Jonah went in for his 2-year old check-up with Dr. Timm on July 3. We were just as shocked as the doctor was at what a good patient he was. The doctor examined him and Jonah let him look in his eyes, ears, mouth nose, etc. and check all of his other body parts without complaint. I don't know if we simply caught him in a cooperative mood or if the "practice" we had done with his new doctor kit had helped orient him to what to expect. Either way, it was a welcome departure from previous visits when each of us had to hold Jonah's extremities so that the doctor could examine him.
Jonah even did really well with the blood test and one shot that he was due for. We were talking about his cars and trains while the nurse drew blood so he didn't react at all, and when he got his shot in the leg, he let out one "wah," and that was it. What a big little boy we have!
Jonah continues to be on the smaller end of the growth charts, measuring in at 33" (up 1 1/4" inches) and 23 pounds 12 ounces (up from 22 lbs.), both at the 10th percentile. What he lacks in size he makes up for in brains - the doctor said he passed many of the things he looks for in three-year olds (though he didn't elaborate).
Where he does stand developmentally and his current favorites:
- He has an impressive vocabulary and a memory like a steel trap.
- He loves to read books, play with his cars and trains, climb up on things, and ride his Cozy Coupe up and down the street. He is fascinated by bridges, trains, and construction vehicles - typical "boy" stuff. He also loves to be outside as much as possible.
- He appears to be right-handed, favoring it for eating and artistic projects (when he chooses to use silverware).
- He does his best to go up/down stairs on his own and is very good about using railings, when they are available. We feel if he were just a bit taller, he'd have no issues with most stairs we encounter.
- Biting and hitting still tend to be issues, particularly with Mommy and Daddy. Usually this occurs when we take too long to respond to a particular demand, but they also show up at unpredictable times, when we are expecting affection and instead get smacked in the face.
- He likes to be in on the action - if Mommy and Daddy are cooking in the kitchen, he wants to sit on the counter and see what is going on. Same if one of us goes upstairs or to the basement.
- He knows all of his colors and shapes and can count to about 14. He knows major portions of the ABC song (the middle is still a huge jumble), and he can identify roughly 1/2 of the letters of the alphabet (J, O, N, A, H, P, W, M, Z, D, B, K, L, T) on a pretty consistent basis.
- He runs and walks on his tiptoes, but has not yet mastered jumping.
- He's very opinionated and sometimes does not even know his own opinion. This leads to a lot of confusion for Mommy and Daddy, and many more tears and tantrums than we might wish.
