The Three-Year-Old Facts

Micah had his three-year-old well check yesterday. This was the first time that he didn't have any scheduled immunizations, the first time that he got to use the "big kid" scale, and the first time his height was measured standing up instead of lying down. Here are the facts:

Height: 38.7 inches (73rd percentile)
Weight: 39 lbs. 3 oz. (96th perentile)

So, I have a big preschooler! He's in 4T clothes, mostly, although most of his height is in his torso, so some of the pants are too long and some of the shirts are too short. :)

The rest of the checkup was good, too. He's healthy and well-developed in every way, despite the fact that he's a picky eater. :)

We did find out one thing that's kind of a bummer. Micah has some white patches on his skin, mostly on his legs and thumbs, and I wondered if it might be vitiligo. The doctor thought that it almost certainly is. Basically, vitiligo just means that for an unknown reason, skin will lose its pigment. It's permanent, and it spreads over time.

On the one hand, vitiligo is no big deal. It doesn't affect anything but the way he looks, and I'd much rather he have vitiligo than cancer or brittle bone disease or even a food allergy. But I feel a little bummed out that it's permanent, so those little spots on his skin will always be there. And since he's only three, there's a lot of his life left for the spots to grow and spread. I can imagine that it could be a cause for others to tease him as he gets older, especially if it spreads to his face or neck.

So, we left the doctor's office with a referral to a dermatologist, who can let us know if there are any new treatments that will slow the spread (if we feel that's necessary) and will answer any questions that I can come up with.

I'm so thankful for a happy, healthy, smart little boy. Today, he wrote his name for the first time (with sidewalk chalk), and he's super excited that he gets to go to a Jr. High football game this afternoon.