Flu shots

Today was the day that the kids were scheduled for their flu shots. I made a point of not telling them until the very last minute because I got a clue a couple weeks ago at Spencer's well check up to how they might react. I am starting to think that Spencer tends to have a lot of anxiety. A couple weeks ago when he found out that he had to go to the doctor for a check up the first thing he asked about was whether or not he had to get a shot. I was honest with him and told him that I didn't know. He kept dwelling on the shot issue and would get completely worked up and teary eyed asking me about it. When the nurse told him that day he wouldn't get any pokes, his face completely changed. He was totally relaxed the rest of the visit. Yesterday he was going to ride the bus home with one of his friends. That morning I reminded him not to get on his bus, he was riding the bus home with Grant. I could see his mind start going and then the questions started. What if I don't know what bus to get on? You will be with Grant. He will know which bus is his. What if he walks too fast down the hall ahead of me and I can't find him? Since he invited you over, I am pretty sure that he will wait for you and walk with you. He seems to search out anything and everything that can go wrong in a situation. He makes unnecessary stress for himself. I wonder where he gets that from?

OK. Back to the flu shots.

Right before we got in the car I told Evan what was going to happen. He told me he was going to cry and I told him that was perfectly alright. The promise of a Slurpee afterword seemed to help the situation a bit. When we pulled into the doctors office parking lot Spencer asked if we were there to get shots. I told him I had some good news and some bad news for him. The bad was that they were indeed going to get shots. The good news was that Slurpee's were in their near future. He seemed totally focused on the Slurpee and not worried about the shot at all. I figured that he would be fine since last year he went right in and never even shed a tear. A regular pro. They were all great in the waiting room and when the nurse called them back, marched in like brave little soldiers. They got into the room and sat down in the chairs as still as could be waiting to see what would come next.

I figured that Evan and Hailey were going to cry, there was no getting around that so I told Spencer that he would go first and show them how brave he was. He immediately got a panicked look in his eyes and started telling us that he needed a drink of water. It was almost comical how he was asking because his voice was so hoarse like his throat was seriously closing with fear. I told him that he could have a drink as soon as he was done. More panic. I want the drink now! I got him the drink to move the process along. He didn't want the drink. Now he had to go to the bathroom really bad. I told him as soon as the shot was done he and Dad could go to the bathroom while the other two got their shots. NO! I have to go to the bathroom NOW! I told Trent to take him to the bathroom and that Evan would just go first. At this point Evan started to protest and cry. I put him in my lap and he started into his panic mode. He got the shot and like he said he would started to cry. I imagine that the tears are not so much from the poke but due to the fact that his Mommy that is supposed to protect him and take care of him is holding him in a death grip while some lady stabs him. It seems like the ultimate betrayal. The bathroom boys were not back yet so I set Evan on the chair with his sticker and penny for the gumball machine and grabbed Hailey and laid her on the table. At this point Spencer and Trent came back. I am sure Evan's crying did not do much to boost Spencer's confidence because he still looked completely terrified. Hailey got her poke and made one tiny "ahhh" sound and scrunched her face. I pulled her pants up and picked her up and she was fine. Not one bit of crying. FROM OUR BABY! Then it was Spencer's turn. Remember that this is the boy that did not shed a tear the last two times that he has had to get shots. The boy that walked through fire burning his feet horribly and was totally brave. Trent sat him up on the table. I handed Hailey to Trent and sat up next to Spencer to hold his right arm down. He started crying and screaming and flailing. The poor nurse was trying to get a clear spot so that she could stick him and be done, but he was having none of it. She was afraid that if she poked him he would move too much and break the needle off in his arm. I told Trent to give me Hailey so that he could hold him down. During the Hailey exchange, Spencer jumped off the table and went under it. He was huddled under there like a scared cat while we told him that he was overreacting and being completely ridiculous. For Pete's sake kid, your BABY sister did not even shed a tear! At this point, Evan had even stopped crying because he was so intrigued by the spectacle that his big brother was putting on he forgot about his own shot. Trent was trying to get Spencer out from under the examining table without totally reefing on him in front of the nurse but he was having a hard time. It was pretty mortifying to see your seven year old son acting like that in front of a total stranger. Of course it would not be any better in front of friends or relatives. Finally, after what seemed like forever but was probably a minute and a half, Trent got him out and set him on his lap and clamped down Spence's arms with his own. Spencer still cried and begged to come back another day. The nurse told him to count to three and it would be over. He started counting and he got to three and she told him she was done - she beat him. He told her that she didn't - that he was at three and she was still poking him. Whatever. It's over. He chugged his glass of water, and we were out of there.

As we were walking down the hall on our way out, Spencer said to Evan " Why were you crying so hard Evan? It didn't even hurt much at all. Did you see how brave I was?"

Puh-lease!!!!!