It’s not what you say…

It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. 

I’ve herd this a million times since I was knee high to a grasshopper.  (That and you cannot really listen to someone if your arms are crossed in front of you.)

Bubba says some of the cutest things.  (ok and yes, sometimes some things he shouldn’t say – but hey, he’s got the big 3 chatting around him all the time.)

This morning Bubba woke up all bright eye’s and bushy tailed.  Kid is killing me.  Doesn’t he know it’s VACATION?  And when he wakes up he wants to eat RIGHT AWAY.  Then he wants to do one of two things (1) go flop on his Mickey Mouse couch and watch some NickJr. or (2) take his hot bath.

Today – after eating his oatmeal he crawled back in the bed next to me (I was having my Friday morning Project Runway time). He has a game on my phone, Subway Surfer, and he is a beast on it, let me tell ya.

So he’s playing SS and flops his ‘ittle bitty footsies over on me and here is the conversation:

Bubba:  Mom, rub my feet.  (he is MY kid – loves to have his feet rubbed and scratched)

Me: Of course, but could you ask nicely please.

Bubba: Mommy will you pawease rub my feet?

So I start rubbing his cute little feet.  Of course, anytime I (we) can get our hands on his feet to stretch out the heel cords – I do.  So I gently rub and stretch….and then ..

Bubba:  Mom, will you STOP stretching my feet.  They are just finnnne.

Smarty pants kid.

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A couple of weeks ago we had his yearly visit with his neurologist.  He was NOT happy about going at all.

Bubba:  WHHHY do I have to go to the doctor if I am NOT sick?

Me:  Because she wants to see you and how you are walking.

Bubba:  WHHHYYYY, I walk just fine, see?

And he proceeds to walk “the right way”

Yes you do baby, yes you do.

At the neuro doc’s office he was an absolute stinker. He was ticked off just walking thru the doors.  He said he was NOT going to walk “the right way” and I couldn’t make him.

He was right.  He walked so jacked up on his toes he looked like a dang ballerina.  Seriously.  He told the doctor that he was NOT going to do what she asked.  And he didn’t.

She wanted to watch him run so we headed out of the examine room (which is a STUPID place to try to evaluate him by the way) and she threw a ball down the hall.

Dr. H:  Bubba, can you run get that ball for me?

Bubba:  NO, you can get it yourself.

That’s my boy.  Our house rule is “you whack it, you track it”.  (That’s what the big boys' soccer coach says)

During the stupid evaluation in the stupid examine room Bubba is sitting on the stupid examine table and the doctor pulls 3 little square wood blocks out of her pocket.  She builds a pyramid with one hand, stacking the 3 blocks on a file folder she was holding with the other hand (a manila file folder).  She puts two on the bottom and one on the top and says..

Dr. H:  Bubba, can you build a house like this?

Bubba, taking the blocks from her:  NO.  He stacks the 3 blocks, one on top of each other.  I can build a castle, it’s bigger.

She looked at me with a raised eyebrow.  All I could say is “well it is bigger”

Somewhere at this point in the visit she says to me “his cognitive skills are off the charts”. 

I swear I just looked at her and said “YA THINK?”

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Bubba has mild mild mild (neuro docs words, not mine) gross motor skill delays.  He has tight heel cords.  (Courtesy of that Grade 3 Brain Bleed)

He does everything that he is supposed and WANTS to do age wise, he just might not do it “right”.  But he does it.  (Right way of walking is heel toe, heel toe.  Bubba will tip toe walk)

He sits at a desk when he draws his circles and lines.  He sits at our dinner table when he eats.  He sits at his little table to paint.  He stands at his little table and plays with his playdough.  He is in the floor with his trains and blocks.  He DOES NOT sit on an examine table and try to draw circles with me holding a piece of paper on a manila folder.  Heck – what adult can?  (She drew a circle on the folder than asked him what it was, he told her, then she wanted him to draw a circle.  He did, but lots of them and they were very faint….he had nothing to bear down on – duh?!)

If you want him to play – give him a venue to play as a child would. 

This particular practice has FABULOUS waiting rooms for kids.  TV’s interactive games, tables with those loopy balls AND a Wii. 

Take him out to the waiting area.  Go watch him play.  Then you’ll see what he can actually do.

I want to scream STEP OUT OF THE LITTLE BOX you are trying to put him in please!!!!

If you want to truly evaluate kids why would you put them in a standard ol’ examine room?

As he said “I’m NOT SICK!!!”

(FYI – we still need to go to the neuro doc so we can get his braces, and PT services as needed.)

January 15th we are going to see a pediatric orthopedist.  Neuro doc would like his opinion on botox (not for me, although I do plan on asking for a two-fer)  and series casting.  Neuro doc thinks that he might be a great candidate for it and get some really good range of motion going with his right foot. (That’s his problem foot).  We shall see what is said. I am still wanting to chat with a fellow preemie mom and see what she thought of the experience.  There is so much on the internet to support “whatever”. 

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So that’s it for now.  I hope that each of you had and will have a great holiday.  Here’s to a fabulous 2013 for all of us!