Paisley’s 2-Month Appointment

June 22nd, 2010

I’ve been dreading this day for a little while. Sure, Paisley turning eight-weeks old is heartbreaking, I mean, the time seriously flies by! But today was her eight-week appointment and that meant shots. Every friend of mine with a baby told me how awful it was going to be, and I believed them.

Not because their mommy scare tactics were working on me, but because I’ve heard and seen the way they describe those appointments. I’ve read their tear-filled Tweets and Facebook postings. I knew it would be terrible.

I made sure Shelton could go with me. I got Paisley dressed in a beautiful little yellow sundress with flowers on it (one of her 4000 hand-me-downs from older cousin Ellieā€¦ poor kid). Then we headed off to see Dr. H.

I had a nervous pit in my stomach all morning. I’m a huge needle phobe, something I made abundantly clear during the 60+ days of infertility shots last summer. Emersion therapy? Yeah right. My fear is just as real as it was a year ago. So the thought of someone jabbing one of those torture sticks into my teeny-tiny daughter’s body made me ill.

I wanted to hold her but the nurses assured me it would be easier if she were laying on the table. I laid out her purple butterfly blanket, placed her on it, then took a step back. They asked Shelton to hold down her arms. And I was done. I watched them stick her little legs simultaneously, and then heard her scream in a way I’d never heard before.

I told my mom it’s a sound you wouldn’t ever hear in nature.

Oh it was terrible! I immediately welled up with tears and nearly knocked a nurse out of the way so I scoop up my baby the second she placed the last neon bandaid. I just held her so tight and cried with her and told her how sorry I was.

Once home, she was quite fussy, but passed out immediately. She woke an hour later with a temperate of 99.5 and maintained this through bedtime. She was so whiny, not characteristic of her at all. It was as if she were just moaning saying “mama please hold me.” All she wanted was to be held and loved on and she would just wimper into my neck. The infant Tylenol made for an afternoon of two very long naps, which she needed.

Tonight she was inconsolable, until I gave her a bath. She loves to be in the warm water and as soon as she heard the water running she calmed down. I like to think this is one of those things she carried over to this side from the womb. I took hot baths almost nightly and everytime I’d submerge my moose-like self into the water she’d start kicking. I knew then that she’d be a water baby.

While at the doctor we learned that she’s grown to 9 pounds, 13 ounces (31%) and 21.75″ long (35%). She’s still my tinybits!

She also rolled over from her tummy to her back today! While on the table at the doctor’s office she just flipped over! A fantastic milestone that was totally overshadowed by her first sick day.