Current mood: sad
The day finally came. The day we have been dreading for a long while, since January to be exact. Today was Mia's 1 year check up at the doctor and you know what that means.... yep shots... UGH!
Its been really HOT in this area lately, infact its been record high! All this week is supposed to be 100+ and today was no exception. It hit 106 in this area and 108 where her doctor's office is. Her appointment was scheduled for 1:45 so it was smack dab in the middle of the day heat...bleh. So before we left I dressed her in the lightest dress she had (which she got from her Grandparent's Pizano for her birthday) and off we went. Luckily Adrian thought ahead and took along a half frozen bottle of water for the ride.
Her doctor's office is in Moreno Valley which is about a 25-30min drive north east from us. She was in good spirits which always makes things harder since we know what is in store for her and she is completely oblivious. Once we got there and got out of the car the heat just hit us like a wall! Just walking through the parking lot you felt yourself melting... literally! I had her little pink sunglasses on (also a birthday present, from her Tia Gloria and family). We checked in and the wait began...
She did good in the waiting room, just hanging out on Daddy's lap. It didn't take long before she was called back. They made her strip down to her diaper and weighed her. Daddy and I both made a bet on what her weight would be... I guessed 19 lbs. he guessed 20-21 lbs. Of course, as always, Daddy's guess was right.. she is 20.6 lbs. They then measured her head and height, she is 2 feet 6 inches tall (30 inches altogether). She did really well with the nurse and didn't fuss at all during this time. Then the nurse left and we were stuck in that little room.
Daddy watched her while she played on the paper but oddly she was very clingy. She didn't want him to move away from arms reach from her. Once he even joked and said "byebye" and she sat up and quickly started climbing all over him to make him pick her up. Eventually she got braver and started tearing up the paper, and even attempted to rip the Dr. Seuse poster off the wall. After a LONG wait, Mama took over and attempted to entertain her. She became restless since she was getting bored and we weren't letting her walk around (I can only imagine the type of germs on the floor)
Eventually her doctor came in. (She has had the same doctor since she was a newborn and we really like him). He greeted us and asked us a few questions about Mia's development. We also told him about her drinking situation and he said not to worry about it that it seems she is getting enough liquids, especially with all the foods we feed her and she will let us know when she is thirsty and not to force liquids on her. He then started his exam which she also did very well with. The only time she fussed was when he went to check her throat with the stick and that made her cough and cry. I don't blame her I don't like that either. Everything checked out A-OK! YAY! Just as he was leaving I thought I would ask him one last question. It was about her belly button. Why you ask? Well I don't think many have seen it, but its not quite an inny and not quite an outie. It is sort of half and half and we were wondering what he thought it would be since he has seen many a belly button in his career. He checked it out and said it is still up in the air. Especially since he didn't feel a hole that was supposed to be there (in which as babies get older it goes into) so she might just have an outie after all. He then ordered some routine blood work for her to check her Iron levels and said we would have to go to the lab for that afterwards. Oh-no!!!!!! Not only was she getting shots but blood work too!!!!! Poor Mia! Luckily we later found out we didn't have to do that THAT day but we could do it in a week or so... phew!
He later left and the wait begain for the nurse. I am not sure what the hold up was but we ended up waiting FOREVER! well it seemed like forever especially since we knew what was about to happen. We both just wanted to get it over with.. the wait was horrible especially since she was in such good spirits. ... then the nurse came in... our hearts sank.....
The nurse was really a nice lady and treated us very good. She felt bad too especially since Mia looked so cute on the table. She let us know there was going to be a series of 5! shots!!! Two in one leg, one in the other, and one on each arm! OMG! She was getting the MMR shot along with the chicken pock one (and of course the other boosters she got before). As she got ready, I was on the verge of crying. I had to kiss my baby one last time and turn away as Daddy held her down. Luckily Daddy thought ahead and we brought with us one of her favorite things to play with... DVDs! So he showed them to her as the nurse stabbed her poor baby legs. She did good with the first one, just alittle cry... the second came she cried alittle more... by the third she was doing the silent cry. We calmed her down as best as we could, then Daddy had to sit her up and hold her as the nurse stabbed her in the arm, thats when she lost it completely! Tears steamed down her red little face as she screamed in pain and our hearts broke into millions of pieces. I tried my best to distract her with the DVDs and even the lollipop she got from her birthday party. We turned her around and in went the needle into her other arm. She whaled in pain but thank goodness it was all over. Daddy held her and I talked to her... and eventually she began to calm down. The nurse was even heart broken and left to get her a sticker for being such a good girl. When she returned not only did she have a sticker but a two baby books for her to have. She commented on how well she did and finally Mia took to the candy. We had already changed her diaper and put her clothes back on after the doctor left so we were able to just walk out. She wouldn't let that lollipop out of her mouth and kept it there all the way back to the car. As we walked back to the car this Dad was behind us and asked if she just got her shots (she was covered in bandaids) we told him yes and he sympathized with us and said he cried when his little one got theirs. It definately is a hard thing to do, the hardest thing I ever had to do.
We got her in the car and it was HOT! especially inside (I sat in the back with her), of course we had to get every slow driver in front of us so our AC wouldn't work as good. Mia did well in the back as long as no one messed with her lollipop. We made it to the freeway with no problems, then I noticed the stick on her lollipop was getting soggy and flimsy. I didn't want her to choke on it so of course I had to do the mean Mama thing and take it away. She blew up! She cried so hard her little tounge was vibrating (Something I haven't seen since she was a tiny newborn). I quickly replaced her lollipop with some yogurt melts (her favorite) and she calmed down. After she got her fill I showed her the new books she got from the nurse and she perked up some. Even started jibber jabbering and talking again. Things looked on the up and up until......
Adrian asked me, "hey does that look like smoke from a fire up ahead?" I looked up, we were about 10 mins from home (Perris to be exact) sure enough there was a big cloud of black smoke "yea looks like it" and just then we hit a wall of dead stopped traffic! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! With no turn offs for a couple of miles, the heat rising and currently 106, the AC no longer putting out cool air I panicked! We prayed it wouldn't be something really bad and we would get going soon, but we had no such luck. Soon the air became hot and stale as the AC began just blowing around humid air since we weren't moving. Mia began to over heat and so was I. Little drops of sweat was all over her face and her hair looked like she just got out of the bath. I tried to give her some juice from the juice box I had but she didn't wait it. Then Daddy came to the resuce and offered up his ice water he had brought long with him. I found a staw in her diaper bag and gave it to her, she drank that. About 30 mins of waiting we finally made it to a random exit. We HAD to get off the freeway, the car was heating up and we had no air. The streets were jammed with cars since as it turns out they shut down the 215 south altogether. (A van ended up crashing, rolling over, caught on fire then exploded!! which explains the puff of black smoke we saw earlier). We were lost in Perris trying to find the highway 74 so we could take it to the 15 and go back home an alternate route. No such luck, we just ended up in tons of traffic on the streets from everyone trying to go the same way. Mia was really heating up and began crying. I tried to give her more ice water but then she started choking on it! She stopped breathing and I panicked! Within seconds she managed to get it down but screamed in terror afterwards. I didn't care about any laws or safety by then, I ripped her out of her car seat and held her comforting her. I took off her dress in attempts to cool her down, she was literally soaking in sweat by then. I calmed her down and just rocked her in my arms as we sat in street traffic. We couldn't even pull off anywheres it was so bad. Then we were forced to miss our freeway entrance and we ended up just driving. With blind faith we took some back roads with hopes something would look familiar real soon. If you know how our area is like, its kinda scary getting lost in the back areas, there is nothing but open land, dirt and moutains with little signs of people. The good thing was we were moving and the AC was finally blowing cooler air. The thermostate still read 106! I wasn't about to put Mia back in her car seat to over heat and just kept craddling her. Eventually she fell asleep in my arms and FINALLY we came across familiar streets. Then we ran into the biggest dust devil I have ever seen in my life! It was a tiny tornado of dust and dirty and it literally covered the whole freeway! I whipped out my camera and took a couple of pictures of it as we past by. Luckily we didn't have to go through it. As we took the back road towards our house we saw another big dust devil and I took more pictures. Then FINALLY we made it home! YAY! Phew what an trip, what was supposed to take 25-30 mins turned into a two hour disaster! Mia woke up once we got in the garage and Daddy took her inside as I unloaded the car. We changed her diaper and put on a marathon of Yo Gabba Gabba for her as a treat. I gave her more water and she slowly began to perk up.
Things looked good, she was once again in good spirits with no signs of pain, discomfort or sickness. She played, talked and danced. Adrian and I took turns on watching her and eventually it hit dinner time. I whipped up her dinner and she ate it and we watched more TV. Then she slowly started becoming whinier and whinier. She mood shifted from chipper to uncomfortable and upset. I think she started not feeling good. She kept crying for Mama so I got her and cuddled her with her blankey on the floor of the livingroom. I then put a onesie on her and gave her some tylonal. We cuddled alittle longer before I decided to put her to bed for some rest.
I wasn't sure how bedtime would go, especially since she wasn't feeling well from teething to begin with let alone these shots. I changed her diaper one last time before bed and she blew up as I laid her on the changing table. Daddy came in and started playing with her stuffed worm. She smiled alittle bit but then grabbed ahold of the worm and wouldn't let it go. She kept making it give her kisses! When I finished and picked her up she took the HUGE worm along with her. I told her she could sleep with it since it was a special day for her and upstairs we went. I turned on her night light, turned on her music and tiny fan and rocked her a bit. Then I laid her down and she just exploded! I didn't pick her back up but talked to her quietly next to her crib. Eventually she calmed down, but whenever I made any effort in leaving her room she would scream hysterically again. I knew she didn't feel good and didn't want to be left alone. So I went downstairs, grabbed the rocking chair and lugged it back upstairs and put it in her room. I grabbed this laptop with me and decided to sit with her and hope she would feel comfortable enough to go to sleep with me in the room.
At first she did good, just knowing I was there. I started this blog and talked to her whenever she started getting whiney. Then she kept crying on and off before Adrian finally came in. He suggested that I leave becaues maybe I was keeping her awake and doing more harm than good. I thought about it and reluctantly agreed. I packed up the laptop gave Mia a goodnight kiss and Daddy watched her while I left the room. Of course she went nuts after I left but Daddy calmed her down. I set up the laptop outside of her room in the tech center. Eventually Daddy left her room with her screaming and crying. My heart broke and tears welted in my eyes, I knew my little angel wasn't feeling well and didn't understand what was going on with her. Eventually she began to calm down and was quiet... then she exploded again into hyterics! Then the strangest thing happened...
Our cat, Princess Mew Mew (who really doesn't care for Mia at all!), walked into her room despite both Adrian and I trying to quietly shoo her away. Mia was still screaming as Adrian and I sat outside her room in the tech center. Then we heard the cat. Mew Mew started Meowing this strange loud meow to Mia. Mia screamed more and the cat meowed more. Soon Mia started calming down, and Mew Mew was calming her down in her own cat way. Almost like talking to her. Eventually Mia stopped! Adrian and I were both shocked! We couldn't believe what just happened. I got up and crawled on the floor quietly to Mia's room to spy and sure enough Mew Mew was sitting right in front of her crib as if guarding it. It was the cutest thing. I sat bad down and about 5 mins later Mia started screaming and crying again, and sure enough Mew Mew went back into her room and started meowing to her and it calmed Mia back down. I HAD to get this captured on video so I ran downstairs for my camera. As I came back up, Mew Mew had left Mia's room and was guarding it, as I walked by Mew Mew actually attacked my feet! and made me move away from the room so I did. Another few mins. past and Mia blew up again and there was Mew Mew to the resuce. I quickly grabbed my camera and went to her room, Mew Mew saw me and got all puffed out and shooed me away so I didn't get a chance to capture it. Ah well... After that Mia FINALLY fell asleep and here we are now! Mew Mew is sitting in front of her door right now.
Wow what a day. I am hoping Mia won't get really sick from her shots and feels better soon. Poor little munchkin... well I better go get some rest there is no telling how tonight will go.
