He’s Making a Liar Out of Me

So Friday morning I told the pediatrician that Daniel was trying to learn his letters, but didn’t really know any of them as he seems to just say random letters rather than connect the different names with the different shapes. 

Now before you gasp and start thinking that I’m some horrible mother trying to turn her kid into a super reader, realize that I haven’t worked with him on them.  We don’t sit down with flashcards or anything.  I don’t require him to say his ABC’s before he can eat and I’m not shoving letters at him and talking about them all day.  He’s just really interested in them thanks to PBS and his older siblings.

At home he’s been obsessed with the magnet letters on the refrigerator and picks them up and excitedly asks,” What’s dis?”  I really figured that any that he happened to get correct were lucky guesses or were because he recognized that particular magnet, in that particular color, in that particular font. 

Apparently, I was wrong.

After Daniel’s appointment, I went to the church with both toddlers to run off the children’s bulletins.  Gloria was on the floor playing with the Veggie Tales nativity set while Daniel climbed up and examined a wood carving of the word “love” in all capitals.  Then I heard him say “e, y, o, l.”  Say what?  I went over next to him and asked him to identify each one to make sure I hadn’t misheard.  I hadn’t.  He was identifying the letters correctly and consistently.  And in his defense, the V on that carving does look a lot like a Y with a short stem.

At lunch time he gleefully pointed out a “bud-you” (W) on a cup from Manchu Wok. 

At home he began telling me about the letters on the Huggies diaper box in his room.  Did you know that Huggies uses all caps?  At Waffle House, he was looking at the letters on the menu and identifying W, L, E, H, S, O, and U.  Today he has been pointing out D’s.

This is so different than his older siblings.  Thomas was still saying mostly “ack” at this age.  He wasn’t even talking much.  Gloria was talking, but I’m not sure if she knew letters existed outside of the Alphabet Song.  Now we have Daniel who is here to remind us that kids will learn whatever you put under there nose!

My Tough Little Guy

So Friday morning we went and Daniel had his 18 month check up.  I never know how these are going to go, but I’d say this one was definitely one of the smoothest ones I’ve attended.  Before we even got to the exam room, the nurse had Daniel take off his shoes and stand on the scale.  Gloria hasn’t done this yet, but Daniel had no problem and the scale read 26 pounds and 2 ounces-putting him right around the 50th percentile for his age. 
Then she had me undress him down to his diaper and put the infamous urine bag on him.  She took the opportunity to measure him and he was very cooperative.  It turns out that he is 33.8 inches long these days which puts his height around the 80th percentile.  I don’t remember what his head circumference is.  It’s on the paper I brought home, but I’m not going to go find it just so I can post it here, but it’s fine. 

Once all the measurements were completed, the nurse prepared to do the finger prick.  Daniel expressed some trepidation when the gloves went on, but calmly sat in my lap and watched in uncomfortable fascination as the nurse pricked his little finger and then squeezed little red “balls” out of his finger and into the straw.  He was going to undo the bandage until I called it a sticker and then he was happy with it.

When the doctor came in to examine him, Daniel was very cooperative and spoke to him a bit.  The doctor was very pleased with his overall health and development and commented that he was speaking well and a lot for his age.  I mentioned something about him trying to identify letters but not really getting them right and he thought that was cute.

Then it was time for the nurse to give him his two vaccinations.  I held Daniel’s hands across his chest while the nurse put the shots into his two little thighs.  Thankfully, he only expressed surprise and then said “Ow!  Ow!  Ow!” when the second needle went in.  He was very interested in getting more “stickers” on his legs and complained more about the urine bag being removed than the shots.  The bag was empty-as usual.  He never pees in that thing.  As the nurse left the room, unprompted, Daniel waved a sad goodbye to her.  By the time we got his clothes back on him and went back to the waiting room, he was all happy again.  I don’t think he even made a tear.  He’s my tough guy.  (Did I mention that Thursday afternoon he fell off the arm of the couch? Onto his head?  And Friday morning he was back on it again.)