Two Kids at the Doctor

Remember how I said Con loved everything about turning three, well, he didn't even mind the yearly check-up and flu shots. Since croup landed him in the ER last fall, he has Not liked the doctor, being sick, Tylenol or even talk of doctors. He would always try to assure me, "I not sick. I fine." even with a temperature of 103.

I thought this visit might be a struggle, to say the least, and Grace needed her 4 month Well Baby, so why not use his Big Brover status to get him to cooperate. What was I thinking?!?

At first he must not have known where we were--distracted by Cars playing in the waiting room. Then the nurse asked him to take off his shoes and get on the scale. No tamales! Or to stand by the height chart. No way, Jose!

I pointed out the numbers just as Grace started to squirm in the sling. Ahhh! Please let him be so in love with numbers (like I think he is) to just climb onto the scale for one minute... No go.

The oh-so-wise nurse bribed him with a sucker.

That did the trick!

Whatever the lovely lady wanted, Con agreed to. All for a sugar-free sucker.

And he let the N.P.--who is my new favorite of all time-- check him out. She walked in holding a "flashlight," she said, and Con told her it looked like Thomas. She picked up on that and looked for Thomas in his ears. He was not only fine about that, he was excited! And then had her look "for Gordon" in his mouth--Gordon is bigger, you know. And he loved telling Nurse Jones how old he was and how old he would be. And when she asked him what he liked to eat, he changed the subject and started telling her about the train museum and playing football and soccer on. the. field. Welcome to my world.

The What Was I Thinking part is that I took two kids at once. The whole "talking" part was time for hyped up Conrad to run from wall to wall, jumping, trying to reach stuff just a bit taller than his normal reach. When Grace was being examined, of course Con is poopy--the I can't stand to breathe kind. And when we are waiting for Con's flu vaccine--through the nose, not a shot, yeah!!--Grace decides it has just been Too Long and she Must Eat.

On the bright side, only one trip to the doctor's. One family history recorded (well, two, but I only had to say it once). And Grace was distracted by Con for her first shot and quickly distracted after the third+rubella drops. In reflection, the good out-weighed the bad.

If I can swing it, we'll do it again next year.


And, for the record, Con got two suckers and a sticker.

I think we'll like this three thing.