1 Year Well Check

... except this "well check" didn't go well at all...

It was so awful.

I love our pediatrician. The nurses are all sweet, and they genuinely care about your kids. So the problem wasn't really with them.

The problem?

Noah woke up at 7am this morning. Our appointment was at 11am. He was ready for a nap. He's also at the age where he recognizes places, people, situations, etc. He knows we're at the place where babies cry as we walk to the room. If there's a kid screaming nearby, his little fists hold onto my shirt just a little bit tighter. If he's in an uncomfortable situation, he cries. And it's the sad kind. The kind with real baby tears, the "Mommy, why are you letting this strange person hurt me" looks, and the clinging-onto-me-for-dear-life moments.
He seriously did not loosen his grip on me for a second. The nurse made him cry, Dr Cox made him cry, and even Brad made him cry. Seriously, Brad tried to talk to him to calm him down, and it just made him scream louder.
He got his finger pricked. He did AMAZING. Yes, he cried and held onto me, but he didn't fight the nurse at all. He just let her go ahead, but it was the saddest surrender I've ever seen.

For the last few weeks, I've been agonizing over the thought that Noah might have a cavity. When he opened his mouth, I could've swore I saw a little black spot on the back of his bottom tooth. I kept telling myself it must just be a shadow or something. Sure enough, it's nothing. He said it's a combo of maybe plaque and something else. Either way, all I need is either baking soda or baby toothpaste, and it'll come right off. Whew!
(I was going to be devastated if I couldn't keep him cavity free for even a couple of months.)

Noah is perfectly healthy. He's still a little above average on height and weight, but he's following his curve. In all of the chaos, I didn't see how tall he was. I'll have to ask Brad if he remembers. But he weighs a little over 27 lbs, so he's maintaining his weight. He actually went down a little. He was 28 lbs at his last sick appt we had a couple weeks ago. This makes me a little sad. It means his chub is slowly going away. Soon he'll be this skinny little person running around! Can I have my baby back, please? I mean, I'm enjoying the sleep and all, but why do they have to grow so fast the first year?? I miss my squishy, chubby blob of a baby. :)

Anyways...

So we're all good health-wise. Dr Cox said his "goodbyes" and "see you in 3 months" (ugh) and then..... the nurse came back.
There was a good 5-10 minute window before she came back. In that time, Noah snubbed and pouted and buried his little face in my chest. And he fell asleep. I mean, he was gone. But still in his sleep, he would wimper a little, which broke my heart. So of course, a shot in each arm was a great wake-up call. But once we got out of the room, he was fine. On the way home in the car, Noah told me in great detail why this was such a traumatic experience for him. Then he's sigh and look out the window.
Growing up, after I got a shot at the Dr's office, they always gave me a coupon for a free ice cream at the local "Carolina Cones" ice cream shop. That ice cream always tasted extra good. I don't even know if they do that anymore, but still in my head, shots = ice cream.
So we took him home, and I grabbed the Breyers out of the freezer. He was loving it, and he even asked for more. Which I, of course, gave him. After that, he was back to his smiley, silly self.

Do I really have to do this again in 3 months???