A week of doctors

After a relatively light schedule over the summer, we’re back full-swing into our routine of many doctor visits. Thankfully the number is tapering, and we’re approaching what would be “normal” for any family with three kids … but they always seem to fall in clusters, no matter how hard I try to be careful in my scheduling. 

This week, Colin was back at the pulmonologist on Monday, and on Tuesday the twins had their first official dentist appointment. (Colin had been to the dentist once before to make sure he didn’t have “preemie teeth,” a condition that is fairly common in micro preemies like him where the teeth don’t have enough enamel and are more brittle than they should be.)

Poor John ended up taking all three kids to see Dr. Lestrud (Colin’s pulmonologist), thanks to the teacher’s strike and my work schedule. It made for a very full, and I would imagine a rather raucous, exam room. Overall, Dr. Lestrud is happy with Colin’s progress. His growth is good (for Colin — he’s on the growth chart, unadjusted, at roughly 4% for weight and 7% for height), he’s generally healthy, his lungs sound clear … but he still has a little rattle in his lungs when he exhales. 

So we’re back on the inhaler for the fall/winter/spring season. Fortunately, they seem to be going a little easier this year … at least so far. 

The dentist appointment also involved the entire family (myself included this time) bringing chaos to the office. Veronica was very nervous about going to the dentist; Colin not so much. As we were walking from the van to the dentist office, Veronica looked up and me and asked, “Roni cry at dentist office?”

“No sweetie, you won’t need to cry. Irma is just going to look at your teeth.” So we practiced saying “Ahhhhh” and “Eeeeee” for the rest of the walk. 

Once we were inside, Veronica was very serious and told me, “Colin go first.” She is very good at volunteering Colin to go first for anything new. 

Colin, of course, was his usual “in the moment” self. I don’t know if it’s just his personality or an area where Veronica is ahead of him developmentally, but he doesn’t seem to think about/grasp the significance of things. If we tell him we’re going to the doctor, he marches off to the doctor. If we tell Veronica we’re going to the doctor, she starts imagining the visit to the doctor, starting with the toys in the waiting room and running through the possibility of shots. 

Both kids did very well. Colin sat in the chair by himself, but John had to hold his hands. He (Colin) was afraid of “Mr. Thirsty” — the tool that sucks the extra saliva out of your mouth — so he just used his water bottle to rinse after his cleaning. Veronica sat on my lap, but was fascinated by Mr. Thirsty and had fun putting it in her mouth and taking it back out. 

Colin still has one molar left to come in, so he has 19 teeth. Veronica is still at 16, but two of her molars are poking through. (Hurry it up already, teeth, we’re tired of this teething process.) Colin’s teeth are showing signs of grinding; Veronica’s look good. Overall, though, they got two thumbs up from the dentist and the hygienist, and we’ll be back in six months.