Children

Posted by Colleen     February 19, 2010

Stump the Pediatrician

A trip to the doctor with David is always eventful.

Tuesday I took Wade  in for his 9 month check-up, and David tagged along.

I knew what would happen.

David would try to dominate the conversation, and keep the doctor’s attention on himself.

Sure enough as soon at Dr. K. walked in the door David started peppering her with questions, and telling her stories of his recent mischief.

Then he spotted something too good to resist.

A plastic full size model of the human brain resting way a top a high shelf in all it’s detailed glory.

By this point I’d made several repeated attempts to get David to, “Sit down and be quiet! Please, mommy needs to talk to Dr. K.”

The doctor, wise woman that she is and a mom herself, saw an opportunity and took it. She pulled the brain down from the shelf, and gave it to David to look at.

This bought a few minutes of silence for the doctor and I to discuss Wade’s progress.

But the silence was short lived. Soon the questions started flying again. This time about the brain.

“What’s this? What’s that? What are these? What does that do?” David asked about every single little nook and cranny, and there are a lot, in the human brain.

At first the questions were easy. Even I knew the answers.

“Those are blood vessels. That is the brain stem. That is called the cerebellum. Your brain tells the rest of your body what to do to keep you alive.” The doctor patiently answered all of David’s questions as she examined Wade.

But then David started pointing to more obscure features.

“Um…” Dr. K. paused to think for a moment. “Honey, I don’t remember.” She looked at me with some embarrassment on her face. “It’s been along time since I took anatomy…” she said apologetically. “I’d have to look some of that up.”

I completely understood. Most days I can’t remember what I had for lunch  by 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

Dr. K. is a pediatrician. She spends her days healing earaches, and monitoring the growth of children. She doesn’t perform brain examinations everyday.

But David didn’t understand. “You don’t know? You’re a doctor,” he said with dismay.

I remember being small, and believing that all adults knew all the answers.

Here was not only an adult, but a doctor telling David she didn’t know what some part of the brain was called.

David recovered from the shock, and lost interest in the brain when he saw the little hammer the doctor used to check Wade’s reflexes.

When we got home I googled brain diagrams.  David and I studied it together, and found the names of all the parts of the brain.

David’s innocent belief that all adults are the final authority on all subjects is tarnished a bit. But now he knows there is one source that will never let him down.

The Internet.

After all, everything online is true.

Wade weighed in at 19 lbs 15 0z and measured 26″ long. He is healthy and thriving.

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Posted by Colleen     January 13, 2010

Wordless Wednesday – Yummy Toes

Find more Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Moms.

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Posted by Colleen     November 20, 2009

That’s the Truth!

“Mommie, you told me I should try and think of something quiet to play while Wade is sleeping. But Mommie, I couldn’t think of anything quiet. Because Mommie, I like LOUD!”

- David, 4 years, 11 months old

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Posted by Colleen     August 20, 2009

Brother Worship

David loves his little brother Wade. I’ve mentioned before how David sings to him, talks to him, even tries to comfort Wade when he cries. And David can’t wait for Wade to grow up so they can play together. Almost every day he has a new idea about something they can do together or that he can teach Wade, “when he can walk.”

Wade isn’t even four months old yet, but I think the feeling is mutual.

Wade watches David’s every move with interest and delight. He smiles if David so much as glances at him. And when David talks to him, Wade’s eyes light up and he hangs on David’s every word.

My husband and I have to compete with David for Wade’s attentions if we’re all in the room. He’s far more interested in what Big Brother is up to than he is mom and dad.

It seems somehow Wade understands the bond of boyhood and brotherhood that he shares with David.

It’s so fun to watch them interact. And so sweet to see them together. I hope they grow to really love each other, and share a friendship in the years to come.

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Posted by Colleen     July 29, 2009

Beetles, the Bug, not the Band

David: Mommie! Come here!

Me: What? What is it? Are you O.K.?

David: Um, Mommie? What kind of bug is that?”

Me: Is that all you wanted? Uh, it’s a Japanese Beetle.

David: (Pausing for a minute as the wheels turned in his little head.) How did it get all the way to my house from Japanese?

Me: You mean Japan?

David: Uh-huh. Isn’t Japanese–

Me: Japan.

David: Yeah, Japan too far away?

Me: They emigrated David. It’s a Japanese-American Beetle.

David: Oh.

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Posted by Colleen     July 26, 2009

Mars Needs Moms

This is not a sponsored book review. My husband just came across this book, Mars Needs Moms, the other day and brought it home.

It’s a kid’s book, and I  can not get through the stinkin’ thing without crying.

The premise is that there are no Moms on Mars, so Martians come down and kidnap Milo’s mom. The Martians think they need moms to do things for them like clean up and drive them to soccer practice. When his mom is taken, Milo is not at all happy with her. But he follows his mother to Mars anyway, and through the process he and the  kidnappers realize the real value of moms.

I don’t want to tell you the whole story, because I want you to get the book, read it, and come to the last couple pages and have the same reaction I did. This one is for you as much as it is for your kids. Definitely check it out!

Mars Needs Moms is written by Berkeley Breathed. That name may be familiar to you. He’s the cartoonist behind Bloom County and Opus.

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Posted by Colleen     July 19, 2009

Ladies’ Man

So here’s my David story finally…

David doesn’t need to read the book How to Win friends and Influence People. I think David could write that book.

There’s no question that he makes friends easily.

When David wants to rough house and run around he’s all about the boys, but when he wants someone to sit with and talk to, he can often be found with a girl. I’ve seem him do it often. Go from playing tag with the boys, to sitting with the girls during snack time at church or on the swings at the playground.

Then there was the incident at the doctor earlier this spring.

David just seems to have a particular knack for charming little girls.

At the fair last week David started talking to a little girl in line behind him while they were waiting for the Race Car ride. By the time they were ready to get on the ride, David had convinced the little girl ride with him. At first she got in the back seat. (I’ve hidden her face in the pictures. I don’t feel right about posting photos of stranger’s children on my blog without permission.)

But we told David he should at least scoot over and let her ride in the front, so he obliged.

They laughed and giggled together during the whole ride. David had so much fun that he talked her into going on the Motorcycle ride with him too. Back in line again, I heard them discussing which bike they should ride. When David said they were riding the silver one, I knew the girl had chosen. David doesn’t know the color silver yet. I think he might have picked up an older women.

David wanted to go on another ride with her, but I noticed that girl’s parents seemed a little annoyed with him following their daughter around. David can come on kind of strong. He does need to work on boundaries. But they were just little kids. I didn’t see the problem, but since it bothered the parents, I decided it was time for David to say good-bye.

He wasn’t happy, and we literally had to drag him away.

Breaking up is hard to do.

Later when we asked David what her name was he just shrugged his shoulders and said, “I didn’t ask.”

I guess she was just a fling.

I hope in the future he learns to at least ask their names.

I didn’t notice until I started going through the pictures, but the Race Car ride wasn’t David’s first encounter with the girl.

Here they are earlier on the swing.

It must have been fate.

Anyway, I’m now more convinced than ever that this is gonna be trouble when he’s older.

Trouble I tell you. Trouble.

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