Doctor's Office, Take Two

In all the usual commotion around here I haven't mentioned a word about Teddy's six month appointment last Friday.  We get the important stats out of the way first.

Weight: 17 lbs (40%) (I'm finding this percentage hard to believe...he sure feels bigger!)
Height: 26.5 in (50%)
Head Circumference: 44 cm (55%)

Seems our little boy is just about average for everything right now.  But we all know he's an above average kid at heart and to show it, he charmed the pants off of everyone in the office.  Smiles and laughs all around.

Katherine came along for the ride in hopes that her seeing the doctor's office in a non-threatening situation might quell her fears.  Mission accomplished...almost.  She did GREAT through most of the appointment, in fact while Teddy was getting weighed on the baby scale she got right up on the big kid scale to get her height and weight done too.  She got an absolute kick out of being the "big sister" so much so that I think I may schedule a group appointment for her five year checkup, which will occur at the same time Teddy is due for his 18 month check up.

The kicker came when the nurse notified me that they had received their shipment of flu shots in the week between the two kids appointments.  Since Katherine was there, did I want her to receive it at the same time as Teddy?  I hesitated until the nurse informed me that Katherine qualified for the flu mist this year. I decided it was worth a shot.  Of course, Miss K immediately started whimpering.  She calmed down during Teddy's checkup to the point that I foolishly thought, maybe we will get through this unscathed.  Cue the nurse (same one as the previous week I might add) coming in with Teddy's shots and Katherine's flu mist.  Let's just say it went A LOT better than the week before but it did involve the nurse putting Katherine on her lap, pinning her legs down and hold her arms down to get it in.  Katherine was upset for about 20 seconds afterwards but I think something clicked with her that, hey, that didn't hurt a bit!  That and there was a trip down the hall to the treasure box to get to.  But the time we left the office, she was happy as a clam.  They need to make all vaccines in the "mist" variety. Teddy's shots were a breeze compared to what I went through with Katherine last week.

Do I think this quelled her fears? Probably not. But it's a step in the right direction.  I think it's going to take many more visits like this before she views the doctor's office as a much less scarier place.