Life is full of little surprises. All day yesterday I’d been dreading the afternoon, and it wasn’t a happy kind of dread. I had desperately wanted to see The Owls last night, playing a free outdoor show at the most spectacular venue…and they couldn’t have ordered better weather for it. But two factors caused attendance to be an improbability for me:
1) No available, reliable little man sitter; and
2) I went and scheduled his five year checkup for the afternoon, as it was the only day and time that would work.
Even if I’d had a sitter, I didn’t think it would be fair to leave my distraught boy after the appointment…as the little man and doctor’s visits have never mixed well. Year one was especially difficult, with the constant crappy ear infections and two different surgeries. Thankfully he’s been extremely healthy since then. Now it’s just an annual physical, and maybe a visit or two over the year for the nastier of colds. The physical is always the hardest part though. For his four year he flailed and thrashed so much we couldn’t even get his height and weight. There’s often excessive, out of character screaming to go with the squirming. And for the last couple of years he’s fought me tooth and nail to keep ALL of his clothes on. So yesterday my nerves were shot just thinking about the upcoming appointment. I kept my cool, though, and upon arrival we were ushered in quickly. The little man was suprisingly cooperative initially, and allowed the nurse to take height, weight and blood pressure. When asked to walk down the hall for the vision and hearing tests, however, he declined. As he also did when asked to strip down. Not wanting to upset him I let it slide, as did his doc when she entered. We discussed the last year while the boy kept himself occupied with toys. When it was time to check his ears, nose, throat, etc. the doc and I were both cringing, but in a shocking upset the little man sat still and allowed her to probe. I think this is thanks, in part, to some classtime spent talking about health care and playing doctor. As we gingerly inched our way towards the end of the checkup the doc and I stepped out in the hallway, quietly discussing booster shots. We decided reinforcement would be necessary. But beforehand I had to wrestle the little man’s long-sleeved shirt off. I told him he could keep on his short sleeved t-shirt (the boy loves layers), but this did nothing to calm him. The tantrum I had been waiting for was unleashed. It was partially a power struggle, and partially, I think, because he’d been keeping his cool for so long and it was the first time the two of us had been alone. Amazingly I was able to calm him down just in time for a burly male nurse to come in, along with the giver of shots. The little man was held in a solid bearhug of a grip, and, as the needles were prepared, he was asked to turn his head and look at his mommy. Instead he stared down the needle, and didn’t flinch during any of the three shots. The boy barely blinked. When told the last one would sting a bit he just shrugged it off, and briefly rubbed it afterwards. Needless to say, all the adults in the room, myself included, were shocked by his blasé attitude. While I want to be proud of him for it, I am more alarmed…attributing it to sensory integration dysfunction, which has given him a higher than normal pain tolerance. But, overall, it went far more smoothly than any of us expected. And the boy was in high spirits when we headed out for the soy ice cream he was promised.
In other news, the birthday party extravaganza is slated for tomorrow.
Balloons have been ordered.
Presents have been wrapped.
Birthday cake ingredients, other food items and beverages have been procured.
Serious hardcore cleaning is in progress, and will continue throughout the night.
Photos will be posted afterwards.
