Shots and Shoes

We FINALLY had Emmitt's 6 month appointment today (he is actually 6 months and 19 days old). He weighs a whopping 19.5 lbs (77th percentile) and is 27.5 (72nd percentile) inches in length. The percentiles mean if you had 100 kids in the same room EXACTLY the same age, he would weigh more than about 77% of them and would be taller than about 72%.

On the last day of preschool, we came home to a message from Jesstine's teacher that she needed me to call her back at my earliest convenience. When I called her back, she said she had been meaning to talk to me at school, but we were all so busy getting where we needed to go, she didn't have a chance to catch me. She said that she and the other teachers were a little concerned about Jesstine's feet. She said that the director of the school had happened to be with the class as they were assessing their ability to walk up and down the stairs. They noticed that Jesstine was walking funny and constantly mentioned that her legs hurt. They checked her shoes and thought that they were perhaps a little big. I told her that they were a thumb and a half from the end which is what they are supposed to be at this age. They also noticed that her feet turn in and she walks on her toes a lot. I told her that the feet turning in thing was normal and that her mother and grandmother have the same problem! I am VERY familiar with it! As a result of this conversation, I thought it best to have her feet sized. I took her to the Stride Rite store. I had her sized correctly in a size 10 (with a thumb and a half). I also looked at some shoes while I was there and they were $38... ON SALE!!!! I had just purchased shoes for her 6 months ago! So I did some searching and contemplating. I decided to try Payless because they had some Dora shoes in a new color that were JUST like what she started the school year out in and LOVED! So, I got them (also worth noting is that Stride Rite had a very similar shoe for a whole $10 more than Payless...I am sure it was the same type of shoe). I talked to my mom about it because I knew she had experience with this from having 5 kids and because she is a nurse practitioner. She recommended that I talk to our doctor. So I took the liberty of mentioning it to the doctor while I was at Emmitt's appointment. He had her take her socks and shoes off. Then watched her run down the hallway and walk back. He said that she has high arches and that she has "in toe" or pigeon toe (like her mommy and her grandma). He went on to say that kids' shoes have too much structure to allow for their growth and for flexibility of their foot. That is why she complains of her legs hurting. He recommended that since it was summer, let her go barefoot as much as possible. If she has to wear shoes to let her wear something with a flat bottom or very flexible. Stephen and I decided that we would stick with what we have shoe wise and follow the doctor's directions. Then when she changes sizes, we will look for something that will be more flexible  or with a flat bottom. I have a pair of converse waiting for her in the closet!

In Him,

The Hutchins Family