Evan had his 4 Year Check Up and Vaccinations appointment on Wednesday morning. He weighed in at 35.8 lbs. (41st percentile) and was 40 and 1/2 inches tall (53rd percentile). At his 3 year appointment he weighed 33.8 lbs. and was 37 and 3/4 inches tall, so he gained 2 pounds and grew 3 inches in a year! During the appointment, he was given his first vision test, in which he had to wear different sets of glasses and identify letters, numbers and pictures hidden in bubble art. He did really well with that part but when he had to put on another set of glasses and read a standard eye chart from far away, he got really shy and kept hiding his face in my skirt and would barely speak above a whisper. He didn't do well on that part of the test but the doctor chalked it up to "being four." I discussed his frequent temper tantrums and bouts of intense anger with her and she assured me that this is all very normal behavior for his age. She encouraged using positive reinforcement as often as possible (i.e. praising him every time he exhibits good behavior) and talked about a sticker reward system. I have now gotten him a Spider Man calendar that I hung in his room and he can earn a sticker for each day that he was well behaved. If he earns 4 stickers in a week, he can get a little treat (Dollar Store trinket, some ice cream, etc.) and if he gets more than 4 in a week, he can pick out a bigger toy ($5). He has responded well to the concept so far, so I think we'll give this a try for awhile. If it reduces the number of awful fits he throws, then it will be worth all those extra trips to the Dollar Store!
At the end of the appointment, a nurse came in with a bunch of needles and said "This is the 'Four Year Special' that no one likes"...five different vaccinations in one day! Evan cried really hard at the shots but only for a couple of minutes. Then he put on his brave face and started talking about going to the water park that afternoon, which I'd promised we could do.
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