Back from the Doctors

O.K. so, today's entry might be a bit different since I am a bit worn out from the two hour trip Anna and I just took to the doctors. Don't get me wrong, I want my daughter to be healthy, I want her to be immunized, and I actually enjoy visiting with her doctor, this sweet old German man. Yet, it wears me out. The doctor's office is conveniently five minutes away from our house, so there is little trouble getting there. The receptionist was competent and friendly but, then there is the wait. Of course since we are new to the office the only time slot they had was 11:15 a.m., right when Anna eats and sleeps. So at first she trying to tumble out of my arms to crawl over to the tree house. Then when we finally get there the fun is only sustained for ten minutes when she stumbles after pulling herself up and bonks her head on the little step. As I scoop her up trying to distract her from the tears that inevitably come, she realizes she is tired and begins to whine. We look at a book, she whines when its done. We look at the Lion King mural, she whines. We try to find a clock in the waiting room quickly to find out that that element must have been forgotten in the kid-friendly design of this room. So, we play with the drinking fountain. Its amazing how the water disappears and comes back, I am so magical. Anyway, finally we are called back. Anna is o.k. with this new room, crinkly exam table paper, and a colorful mobile distract her sleepiness and hunger for a while. We jaunt down the hall to weigh and measure and are back. (Just a note: Anna no graces the growth chart at 5%...she's gained almost a full pound this past 3 weeks.) So the nurse leaves, promising we are next up on the doctor's docket and Anna and I look at each other. Toys! Yes there are new toys in this six by six exam room. We sit on the floor and pull them out. Anna is such a girl and goes right for the My Little Pony and tries to wash her hair with her spit. So that was the end of beauty shop with the my little ponies and on to the bead roller coaster. You know , the curving plastic-coated wires and the beads the cruise on through them, the toy that entertains children 6 mo to 12 years? Seriously, Harris still loves these. Anyway, that lasts another five minutes...in estimation. Oops! They left the clocks out of the exam rooms too. Anna then decides she's had it and we're up on our feet, looking at the mobile, scrunching the crunchy paper, and snorting. Yes, Anna loves to snort and she thinks it is funny when you mimic her. I always wonder what the people behind us in church think when all four of us are scrunching up our noses and Anna's laughing hysterically. Back to our six by six sanctuary. At this point I'm feeling a bit claustrophobic and ready to pound down the walls, but I notice the tongue depressors, I decide to use every pediatrician's favorite trick and give Anna a tongue depressor. She loves it until I sit down. She takes one look at the diaper bag with her x-ray vision, sees the bottle I packed for after her shot and squawks uncontrollably reaching for the bag. So, defeated, I get the bottle out I was saving for after her shots and give it to her. As soon as the bottle touches her lips, in jaunts our famous German Doctor. After gloating over her name (Nydegger, that wonderful European name) he gets down to business. A note here: to be fair to Dr. Kramer, he did spend a good deal of time with us and asked all the necessary questions, so I can't say he was in and out with a flash but, to make this a typical trip just insert that last phrase here. Anyway, Anna finished her bottle, smiles at the doctor, gets her length remeasured. Funny Dr.! He likes all the numbers to line up so, that Anna's percentage of length is greater than her height didn't sit well with him. So, he decides he wants to see if measuring her again will "shrink her", which it doesn't work. The nurse gives Anna her shot, Anna gives a little cry for dramatic emphasis, on with the clothes and out the door we go. Up in the main lobby I notice they didn't forget the clock here: it is now 1:00 p.m. The worst part of this trip is the guilt I feel in being a bit frustrated with the office. If this were Aaron, I would hope all his patients would be patient. So, I vow to next time try and rid myself of all impatience and become a patient patient. O.K.,sorry about the homonyms (what is the word if it sounds and looks alike? Is there one?), its a game Harris and I play.