Just Checking

DOT TO DOT: This morning we went to Group Health, where Annabelle had a date with a doctor. Specifically, she was there to see dermatologist Virginia Sybert, MD.

You see, a few weeks ago, the Mole Fairy apparently flew over our house and sprinkled some tiny brown dots here and there over Annabelle. Seriously, it was like a dozen of 'em appeared overnight. And we figure she was sleeping on her right side when the Mole Fairy came, because all the moles are on her left side. :) I told Annabelle that the doctor would just check her cute polka dots, tell us everything was fine and send us home. I promised both kids there'd be no shots WHATSOEVER.

My spiel got undermined as soon as we were led back into the exam room area. The medical assistant asked Annabelle to hop up on a scale and right above the scale was a BIG POSTER that said FLU SHOTS. CJ practically screamed, "Flu shots?!?!!" thinking they'd been had.

The medical assistant and I both started assuring the kids that there would be no shots today. Crisis averted.

In the exam room Bee got to don a cute little tiger gown. We didn't have to wait long before Dr. Sybert popped in. She was really great - super friendly and not the least bit frightening.
Frankly, after reading her resume online this morning, I felt rather honored to have 10 minutes of her time. Turns out she's only at Group Health a couple days a week; the rest of the time she's working in the Medical Genetics division at UW Department of Medicine where she pursues
two major areas of research - a long-term study of the Turner syndrome and a study in the area of inherited disorders of the skin. She's earned a boat load of awards.

We learned lots about moles, including that you are born already having every mole you're ever going to get. They just erupt at different times and go through a life cyle of sorts (my words, not the Dr's).

Soon enough we were on our happy way. We were winding our way through the labyrinthine hallways and were just six steps from the exit to the lobby when a couple of new to us medical assistants came up behind us from another hallway. "We're not here to deal with you," CJ told them rather bluntly. The workers and I all busted out laughing, hard. I explained to them that CJ was just sure someone, somewhere was going to try to give him a shot today, and they were viewed as a threat. I could still hear them laughing as we got on the elevator.


TOON TIME: Back at the 'campus' we decided to check in with our favorite cartooning instructor, Bruce Blitz. We found a lesson on turning a letter S into Jolly Ol' St. Nick.


The kids (uncharacteristically) struggled a bit with it right out of the gate. They were having a hard time getting Santa's left eye right in the top half of the S (the lower half of the S forms his nose). After a couple of false starts, they got on track.
In the end, they were both happy with their final creations. Unprompted, CJ expressed how happy he is that he's becoming an accomplished cartoonist. Annabelle spent several extra minutes adding embellishments around her Santa's face. CAD: After the graphite to paper art session, the kids were each itching to do some computer aided design. They love using the Sonic Character Creator, which gives them hundreds of options of colors, body parts and accessories. CJ did an overhaul of a character he'd previously created. Meet ... "It's a remodel of my old one (Mecha Man). He looks more fierce and tougher. He's running around doing fatalities. Be careful! He's going to beat up Sonic. He hates critters but likes robots and his masters, Doctor Robotnic or Doctor Eggman. I made him fierce as I could. "

And now, Annabelle's ...

"This is Spike Shoes. He is a dinosaur, if you can see his dino tail. I know he's kind of fierce because he's the friend of Mecha Man. I know normal dinosaurs don't have shoes and their heads aren't really round and bald like that. P.S. They're kind of scaly, which mine is not."

OVERHEARD: Today as we were driving over the Ballard Bridge, Annabelle was peppering CJ with questions, like "What's your favorite color?" and "What's your favorite activity?"

CJ answered her inquiries, but finally asked a question himself. "Why are you asking me all these questions?" he said, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Because I'm gathering data on you," responded Annabelle, as she jotted all the answers down in her notebook. When she was through, she presented CJ with his "data card." :)