2-year Check-up

"Don't let my face fool you. I am very happy to be at the doctor's office."

Today my mom and I took Gloria to the doctor for her 2-year check-up. Gloria was in great spirits, very happy and excited to go see the doctor. This was her first visit with a new doctor now that we've moved. She's seeing the same doctor that was my pediatrician!

While I filled out paperwork, Gloria and my mom played with the toys in the waiting room and read books. When the nurse called us in, Gloria walked through the door like she owned the place. She walked right over to the scale (the big one! not the baby one anymore) and stood on it very still. The nurse weighed her and took her temperature in her ear.

Then we went into the exam room where Gloria's head was measured and so was her length. (They still made her lay down on the table to measure her. Maybe next time she'll be able to stand up against the wall. She's definitely tall enough.)

We undressed her down to her diaper and played around while waiting for the doctor. She was being goofy, making letters with her body - like X, Y, I and L. She spent time sitting on the exam table, sitting in a chair, holding her kitty and blanket, and climbing up and down.

When the doctor came in, she said to just keep Gloria over by us instead of putting her on the table because most kids look at her very scared. Well, Gloria is not most kids. She didn't want to stay by us, so she started to climb up on her own. The doctor asked me how many words Gloria can say...20, 30, 40...? I kind of laughed and said, "200?!" That might even be a modest guess. She listened to Gloria's heart and lungs, looked in her eyes, ears, and mouth, and felt her tummy. Gloria was a perfect angel throughout the whole exam, not making any fuss or whining. She let the doctor do her thing with no problem. What is a bit ironic is that we watched Sesame Street this morning and Elmo was talking all about going to the doctor and what they do there, so Gloria was more than prepared.

After meeting with the doctor, we went to the lab to have Gloria's blood taken to be tested for lead. I was a bit worried, thinking she was going to be hysterical, but surprise, surprise, she wasn't! She didn't even cry. A few times she looked at me (I was holding her) with tears in her eyes and said, "Mommy" but I just told her I loved her and she was doing so great. It took the nurse awhile because Gloria's veins are small and she didn't want to go through one, but once she got the needle in, it went very quickly. Then, when it was time to leave the room, Gloria didn't want to leave! She wanted to sit in the chair and raise and lower the arm. She wanted to pretend to take Grammy's blood. She wanted kitty to have a turn. Finally after getting a sticker, we were able to get her out of there.

Getting her coat on and out to the car was a bit more difficult. She just didn't want to leave the doctor's office! Silly girl!

Gloria's 24 month stats:
Weight: 30 1/2 lb.
Height: 36 1/4 in.
Head circumference: 19 1/2"

(They didn't tell us the percentiles her measurements were in.)