May I brag for a moment?

Yesterday, as you know, we went to Children's so Benjamin could get his synagis shot. I usually try to get one of my wonderful family members to watch Andrew while I take B to the doctor, but it was late notice and a bad time of day, so I decided to brave it. I kind of wanted to prove something to myself. I can do this! I am Mom, hear me roar. Or maybe it should be: I am Mom, hear me get out the snacks. Because that's the key, you know.

Benjamin, poor guy, had not napped all afternoon and had been away from his morning nap since 10:15. So by the time we left at 3:00, he was tired. Too tired. Too tired to even nap in the car tired. Not a good sign.

Andrew, on the other hand, had a pretty good nap and was excited to get to go somewhere. I told him that we were going to the "other" hospital so that Benjamin could get a shot. He immediately started chanting, "I want a shot! I want a shot!" Evidently his flu shot was painless and he really like the Percy sticker that he received for getting it. Unfortunately for him, all this trip would entail for him was a sugar high. And the award for Best Kid Ever. You'll soon see why.

We got to the clinic at 3:31 for our 3:30 appointment. The fact that there were about six or seven moms ahead of me was instantly a bad sign. And because the synagis shot is usually for preemies, every single mom had a stroller. And the room was small. So here I come with my big-honkin' double stroller. But everyone was nice. The thing is--you can't take a two-year-old into a room with babies and new toys and not have him securely strapped into the stroller. Especially not when you're dealing with a fussy, sleepy baby and have to fill out forms. And never, I repeat--never--let him out unless you are prepared to let him stay out. I learned that lesson the hard way in Gymboree once. Getting the kid back into the stroller after he has tasted freedom is like bringing an escaped convict back to jail; you've gotta bring the big guns.

Speaking of big guns, I didn't come to this place willy-nilly. I came prepared. I would like to attribute Kenny Rogers with my next piece of wisdom. Knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em is not just for The Gambler. Yesterday was testament to the fact that you've got to practice the timing of snacks and toys. Especially when you are there for TWO HOURS. That's right. Andrew sat in his stroller from 3:30 until 5:30. And he was SO good!

To the credit of the office, they did apologize and said they were trying to revamp the way they did the scheduling. They don't have the synagis clinic every day, and they had several emergencies that they had to fit in. The nurse practicioner who saw Benjamin had already been told by my friend Karla to look out for him. :) But still, it was a very long wait. It was 55 long minutes before they even called my name to fill out paperwork! Then we had to get Benjamin weighed and then talk with the NP, and THEN get the shot.

By the way, today, he weighed 13lbs, 8 oz., and that is a lot more consistent with the 13/2 and 13/3 we had gotten at two different doctors two to three weeks ago, so Matthew and I think they were just wrong at Vanderbilt when they got 12/8. The scale must have not been zeroed out. I had the lady yesterday weigh him twice just to be sure. So, yay, he is not losing weight!

When we first got there, Andrew was content to sit in his stroller and play with a couple of toys that were in the doctor's office. I can't be too picky about germs. Most of the "kids" in this office are too young to play with toys, and it was worth the 15-20 minutes it afforded me. I talked to Benjamin in his carseat and he was entertained with my goofy Mom faces and his dangling toys for about 30-35 minutes. I didn't want to pick him up and hold him yet because I know that the stroller rule also applies to carseats. Once he was out, he would be out for the duration of the visit. The good thing is that there was a TV with PBS on, so Andrew was mildly entertained by watching some kids' shows. He had his first snack, a small bag of Teddy Grahams, leftover from Halloween.

When it was evident that Benjamin needed to be held and I still hadn't filled my paperwork, I knew that Andrew would need to be as occupied as much as possible so I could hold B and do the paperwork. So I put the doctor's toys away and got out of my bag of tricks...drumroll please...Andrew's blue front-end loader and green dump truck. Plus his three favorite books right now: Goodnight Moon, My World: A Goodnight Moon Companion, and Goodnight Moon: 1, 2, 3. (Do we see a pattern here?) He was thrilled to see his "friends," and I was feeling very confident in my double stroller choice b/c I *knew* Andrew would need a tray in front of him for snacks and toys.

Once I got Benjamin out of his carseat and held him in my lap, facing out, he was perfectly content for a really long time. Turns out I didn't have to fill out any paperwork b/c all our info was already sent over from our doctor. YAY!

About 90 minutes after we got there, when the waiting room was empty except for us, we were called back to the weight room. Here, I broke out snack #2, Chips Ahoy Grips. Those lasted for quite awhile. (Tip: bring small snacks b/c it takes little fingers longer to pick them up and eat them.) These lasted well into our wait in the actual "shot" room. When the Grips were gone, he looked at the five or six books that were in that room, while I took pictures of Benjamin, who was doing theatrics on the table. Naturally, I had to stand right by him so he didn't flip off the table. And let me say that the ENTIRE two hours, I was talking to and listening to Andrew. He was very good and content to sit there as long as I was talking to him. It's seriously a full-time job!

As the time was dragging on, and I realized we had reached the end of our options, I pulled out the biggest of all my tricks: a small container of plain M&M's. He finished them right as we were leaving. The shot wasn't bad at all; both my boys have done really well with shots, thankfully. Benjamin FINALLY caught a quick nap on the way home, and then after he was bathed and ate, he slept all night without waking up once and without waking up early, the first time since Daylight Savings. Yay again!

Here, naturally, are pictures to show our two hours. Enjoy. :)

Andrew watching firemen on a kids' show while eating snack #1. Perfect!



Hanging out

Here he is, sporting his new shirt. He just drooled a little bit on it, so he's going to wear it again to the cardiologist today. Poor baby--one of the characteristics of Down syndrome is short limbs. While his legs are not short at all, his arms are, and I always have to roll up his sleeves. (Granted, they're rolled up a bit much here, but anyway....)

Benjamin, having his one and only snack: Foot a la sock

Finishing snack #2

Playing with Mommy's face

Check out what I can do!

The back of his cute shirt. Thanks, Amber!! :)

Rolling....rolling.....rolling on the table. (Sorry...)

Well, I need to check the laundry and the fussy baby. Story of my life. I'll report later about our cardiology visit!

Oh, and thanks for your prayers for Matthew. His head is feeling less congested today but he still has some crud in his chest. He is going to run tomorrow regardless, but I just hope he's better! (Men.....)