More shots today...

Poor Maeve! It was time for her 15 month check-up and more shots. The appointment was today and all in all it went pretty well, at least my eardrums survived again. My little girl has quite the memory and what I really admire is she is able to break it down and know what she likes and what she doesn't like. Here is how the appointment went.

- Walked into the waiting room. Big smile on Maeve's face as she remembered she likes playing in this area and there are lots of old magazines to try and rip up.
- Our name is called and she walked behind me into the examination room without a fuss. Smiling as she went by the nurse's station where they always smile and praise her for being such a big girl.
- Door shuts behind us in the exam room, still she is smiling as she remembers I usually read to her the children's books in there. I did and she was intent on our reading.
- Nurse comes in to take her vital statistics and the crying begins. This was "The Nurse", the one who gave her shots last time. No shots yet, only the basics taken and crying immediately stops upon her leaving.
- Doctor walks in and he actually gets a small smile. That is until my little Mensa candidate realizes that although he doesn't administer the shots, somehow he is the brains behind this organization and gives the orders. Crying reaches piercing new heights when he trys to listen to her heart, check her ears and other routine exam procedures. My reminding Maeve that we just saw this on the Wiggles this morning, when Anthony wasn't feeling good and the other Wiggles called Dr. VeryGood falls onto deaf ears. Actually, she heard me, but by this point she was a pretty shade of purple and not willing to listen to reason. Desperate mother resorts to singing "Wheels on the Bus" much to the Dr.'s amusement. Dr walks out and calm resumes, punctuated by deep, hiccupy breaths every few seconds.
- Then "The Nurse" is back....with the shots! Oh No!!! Frantic baby scrambles to get away, dig a tunnel, learn to fly, anything to escape her doom. Too late, it was over before she realized it.
- After "The Nurse" (who is actually really nice) leaves, sobs while I dress her again and get ready to go. Sobs on the way out, until she spots the one thing in this universe that can bring a smile to her face again...the sucker bowl. She remembered that and was intent on getting one as soon as she saw them. Doctor and shots were a thing of the past. Now she was happy and focused on her cherry sucker, the only evidence of the whole horrific ordeal was a still tear stained face.
- Still smiling because she knows what is next. A stop at McDonalds for some french fries for the trip home. Yeah!!

The doctor's visit was a success. She continues to average slightly above the 50 percentile for height and at her new weight of 19 something lbs, she is actually on the chart this time. The doctor was very pleased with her progress and her weight gain. My only question was regarding what type of milk to keep her on. Right now she drinks whole milk and I drink fat free. I was hoping to switch her over, but found out it is recommended to keep her whole milk until at least two. Turns out the extra fat in whole milk encourages brain development during the crucial first two years. I feel better about those french fries now. With the number she scarfed down today, we may be looking at the next "Einstein"! :)

Posted by Laura at 6:03 PM