18 Month Well Baby Visit

As the name of this blog suggests, Greta grows! Unfortunately, yesterday was our worst doctor's visit ever. I think she was having flashbacks to the allergist she recently saw, because from the minute we walked into the room where they measure, weigh, and take vitals, she entered full meltdown mode.

The technician was very understanding, and we weighed Mommy alone (with tantrum-child stomping nearby), and then Mommy with Greta. Fully dressed, with fancy New Hampshire shoes on, she tipped the scales at 10.8 kilos (23.8 lbs). She wasn't very cooperative with the height measurement, although we tried to entice her to stand next to the wall ruler with stickers to place on the wall. She smacked them away, but not before the tech jotted down 83.9 cm (33 inches). I'm not sure how accurate the head measurement was, but after 5 tries, I'll take the 47.5 cm (18.7 in.). Listening to her heart and lungs was awful as well, as she twisted away from the stethoscope with cries of "No, Mommy, no! Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye!" Her aversion to having her back touched or examined makes sense since that was where her egg allergy was tested.

Fortunately, we only had to wait a few minutes before the pediatrician came in. Unfortunately, the minute Greta saw her, the "No no no Mommy. Go go go, bye bye bye bye bye" rant began. Doc said she was growing great (45% for weight, 85% for height--keeping pace with their growth arc chart), was very verbal (which we knew), and said it could take two years for Greta to overcome her new-found aversion to doctors. No worries about her bulging lymph nodes (thank goodness), and some advice on my upcoming absence (talk on the phone, make videos and tapes, show lots of pictures).

Greta didn't get her shots because they were out of flu vaccine and I apparently scheduled her appointment three days early based on her 1-year shots (a fact I wish the Tricare Appointment Line could have mentioned), so we need to return next week. Should be fun. Then she doesn't need to return until her 24-month well baby visit, which doesn't involve shots (which is a good thing because Rob will probably be in charge of that visit!)