Miriam at the doctor

On Tuesday I took Miriam for her kindergarten check-up and shots. The nurse took her weight and height and plugged the numbers into her computer and then looked at me and said, "Did you realize she's in the 100th percentile for height?" Yes, yes I did. It's been that way since she was 6 months old. My girl is tall.

The funniest part of the doctor's visit concerned hot cereal (what Miriam calls the 9 grain porridge we have periodically). That morning we had hot cereal for breakfast and Miriam declared, "I decided I like this now, Mom," and ate two big bowlfuls. This was unusual as usually she picks out the dried apples I cook in with it and turns up her nose at the rest--while my other two children scarf it down like manna from heaven.

So the doctor is prodding and poking her belly and asking her if anything hurts, and Miriam at her MOST dramatic says, "My waist hurts." Concerned the doctor says, "Where?" And Miriam says vaguely, "Oh, my waist."

The doctor, catching on, says, "Why does it hurt?"

Miriam, with complete dramatic sincerity says, "Oh, my waist always hurts when I eat hot cereal."

First I'd heard of it.

Sometimes, that girl really makes me chuckle.

While I was answering the nurse's questions, Miriam picked up a book and started reading to amuse herself. The nurse stopped what she was doing and listened for a minute and then looked at me with a totally shocked expression, "Is she really only five?" "Yes." "That's amazing!" The conversation continued in that same vein for quite some time as the nurse was pretty impressed by Miriam's reading skills. So am I, come to mention it. I must also mention that it is so nice to hear someone say something complimentary about Miriam, as it doesn't happen . . . um, well, not that often actually. I think she's FANTASTIC though. Love that girl!