Roughly one month ago, I took my son for his 11-year check-up with his pediatrician. Yes, he’s almost 12. Don’t judge me.
When the doctor walked into the exam room she smiled, reached out to hug me and in a booming voice asked, “Did you think we’d ever see 11?”
No. No, I didn’t.
What I also didn’t see is that we’d get this far only to to need another specialist just shy of his teen years. After slowly discontinuing to see the gastroenterologist, geneticist, and urologist, and with still-regular appointments with an ENT, opthamologist, orthodontist, and cardiologist, the last thing we ever wanted to do was add another doctor to the mix.
But, my son is what we like to call a “peanut.” He is 48″ tall and weighs 53 pounds. If we were dishonest people, he’d be getting free buffets all over town. Not long ago, a women at a salon tried to play peek-a-boo with him.
In some ways, his small stature is a good thing. It gives technology time to make progress on his necessary heart surgery, I never have to spend money on new clothes because he wears the same thing year after year, and he can still fit in my lap and snuggle up for movie night.
On the other hand, if he hits puberty and hasn’t grown enough, he never will. So after some x-rays and blood work, it has been determined that he needs to see an endocrinologist at the end of the month.
At this point, we only know there will be extensive tests and long conversations and walks on the beach with his cardiologist. He is the one doctor to rule them all. As we have before, we will put our faith in the hands of a medical team who we trust with making life-altering decisions for our little boy. No pressure, fellas.
And, in the end, it’s possible that our peanut will grow into a full-sized legume.
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Melisa
Most awesome peanut ever.
Tracey
And in the meantime, he can add to the list of other awesome short-statured people!
Sadia
I’m a big fan of doctors and other medical staff too.
My kids’ small stature isn’t quite so extreme. (8 next month. 40 lbs. Hey, don’t our kids have the same birthday?) I do often think that it would be far more socially significant if they were boys. Whaddya think?
Momo Fali
I think you’re probably right, Sadia, but even more than that…the thought that it could affect his fertility (some kids don’t go through puberty AT ALL) is far more of a concern.
Pauline Gaines
I just took my son to the endocrinlogist for his check up last Friday. He’s now 5’8″ – and a half — up from 5’5″ last summer. The doctor says if he stays on HGH through high school, he may reach 6′. Well worth the time and money.
Guardian of the Golden Dragon
Our son was also a peanut, and it was one of his nicknames. He was always the smallest kid whenever there would be other kids his age gathered together. And by small, I mean “Those kids look like they are in 5th grade, our son looks like he started kindergarten”…….Now at almost 14, he has grown so much, and while he will never be the tallest, he no longer has to hear about how he is a shrimp on a daily basis.
Great things come in small packages…Mini dragon is still a DRAGON!
Joan
He may be small, be he is mighty! I’m glad you have such an excellent medical team to depend on!
Mare
Love the picture of your peanut overshadowed by the humongous machine. He looks brave and undaunted. Precious.
Martina
My nephew was 5’2″ throughout high school. We all just thought he took after his tiny mother. His senior year he shot up to 6 feet.
AlisonH
A good doctor is worth moving heaven and earth to get. (And the rare bad one is worth whatever it takes to dump them.)