Well Visit

Kathleen is feeling much better. The fever broke yesterday and the rash appeared, just as we were told it would. With the fever gone, my baby girl seemed more herself, aside from a need to sleep. Two daytime naps of almost two hours each? Unheard of since she outgrew the swing.

We were back at the doctor today for Kathleen's regular 9 month appointment, scheduled way back in June. The doctor's office was a completely different place this morning. Friday evening it was chaotic with their walk-in flu clinic and my swirling memories and simmering anxiety. This morning it was calm, quiet, routine.

We will go back in a couple of weeks for a flu vaccine and a hearing recheck. Hopefully that's all for a while. Three times in a month is enough.

Yet I remember when three appointments in a week were routine for Henry. What progress I felt like we were making when we began to average only one appointment a week. Pediatrician, weight rechecks, visiting nurse, cardiologist, hearing rechecks, geneticist, chest x-rays, blood tests, PT . . . and we never made it to the ENT or the audiologist or the ophthamologist, didn't get to pulmonologist, pulmonary hypertension specialist, OT, speech therapist, and who knows what other specialist were waiting for us down the road.

That Kathleen has seen only a pediatrician and had only one non-regular visit is a fine thing. That they let us walk out and don't expect to see us for three months at at time is still amazing to me. May she stay healthy and strong.