was our turn to be called back, the nurse stopped Hadley just beyond the waiting room doors to check her height.
Checking her height
Then she did an eye exam. Hadley was very entertained by the blacked-out glasses and initially told the nurse she couldn’t see the shapes on the wall. When she asked about each shape individually, Hadley was able to correctly identify them all. I think she was just thrown off by “losing” her vision in one eye. They said her visual acuity is 20/40.
"Look at these silly glasses, Mama!"
Eye Exam
Then we went into the exam room and started with the hearing test. Understanding that four-year-olds don’t often get the concept of raising your hand when you hear the beep, they prefer to have children point out the word being said on a chart. Hadley thought it was a fun game but made the mistake of talking during her test and since they don’t have the ability to pause the test she got a little confused. But ultimately the nurse assured me that her hearing was just fine.
Hearing test time
Taking a pictorial hearing test
Then it was time to meet our new doctor. He came into the room, impressed to see that between Ana and Hadley they had assembled all the jumbled puzzles in his basket. He talked to me and Hadley for a bit and then moved on to his assessments. He asked Hadley if she wanted to draw a picture. She was very excited about this! He drew a cross (in green) and asked Hadley to do the same (in red…it was as close as she could get to pink). So she did. Then he drew another shape, asked Hadley what it was, and to draw one as well. She quickly said it was a square, and did her best rendition. Then he asked her to draw her mom. She looked excitedly at me and set to work, paying special attention to my hair. When she decided she was done, the doctor held the picture next to my face and declared that Hadley had done a lovely job. Then in a low creepy voice Hadley said, “Zombie Mama!” I giggled nervously and said “Well, it was just Halloween…” The doc raised his eyebrows but just laughed.
Hadleys's Drawing
All in all, we had a lovely appointment. We really liked the pediatrician we selected and the girls already can’t wait to go back next month for Ana’s annual exam. Hadley is perfectly healthy and after getting her MMR booster was informed she doesn’t have to come back until her appointment next year.
Waiting to see the doctor