No! Not in front of the doctor!

So Noah's up to 15 pounds, 10 1/4 ounces, and he's 26 1/2 inches long, and his head's 17 inches around. That puts him squarely in the 25th percentile for weight and head circumference and the 50th percentile for height (a tall baby, woo-hoo!).

And you know how you just can't help but show off the "advanced" stuff your kid can do to the doctor .... so I was helping him sit up on the exam table, showing off how great he's doing with that already.

Dr. Baker was sitting on one of those doctor-use-only round rolling chairs and was scooted up against the end of the exam table. At this office, the tables are about waist-high and pushed up against the wall, with an unbreakable mirror about 3 or 4 inches high attached to the wall so that babies can lie on the table and admire themselves (which Noah greatly enjoyed.)

So Noah was sitting there, attired in a diaper only, facing Dr. Baker and modeling his dazzling assisted-sitting skill when Dr. Baker held out a tongue depressor and said to him, "Would you like to hold this?"

Noah, of course, eagerly reached forward to snag this cool new thing -- and lost his balance and slammed his forehead into the mirror.

"No! No!" my brain was hollering as I scooped him up. "Not in front of the doctor!"

Amazingly, there were no tears, no blood, no broken mirror (hence the title "unbreakable mirror, apparently). I mumbled, "Wow, Mommy's fired," or something to that effect, and Dr. Baker -- may the angels bless him forever -- said, "Nah. So, do you have any questions or concerns today?"

And I deliberately didn't take Sam along to this checkup so it would go more smoothly. I think this is what you call a plan backfiring.

I know this stuff is bound to happen. You would think I'd learn to expect it by now. But somehow, I'm always surprised -- and appalled -- when it does.

Please, please, please tell me you've done something stupid with your kids in front of their doctor.