Kevin's 6-month Appointment

I took Kevin for his 6-month check-up and immunizations today. Here's the stats: he weighs 18.4 pounds, and is 28.5 inches long!

The visit itself went fine. Kevin is in good health, and developing normally. He only let out one little shriek after the second vaccination (the painful one). I think it helped that I stopped at the pharmacy downstairs and bought him some Tylenol drops, and gave them to him about an hour before he saw the doctor.

Of course, our appointment was at 10:00, and we didn't see the doctor until 11:45; but that's the norm in her office. I came prepared with toys, bottles, and blankets. He slept for about half an hour in the waiting room, then drank a bottle. He also spent some time charming the other patients, as usual.

***

I brought a slight concern of mine to the doctor's attention. I have noticed, since Kevin was about a month or two old, that sometimes something seemed a little "off" about his eyes. It's hard to put into words. It isn't as obvious as a lazy eye; when Kevin looks straight at you, there's nothing unusual. However, if he looks sideways, or is following something with his eyes, it seems as if the right one doesn't exactly keep up with the left one. It's close, but it just seems a little bit slower. I hadn't mentioned it to the doctor before because I thought it was just part of baby learning to focus properly. But then, I knew Andrea's eyes hadn't done this. When I told her, and showed her, she didn't seem too worried, but said she'd check with her associate eye-specialist, and probably set up an appointment for Kevin, to get it evaluated.

I don't know if anyone else has noticed it. No one has said anything. Then again, people are probably hesitant to say, "Hey, there's something kind of odd about your baby's eyes sometimes!" I don't feel that it's a big deal, but being a watchful mommy, it has caught my attention for some time. I also trust my instincts. How many people told me Andrea was fine, when I pointed out how she stood on the insides of her feet--and which little girl ended up needing corrective inserts for her shoes, hmm? :))

Anyhow, I have one picture from a few months back that shows what I mean about Kevin's eyes. I remember thinking there was something a bit "off"about this picture when I saw it. He usually looks straight at the camera, so it's not noticeable.

***

However, I think the real story to be told regards our journey to the doctor's office. Last night we had a brief winter storm--freezing rain, and a few good inches of snow. But I was stubbornly determined to take the bus to this appointment. I didn't want to bother anyone for yet another ride; and I certainly didn't want the expense, and more importantly, the questionable driving skills associated with a cab. I also decided on the bus I wanted to take (time-wise) about 10 minutes before it was due to arrive. Thus, see Julie rushing around frantically tossing blankets, diaper bag, and purse over one shoulder, and bundling poor Kevin in 3 layers with the other hand. Then see Julie carting all these things down the stairs, out into the garage, and loading them into the buggy. Then see Julie skid down the driveway and out onto the street (pure ice) with Kevin along for the joy-ride. Rod, leaving for work at the same time, looks as if he thinks Julie has lost her mind.

Besides the bus being 15 minutes late, no major incidents occurred until disembarking at the corner of Tecumseh and Walker. It was then that I really realized I had gone too far to turn back. The businesses around that very major intersection had not shoveled their sidewalks, or had only lightly salted them. Try pushing a stroller through that snow and sludge! That was bad, but trying to cross the street was literally life threatening! The curbs were so heaped with snow, and the medians were completely heaped up and unshoveled, so the stroller actually got stuck at least 4 times as I tried to cross the intersection. Racing against the light, I actually had the stroller up on two wheels (pop-a-wheelie-style) to plow through the snow. I even got so badly jammed at one point that I went around the front and dragged the buggy through the snow! Anyway, I daresay the motorists thought I was a crazy woman, let alone a bad mother! And of course, no mercy with the sludgy slush--a few big trucks went by when I was back on the sidewalk, and I got splashed all to he@&!

Kevin, as usual, took it all in stride. I peeked in on him a few times during my struggles, and he was perfectly serene.

In conclusion, what did I learn from this? Well, two very different things: 1) If Kevin and I can survive a bus trip on a day like this, we can do it anytime. 2) Strollers are not designed to handle ice and snow--so I don't care that I know I can do it. I won't.