18 Month Check-up

Friday was rough. We love Dr. N, but I think Friday's appointment has convinced me that it's time to find a pediatrician closer to home. It's a decision I've been struggling with for a while because Dr. N is about the best pediatrician you could ask for, but the 2-hour round trip drive has just turned into such an ordeal. I don't think I can do it anymore. Regardless of how great our doctor may be.

Aside from the drive, the visit went relatively well. I was pleased to discover that the waiting room wasn't packed with sick children. Jax and I were probably the ones that made everyone nervous with our coughing since we are still dealing with chest colds. Luckily, we were called back pretty quickly, and all of the other mothers were able to breathe a sigh of relief, literally.

Baylor was cooperative while the nurse checked his measurements. His noggin falls into the 85th percentile, and he landed squarely in the 95th percentile for both height and weight. Dr. N seemed pleased that he was at least on the growth chart, since for a while there he was skyrocketing off!

Once we made our way into the exam room, it's like a switch was thrown. Baylor immediately decided that he was not interested in being there anymore. I strongly suspect that he's now old enough to remember what happens when he visits Dr. N...shots! As soon as Dr. N came into the room, Baylor became combative, refusing to let her examine him. He was running a temperature when they checked him which wasn't a surprise. I thought he felt warm when I picked him up out of the crib that morning. My first thought was, "Great! I hope this doesn't prevent him from getting his flu vaccines. If I drive 2 hours and don't end up with him vaccinated, I'm going to be pissed." Luckily, the fever wasn't an issue.

However, Dr. N did want to thoroughly check his ears, nose, and throat to rule out any infections. Like I said before, Baylor wasn't having any of it. I did my best to pin him to the exam table, but clearly, I need to lift some weights or something because he easily overpowered me. Out matched by an 18-month old. I should be ashamed! After a 15-minute struggle, Dr. N was able to rule out any obvious signs of infection.

Weary from the battle, I put Baylor down on the floor while Dr. N explained which 18-month vaccines Baylor would be receiving and also outlined what symptoms would be considered warning signs of complications from the flu vaccines. I did my best to listen, but I was distracted by Baylor who was trying to completely dismantle the exam room in record time. Dr. N asked me whether I had any concerns that I wanted to discuss, and I said no, but explained that Anh and I both suspected that Baylor may be going through the "Terrible Twos" early. Dr. N just looked at me with an expression that clearly said, "Gee! Ya' think?!?!"

With that, Dr. N was out the door and on her way to see the next patient. I can't say I blame her. I would have run screaming from the room too, what with 2 out of the 3 people coughing their lungs up and the 3rd behaving like a nightmare. So, while I may be sad that we won't be able to continue to see Dr. N, I have a sneaking suspicion that she's not going to miss us quite as much.