Puppy & Boppers | A Very Pediatric Morning

I have been dreading this day for a month now. At 10am I began my first journey as a mother-of-two to the pediatrician....without Paul. We have always gone together.

I packed snacks, a lollipop, milk, formula, diapers, vaccination records and all of my patience. We drove 2.9 miles up the road, guided by two directional websites, one on my phone and one from my home computer and arrived at the pediatrician exactly one hour later. Awesome. I had been prepping Sam (read: myself) for this appointment for several days, reminding him that he was to have only the best behavior and that he was to set an example for Peter on how to navigate the pediatrician's office smoothly. I told him he would be weighed, and measured and that he may have to get a 'shot' but that he had to be a tough boy so Peter wouldn't be scared.

After filling out a stack of identical forms for each child, containing all the same insurance and family information with only slightly differing first and middle names donning each, we were called back into the examination room. Sam promptly jumped up in the guest chair and pointed out to the nurse that "Sam no ouchie, Pete ouchie," He would not be receiving any 'shots' but his little brother emphatically would. He took the lead on being weighed and measured, we only had to compromise slightly when I had to step on to the scale holding Sam (YES THE SCALE! i don't believe in scales, especially not at 5 months post partum) then step off and be weighed alone while the nurse subtracted all 800lbs of me to reach 28lbs of Sam. Again, awesome. Sam waited patiently while an apprehensive Peter was placed on the scale, measured and examined.

When the time came for Sam to get his shot, I had to wrestle his pants to his knees, whereupon I revealed his proudly fashioned homemade belt that he'd crafted this morning by stepping into my headband. He freaked but only for a moment, got his lollipop from me and waited patiently as Peter took to the crinkling paper of the exam table.

Pete let out a series of screams that nearly cracked all the windows and eardrums in the entire office and then received his two puppy dog bandages to cover his 'wounds'.

We packed into the car and headed home (the right way) and walked into our apartment just 5 minutes later. Ahem.

When we got upstairs, I took Peter out of his car seat and we all laid on the floor relieved to be home, stretched out and cooled down. Whereupon seeing Peter kick his bandaged legs Sam firmly, but carefully grabbed Peter's ankles holding them still and pleaded: "Pease Petey, no kick, ouchie, pease no kick".

The moral of the story: mapquest is crap, lollipops can and should be tried to cure most everything, worry is wasteful and brotherhood is absolutely breathtaking.