Olivia had her two month appointment with her physician this morning - including her first round of immunizations!
First, some general updates. Olivia now weighs 12 lbs, 14 oz: almost at the 13 lb milestone! She moved up to the 88th percentile in terms of growth, as compared to the 81st percentile at our last appointment check. The doctors have this crazy growth chart curve thingy mcwhatsy going on. Pretty cool. Something to do with trigonometry? We'll look to Uncle Ryan for further explanations. She is 23 1/4 in long - er, um, tall? :) She showed off for Dr. Kreckman by standing on the table (okay, okay, you caught me - not on her own just yet! supported - but still!) and exhibiting her mad neck swiveling skills.
(Note to self: no more blog entries after 7:00PM.)
Moving on. To the big event of the morning: NEEDLES!!!!!! Oh, Mama wishes we were talkin' Canyonlands here. But no. The big, sharp daddies. Tho truth be told, these needles were teeny tiny, attached to little wisps of hypodermic syringes.
Olivia was on for one oral vaccine and three shots, two in her left leg and one in her right leg. She was a little fussy already going into the whole shebang, so Mama was a little nervous! Apparently Daddy was a nervous wreck, tho the girls never knew it. :) Olivia was very intrigued by the oral vaccine. I wonder what she thought of a non-boob taste experience.
Then came the three shots.
*gulp*
Okay, really, I can't make a big deal out of this! The nurse who did them was AMAZING! I swear, she is The Flash. (Flashette? Flashina? Flasher?) Here's what happened:
The Mama Version
Olivia lay on the table. The nurse held down her legs while Daddy and I held her hands and cooed at her lovingly, masking the rising terror that rose within us. The first poke came, and Olivia's face turned bright red; she opened her mouth wide (how in the world she got her mouth open that wide, I'll never know) and I anticipated the scream. And anticipated...and...Christ, woman, will you not scream??? (Okay, just letting my Irish roots into the picture a little, I confess...hehehe.) I looked down the table, and the nurse was already finishing the third poke and applying the bandaid. Olivia finally screamed, but by the time she did, the nurse had packed up and was heading out the door. Sean and I scooped her into our arms. The scream was brief, truth be told, the bright red receded from her face, and I held her in my arms, talking and cooing and kissing her, as she hung there with a dazed expression on her face, almost smiling really. Mama was so proud! Such a strong girl. No more screams. Wow! (*whew*) I held her, then Daddy held her, we bundled her up in her car seat, stuck a bink in her mouth, gave her a few swings and she was out like a light. I laughed.
She ended up sleeping for an hour straight. What a blessing!
The Daddy Version
Well, we all know that I don't have the flair for the the dramatic that Mama does, so I hope none of you find this boring after that action packed account of the event :)
As Lee mentioned, I was a nervous wreck, but was able to keep it cool. As the Nurse came in and unpacked her gear, I was actually kind of excited to see her in action. My boss takes her 1 year old daughter to the same doctor (thanks for the referral, Leah, Dr. Kreckman is great!!), and had told me about this amazing nurse, and how fast she is. I had been bouncing Olivia, trying to calm her a bit before all of this. The nurse came in and asked me to lay her on the exam table. Lee and I immediately moved so that all that was in Olivia's field of vision were Mama and Daddy, and our loving faces. I immediately thought back to the heal prick, when we were still in the hospital, and how instinctive it was for both of us to do the same thing.
Olivia fussed a bit during the oral vaccine, but by the end, seemed more intrigued than annoyed. Them out came the alcohol pads to prep her adorable, chubby little legs. I felt the blood rise a bit within me. The nurse instructed us to keep ahold of her arms, and she did the rest. I barely saw the first needle poke, and I completely focused on Olivia. She opened her mouth, her face turned read, and somehow, her mouth kept opening. I have never seen her mouth open that wide. I was bracing for a scream that would evacuate the building! Suddenly, the nurse was slapping on the bandaids, and on her way out the door! Olivia let out a bit of a scream (not much for her, really!!), I picked her up, and handed her to Mama. Lee bounced her, and we both talked to her, I was still half expecting a fit from her, but the strong little girl was done, and ready for a nap! I asked to hold her, Mama got ready to go, we loaded Olivia up, and were on our way, the Babe sleeping soundly with a bink and a grin!
Happy St. Patty's day to that nurse, and if I get a chance, I'd love to buy her a Guiness sometime for making what I thought for sure was going to be a hard, painful experience for my little girl into something that barely deserves a blog mention! Slainte!!
(Yes, Olivia is sitting in a basket on a shelf, covered with hats. Hehehehehe!)
