My First Outing with A & P Alone

My first outing with Austen and Peyton together was to the doctor for Austen's three-year check up. Admittedly, I was a little nervous about taking them both together. First, because the doctor's office is in the city and there is a lot of busy streets and traffic where Austen had to listen to me and either hold my hand or hold the stroller and second, the last two times Austen had been to the doctor's office, he got shots (seasonal flu and H1N1) so I thought there wasn't a chance that I would get off without any drama at this visit.

I prepared Austen, telling him he'd have to be good. And, like most mothers, I bribed him. I told him if he was good, he'd get to watch a video (something he always asks to do and isn't always permitted). Things went well initially. I got the stroller set up, Peyton in the stroller, Austen out and we walked into the doctor's office without incident. Even when the doctor asked for a urine sample, Austen calmly proclaimed he could do it. So off we went - me, Peyton and Austen into the small cramped bathroom to pee in a cup. However, once in there, Austen insisted he doesn't pee in a cup, he pees in the toilet so I had to lower the cup as far as possible into the toilet so he would go. After the task was complete and I was juggling Austen, Peyton and the pee to the lab around the corner (I didn't spill!), we were told to go to the exam room. That's where the drama started.

Austen wouldn't go in. He heard other kids crying and he planted his feet outside the exam room and refused to budge. The nurse came in and told me to get him stripped down to his underwear. I parked Peyton's stroller in the corner, thanking her silently for being asleep and went to grab Austen from the hall. After a few minutes of talking to him, I realized he was not going to cooperate and I couldn't rationalize with him and make his fears go away. I then had to just start undressing him against his will. He was crying and shaking uncontrollably. The nurse and I couldn't even get him to step on the scale to be weighed let alone stand to get his height. He was that scared. The doctor heard the commotion and thankfully came in and rescued the nurse and me. He managed somehow to calm Austen down (I guess that's why he's a pediatrician) and Austen's loud sobs became quiet hiccups. My heart went out to my poor little guy. He was sitting on my lap during his exam and I could feel the sweat escaping from his armpits - that's how terrified he was.

Well, he made it through the exam and so did I. We even managed to get him to stand on the scale and get him measured at the end (33 pounds, 37 inches tall). His reward was no shots at this visit and mine was making it through my first outing with Austen and Peyton alone even though it was a challenging one.