Owen had his first appointment with his new doctor! We were unable to get an accurate weight and didn't get a length at all.... Our poor boy is still very traumatized by his ER admission and hospital stay back in July, so he was extremely upset and uncooperative with the physician and nurses. In a word, he was hysterical. It's tough to see him like that, but we were SO thankful that Max (the physician- I shouldn't call him a doc since he is a Nurse Practitioner) and the nurse didn't push the issue. Owen is obviously growing well, and it didn't seem worth it to torture the poor guy to get an accurate reading.
I guess I should back up and tell you about the practice! We chose a holistic wellness center for Owen's (and our) care. We always opt for homeopathic, natural remedies rather than medical interventions. Not that we don't like medical interventions, but sometimes they just aren't necessary. I'll have an example of that in a minute, so hang with me...
Anyway, we love Max and the staff at the office. They are all very sweet, and Owen likes them all too unless they are trying to weigh him, get his vitals, check his ears.... But when he was allowed to play he would go up to each of them- Max as well as the secretary- and sit on their lap with a book for them to read to him. It was so sweet. There was another mom in the waiting room with us and Owen crawled right up into her lap. She was more than happy to oblige :)
Owen had his checkup and everything looked just fine- you know, when Owen would allow Max to do what he needed to do. We talked through a few things with Max and felt very comfortable with everything he recommended. He was affirming and helpful and patient (we got an entire 60 minutes of face time with him!) There weren't many concerns, so all in all it was a great visit.
Kraig also had a physical and went over some concerns with his very regular and painful headaches. He has had them for as long as he can remember and at one point was prescribed muscle relaxers as a teen. Yikes! He took them a couple of times but didn't like the effects (um, who likes to be tranquilized?) so he stopped and has suffered with migraines a couple of times a week. Max and Kraig brainstormed some things to do- I am to listen for signs of sleep apnea (you know, because I am an insomniac anyway!), Kraig is rinsing with a Neti Pot each night, and if the Neti doesn't work he will be taking Claritin to see if it's allergies that are causing sinus pain and headaches. He's also getting his bloodwork done and Max will check for indicators of anything strange. Kraig is also keeping a journal of his headaches, the weather, his diet, quality of sleep, other pain, etc. They'll review the results of all of that in a couple of weeks. Much better than muscle relaxers, no?
Luckily the Neti is working like a charm so far! Amazing.
But back to Owen- he is surprising us each and everyday with his vocabulary and skills. He has a working vocabulary (meaning he knows the correct use of each word) of at least 30 words. I can't keep track because it seems he is using a new word each day. He also knows what activities he is not allowed to do (climb on chairs/tables, mark on walls with crayon, wipe his hands on tablecloth, etc) and he will reach out or start to do them while shaking his head and saying "no". It's really sort of cute. Ha!
He knows quite a few new signs, including dance (complete with shoulder shimmying), fish, and I love you! SO SWEET!
I know I have said this a lot the past few months, but he is totally ready for the potty. As soon as he goes, he tells us. Too bad it's in his diaper and not BEFORE he goes. But that is definite progress and a sure sign that he can learn to go on the potty. If only his parents would be consistent! We did really well for a week about a month ago, but life gets busy and back to diapers we go....
He is such a mimic now- he will parrot any word (though he doesn't know what it means... yet) and often surprises me with the things he picks up from us. He tap dances on the kitchen floor (like his mama), he takes my makeup brushes and dips them into a container and then brushes his eyelids, he grabs his crayons and a piece of paper and starts drawing, he knocks on the door and says "knock knock!", and so many more that I can't remember right now. He's just a joy to be around. Such a little ham!
The best news is this: we only have 6 teeth to go before we are done with teething. Alleluia.
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