Ava's 4 year check-up

Ava went to her four year old check-up on Wednesday. Yes, I know she turned four a month and a half ago, but this was the first appointment we could get in the new year. Anyway...Ava has always been good with her dr's visits in the past. This includes almost all parts of the exam including the shots. She got her flu shot last year and hardly flinched at all over it. She got her flu shot this year and just complained that she didn't enjoy it at all.

Well, I guess the experience of that last flu shot really got built up in her mind for this visit. She was convinced she was going to get more shots, but I wasn't sure. I just told her that we would see if she needed any, and she would be fine if she did have to get some. She was not so trusting of this, though. She was dreading this appointment and whined relentlessly about not wanting to go if you brought it up.

Well, Wednesday came and I packed her and Leila up to make our trip into town for the appointment. I tried to make it as fun on the ride there as I could by playing her favorite music to sing along-- Dan Zanes. This worked well until we pulled into the familiar parking lot of the ped's office. She immediately went into her whining while I muscled her out of the car, up to the office, pushing her through the waiting room door.

Thankfully, she was distracted by all the books in the waiting area to read that she forgot to keep whining while we waited. Then, her name was called by her Nurse Cheryl. She walked up and immediately asked groaning, "Do you have to give me shots today?" Nurse Cheryl said that she wasn't sure and calmly reassured her that she would be fine if she did. Ava just groaned in disgust with her vague answer.

We go through her check-up doing all kinds of new things that she has not been asked to do in previous checks. She had her vision tested by naming different familiar objects on an eye chart. She did very well. She has 20/30 vision in both eyes which is normal for her age. She also had her hearing checked for the first time since she was a newborn in the hospital. She got to put on the giant ear phones and raised her hand very time she heard the beeps. She passed that perfectly. They checked her blood pressure for the first time since kids are now developing high blood pressure at alarming rates. Everything was perfect there, as any mother that is maticulous about their child's nutrition would expect it to be. Then, she had the normal checks like her height and weight. She is 40" tall and weighs 33.5lbs. Her height is consistantly in the 40% and her weight has actually come up to the highest percentage it has ever been in her life at the 40%.

After all of that, we waited to see her Dr. Dickason. When she came in, Ava was excited to see her. She has always loved her drs. She likes to tell them all the big girl things she can do like spell her name and ride her bike. I don't think the dr could get a word in edgewise. The dr listened to her heart to "make sure it was still thumping", as Ava puts it. We talked about what to expect for the following year and what safety precautions I still needed to take, like with her car seat.

Then, the dreaded words came out of her mouth. "Well, it looks like she gets four pokes today." Ava's face just dropped and a look of fear quickly came over her. She was not happy at all. I asked if this was it on shots, and she told me that it should be other than her flu shot next year. All I can say is thank goodness.

Let me tell you, trying to get a four year to be still in order to have FOUR shots is like trying to wrestle an alligator into submission. The nurse instructed me to lay her down and hold her hands while she began. First she cleaned her legs with an alcohol pad which could have been acid as far as Ava was concerned. She immediately begins with the struggling and water works. Then, the shots came. With each one, she struggled more and more to the put that she broke her hands free of mine restraint and almost found fingers being given the shot. I got her under control, and the nurse was able to finish up.

Ava just continued with, "That hurts!" and "Why do that have to do that to me?". I reassured her that it was over, and the pain would go away shortly. Well, that pain lasted and lasted in her little four year old mind. You would think she had her leg severed in some tragic accident. In fact, she is still telling me how much it hurts days later after the bruising has almost compeletly subsided. I guess the mental anguish will last a lot longer. Let's just say that I am not looking forward to her flu shot next year even if it just one shot.