The Cardinal Rule of Motherhood
It never ceases to amaze me, this motherhood gig.
Just when you think you have it all figured out (and trust me, when you have six kids people think you have it all figured out – LOL) God throws you a curve ball. He would be a helluva pitcher in the major leagues.
Pardon the pun.
Today sweet Gianna turned two weeks old. How did that even happen? Here she is in all her cuteness. H/T to my sorority sister and sweet friend Shannon for coming to the house last Friday and snapping some a-dorable photos.
Because Anna-Laura had a well check today and Gianna was with us, I asked if we could do a weight check. Fortunately for us, Gianna passed her one-week visit so beautifully (she was one ounce shy of gaining back birth weight) that we got the pass until the two-month mark. But, as a worried momma, I wanted to check and see if she was, indeed, packing on the ounces.
Anna-Laura’s visit went wonderfully until the doctor mentioned that we needed to do a quick blood draw. It had been a while since we’d checked all her levels and blood panels, so we decided today was a good day. Except, this. We don’t have a real stellar record when it comes to blood and hospitals. She’s a queasy one and I knew I needed to be on guard. It figures that just as the tech comes to get her, G starts screaming her head off.
Stellar timing, girlfriend.
So, while I bounced one in my left arm, I grabbed Anna-Laura’s hand with my right and instructed her to look at me, DON’T LOOK AT THE BLOOD COMING OUT OF YOUR BODY. Look. At. Me.
She did not look at me.
We walked out of the lab and over to the scales. Gianna gained an impressive amount, now at 7.2 pounds. I asked Anna-Laura, twice, to hand me her onesie. She gave me a spacey look, handed it over and then proceeded to nail her head on the scale and fall into a heap in my arms.
Oh y’all. This was a sight. I’ve got one hand on the screaming newborn, another hoisting up my nearly 60-pound kid and desperately looking for a nurse. I finally just resorted to a, “Can somebody help me here?”
Four nurses, a wheelchair ride, two blood pressure checks, a nursing session for the bebe, a bottle of apple juice and a squeeze from the pediatrician later we were on our way back to school. Note to self: avoid the blood draw, bring some apple juice and have my falling arms ready.
Motherhood. Always an adventure.
This is why I scheduled a 4 year checkup on a day my husband could take off from work, so he can hold a crying child after 4 vaccinations and a blood draw. When our 4th child turned four, #5 was 6 days old, and I said, “Ah…HELL NO.” So my hubby took our sweet boy who did just fine and got McDonald’s to go afterwards, and I got to stay home in bed with the newborn. I learned my lesson after #3 when it took me and 2 nurses to hold her down for the needle!
Good grief! What a day! I hope everyone has recovered.
I can just picture it. What you may think is a simple trip to the doctor’s office, turns into chaos. Glad all is well, Sounds like you needed a nap after the adventure!
Life is just one big adventure for Team Whitaker! Hope you got to rest after that!!!
V
I so enjoy your blog. This kind of everyday stuff is why all moms deserve a medal of honor 🙂
[…] I turned to see a ridiculous amount of blood and my ten-year-old, aka Mr. ER, walking toward me crying. He was covered in blood from head to waist. When I say covered, I mean it. He was starting to freak the other kids out. My eyes immediately turned toward Anna-Laura, and both Scott and I instructed her to turn around. She doesn’t have a super fabulous record with blood. […]
[…] Really, I couldn’t have been prouder of her. She overcame a huge fear and only winced, never cried (or fainted) when those needles went through her ears, one at a time. Keep in mind, this is the kid who fainted at the hospital in front a neurosurgeon AND when Gianna had her first well-check. […]