a couple of medical visits as of late, but it's all good

Last week, Mercer had his first dentist's appointment. The appointment was excruciatingly long, but he did really well. I kept popping in & checking on him w/out him seeing me... he was glued to the cartoons on the t.v. playing above his head. And, he got a coin at the end of his visit in which to put into a big gumball machine which released a cheap plastic toy. Amazing... he has played with this toy for a week now. He also got plus half-a-dozen stickers to wear and to stick on a goody bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a few other dental-hygiene related accouterments.

Great smile, huh?

A couple days later, he went in for his 3 year old appointment. He said "I not go to the doctor. I not sick." But, we went anyways for his check-up. He got a clean bill of health, more stickers, and a "made-the-grade report card." His report card said that he was in the 97th percentile for height... 40.5" (3'-6 1/2") and he's in the 90th percentile for weight (36 lbs). He's going to be a tall one, but we already knew that!

Developmentally, everything else is also going well:

- Can he count to 3? (yes, he can count to 11).
- Is he climbing and active? (yes, as he was climbing up on the exam stool - moving to the exam table - down to the chair in the room, back up on the stool so he could reach the sink)
- Does he know his colors? (yes)
- Does he talk in sentences? (yes, as described above)
- Is he trying to potty train (yes... grumble... um yes)

It was interesting. They had a questionnaire they had me fill out on his diet (fruit / veggies / milk consumption per day). They asked a question about # of fast-food meals in a week. (happy to report zero - yay!). There were questions about frequency of candy and treats. They asked questions about video games & tv in the kids room. How much video games & t.v. is there each day? Questions about second hand smoke and exposure to t.b. Questions about social interaction / sports / daycare.

I thought that was kind of cool that they're asking about things other than his health -- things that would have an indirect affect on his health. We're happy to say that we're doing everything that we can to keep little guy healthy.

Don't have to go back 'til next year (well, at least for a "well" visit / annual check-up).

Have a great weekend. It is supposed to be beautiful here.

Spring has sprung as seen in these pics in the back yard... Mercer has been interested in the fish for more than a year, but he's starting to notice other things in the back yard and out in nature. This past weekend, he been asking me to help him jump across rocks in the stream... he likes me to pick up slimy algae and squish it around. He's playing with some cool red moss growing on a rock in the water. And - he's figuring out how to navigate the hammock. (Also, these 4 robins bathing in our stream are enjoying the season as well.)

Enjoy~