Thursday, January 24, 2008

Sometimes they just make you cry...

Sydney had a doctor's appointment today with a brand-new pediatrician (our former one shut his practice) and she actually was saying, "I'm so excited" just last night about it. She told me: "I'm not afraid of the doctor. I'm brave."

As we waited to see the doctor, she talked to Moms of the other kids around us; she twirled around and showed her dress and "pearls" (plastic bead necklace) to everyone; she got nosy and asked the other kids what their names were. And she held onto her little pretend Doctor's Kit very tightly.

She was cool with being weighed and measured. She didn't really care for her having her blood pressure checked (and her eyes teared up just a bit as the armband got tighter on her). Then as we waited for the doctor, she began to hold on tighter to me. "Maybe this isn't what it's cracked up to me," her eyes seemed to say. The doctor was very nice and very sweet with Sydney, though, and by the time she had been rewarded with a Barbie sticker from "Doctor Lisa," she seemed to be okay.

But then...we had to get some blood drawn. I hated to push her into something so unexpected and it just broke my heart as the tears began to pour from her eyes.

All the way home in the car she cried loudly, "I'm not brave. I'm not brave."

(Since then, a vanilla ice cream cone from McDonald's and a small nap appears to have diffused most of her distress.)

Being a Mother is Wonderful with a capital W. But in small moments like that it's not always easy. Is it?

19 comments:

Adrienne said...

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww poor baby!!

Dawn Bibbs said...

Oh Cheryl...I truly feel your pain. And you'd think those of us with multiple kids would EVENTUALLY get other that. But we just don't. For me, it got more difficult. I HATE to see my kids hurt or upset. And the look on their faces...OH MY GOSH...is terrible. They look at you as if to be ask, "Are you just gonna sit there and let these people do this to me?" And being the emotional person that I am, it doesn't help difuse the situations AT ALL, that I cry too. ARGH!!!

I'm glad Scout is feeling better now.

hippo chick said...

Oh Cheryl, I remember when my {now 31 year old} daughter had to have blood drawn. She was Sydney's age at the time. My heart was broken. Her five year old sister and a friend sat in the waiting room devising ways to hurt the lab technician. It is devastating. I'm glad the nap and the ice cream helped. But what of Mommy?

Cheryl Wray said...

Adrienne-- I KNOW!!!!

Dawn-- It's crazy, because it seems like you'd be "used to" it after you've already been through two children with it already. But it's never easy to see your child hurt or upset. She's doing better now (well, except for when we picked McKenna and D from school and she had to tell them all about it. She cried all over again while she told the story!)

Hippo--Coming up with ways to hurt the technician? That cracked me up! :-) I'm doing fine, just hate to see little Scout cry! :-(

Greta Adams said...

oh the poor baby!!! you tell her i said she is very BRAVE

and dahling i know where you are coming from...i almost had to slap a nurse down in the hospital because he was digging around in mason's arm with that huge ass IV...i was needless to say fit to be tied...ESPECIALLY since i knew he was doing it wrong...umm hello...i went to school for that....oh gosh girl horrible!!

Stylin said...

Hi Cheryl,
Poor baby!!!! I dont have kids but my husband is the biggest baby of all!!!
He had to have some extremely strong medicine to calm him down when he went to get a filling!He was so woozy with it!

Unknown said...

Oh I have been in that place too!! Megan screamed, kicked the dr... awful!!! She was so scared the next time she had to have blood taken but the next time she knew it was going to happen and we got to talk about it all. Tell Sydney how brave she is from me and YOU ARE TOO!!
Hugs to you all :)

Anonymous said...

Ahhh, that makes me kinda weepy too. It's hard to see kids be sad, but I think she's very strong.
(Love your posts, as usual!)

Edleen said...

oh no...hope the ice~cream helps *hugs*

it is harder when they're feeling some pain and can't tell... :(

Dettao said...

Funny how ice cream always helps...
My daughter took my grandson to get a flu shot on Saturday. He is four and told her he was "angry" with her for doing that to him. LOL

Kimberly said...

Aww poor thing..ice cream always makes me feel better too! I can't stand for my kids to hurt. I have to cry with them. Hugs! :)

Anonymous said...

Awww...HUGS to you and to her. You both are, indeed, brave!

Auburn Kat said...

My babies are my three kitties and while they are not the same as kids I still feel awful when I take them to the vet to get their shots. I wish I could explain to them that it really is a good thing!

Michelle said...

Cheryl,

I cry when they do. When they were little, I hated going to the doctors with them. It was always so hard to watch them cry. When T was two weeks old, she stopped breathing and they put her in the hospital for three days (nothing serious thank God). The first night, they wanted to do some blood work and took her from me to another room, and refused to tell me where she was. I found the room by her crying and almost was arrested because they wouldn't let me comfort and hold her.

When the girls got their ears pierced, I couldn't go. I made my mom do it.

Jacquie said...

Ooooooh the poor sweetie! She is very brave! ((hugs))

Jillian wont even look at her Doctor.

Wendy said...

That is so cute. She is so precious!! I get scared too at new things. But i don't get Barbie stickers....wink Hey Cheryl. I saw where you had your email address you gave out to someone the other day. Is there any way you could give that again. The reason being, I read the cutest email tonight and when I read your blog it just was a perfect thing to end yours. I absolutely was rolling in the floor laughing it was so cute. Thanks!!

camport said...

poor kid, poor Mama! Hope this trip doesn't ruin her next doctor appt!

:)

Kelly said...

yep, it's sad when they don't understand. Hope she wasn't scarred for life!

Monogram Queen said...

No it's NOT always easy and it is just heartbreaking when you can't take the pain or hurt away for them. God I can relate to this!