A visit to Dory's doctor isn't like any doctor's visit I can remember. First the office is a delightful place to be. The walls and floors are painted to look like bright, colorful environments. There's a jungle room, a wilderness room, a rain forrest room (though I can't tell you the difference between this one and the jungle room), all decorated with appropriate wildlife critters. It's incredibly cheerful and I would think friendly and inviting to a little one. I had a great doctor, but he was my family's GP, which meant a waiting room decorated in that classic color scheme "bluegrayblah" and filled with elderly, sick people, many of whom came with oxygen tanks. God love their hearts, they were neither friendly nor inviting (though this might have been extra incentive to stay healthy).
Second, all her clothes came off, but no cover-up was offered. After watching Dory on the exam table, naked legs pulled up to naked belly, I will never again complain about the "does this go front ways or back ways?" paper gowns to which I am accustomed (sidenote: whichever way it goes, I always do the opposite- I have some backwards sixth sense about this, much like how I can walk into any new room and reach for the light switch on the wrong wall- but I digress). Dory, in her cheery baby way, seemed delighted to wave her bare bum about while we waited.
Once all the clothes were off, which, with the cold weather, took a few minutes, Matthew carried our naked babe out into the hallway with the nurse to be weighed and measured. Dory was remarkably sanguine, considering all her bits and pieces were on full display to the world. Can you imagine? I get grouchy when the nurse weighs me with the woman who takes payments sitting ten feet away.
After her weight, height, and head size were taken, we put her back down on the exam table and then- get this!- all her measurements were put into a computer and her growth chart tabulated and figured into their percentile system. The doctor explained the system shows where she would rank, on average, among ninety-nine other babies. And (here's the wild part) being bigger is fine. Seriously. I ask, again, can you imagine? "Well, you weigh more than seventy percent of the room and the really good news is, your head is in the ninety-eighth percentile!" It's all very cool, this baby world.
At a little more than four months, Dory is twelve and a half pounds and around twenty-five inches long. She's alert and strong (the pediatrician's words) and gorgeous and perfect (mine). And currently she's resting. Sleep helps babies grow and our girl's an expert at growing.
1 comment:
Enjoy the "growing" while it lasts. I spent all day yesterday wishing that Lucy would grow a little.
Oy. Twelve hours, no nap. Makes for a cranky mommy.
Glad all continues well in Doryland.
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