“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” -Robert Brault
Things have been so crazy these last few months that I’ve put off taking the kids to the doctor until today. The kids have been doing well and I could tell they were growing, but I never really know just how much they’ve “grown” until we schedule a visit with their doctor. I’ve come to put off the doctor the last few years with the kids once they’re past a year or two old, I suppose because every time we visits it seems they end up sick a day or two later. A few weeks ago I realized that it had been many months since when I should have taken them in for their check up so I scheduled an appointment and we finally went today.
The only time available that fit into my schedule was when Hope was in school still. Jaylen was excited to take a trip up to school to pick Hope up a little early. He brought along his puppy that he refers to as “bu-duh”. Not quite sure where “bu-duh” translated to “puppy”, but we know that’s what he means and that’s all that matters.
Hope was not too enthused about the idea of going to the doctor. She is always reminded of her memories of getting shots and being sick so I don’t blame her. Thankfully we got there at a time when not many people were there so hopefully the kids didn’t end up picking up any germs. They played as we waited. Of course I’m the over obsessive mother who loves photographing so much, yes, I even bring a camera to the doctor’s office. I ended up taking pictures with my iPhone and nikon today and captured quite a few memorable moments worth sharing. I’m sure years from now the kids may hate me for it, but right now, it’s little moments like these that are so worthwhile to capture because they remind me how some of the littlest moments will some day be the big moments that I will remember best. Like the one where Jaylen farted in the waiting room and they both laughed hysterically. I just happened to have my iPhone out taking pictures of them when it happened. Yes, I know they have no manners to say “excuse me” yet – they laugh at one another instead. Laughter is far more important, right?!
Of course my favorite part of their doctor’s visit is getting to see just how much they’ve grown. I really wish I could keep them little forever, but I know they’re going to grow so I’ve come to try to embrace the moment I get to hear how much taller they’ve grown and how much more they weigh.
Hope who’s 8 now weighs a massive 42lbs and is 45 1/4″ tall. She’s grown several inches since her last visit! Of course I say “massive” because we all know my baby girl is actually very petite – she’s always been in the 1-3% for both weight and height and the doctor said she was right on track at 3% again this year. I was very proud of Hope because she was questioned a lot by the doctor did an awesome job letting the doctor know just how much she knew. She let the doctor know how broccoli and macaroni were her favorite foods. She rattled off our phone number, address, favorite school subject, and all the things she’s been doing in and outside of school. When the doctor asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up she said “a baby doctor” and let her know that she wanted to help take care of the babies to make sure they were safe. I can tell her little heart is still pretty heavy too since October. I think she really impressed the doctor.
Jaylen is still so young so he didnt really understand exactly what was going on, but something tells me he remembered his past visits to the doctor. Today was the first time he wasn’t weighed on the “baby scale”, however, the nurse still measured him there. He’s grown so much that I am confident next time he’ll by pass all the “baby” measuring – which is just another sign to me that he’s becoming such a big boy. So I took the last picture of him on the “baby scale” as the nurse took his vitals.
Go ahead, say “awe”. I did. Yes, I have taken a picture of him EVERY doctor’s visit on the “baby scale” since he was 8 weeks old. If you really want to see how much he’s grown take a look at him the entire first year and again at 21 months old. It’s okay, I’ve come to realize there’s no keeping this little stinker from growing. He’s now weighing in at 29lbs and is 35 3/4″ tall. That’s put him in the 50% for weight and 90% for height. Yeah, Hope didn’t pass 29lbs until she started kindergarten (when she was close to six!) if that tells you anything about their difference in size!
After weighing in we all waited to see the doctor. Jaylen played on my iPhone and well, I took out the nikon and got the little guy to laugh quite a bit.
Of course Hope sat beside me worrying. She hates shots. But who doesn’t? As I turned around she gave me this look and said, “I do NOT want a shot today!” I suppose she thought the serious way in which she told me would make a difference. And as you can see, she thinks its funny to “act tough” these days.
Jaylen saw me taking pictures and cried to take pictures too. People think I’m crazy to allow my kids use my camera. I can’t say I trust him yet, but with a little mentoring I bet he’ll be pretty good with a camera soon! 
As I held the camera he took pictures of his big sis.
And she was busy taking pictures of us with the iPhone.
After the doctor came in to visit with the kids she let us know they both needed one more vaccine and that it’d be the last one for a couple years. Hope was devastated. She cried as if the world was coming to an end because she had to have a shot. Jaylen is absolutely adorable these days because when anyone cries he’s right there worried and he quickly ran to Hope to help console her. He gave her hugs and tried to cheer her up. Seeing this bond these two have so young just makes me smile and hope that they continue to stay this close as they grow and grow. Yes, Jaylen just really wanted to help “Bah” (how he says Hope).
Jaylen tried to put on Hope’s shoes and hat in hopes that it’d make her happy. It really didn’t matter what Jaylen did to try to cheer Hope up, she was still devastated that she had to get another shot.
I give the little guy kudos for trying, thankfully he didn’t quite understand or he’d have likely been crying too. As you can see, he was all smiles trying to cheer Hope up.
Yes, the shots were a horrible experience for Hope. Jaylen went first. He didn’t cry at all. He flinched for half a second as if he was thinking “ouch this hurts” but then he got right up as if nothing happened. I had hoped this would help Hope, but it didn’t. She screamed louder than I think I’ve heard her scream ever and cried for quite a while afterwards. But thankfully she survived the shot!
I surprised the kids after their appointment by stopping by steak-n-shake to pick up 1/2 priced milkshakes for the kids. It made their day. They decided they’d enjoy them out front while they colored on the sidewalk together.
One of the most reassuring parts of today was hearing the doctor tell me I need not worry about Jaylen not talking much yet. I told her about his delays and shyness and she said it’s completely normal, especially for a boy. He’s beginning to say a lot more words and even combines 3-4 words together, but he’s a stubborn little guy who seems to enjoy not sharing all his thoughts with the world yet. Many times he surprises us saying things like “more ketchup”, “what’s that” or “get in bath” but the moment we ask him to say it again, he refuses. He loves to color and that’s one of the few things he will repeat. He loves to point out just about every color. Of course I understand just about everything he tries to communicate, so perhaps that’s only influencing him from saying more. There’s no doubt that he understands as much if not more than a typical toddler. The doctor said it’s very common, especially when there’s a big sister with this age difference for there to be a delay in talking. She said as long as he’s saying at least 10 words she isn’t worried at all. She said she wouldn’t be surprised if how emotional and clingy he is with me still is connected to all the emotions he sense from me after the miscarriage. She affirmed that it’s expected for a child to be more emotional when their parents are going through so much. So for now, I’ll just continue to give my little guy lots of loving…something I think we both need right now…but knowing he’ll always be my baby boy no matter how fast he grows!
I hope you all have enjoyed a few “little” moments with the kids. Yes, they’re growing too fast and today was definitely confirmation of that.
Over the last few months I’ve been so touched by those of you who reached out to show your sincere care and everytime I find myself emotional the words posted by one of my colleagues, Angelique Smith, posted on my blog four months ago continue to echo through my mind:
by Amanda Kern
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