A Pain In The Leg

Brian had his fifteen-month checkup at the pediatrician's today. While I always enjoy finding out my babies' height and weight statistics, I really, really dread these check-ups, because of the awful shots. Today, Brian had to receive two of them. Two sharp needles piercing into his little baby thighs. It just breaks my heart.

He was happy as could be for the entire checkup. He babbled and smiled at the doctor while he examined him, showed off some of his budding vocabulary, and proudly waved around the wooden tongue depressor (a.k.a. "Popsicle stick") that the pediatrician handed to him. He kept trying to stick the depressor into my mouth, copying what the doctor did to him during the exam. He waved bye-bye to the doctor as he left the room, and then he turned to me and flashed a big smile.

I felt my stomach churning slightly as I thought about what was coming next. I dressed him as much as possible, leaving his little legs uncovered, and waited for the arrival of the nurse. Brian happily waved at her when she walked in the door, and lay quite cooperatively on the table, all the while still attempting to jam the tongue depressor into my mouth.

And then it happened. The nurse stabbed him in the leg. Not once, but twice. He looked at me in horror, let out a few brief cries, and then sat up. He glared at the nurse in anger, and she apologized and quickly left the room. Brian turned to me with teary eyes, and I felt like I had betrayed my little man. I wish there was a way to explain "why", but thankfully a toddler's memory is still a bit short-termed. By the time we left the office with a giant "Cars" sticker on his shirt, he seemed to have forgotten the whole thing.

But tonight, in the tub, he discovered the band-aid on his leg. He poked at it, and looked up at me quizzically. I'm not sure whether he remembers...

I hope not. Shots are no fun...for babies or for Mommies!