Hers Been Shot

Several weeks ago I came across a photo that just tickled me.  I saved it on my desktop because I knew that at some point I would have a story where it could be used.

And now I do.

This afternoon Mia headed to the doctors office for her five-year-old check up.

For all of you who don't keep track of such things, though there are shot appointments and non-shot appointments in the life of a child, the five year check up is an appointment where they give shots.

Going to the doctor with toddlers and preschoolers is like playing roulette.  Going to the doctor with a child who has created a terror of shots for herself is like playing strip-roulette.  Though things look pretty good from the outside at any moment that little ball will click down into the wrong slot and you're coming up empty handed with a whole lotta nothing covering your critical points.

I didn't know for sure that Mia would get shots today but I suspected it was a possibility.  Mia has been fretting about the shots from the time she knew that she had an appointment.

All day today, in between requests for chewing gum, she's been asking me if I've called the doctor to find out if there will be a shot.  She decided that if one nurse brought us back that meant she should be scared because she'd get a shot but if the other did it would be ok and she wouldn't get a shot.

She's quite the thinker, our Mia.

She's always been really good about shots.  But when we went in for the flu shot a few weeks ago she was upset and whispered to me, "Mommy, I know I don't cry when I get shots but… It still really hurts."  She was able to get the nasal vaccine and so that worked out well.

When Dr. Harris told her that she was going to get shots today she shrank into her body a little and her eyes welled up.

He walked out of the room and she started crying.  It was not a pretty sight.  I comforted her as best I could and explained why it was for the best and reminded her of the Sid the Science Kid program where they get shots and it helps their bodies fight the germs.

When Nurse Shayla walked into the room, Mia lost it.  I pulled her pants down and she started thrashing around.  Shayla, who has given Mia many shots over the previous years, was quite taken aback.  Our child, who is usually so composed, was a wailing maniac.

Mia was screaming at the top of her lungs when the alcohol swab was swiped across her skin.  Usually she watches the shot… Today she did not because she was too busy trying to burst the lightbulbs with the frequency of her screaming.

Shayla and I looked at each other and just went with it.  I held Mia's hands, Shayla held her legs and in the time it counts to say, "My child worked herself up into a total hissy fit and her complexion is an amazing shade of purple" the shots were done.

That's where the photo comes in.  I believe the scene might have looked a bit like this, minus the bovine.  And horns.  Well, really, it's just the eyeballs that call to me in this situation.

Mia kept crying and then looked at Shayla through tears and said, "I'm sorry.  I don't like shots!"  Shayla gave her a hug.  I held my five-year-old like a baby.

I carried her to the car because she said the shots hurt too badly to walk.  In the car Mia announced that I couldn't tell Maggie she got a shot because then Maggie would talk about it and that would make her scared.

Our next round of shots are when she is 12.  I asked her if she planned on being scared until she was 12.

She said yes.

When I met up with Isaiah, Maggie and Mikayla I quickly pulled Maggie aside and asked her not to talk to Mia about the shots or getting shots.  I explained that it made Mia sad and so if she had any questions she needed to just ask me.  

"Do you understand, Maggie," I asked her.

"Uh huh!" she chirped.  Then she ran to Mia.

Moments later Mia was crying again and Maggie was running back to me.

"I didn't ask her about the shots, Mommy!" Maggie yelled.  "I asked if I could see hers bandaids!  I just wanted to see hers bandaids!"

Ah, well, at least we tried.

It's also important to mention that my husband went to two different stores tonight to get me Cherry Garcia ice cream.  What a gem.  He doesn't have to be pinned down for shots, either.  I think I'm going to keep him!