Six and Four-Year-Old Well Child Appointments

We can report that Birdie's hand, foot, and mouth disease is clearing up nicely in the wake of the bambini's joint annual well-child appointments with Dr. Harrington on Friday afternoon, at which they were pronounced well. Joe weighed in at 51 pounds (77%) and measured 46 3/4" (73%); Birdie, 40 pounds (77%) and 41 3/4" (79%).

If they are charming when flying solo at Dr. Harrington's, they are outrageously so when they are not.  They were a smile a minute, up on the table together, examining all the diagnostic tools on which they could lay hands, answering questions asked of the other one--especially Joe, trying to fill in for Clara's relative language deficit. (Birdie is in the place where she has lots of words and so strings them together to talk around the words she doesn't know. And then Joe hops in with the correction or word she wants and doesn't know.) As always, Dr. H was filled with the perspective that comes from having seen all kinds of kids. We are told that Clara will outgrow the (gross) habit of chewing on her hair, and gentle reminders are the order if the day in the meantime. Also, that as a boy, and one of the youngest in his grade, she wasn't surprised he struggled on the organization of his belongings front and this, too, will be better with time, as he matures. They'll likely grow out of these bad habits and such, in other words, which is good, but of course they will outgrow other--some--endearing trappings of their four and six-year-old selves and that is sad. One doesn't always know what will be a phase that will be over in a relative blink, and what is the start of something that won't fade away. In any case, they are such dear little people and we love them so, maddening ways and all.