Doctor Visits

I like to do all of these appointments BEFORE the start of school, but then COVID made things weird, and now I'm afraid I'm stuck in a just-AFTER-the-start-of-school pattern with the doctor and the eye doctor and the dentist since insurance wants the visits to be a year apart.

James had his well-child visit on Tuesday and then all three kids had their eye exams Wednesday, since they were off school for a teacher workday.

Leah and James both have slight prescriptions, but the doctor said no need to worry about glasses for them at this point. Here's Leah doing the colorblindness test, I think. 

And here's James at the regular doctor's office. A man in the lobby threw a fit about wearing a mask (I think?) and James kept making googly eyes and head motions at me about it. 

Here are those vitals:

Height: 4 feet, 4.5 inches (50%) 
Weight: 92 pounds (96%)
Shots: 1 (I told James that he wouldn't have any shots at the appointment since there aren't any for 9 year olds on the schedule and I filled out the paperwork for the flu shot at school, & then he just insisted on getting his flu shot when I got mine. So then I gave him $1 because I swore there would be no shots at the appointment. He thinks he's sneaky!) 

Here are some things that James is doing now that he's 9 (I keep messing up and saying 8 still!)  

• Likes to be independent 
• Wants to go play with the neighborhood kids without mom & dad (& especially siblings)
• Still drawing a great deal - he's improving (& he sure practices enough)
• Still very much into graphic novels and independent reading
• Wants to discuss long and complicated plotlines from (and/or theories about) books he's read or superhero movies
• Loves youtube animators and wants to watch brief comedy sketch videos
• Easier to get along with & seems to be getting along better with Amelie, too
• A big help with Leah. He readily agrees & seems to enjoy helping her (reading to her, helping with shoes & toothbrushing, things like that)
• More self-directed, will finish homework quickly and on his own
• Has started back doing gymnastics
• Learning cursive 
• Learning multiplication

Here's the link to last year's visit for comparison purposes. 

And then here's Amelie, too, since the other kids have pictures in the post. She's sitting with the piles of homemade pasta that we made the day they were out of school & I scheduled all those appointments. The one closest to her - the cavatelli shape - did not turn out at all! It was my first time making a more complicated shape and it just tasted like hard lumps of flour. So probably a good decision not to make too much of it. Oh well, it was fun for the kids to mix up and roll out and then try at supper.