Today was The Big Sis’ five-year checkup. The Pediatrician began by looking at the last time she was in the office, and you know what? Her last visit was for her four-year-old checkup! (Well, aside from going for her flu shot. That doesn’t really count.) She made it a whole year without a doctor’s visit!! Considering our rough start with her in the first couple of years with illnesses, this was a fantastic realization for us.
The Nurse weighed her (42 pounds) and measured her (43 inches), both 50th to 75th percentile and a BMI of 16 (50th to 75th percentile), then took us back to the room and did the blood pressure (84/42). I answered the questions of developmental milestones, which she met. They included:
*Can your child point while counting three or more objects?
*Can your child name some letters on sight?
*Is your child able to recognize some signs or billboards (like the word “open” or the word “stop” on a sign)?
*Can your child button his or her own clothes or a doll’s clothes?
*Does your child react well when left with a good friend or a sitter?
*Can your child jump with his or her feet apart (broad jump)?
*Can your child walk down stairs using alternating feet?
*Can your child copy a square?
*Can your child identify and print the first letter in his or her name?
The Nurse left and The Pediatrician soon came in to examine The Big Sis. He checked her ears, eyes, nose, teeth/mouth, throat, belly, girl parts, and legs and feet. He then had her bend over so he could check her spine as well. He asked if we had any concerns — and we did discuss one pretty big thing that will be its own post very soon — and we talked some about starting school. Our state requires a dental exam (which she’s due for this spring) and a vision exam, which we’ll have done probably sometime over the summer; I added her to my vision plan recently at open enrollment, so we’ll be ready for that. She was taken to another room for a hearing screening, which she passed, and with that we headed out, stopped for a doughnut, then headed off to school and work. Five-year-old checkup? Check!
