All Checked Out

 

Yesterday the boys and I had our semi-annual dental appointments.  Tater went with us, of course, and was overall a good little boy.  About mid-way through my cleaning he decided he was done with sitting in the car seat and I finished out my appointment with him sitting on my belly staring at my open mouth. 

The boys and I all got a clean bill of health – no cavities!  33 years old and not one cavity in my whole life!  A miracle since I used to drink Mt Dew daily.

After, it was Brennan’s Kindergarten Well Child Check up.  He weights 41.6lbs, which is the 50th percentile.  I missed how tall they said he was and forgot to ask later but do know that was the 50th percentile, too. 

He had to do the eye chart, where he covered one eye and went line by line telling what pictures he saw.  He passed that test with flying colors.

Then the doctor came in. She listened to his lungs, to his heart, looked in his eyes and ears, up his nose and into his throat.  She had him squat down, jump on one foot, walk on his tip toes and then on his heels.  He bent over at the waist and she checked his spine.  She asked him what his favorite fruit was (apple), favorite vegetable (carrot), what he wears when he rides his bike (his Spiderman helmet), then pointed to the pictures on the walls and asked what colors things were (nailed them all, but he nailed them when he went in before his preschool check up too).

After all this, the doctor gave Brennan a clean bill of health, then the nurse came in.  Bren had to get his finger pricked and a ton of blood squeezed out of it into a vial to test his hemoglobin level and for lead.  He did just fine with that.

The nurse left briefly to get a helper, then came back in to give Brennan 2 shots. I had warned him before this that there was a chance he’d need some shots, which of course totally freaked him out.  I told him how it wouldn’t hurt for very long and that he’d get 2 cool band aids over where the shots went in.  Yea right, like that’s going to make him alright with it!  We laid him back, I held his hand and the nurses pulled his shorts up to get to his thighs.  Then, 1-2-3-go, the countdown and then they stuck him.  He was crying before they even started because, as he told me, he was scared.  Then it was all over, it barely hurt and he got a Garfield and Wonder Woman band aid.  Yes, Wonder Woman.  Whatever, she’s an action figure/super hero, right?  Brennan told me it didn’t really hurt after all, which I told him I was going to remind him about when we go back for our flu shots in a couple of months.

Then we were done, free to go.  Brennan (and Aiden) got to pick out a prize from the treasure chest and a fruit snack package.  I’m so glad it was (mostly) painless! 

And now!  Brennan’s all ready to go to Kindergarten!  Less than 4 weeks till the first day of school for the boys, better get our school supplies bought!

Do you warn your kids about shots before the appointment, at the appointment or not at all?