Well checks all around.

Can I just start off by saying if I never have to take my kids to the doctor again it will be too soon?? A bit extreme yes, but after the last two trips that I've had I'm ready to be done for good. they last two trips were AWFUL. I would have sworn to you that someone switched all four of my kids out with that kid. You know the one I'm talking about. The one who's noisy, the one who's mom looks like she has no control over him, the one who runs around the office with reckless abandon, the one who throws a temper tantrum right there in the office. Yes folks, that was me, TWICE in the last week. And I'll pull my head out of the sand long enough to fill you in on what transpired, and then I'm sure I'll be replacing it to the deep dark hole in the sand, because I'm that embarrassed.

Last Thursday was Kaleb and Kendyls 3 year well check. Our appointment times were 4:00 and 4:30 pm. We arrived, and were checked in by 3:50 pm. I had questionnaires for the twins to fill out. You know the ones. Where they ask all kinds of stupid questions that apparently tell the doctor how on track your kids are. All the while trying to get the twins to answer these stupid questions the boys were getting louder and louder until they officially had EVERYONE'S attention. And of course, then all eyes are on ME to see how I'm going to handle it. Well what can you do? You certainly can't raise your voice, because everyone would then think that your "harsh" words were too mean to your children for a public place. So, I separated them, and made them sit. Then, back to the stupid questions. Those things just drag ON AND ON when you have two of the EXACT same ones to do at the same time. So we were finally called back to the room by 4:25. The nurse had to go through her barrage of 5,000 questions, and the whole while the kids are all loosing their patients. And with just cause I know. We'd just spent 30 minutes with all eyes on them, and here we were being shooed into this teeny room (seriously people, who ever designs these things need to take into account that SOME people come with more than ONE child. We don't fit in those little rooms very well!) where they were crawling all over each other, and fighting over the lone toy that's in the room, and telling me the books were boring cause they'd read them all already. The nurse finally finishes up her portion, and we;re left alone to wait. This was my time to take a deep breath, speak in hushed harsh tones to my children to let them know that I will NOT tolerate this behavior from them, and that I KNOW they can behave better than this. Obviously I'm met with "we wont' do it any more mommy" looks, nods, and murmurs. Finally, the doctor comes in. This is the same doctor that has seen my kids since the day they were born. She's REALLY hard to get into now because she now has two kids, and only works 2 days a week. So we now have a regular back up too. But anyway, that's neither here nor there. We got down to the nitty gritty of talking about what was up with the kids. Thankfully we were able to do this over her checking the kids out. Kaleb did AWESOME. Did everything she told him to do, and was done rather quickly. She was trying to engage him in conversation this entire time so that she could hear his speech, since we're kind of concerned about that. And with each question she asked, I darn near had to put my hand over Dallas's mouth. I kept reminding him that she was asking KALEB, not him, and that he needed to be quiet. Yet, each question brought him bursting in again. It gets REALLY old. Then it was Kendyl's turn. She started crying the SECOND she heard it was her turn. She cried all through listening to her heart, and then the doctor couldn't see in one of her ears because of some wax build up in there. Well, this is Kendyl's very least favorite thing. She SCREAMED. You would have thought someone had just shoved an entire fist full of needles in her leg with the way she cried. I'll get to the specifics of the not so well checks on their parts in just a second.

We're going to jump ahead to yesterday. Dallas and Gabe had their well checks scheduled for 1:00 and 1:30. This appointment was scheduled with our regular back up doctor. I got there right at 1 this time, anticipating we'd be waiting. Well, apparently when you want to be seen RIGHT now, and get TWO nurses to help do a kid at a time, and get things done the way you'd HOPE for, you should go right after lunch when no one is there!!!! Gabriel was given the answer this stupid question, draw a person, tell me your colors questionnaire too. We didn't even get two questions in before we were able to head back. But, one would think that would be GOOD news right??? Umm, yeah. NO!!!! Each nurse decided to take a boy, and get the stuff done that they needed to get done. So here I am in the hall way with the twins, trying to figure out which boy to follow. Dallas was first taken for a hearing screen. So, ok, we'll stay with Gabe in the hallway so that he can HEAR the test, rather than Kaleb and Kendyls stream of "whats that, what is this for, what are you doing" that never ends! We went to the point where Gabe was in the hall way doing his vision test. It was really simple. 4 VERY distinct letters to differentiate between, at different sizes. They were: O T V H And all he had to do was tell them to her. He KNOWS them. And did his first eye really well. But then it all hit the fan. Gabriel decided he needed a drink of water. And oh my gosh, you would have thought he was two with the fit he threw. HE refused to answer the questions, he cried, he stomped his feet, he rubbed his eyes, it was so embarrassing. Here he is, 6 years old, throwing a tantrum. I wanted to fall through the floor. She just asked him to tell her 4 more letters, and he could go get a drink. He wouldn't do it. Not at all.

Then it was Gabe's turn for the hearing, and Dallas's for the weight, height, and all that goes with that. Should have been easy right? Yeah, except for the two 3 year olds who are now throwing a fit because it isn't all about them. they wanted the weight, they wanted to be measured, and they wanted all the attention. We went in to the room once Gabe was out, and the noise level again bordered on rock concert loud. Its a nurse that knows us very well, so she didn't really mind too much, but still. And then the doctor came in, and the noise seemed to DOUBLE. As did their naughty behavior. We're talking climbing the little table toy in there to reach her equipment, pushing buttons, crying, temper tantrums, the whole works.

So, now the more gritty details specific to each kid. I'm amazed I was able to get any of this detail in while they were so loud.



Kendyl:

weight: 32 pounds
Height: 37 inches

Issues noted:

-Cross bite: Referred to a pediatric dentist to seek corrective measures for the cross bite. Not sure if they'll do anything about it just yet, but eventually it will require "buttons" cemented on the sides of her side teeth, and rubber bands to be worn to pull things back into alignment.

- Possible eye alignment issues: there is a chance that her eyes are not in line the way they should be. It right now is just slight, and she wouldn't cooperate enough to let the doctor get a good look, so we'll be following that.

- Speech issues: By the age of 3 an outsider should be able to understand 75% of your child's speech. You can't do that with Kendyl. You can only understand about 50% ( I understand everything, but others don't). So we are in need of contacting the schools to see about speech therapy intervention.

- Mild Foliculitus: Because she's had pull ups on there appears to be a mild case of foliculitus on her butt. Its very common in kids who wear diapers/pull ups. Its a very pimply rash. Its from the strep/staph infections that live on our skin naturally. If it gets too bad meds are needed. We were sent home with a "just in case" prescription for her. In case it got bad.


Kaleb:

weight: 34 pounds

Height: 38 1/4 inches


- Medium case of foliculitus: again, sent home with a "just in case" prescription. The cure is mostly getting them out of diapers. So, fun fun we've been trying to go 100% without diapers. Yeah, not much fun with Kaleb. He doesn't get it yet.

-Speech issues: He, just like Kendyl has speech issues that will be addressed through the school district.



Dallas:


Weight: 70 pounds

Height: 50 inches (I think... .they didn't tell me exactly, and I'm trying to read their chart!)

-Shot given: So, on top of mom being already shot from everything, I'm informed that Dallas needs a shot. Dallas is TERRIFIED of needles. We're talking major panic ensues. He and I talked about it, and he told me as long as I was there he'd be fine. Yeah, that was until the nurse walked in with the needle. He started to stiffen up, and wouldn't come over to the table. I had to LIFT Him. (and if you just finished reading his weight, that's not that easy when he's fighting it!) Then he started screaming, yelling, kicking, flailing, and anything else he could do to get away from the shots. It took everything I had to pin his legs to the table so he couldn't kick me, and keep him pinned to me so that the nurse could do the shot in the back of his right arm. When she poked him the hysteria stopped, and he got that look of "oh, that was it?" Like he does every time.

-ADD: we talked about his ADD meds, and how we're not doing them over the summer. They cost me 1.00 a pill, and over the summer there is just simply no need for him to be on them. He'll resume them in the fall, and have another check in September.


Gabriel:

Weight: 54 pounds

Height: 46 inches (again, guessing)

-Behavioral issues: The doctor is slightly concerned that Gabriel's behavior is a little off for his age. That meaning the fits, the extreme shy, the crying, etc. So we'll be watching closely through this next school year, and possibly be speaking with a child therapist about behavior modification sessions.

- BM issues: As I've talked about before, Gabriel still has problems having accidents in his pants. Not peeing them, just pooping in them. And not a full on poop, but enough to make a royal mess. The doctor and I talked about this, and she decided an x ray was needed. When the x ray came back she said that his colon is now stretched to the point that he has NO control over it. And that the accidents really aren't his fault. He has no control, and his colon isn't working right. There is a MASS of poop in there that is huge. She said if we're seeing any soft stools that chances are its just soft stuff pushing around the mass and coming out, but that that mass pretty much isn't moving. She also said that's probably why the miralax isn't doing much for us. Its just liquefying all the loose stuff, and giving him (as we've so affectionately dubbed it with the screaming he does) screaming shits. He HATES that. So, we have to do a few things. We had to go and buy two pediatric enemas. Yes. Doesn't that sound like a BOAT load of fun??? Ummm, no. I know he's going to fight it. But we're supposed to give the first one, and hope it produces results. If it doesn't, then we're supposed to give a second one 12 hours later. If that doesn't do anything, I have to call her back, and we'll go from there. If it DOES produce results, we need to start the miralax and keep it going for AT LEAST a month. And in that month we'll have to hope that his colon shrinks back down, and that it starts to work on its own again. i have a feeling though, by what the doctor hinted at, that if that doesn't happen, and he can't get it out, that we'll be heading for surgery to get the mass out of there and get him on the right track again. We go back in a month if everything is working ok, for a re check, and re x ray.

- Hearing: I didn't go in with Gabe on his hearing test, but apparently he didn't pass the right ear. I don't know if we were dealing with issues like the eye test where he just threw a fit after the first ear, or what, but he didn't do so hot. So we'll be going back in a month to re check this as well.



I'm just so drained. Its been crazy, its been busy, its been nuts. And, on top of it all, today was Dallas's eye doctors check. Thank GOD for Todd's aunt Karleen. She was here today to sit with the other three. Turns out that Dallas is ready now for the corrective lenses, vs just the protective ones. So we'll be heading to get that done, probably next week some time. And on top of all of that, the bills have started to roll in for his eye surgery. We're at almost 1,000 dollars out there right now. And I have NO clue how we'll swing that.


I'm off now to clean my house, and start to get things packed. We're leaving for a family party 4 hours up north on Thursday, and won't be back till Monday. I'm kinda looking forward to it, cause its where Todd and I got engaged, and it holds some special meaning for us. But on the other hand, its going to be crazy busy up there with tons of people and dogs, and kids, and I don't now that we'll really get to enjoy it.


(just for a side note. . .the house is being closed on as I speak, and will be ours as of today!!!)