HDL, LDL...and what the h*ll

At Grant's physical last week, the doctor expressed some concern over his girth (I've always loved that word, but rarely have a chance to use it!). Sitting in his little boy briefs on the table, his belly protruded and he even showed signs of "man-boobs". He's gained 9 pounds in the last year, pushing him from the 75th percentile up into the 98th percentile. His BMI officially classified him as overweight.

I take partial responsibility. The past few months have not marked me as the most consistent, health conscious mother on the planet. Far too many snacks have been eaten in place of healthy main courses, and way more tv has been watched than is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. With the chaos of moving, packing, unpacking, repacking, moving again, well, you get the idea.

I trust our pediatrician completely. She is devoted, caring, and goes out of her way to make sure that we don't feel like just another chart. So when she expressed concern, I was a bit alarmed. She gave me a book on dealing with childhood obesity (am I really using that word on my 3 1/2 year old?). She said it was time to make some dietary changes, increasing his fresh fruits and veggies, decreasing any sort of processed, prepared foods, and cutting out fast food altogether, plus increasing his physical activity. She requested that Grant undergo a full blood panel work up. The real bummer? He had to be fasting in order to have the bloodwork done. Ugh.

So, Friday morning, I bribed him with cartoons while Jack and Olivia ate their breakfast. I gave him a sippy cup of water, and told him that after we were done at the lab, we'd go out to breakfast.

We dropped off Jack & Olivia at school and got to the lab about 9:00. They called us back, and asked me to sit in the chair and hold Grant on my lap. He climbed on up there and was chatting and flirting away with the phlebotomists while they prepped him. He had no idea what was coming.

When the needle went in the first arm, he didn't even flinch. Just stared at his arm. Unfortunately, his veins were uncooperative and after fishing around for a couple of minutes, she withdrew the needle with no blood. Time to switch to the other arm. Again, he didn't move a muscle, or make a sound. The whole lab was looking at him, and whispering about this cute little guy who was being so brave. I had to agree. Take two was successful and enough blood was drawn to run the tests.

When we went to stand up, all of a sudden Grant said "I don't feel so good" as all the color drained from his face. The lab tech quickly grabbed us a bottle of Gatorade and we sat in the lobby while he sipped.

Sad face...

Once we were done, I asked him where he wanted to go for breakfast. He chose Panera...and when we got there, he ordered a giant cinnamon roll and a chocolate milk. Just what the doctor ordered? I don't think so. But what fun is life if you can't indulge on occasion?

Happy face...