Checkups

Dr. Parke got a double dose of Thomas kids when it was checkup time earlier this month. Both kids are doing great. Madeline was 21 lbs, 8 oz of smiles and giggles, and 28 inches long, though you have to take wiggling into account. She has taken the doctor’s orders of “more finger foods” to heart and is picking up everything to see if it tastes good, including all of the pebbles on the beach. Playground mulch is a particularly coveted delicacy.

Patrick is 37 pounds and 39 inches tall. His hearing and vision are good, though the doctor pointed out that there is a big difference between hearing and listening. She made him do a number of tests, answering questions about opposites and colors, testing to see if he could put on his shoes, draw a circle, and re-build a little tower out of blocks. All great, which was a relief. As the doctor went through her game/tests I started worrying that she’d expose some huge gap in his education. But when she pulled out a glittery bouncy ball and asked “can he catch this and throw it back to me?” I knew we were going to be fine. Dr. Parke had to duck as Patrick whinged it across the room to her, and then asked “can I keep it?”