Tuesday, December 8, 2009

A Good Trip to the Hospital

Sometimes it's the littlest things that make me feel like I'm doing my job (as Mommy) well. Today we went to the hospital's immunization clinic for our second round of flu shots. My goal was to get H1N1 vaccinations for the kids. Last time we went, we got the seasonal flu shot and it was a 2 hr excursion that left me kind of frazzled and resulted in missing Legos (but don't tell Jack about the Legos.) Luckily, I was able to get a vaccination for myself as well.

This trip, I remembered snacks for the ride to the hospital and better toys for the wait. Despite the full waiting room, the wait was a lot shorter this time. The kids each grabbed a chair and played quietly and nicely with their toys. This allowed me to fill out the paperwork without having to entertain the kids. After about 15 minutes, we were called and we went in to get our shots.

Casey was really the only one who got a shot. Jack and I both got flu-mist. I had a little talk with Jack about how to breathe in and not out when he gets the shot. For some reason, when he first started smelling things, he was actually breathing out instead of in. I had to tell him to do the opposite. He was so cute...as soon as the corpsman came near him, he took a deep breath and held it. But the corpsman told him to do it again after a count of 3 and he did just fine.

Anyway, it was a smooth operation all around and we got home in time for lunch and naptime. In fact, Jack informed me that he really likes getting flu shots. Go figure. Even Casey, who got stuck with the needle, was happy because she got a bandaid.

As a side note, it's probably not a good idea to tell your 3 year old that his sister needed a bandaid because she had a little "hole" in her leg now. All sorts of questions that begin with "Why..." will result. For some reason I thought that might be a good explanation.

Round 3 of flu shots is one month from now when they get their second H1N1 shots. Next year, when we only have to get one shot, will be a piece of cake compared to these monthly trips.

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