"Time for Your Check-up! Time for Your Check-up!"

When he picked out his hat this morning,
he wanted one with a "J" on it. THAT'S MY BOY.

I'm not sure the difference could be more stark between Jones's four year check up and his five year check up.

At both, he was perfectly healthy, thank God (he DOES have some warts on his shoulder - mosculum contagiosum - and when I put the Compound W on him tonite, he begged me not to, screaming, "GOD will 'feal' it! GOD will 'feal' it!"), but his reaction to being at the doctor - and to the things that happen at the doctor - just offered further evidence of the incredible amount of growing up my five year old has done here lately.

I hadn't even told him where we were going, until we were heading to the Pressleys' to drop Freddie off beforehand. When I dropped the bomb that we were heading for his check-up, he acted 1000% unphased. He whined a little when I started sining the "Time for Your Check-Up" song from "Doc McStuffins," but he was totally calm other than that.

Even sitting in the waiting room, he was cool as a cucumber. When "Robert" was called back, he still showed no fear. In fact, he stepped on the scale without any of the hesitation that had me forcefully holding him down this time last year. Even the hearing test, which he'd refused to do at four, was not a big deal at five ... well, it wasn't MUCH of a big deal.

The first go round, he'd wear the headphones but refuse to raise his hands when he heard the beep. After seeing Dr. O'Donnell, he'd relaxed enough to retry the test but still wouldn't raise his hand. I told him to slap his knee, instead. For whatever reason, that did the trick, and he passed the test without any issues.

The vision test? No big deal.

His booster shots? He took them like a boss.

I think part of this was because he didn't know what was coming when the nurse and I laid him out on the exam table at the end of his appointment. He and I were talking about trolleys (this is on his Christmas list, so I was distracting him, asking "Big trolley or small?"), while she got her gear ready. He screamed after the first stick, but as soon as the second was over, he was done. The whole thing last ten seconds, tops. I'd assumed he'd be mopey through check-out and even as we drove away, but nope.

Jones insisted on sitting on the same side of the booth
with me. I didn't mind that one bit.

Not Jones 5.0.

We left and headed to "Old McDonalds" - his request - where it took 30 minutes for them to work their way through a line that was four people deep, and no. I am not exaggerating. In fact, that trip to McDonald's was the only part of the day that gave me heartburn.

So far, five is fine by me - and with his hearing and vision tests passed, and his booster shots administered, my big boy is officially kindergarten-ready.

MAN, that happened fast.

Thank You, God, for Jones's excellent health. Please continue to protect and preserve him and to seal him as Your Own. In Jesus's name, Amen.