July 28- 15-month check-up

Today was the kids 15-month well baby check up. Yes, I know they’re 16 months old now…we’re a little behind schedule. They checked out perfect, but we already knew that! We had to leave the house at o’dark thirty in the morning to travel the 2 hours to Pyongteak to see the American pediatrician at 8am. We didn’t even get the kids dressed; we took them in their pajamas! Then the nurse had the nerve to lecture us about not arriving 15 minutes early when we arrived promptly at 8am (I think Michael and I bit our tongues bloody)! Anyhow, Sterling was the biggest mess you’ve ever seen. He simply did not want to wait patiently for the doctor. After sitting in the car for 2 hours, he was ready to run and play. Luckily, Daddy was there, and able to keep Sterling happily (although not quietly) occupied with bubbles.
And now for the numbers…Sterling is a chunk a lunk! He now weighs a whopping 24lbs. 2oz. putting him in the 35th percentile for weight! I’m so proud…his whole first year he never made it out of the 5th percentile! He’s also 32.25 in. long, which puts him in the 50th percentile for height. Ella weighs 21lbs. 7oz., putting her in the 15th percentile for weight, which is pretty much exactly where she’s been since she was born (she’s always wavered from 10th to 25th percentile). She is 31.5 in. long, which places her in the 25th percentile for height, again, right where she’s always been.
Ella also received a referral to EIDS (Early Intervention and Development Specialist) because she’s been walking slightly funny. She walks on the insides of her ankles, versus the pads of her feet. She also falls quite a bit. So, we’ve been referred to a specialist just to take a closer look.
Both babies had to get 5 shots…two in each leg and one in the arm. Our drive home was a nightmare. We ran into the worst traffic we’ve encountered since being in Korea. The schools take summer vacation the last three weeks of July, so most families take holiday during this time. The ride that took us 2 hours earlier in the morning, took us 4 hours for the return trip! Needless to say, after 5 shots, and a very long trip home, our babies were not doing well this evening. Michael and I have spent the evening holding and rocking 2 very ill babies. This is the first time they’ve been coordinated enough to grab at their aching legs to let us know where the pain is, which is unbelievably heart breaking. They’ve spent the evening being very sad and pathetic, just whimpering and crying out anytime we moved them. Ella has had a fever of 102*, but Sterling so far hasn’t run a fever (thank you!). This is hands down the worst experience we’ve ever had with immunizations. Right now I’m listening to these tiny little occasional moans over the baby monitor…it’s enough to break a Mommy’s heart. I’m just hoping that they’ll wake up tomorrow and be over all this misery.