Official 8 Year Old Stats

Finally had Luke's well visit for this year. (We had to move last year's appointment to November, and now the insurance company won't let me move it back because "it hasn't been a full year since his last one." GGRRR!!!). He's, um, bigger! LOL

• Height: 54 in (1.37 m), 92nd percentile, up 3 in (7.6 cm) from last year
• Weight: 71 lbs (32.2 kg), 88th percentile, up 9 lbs (4 kg) from last year
• Doctor's verdict: "He looks perfect!"

Well, except for the traditional Thanksgiving sinus infection; that was not so perfect. Luke will now behaving his traditional Thanksgiving antibiotics yet again this year. Yay. Not sure who is less thrilled, us or him.

We have also hit the "milestone" I have been dreading suspected was coming for some time now. He is being referred for a psychoeducational evaluation for reading issues. According to his pediatrician, children's academic abilities are loosely categorized into five levels: average, below and above grade level, and far below and far above grade level. No child should have a gap of more than two levels between math and reading ability. Any child as advanced in math ability as Luke should be reading at least on grade level by now; the fact that he is not indicates some sort of issue, and this is the way to find out what that might be and how to help him improve.

I know it's what is best for him, and as his mom, I want to do anything I can to help him. I'm just not happy that we're having to do it. No amount of rationally knowing that it's not my fault (it's just the way his brain works; it's nothing I did or didn't do) is helping me *not* feel like a terrible mom, if for no other reason than I've known there was an issue and maybe I should have pushed for the testing sooner. I just kept hoping it would resolve itself and the reading would click, just like everyone (including his pediatrician) has said since he was about 4 years old. Mom guilt at its finest! :-\

I also ended up missing a meeting with my manager. She called my cell about 8:40, just as the doctor came in (I actually had my phone in my hand to turn the ringer off). She was calling to make sure I was okay since I'm "never late." I explained that I was at Luke's appointment. "Oh, but you accepted a meeting invite for this morning." I did? Um, not sure how that happened. "We reschedule for later this morning." Okay, thanks. I should be back in the office around 10.

I was completely mortified about the while thing. When I did finally get to the office, I checked into it. If she had called and asked me if I could meet her on Monday at 8:30, I would have said no, because I knew he had his appointment today. But she sent me an invite and I accepted because my calendar showed the time slot as empty, despite the fact that I *knew* I had marked his appointment on my work calendar expressly to avoid this very situation. So what happened? I had the appointment on the wrong Monday!! ::sigh:: There's no accounting for an ID-10-T error.

All in all, not our best well visit, but he's healthy, and I do hope we can get him what he needs to be successful going forward. That's all a mother can ask for.

Currently feeling: emotionally conflicted