Doctor, Doctor!

Lesson learned today: Do not allow more than one doctor appointment to be scheduled in the same day, especially not back-to-back! Totally by chance, both the kids' pediatrician well-visits were this afternoon, followed very closely (almost-causing-us-to-be-late closely) by Eli's orthopedist appointment. Ouch.

The well-visits went 'well'. Eli is growing right along, but he's dropped to the 30th percentile for height, and similar for weight (he's usually a 50th percentile kid). Maddux is 33 pounds and well into the 75 percentile for both height and weight. Eli had to take a vision test, which he passed perfectly, and he was due for one vaccination. The poor kid got a little nervous, but didn't fight the nurse. In fact, they always ask us to hold them down (which I try to disguise as a hug), but Eli didn't even flinch. That nurse was GOOD!!

From there we raced to Eli's ortho....made it just in time to fill out five pages of paperwork 'updates'. We were seen by an up-and-coming doc first, who gave us a good report, followed by Eli's regular ortho, Dr. Schrader. He had Eli do a variety of things from jumping, to hopping on one foot, to touching his toes, etc. At the end of it he said that Eli has done very well with wearing his shoes and he saw no reason for him to continue to do so at night. In fact, unless we see a sign of relapse (which is unlikely), we don't even have to return for another 2-3 years!!

Even though it's what we hoped and prayed for, the enormity of this visit didn't hit me until I put Eli to bed tonight. For a while now we've been allowing him to sleep without the shoes on Friday nights, and here and there for special circumstances (babysitters, etc.). But the fact that I never again have to put them on my little boy.... the fact that he can now get himself out of bed in the middle of the night to use the bathroom... the fact that he can curl up in any position he wants EVERY night... This is big. Really big. And it's five years in the making. Those shoes have been such a huge part of our lives for as long as Eli's been a part of who we are. Wow...this week just keeps coming at us in these crazy ways....