I took Kato in for his six-month checkup yesterday morning. The good news is, he is bigger than he was before. He weighed in at 14 lbs, 7 oz, and is now 26 inches long. The less good news (depending on how you look at it) is that he is growing more slowly than he was. He dropped from the 10th-25th percentile to the 5th-10th percentile in both weight and length. In this respect, he is exactly like his sister, who was, some of you long-time readers might remember, declared “failure to thrive” at her one-year checkup. You may read about that episode by clicking here, but Alden’s general reaction to the diagnosis is best summed up by the following.
Alden has enthusiastically gotten her thrive on almost every day of her life. Her diminutive frame has in no way lessened the vigor with which she conducts her affairs. Watching him eat and lurch about in search of things to grab and gnaw, it seems that Kato is bound for the same fate. If he does turn out to be a small fellow, hopefully he will be able to weather it gracefully. I think it’s easier to be an undersized woman than an undersized man. Not that I’m speaking from actual experience as a member of either category.
Unlike his sister, who is generally content to lie on the scale looking mischievous, Kato refused to be weighed without a fight. He took out his frustrations on the sheet of white paper meant to protect him from the rampant cooties that must cling to every surface of a pediatrician’s office.
Kato’s doctor was at the hospital tending to a newly delivered baby, so Kato and I had to wait for a long time for his checkup. The little dude blitzed his way through about ten sheets of paper before Dr. Ramirez showed up.
But eventually he did, and Kato got a clean bill of health–along with four injections (two in each plump thigh) and an oral vaccination of some sort. It’s hard to be a baby at those first few checkups. It’s a wonder that we’re susceptible to any disease in the wake of that heartless battery of preemptive intervention.
