12 Month Wellness Visit

Joshua went for his twelve month wellness visit today with Dr. McMath. I really like his pediatrician, by the way. She's been very supportive with our adoption process as well.

We were able to get the appointment during a time when Nathan could come! We walked into a newly remodeled, sunny exam room, took off his clothes and let him toddle from one end of the room to the other. There is no sitting down for him. We took turns holding him, but he basically wants down. He is obsessed with doors and the exam room had seven of them when including cabinets. So we let him walk until he got to the doors then picked him up and held him. He sat still for some cheerios. I don't realize how active he is until we go somewhere like the doctor's office and there really isn't anything for him to do. At home it just seems natural for him to explore. And at home everything is set up so that I can sit on the floor while he toddles from one activity to the next. It's kind of like that at church as well. He has a definite place where he can play. At this age, Joshua doesn't go a lot of places besides home and church. But none the less, he was very happy in the exam room as long as he was moving.

And he liked Dr. McMath. She gave him something to hold and he played with her stethoscope. He blew her kisses and waved bye-bye.

Then he got his shots.

Thankfully, I happened to ask Nathan if there was a paci in his diaper bag. Nathan (being the awesome dad that he is) had packed his diaper bag for church yesterday and knew right where he could find one. With his paci in place, he lay pretty calmly on the exam table. Nathan held both of his hands. Two nurses stood by his side. I sat like a pansy in the chair on the other end of the room. Yep, I confess that. Between the two of us, Nathan definitely is the parent to nurture him through shots. That's sad to say isn't it. But it's true. I hate needles. They make me queasy. And our poor little guy got stuck with three of them today. He cried and Nathan held him, then I held him. That poor nurse. She's such a sweet lady. He didn't blow her kisses or wave bye-bye to her on our way out. He was done with that place. He was done toddling around. And he was sound asleep before we made it out of the parking lot. I gave him some Tylenol and put him down for a nap at about 3:30. He's still sleeping.

Those experiences are no fun. Getting a shot or multiple shots are no fun, but thank You, Lord, for vaccines that prevent diseases! They are a blessing! And thank you for a great report for our little Jman!