On Sunday, Annistyn turned 2 months old. (Which is a nice accomplishment for her, Rick, and me.) Everyday brings something new and leads to something else. On this particular day, Anni began the long bumpy road of immunizations. Prior to Anni, I never imagined it would be so difficult to see a child in pain; however, I sucked it up, took a big girl pill, and prepared for the worst.
TIP: A little word of caution for those of you who are considering having children in the future or are expecting, please leave the queasy hubby's at home. This is not a visit for the faint at heart.
Today, Annistyn ventured back to the doctor's office for her 2 month check-up. Unlike the past several times, she was finally able to wait in the "Well" side of the waiting room. (Not sure how much of a difference that little divider wall really makes when trying to corral all the germs, but oh well.) When they called her back, it started as a normal doctor's visit for poor unsuspecting Anni. She weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds 14 ounces and stretched out to an impressive 22 1/2 inches long. She began her usual bout of melting hearts with her contagious smile and drooling all over everyone who so much as looked at her. (I know, I know... I have a 2 month old child, not a St. Bernard puppy, but really... she drooled all over everyone.)
The doctor came in and gave her the full once over. Everything was perfect! Ears, nose, tummy, lungs, etc. all passed with flying colors. All in all, Annistyn was as healthy and happy as she could be.... for now. I'm pretty sure she sensed something was amiss.
Since she missed her 1 month check-up due to her battle with a nasty case of RSV, she was due for five injections and one oral vaccine. Now, it would only make sense to me that they combine them all into one or maybe two BIG injections. Boy was I wrong! (I'm hoping they do this for some medical/scientific reason and not for billing purposes.) The nurses (Yes... Nurses... as in plural) walked in with a tray full of shots! (All of which looked huge in comparison to the tiny fat rolls on little Anni.) I had to sign all sorts of paperwork and listen to the lengthy list of beyond scary side effects that they have to tell you. If you weren't nervous enough before, then you were definitely ready to pee in your pants now. At this point, Annistyn had quietly drifted off to sleep in my arms and was snoozing peacefully. But that was all about to be short-lived.
I was instructed to lay her down on the table and hold her arms so she couldn't move. They forced the oral vaccine into her mouth, and she reluctantly swallowed. "Not so bad," I thought to myself.
Now, I swear I felt that goofy Scooby-Doo look overcome me when one of the nurses looked at me and said, "Ok, start blowing in her face." I have to admit that I was very baffled by these instructions, but before I had time to really process the reason why she was telling me to breathe all over her, the intense moments of screaming began. She had been double-teamed! The waterworks were on and coming at full force. One nurse was shoving a shot in her left thigh while the other was sticking her right. But as quickly as they started it was over. All five shots had been expertly and promptly administered.
Both of her little thighs were hidden under five huge purple band-aids. I swooped her up expecting at least several minutes of inconsolable crying, but miraculously, she was already over the entire ordeal and drifting back off to Dreamland. (Now, if it were only that easy to get Rick to get a shot, then we would be set. I think I will call them back tomorrow and see if they can give him a flu shot.)
Today, I realized that Annistyn is going to get hurt, but she's going to be ok. I also learned how much I truly love this little girl. Even though it is difficult to make children do things that aren't necessarily fun for either them or yourself, it is important that we, as parents, prepare them for the future. Whether it be physically or emotionally, children need guidance. We were blessed with the opportunity to be their parents, and it is our job to insure that they are shaped, molded, and trained in the eyes of the Lord. So, purple Band-Aids may not be able to fix everything, but on this particular day, they seemed to do the trick.
Oh... I almost forgot. I did manage to ask after it was all over with why they told me to blow in her face. And.... it is to prevent them from holding their breath and tensing up while getting their shots. Interesting.
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