Monday, October 11, 2010

Barking at the Bark

The leaves are turning red, the days are getting shorter - you know what that means...

Flu season!

Fortunately, we have not encountered this first hand. And hopefully we won't - thanks to the all-magical flu shot.

The Hoos got his at work last week and I made an appointment for the girls to get theirs on Saturday. Friday I told them they would be going to the doctor. LP immediately started freaking out, "I don't want a flu shot! No flu shot!"

AK just looked at her like she was crazy, "No crying, [LP]."

To make matters worse, my friend MLH reminded me that LP also needed to get a Hep A vaccination - a new state requirement.

Saturday we tried to ease the girls into the process by taking them to WalMart so they could see me get my flu shot. It was easy and actually quite painless. They even gave the girls stickers. I thought we were in good shape.

But then LP "cried" on the way back to the car. And into the pediatrician's waiting room. And into the exam room. And while she was getting weighed (40 lbs on the button). And while she was getting her temp taken. And while we waited for the doctor. And again while we waited for the nurse to administer her shot.

I had to physically restrain LP for her flu shot. I think the nurse (who was having a rough morning full of screaming, squirming children) was even more disappointed than LP when I reminded her that LP needed a second shot.

While the nurse went out to get the HepA vaccine, LP stopped crying, held her fingers very, very close together and told me, "It only hurt a little teeny bit," and then proceeded to go through the whole dramatization again for the second shot.

AK, meanwhile, was totally cool. She didn't like being holed up in the exam room, but otherwise, she (27.6 lbs) was very chill. When they gave her the shot, she didn't even flinch, just looked at the nurse and waited patiently for the process to be done. And then requested a shot on the other shoulder so she could have a matching bandage.

This picture shows that sometimes looks can be deceiving.

No comments: