Playing doctor

I had a pretty big day yesterday. Mom and Dad took me on a field trip to the Polyclinic at the Nordstrom Tower to see my pediatrician, Dr. Lindsay, for my first checkup.

It was a fun time all around, especially since I got to ride in a car again for the first time since leaving the hospital. Words can't describe how incredible a car ride can be to a five-day-old whose only life experiences so far have involved sitting in her own filth and being shuttled back and forth between a living room, changing table and bedroom. Besides, the car seat is actually pretty darn comfy, and it was a gorgeous day outside.

Thanks to the heroic work of my Grandma Jane (I call her YaYa), we got to the doctor's office about 15 minutes early for a 12:30 appointment (I'm already learning that Roses have a thing for punctuality), but we got stuck sitting in the waiting room for 45 minutes because all the people who had appointments ahead of us were running late. This meant that we had a lot of time to kill while we were banished to the "newborns" section of the waiting room, which consisted of just a few chairs in a dark, miserable corner of the room. Meanwhile, older kids got to play with toys in the side of the room with the giant windows. Didn't we defeat segregation decades ago?

However, this show of disrespect did give Mom and Dad a chance to chat with a few other new parents and commiserate over how difficult their lives have become since having kids. Uh, guys? I'm sitting right here. Their little parenting pow-wows also revealed just how popular the name "Ella" is these days. Of the five parents Mom and Dad talked to, three were toting girls named Ella.

No matter; let's get to the checkup. Now, I don't want to brag, but Dr. Lindsay said I was perfect. I'm inclined to think she's right. After all, you don't go to medical school for all those years without developing an eye for talent. Plus, in my experiences with her, she's never been one for hyperbole.

Turns out that, after five days, I'm already nearly back up to my birth weight, and I'm a quarter-inch taller than I was when I was born. I'm no math wiz, but I believe that if I keep that pace up, I'll be 18 feet tall when I start kindergarten. My eyesight is also developing nicely and I have perfect hearing. That said, I did have a touch of jaundice when we left the hospital earlier this week, but Dr. Lindsay said it's now completely gone.

Mom and Dad were both quite happy with all the good news. Needless to say, I was too. I did, however, take a nice little poopy before we left the exam room. Got to keep Mom and Dad on their toes, and also let the Polyclinic folks know that I didn't appreciate being kept waiting.