Today we had Lemon's 18 month checkup with the regular pediatrician. I wonder what parents of normal kids worry about the most when they go for one of these visits--maybe the shots? For me, it's the scale. I'm always worried about whether he gained weight or not, and how much. Once I set him on the scale, I just stare at the display, hoping, waiting for the numbers to come up. And today, we finally cracked the 10kg barrier that we've been close to for so long. Not by much, 10.09kg in all, but we'll take it. To achieve that, our little now-22lb human had to consume a minimum of 1200-1400 calories per day, which is enough to sustain many adult women who are five times his size. So, we will keep on with the strategy we are using now, and see if we can keep the weight gain up for another month, when he'll be seen at the CF clinic again.
He may be small, but Lemon did manage to impress the pediatrician nonetheless. He demonstrated some of his vocabulary, including apparently advanced words like "strawberry" and "enzymes." His best trick, though, came when the doctor asked if she could count his teeth. He opened his mouth to let her look inside, and she started counting. When she got to eight, she paused for breath, so he chimed in, crystal clear, "nine, TEN!" She said, "Wow, that was spooky! What else does he know?"
Other than that, this week has been pretty uneventful. We're readjusting to our life here in Madison. It's hard to believe we were in Hawaii just a week ago, it seems like another world. We're settling back into our old routines, and getting ready for a bit of snow tomorrow. Also, tomorrow is Papa Bear's birthday so we've made some modest preparations for that. I'm a little concerned because the only thing Papa Bear requested for his birthday this year is a kitchen gadget. Isn't mid-30's a little early for age-related cognitive changes?
