For those of you who have not had the joy of taking a four year old to the doctor for shots..JUST YOU WAIT! This was such an experience...I don't think I will ever forget it. I was soooo embarrassed that if I could have crawled into a diaper bag and let someone take me out of McLeod Pediatrics without being seen, I would have done it.
My normally very sensible and smart four year old turned into a creature from another planet. Mistake number one. . . scheduling for both kids to see the doctor for shots at the same time. BAD mistake and I will take complete credit for this! Thinking I would Multitask and do a two for one with the pediatrician office. Lesson learned . . . don't multitask kids doctors office visits. Second mistake...not telling my husband not to use the words...STICK YOU! Please tell me, who knows better than to tell a four year old..."Oh-- check your hemoglobin means they are going to stick your finger and get some blood." Oh my, from the way she screamed you would have thought he told her they were going to cut her hand off. This was so bad. I had my then naked baby on the table and could do nothing but laugh. I got so tickled. When Kevin finally catches Mary Catherine between his legs and attempts to hold her, she is screaming "NO! NO! NO! I don't want to get my blood taken out! NO! NO! NO!" She screamed this over and over and over. She then broke into I DON'T LIKE YOU! NO! NO! NO!. There was going to be no calming down and discussing this situation like we normally do. So, the poor little nurse begins to attempt to pry her hand open as Mary Catherine SCREAMS every breath at her. She is so tense that when the nurse does prick her finger that no blood comes out. They then have to squeeze her finger to get blood. I have never heard screaming like this except when Celia was a kid. When Dr. Whitehead walked in, he said "Was that Ella I heard screaming all the way down the hall?". When the finger pricks were over, they got her weight and she weighed 49 1/2 pounds and is 41 1/4 inches tall. They checked her hearing for the first time and said it is perfect. Dr. Whitehead wanted to know when we were going for another laser treatment on the birthmark. We are scheduled for February 6th. He also suggested we see Dr. Farrell and let him check the tubes in her ears. One of the tubes is out and the other one is almost out.
Once this process ended and the doctor finished checking her out, he left the room. I gave Ella to her Dad and decided that it was time to talk with Mary Catherine and reason with her about the shots she was about to get. Calmly I said "Mary Catherine come here to Mommy and lets talk about a few things." She walked over and got on my lap. I calmly explained that the nurse was going to be coming back in the room and that she was going to have to have some shots today. I explained that if she didn't get the shots she could get very sick and have to go to the hospital. She seemed to listen to what I said and she remained calm. I explained that we could do this civil like or I would hold her down. She stood up, put her hands on her hip, eyes teared up and exclaimed, "THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I DO NOT LIKE TO COME TO THIS PLACE!" I about fell out! She cried but nothing like the screaming she was doing less than 5 minutes prior. She then decided she needed to go to the bathroom. Knowing they were about to come back in with the shots for Ella, I said " Kevin take her right across the hall to the bathroom and I will stay here with Ella." Kevin said when they got to the bathroom. Mary Catherine kinda looked around and said "SHE WILL NEVER FIND ME IN HERE!" Kevin then explained that she could not stay in the bathroom forever that " I would FIND her and make her get the shots. As they re-entered the room so did the nurse. I asked Mary Catherine if she would like to watch Ella get her shots. She agreed and came over to the top of the exam table. First shot and Mary Catherine was crawling down behind the exam table. By the third shot, I knew this had not worked. Mary Catherine was under neath and behind the chairs in the room. She was screaming for all she was worth. NO! NO! NO! I DO NOT WANT YOU TO DO THIS TO ME! YOU ARE BEING MEAN! I DON'T LIKE YOU! YOU ARE KILLING ME! YOU ARE KILLING ME! NO! NO! NO!" Kevin then attempted to pull her out from behind the chairs which she has a death grip on. He finally gets her on his lap and she is flapping her arms and legs so that the nurse can not get to her. She says "lets put her on the table. " They put her on the table screaming and flapping her arms and legs and physically hold her down to give her these three little shots. Kevin actually has to cover her mouth she is screaming so loud. I have never seen anything like this and I hope I never will again. I did not know my sweet little four year old had it in her. She screamed so that I know the people in Effingham had to have heard her. I apologised to the nurses profusely. They assured me that they see this all the time with 4 year old children. They said for some reason at four they become more independent and that if they act this way when they are four it usually last til they are about ten. They did say I don't have to worry about anyone hurting her because she will let everyone with in a 10 mile radius of her know it. I was sooooo embarrassed!
When I got back in the car, I called my Mother and apologized for how I acted at the doctors office as a child. Mom says I didn't act like that at the doctor ....CELIA did! I have said all along...I AM RAISING CELIA's TWIN! I don't wish this experience on my worst enemy!
On a much lighter note, Mary Catherine is glad to be back at school. the perky puppies started an alphabet unit this month and are working on two letters each week. We continue to excel in Spanish and singing. She loves "Jesus Down in My Heart" and " The whole wide world in his hands". She also has a Spanish song about Ola Amigos and Adios that she sings all the time. She is such a good singer.
Mary Catherine is somewhat of a pack rat. She doesn't like to throw away or get rid of anything. Especially toys and clothes. She even wants to keep gum wrappers, packaging for toys or anything that she thinks is hers. she doesn't like for us to leave clothes at the dry cleaners or cars at the repair shops. This is devastating to her and it drives me nuts. The most recent item we have attempted to put away is her little stove. and vacume cleaner. They are cute toys for a 1 year old. We were trying to put them in the attic and she caught us. We explained that if she wanted all the BARBIE stuff out then we had to make room by putting the stove and vacume up. We went in the den and when we looked she was sitting in the hall hugging the stove and vacume Cleaner. It was just so precious. Of course, we had to attach a photo for you all to see.
My normally very sensible and smart four year old turned into a creature from another planet. Mistake number one. . . scheduling for both kids to see the doctor for shots at the same time. BAD mistake and I will take complete credit for this! Thinking I would Multitask and do a two for one with the pediatrician office. Lesson learned . . . don't multitask kids doctors office visits. Second mistake...not telling my husband not to use the words...STICK YOU! Please tell me, who knows better than to tell a four year old..."Oh-- check your hemoglobin means they are going to stick your finger and get some blood." Oh my, from the way she screamed you would have thought he told her they were going to cut her hand off. This was so bad. I had my then naked baby on the table and could do nothing but laugh. I got so tickled. When Kevin finally catches Mary Catherine between his legs and attempts to hold her, she is screaming "NO! NO! NO! I don't want to get my blood taken out! NO! NO! NO!" She screamed this over and over and over. She then broke into I DON'T LIKE YOU! NO! NO! NO!. There was going to be no calming down and discussing this situation like we normally do. So, the poor little nurse begins to attempt to pry her hand open as Mary Catherine SCREAMS every breath at her. She is so tense that when the nurse does prick her finger that no blood comes out. They then have to squeeze her finger to get blood. I have never heard screaming like this except when Celia was a kid. When Dr. Whitehead walked in, he said "Was that Ella I heard screaming all the way down the hall?". When the finger pricks were over, they got her weight and she weighed 49 1/2 pounds and is 41 1/4 inches tall. They checked her hearing for the first time and said it is perfect. Dr. Whitehead wanted to know when we were going for another laser treatment on the birthmark. We are scheduled for February 6th. He also suggested we see Dr. Farrell and let him check the tubes in her ears. One of the tubes is out and the other one is almost out.
Once this process ended and the doctor finished checking her out, he left the room. I gave Ella to her Dad and decided that it was time to talk with Mary Catherine and reason with her about the shots she was about to get. Calmly I said "Mary Catherine come here to Mommy and lets talk about a few things." She walked over and got on my lap. I calmly explained that the nurse was going to be coming back in the room and that she was going to have to have some shots today. I explained that if she didn't get the shots she could get very sick and have to go to the hospital. She seemed to listen to what I said and she remained calm. I explained that we could do this civil like or I would hold her down. She stood up, put her hands on her hip, eyes teared up and exclaimed, "THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I DO NOT LIKE TO COME TO THIS PLACE!" I about fell out! She cried but nothing like the screaming she was doing less than 5 minutes prior. She then decided she needed to go to the bathroom. Knowing they were about to come back in with the shots for Ella, I said " Kevin take her right across the hall to the bathroom and I will stay here with Ella." Kevin said when they got to the bathroom. Mary Catherine kinda looked around and said "SHE WILL NEVER FIND ME IN HERE!" Kevin then explained that she could not stay in the bathroom forever that " I would FIND her and make her get the shots. As they re-entered the room so did the nurse. I asked Mary Catherine if she would like to watch Ella get her shots. She agreed and came over to the top of the exam table. First shot and Mary Catherine was crawling down behind the exam table. By the third shot, I knew this had not worked. Mary Catherine was under neath and behind the chairs in the room. She was screaming for all she was worth. NO! NO! NO! I DO NOT WANT YOU TO DO THIS TO ME! YOU ARE BEING MEAN! I DON'T LIKE YOU! YOU ARE KILLING ME! YOU ARE KILLING ME! NO! NO! NO!" Kevin then attempted to pull her out from behind the chairs which she has a death grip on. He finally gets her on his lap and she is flapping her arms and legs so that the nurse can not get to her. She says "lets put her on the table. " They put her on the table screaming and flapping her arms and legs and physically hold her down to give her these three little shots. Kevin actually has to cover her mouth she is screaming so loud. I have never seen anything like this and I hope I never will again. I did not know my sweet little four year old had it in her. She screamed so that I know the people in Effingham had to have heard her. I apologised to the nurses profusely. They assured me that they see this all the time with 4 year old children. They said for some reason at four they become more independent and that if they act this way when they are four it usually last til they are about ten. They did say I don't have to worry about anyone hurting her because she will let everyone with in a 10 mile radius of her know it. I was sooooo embarrassed!
When I got back in the car, I called my Mother and apologized for how I acted at the doctors office as a child. Mom says I didn't act like that at the doctor ....CELIA did! I have said all along...I AM RAISING CELIA's TWIN! I don't wish this experience on my worst enemy!
On a much lighter note, Mary Catherine is glad to be back at school. the perky puppies started an alphabet unit this month and are working on two letters each week. We continue to excel in Spanish and singing. She loves "Jesus Down in My Heart" and " The whole wide world in his hands". She also has a Spanish song about Ola Amigos and Adios that she sings all the time. She is such a good singer.
Mary Catherine is somewhat of a pack rat. She doesn't like to throw away or get rid of anything. Especially toys and clothes. She even wants to keep gum wrappers, packaging for toys or anything that she thinks is hers. she doesn't like for us to leave clothes at the dry cleaners or cars at the repair shops. This is devastating to her and it drives me nuts. The most recent item we have attempted to put away is her little stove. and vacume cleaner. They are cute toys for a 1 year old. We were trying to put them in the attic and she caught us. We explained that if she wanted all the BARBIE stuff out then we had to make room by putting the stove and vacume up. We went in the den and when we looked she was sitting in the hall hugging the stove and vacume Cleaner. It was just so precious. Of course, we had to attach a photo for you all to see.
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