Trip to the Doc

This was actually a well-check up for The Elder for his 4th year of existence. I really hadn't expected it to take as long as it did but The Younger came too and missed a nap because of it.

This was the first time The Elder had been to the pediatrician since his diagnosis. It didn't occur to me until we had to fill out the PDQ form. This was the first time that he struggled with the questionnaire. We cheated and answered all of the questions (instead of stopping at 3 no's). The ones he got Yeses to were all non-verbal questions like, "which one moos?" "which is red?" "which is longer?" which he answered correctly without much thought. The ones he got Nos to were all motor skills and language questions like copying a circle or plus sign, drawing a person, hopping on one foot, balancing on one foot, "what do you do when it's cold?" "what is a chair?" "what is a pencil?" There were more of the latter and he hit 3 no's pretty soon. I was devastated at the black and white of his abilities.

When we saw The Doctor, he was fascinated at his diagnosis (evidently they haven't received the report from the psychologist's office yet) and asked a ton of questions. These were the very same questions that I used to get really defensive about when other people asked them. But since he's been going to his special class, I have much more confidence in what he is and is not capable of doing and which ones are significant and which are not, and the significant ones don't seem like such a huge mountain anymore. A blip, if I may steal vocabulary from Kristen, that needs special attention for now, but will get better after an inconvenience. The Doctor was there long enough to witness their chaotic, no-nap behavior The Elder's speech limitations and recognized where he was using scripts and when he was not. I was satisfied with that. I also told him that he could read.

"What book can you read all by yourself?"
"Max and Ruby's ABC Book."

The Doctor says, "Oh is he recognizing words now?"
So I grab a piece of paper of recommended books that they just gave me and gave it to The Elder. "What does this say?"

"The Little Engine That Could" (OK that was kinda cheating as we have like 4 versions of that)
"Keep Going..."
"Mittens....Marshmallows! Oh I like marshmallows! I hold the bag."
(That's his job when we make s'mores though he doesn't eat them. He prefers the marshmallows in the "raw." Must be a sensory aversion to gooey. We no longer indulge ourselves in s'mores since it is the opposite of gfcf.)

So it was an interesting trip to the Doc. Didn't have to ask for a probiotic for The Younger as he was recovering, see The Hub's post. But The Elder did have to get a shot and I feel terribly guilty. I didn't know he was due and I struggled with "do I tell him or do I just let them do it?" If the former he may flail wildy in opposition and The Nurse wouldn't be able to approach him. If the latter he may flail wildly in opposition when The Nurse approached him with the needle. Well, I did the latter. I don't know if it was the right decision or not, but he got nicked a little when he jerked (he was laying there so willingly and innocently). He cried for a LONG time. It wasn't a "I'm in pain" cry, it was a "My feelings are hurt" cry. At one point he even sobbed, "I can't stop crying." My heart breaks everytime I replay that in my head. I know he will remember the next time we go which will be his kindergarten check, hopefully not that is.

Well, it has a good ending. They both fell asleep on the way home and I had 2 deliveries to make, so it was a nice resting period for a no-nap day.