Mean Monday

Surprise! Two days in a row....crazy. Let me start by saying, I feel like I have spent half of the summer with my Pediatrician. A few weeks ago we went for Emerson's 18 month check up where she got 3 shots. My older girls were totally traumatized. The 3 hugged each other while they cried and screamed in support, before the shots were given. Once the excitement was over they immediately needed to know their own shot schedule. The nurse said, "don't worry girls, no shots until your check ups". Good one, now I can add that to our, "is today the day?" list of questions. You know, Is today the party? Is today swim class? Is today my turn to sit in the special seat in the car?


Last week, we had Connor's 5 year old check up. The dreaded kindergarten one that's full of tests. (Eyesight being the one she failed, but that's for another day.) Out of fear, my oldest girls stayed in the play area to avoid even seeing the shots. However, no one was spared the screaming, which was loud enough to hear in the parking lot. I'm judging by their looks of disbelief, to see Connor return to the play area sporting a huge grin and the beloved sticker, it sounded deadly. She simply said,"it was nothing", and off we went for ice cream.


Well, Mean Monday arrived. I scheduled Landon and Olivia's 8 and 7 year checkups together to avoid yet another visit. Which translates into, bring another adult to help drag the screamers from the car, since they stick together like glue during a crisis. I eventually won the battle and made to our double appointment only 15 min late. I say won because a few minutes more and it would become a "necessary reschedule", since it's only acceptable for a patient to spend the extra 30 min wait until your "real" appointment time, in the waiting room. While we waited, Connor's advice for the older girls was, ask for "booster-seat" shots because they hurt less than the "chicken-pop" kind and just remember to think about good things and I'll hold your hands. Bless her heart. They were not amused. After a very long, sad visit, weight and height was taken and 4 eyes, 4 ears, 2 noses and 2 hearts were checked. Finally, our wonderful Doctor enter the room to announce Mean Monday was complete, without even one shot. As it turns out, none were needed after all. Go figure.