Visit to the Doctor

Emma turned 12 months the day we flew to China so she hadn't had her 12 month check up yet. Ryan still needed his exam for coming home. I decided to kill two birds with one stone so we got an appointment for both of them together.

Great idea....

I knew Emma needed shots and I knew that Ryan needed blood work so I realized that going solo on this one was probably not a good idea and recruited Julia to go. But about an hour before we left Jenna was begging to go. She loves to watch any procedures that are done such as shots, blood draws, etc. I call her my future doctor. She knew that procedures were going to be done and wanted to come watch. Kind of morbid now that I think of it. Anyway, Julia heard that and begged off of going. She said she can't stand to see that stuff and could she please stay home? So a last minute substitution was made. Jenna was pitch hitting for Julia.

We showed up at our appointment and the 4 of us were soon ushered back. Ryan was weighed and measured, although he didn't like having to remove his shoes and seemed completely confused by this. Ryan weighed 24 1/2 pounds (5th percentile) and height was 34 1/4 inches ( 10th percentile). Then into the room for Emma. She weighed 21 lbs 12 oz (50th percentile) and was 28 1/2 inches (10-25th percentile) Her head circumference was in the 50th to 75th percentile. What can I say? She's got a lot of smarts in there. See she needs that extra weight to hold up her head. Then we waited for the doctor. I didn't know who my appointment was with, we simply got first available since we don't really know the doctors here yet.

Soon the doctor entered the room with 2 photos in his hand. They were photos of his 8 year old son he adopted from China back in 2003 as a single father! I told him that I had only heard of one or two other men who had done that and he told me he thought he was the third man allowed to adopt. But there was more: his son had a cleft lip and cleft palate! I couldn't believe it! He told me "I know exactly what you're going through." What a fantastic resource.

The doctor asked a lot of questions about both children and was extremely jealous that Ryan was already sleeping alone in his own bed. I told him that Emma made up for it. We both agreed that some tough love was soon around the bend-- denying the princess her bottles at night. I told him I knew this I just hadn't been ready for it yet.

Emma needed a shot but they were out of it and she has to go back next week. She also needs some lab work for her 12 month checkup. Ryan needs some lab work too. But they don't do it there; I have to take them somewhere else for the blood draws. Jenna was very disappointed in this. She had hoped to see some procedures but I decided that she didn't need to be rewarded with watching procedures anyway since she was the loudest, most obnoxious child of all 3 kids. I told the staff that they would soon be on the lookout and hide when the crazy kids showed up. But then, how odd that I would reward my daughter with letting her watch her younger siblings have needles put into their bodies.

We didn't get procedures but instead we left with 3 consults to Children's Mercy Hospital. Two were for Ryan. The first is to the Cleft Clinic. He probably won't need any surgeries for a few more years so there's no need to take him to Chicago yet. He just needs an evaluation at this point. The second is to a pediatric urologist for his undescended testicles. Little Emma didn't want to be left out so she got one too: Cardiology. She still has a heart murmur that the doctor felt she needs to have reevaluated. So we are in the process of getting her Vanderbilt Children's Hospital medical records sent to the pediatrician's office. She had an Echo cardiogram while she was there with her RSV because she had a slightly enlarged heart and a murmur then but they said it was something she would out grow. However, her new pediatrician seems concerned and wants it checked soon and asked me to stay on Vanderbilt's case until the records are sent. He said they might take a month to send them and that's too long to wait.

I admit to being more than slightly worried about my insurance (and I won't even let my mind go to the idea that she might have a serious condition.) We are already skating on thin ice with her previous RSV episode, who knows what a cardiac condition will do? A job with group insurance may be in my future although I had hoped to stay home another year before going back to school. But I have to trust that God has a plan for us all and leave it in His hands for now.