Drew @ 5

Good gravy.

Seriously y'all.  Drew is five.  It still hasn't sunk in.  I see him every day.  Every day I know he is five.  But when I go to say it outloud...when I have to recite his birthdate as "1/26/07"...dang, 2007 was a long time ago!  We're talking kindergarten in the fall.  Gracious.  My Lord, what will I be like when he turns 10?  Or six for that matter?!?!

Anyway...pardon my very ridiculous mother moment.

Like we did last year, I sat down with Drew to interview him on his 5th birthday.  I want to do this annually, to have a little live video all about Drew as he grows up.  For nostalgia's sake.  And mine. :)

The number of questions I asked coupled with some very dramatic long pauses from Drew makes for a lengthy video.  Feel free to watch, or not.  I know his grandparents will, so it's a win/win regardless. :)

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I took Drew in last Thursday for his five-year-old well-child check up/kindergarten physical.  (Again with that "k" word.  Sheesh.)  Here are the highlights:

• He currently weighs in at 49 pounds, which is in the 90th percentile.
• He is 44.32 inches tall, which places him in the 77th percentile.  {He must be leveling off, as he's been in the 90+ percentile his entire life.}
• He received the three booster vaccinations he needed before school in the fall.  He wasn't looking forward to it (who would be?) but pulled through like a champ.  "Mom, you were right.  It only hurt for like two seconds!"
• I had a few concerns to talk with his new pediatrician about:
• The tubes in his ears.  Our ENT physician in Illinois left it up to our new pediatrician to decide if an ENT consult would be necessary after our move.  This was the first Drew has been seen since we moved, and upon looking into his ears...the tubes have fallen out of his eardrums!  They are still sitting in his ear canal, waiting to fall out on their own, but without them engaged in the eardrum - this means no more ear plugs or ear band-it in the tub anymore!  Wahoo!  While the tubes have been marvelous for Drew {and we pray now that he won't have any more ear issues that might require reinsertion}, those plugs are a pain in the tush!  We are definitely looking forward to more carefree pool days this summer!
• Drew has a tendency to walk on his toes.  I wanted to talk with his doctor about it because I didn't know if it was of major concern or not.  Everything I have read about it talks about it being an issue when a child first learns to walk, but for Drew, it is something he started doing around the age of three.  With gentle reminders and guidance on how to walk from heel to toe, he seems to be doing it less and less.  After discussing for a bit, his doctor feels as though it is something that he'll grow out of with time.
• We talked about another concern I have with Drew's development, and his pediatrician gave me some guidance as to what to look for and how to approach things.  Nothing major, but I want to be sensitive to the fact that Drew is getting older, and he'll soon reach an age when he doesn't care for his entire life to be shared on the interweb. :)

So, all in all, we have one healthy, active, growing five-year-old son!

But OH, to add insult to injury with my inability to grasp that my children are growing older...on his appointment facts sheet that the nurse sent home with us, it states at the bottom:

PLEASE MAKE NEXT APPOINTMENT BEFORE LEAVING

Next check up at 9 years old

{did you hear me whimper???}

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And to wrap up, here's a little glimpse into what Drew loves, and doesn't love so much, at five:

What he likes:

legos

Lightning McQueen

cheeseburgers

Culvers

video games

Sonic

The Electric Company

ice cream

school

the color yellow

books

cars

dancing

math

art projects

Tom & Jerry

slippers

What he doesn't:

peas

hot things (food, bath water, car seat)

taking a break to use the potty

being quiet

trying new things

"scary" things in movies

cats

running errands

getting his hair cut

the dinner hour

doing anything by himself

What I love most about this kid?

That, despite my pleas, he is growing up, and he's becoming a very sweet, sensitive and smart boy.

Man, I love this kid.