Picket Line

Well, the not-so-fun part of turning 1 came today...
the 1yr check-up!

While I love our Pediatrician, and am so thankful that my children have access to medical care, it's never fun to see your baby get shots. And Princess A got a lot of them! She got her 4 regular booster shots; one in the tender back of each little arm, and two in her thigh. Then she got a toe stick to test her iron levels and test for lead exposure.

Then she had to go across the hall to have a RAST test (a blood draw to test for food allergies following an odd reaction she had a month or so ago.)

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The nurse gave her one of these little stickers-on-a-stick thingies to distract her. It might have worked, except the first attempt was a botched one, and she dug the needle around (back and forth, in and out) several times before I asked her to stop and try again rather than dig around that way! By the time she got to the second arm, Princess A was totally inconsolable, obviously.

In all of the upset, she dropped her sticker-on-a-stick...which she had really liked.

The nurse made her another one. And as soon as she handed it to her, Princess A flung it to the ground with fury!

She sent the clear message of, "Oh no! We're not doing that again!!!"

Smart girl. :)

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As I mentioned, she did really like the bribe. And she warmed up to again once we were safely out of the doctor's office. But watching her crawl all around the house with it clenched tightly in her little fist made me wonder if it was in love or protest.

Given the preceding events, I think I'm leaning toward protest.