MOMMY FINALLY SPEAKS...

Rich recently informed me that blog is supposed to be a team effort, so here it goes:

Today was Zoe's two month check-up (she's actually ten and a half weeks... that's a most-recent photo above). Those of you with kids know that this means major shots! Four to be exact. Once again, Rich managed to dodge this bullet... but I received it right in the heart. My mommy wasn't even there to shield me.

Zoe actually loves the doctor's office. Each room has a brightly painted mural and those nifty lights she finds so fascinating. She even loves the cold, crinkly paper on the examination table. The sound it makes when she kicks her legs always makes her smile.

The first part of the check-up was fun: Trying to get her length while she craned her neck to look at the tape measure and putting her on the scale while hoping she doesn't pee on the doctor like at her first appointment. She's now 11 pounds and 24 1/2 inches. The doctor says she's still considered tall and thin (certainly not traits she gets from me)!

Next, the doctor checked her development. Does she track objects around the room? Does she babble, coo and smile? Is she lifting her head, etc? Check. Check. Check. No problems here. She was demonstrating them all as we spoke.

I always come to the doctor with a sticky note full of questions, so I threw these out as the doctor scribbled notes in Zoe's chart. With all of Zoe's stats logged in her chart and my questions answered, there was only one thing left to do. It was time for Zoe's shots. The doctor excused herself and said a nurse would be in to do the dirty work.

Fortunately, the nurse at this small practice is a seasoned professional and fully expected what came next. She explained what shots she was going to administer and how Zoe would probably react. She then asked me to hold Zoe's arms and legs. Gulp! The first shot caused Zoe's eyes to widen in terror as she let out a scream so loud it startled me. The next caused her eyes to tear up and her whole body to tense as she looked at me with pleading eyes. By the fourth shot, Zoe and I were both crying harder than we ever had and the nurse was handing me the whole box of tissues, hugging me rather than comforting the poor little infant on the table and asking if I was going to be okay.

Here's the part that really got me. Immediately after the shots, the nurse suggested I let Zoe nurse to help calm her. As I sat with Zoe alone in the doctor's office, still crying so hard my tears were falling on her head, she looked up at me and smiled. My two-and-a-half month old comforted me! Man, I really need to toughen up if I'm going to make it through this whole parenting thing.

ps. Rich, you're not getting out of the next appointment. September 7th, 1:30 p.m. Four more shots. I'm going to start mentally preparing now!