I took Sam to his four-year checkup last week. This is the first time in quite awhile that I don't have kids due for any shots other than the flu shot, so I was really relaxed about this visit. Anna had her well-check a few days prior, and while she didn't like being examined too well, she did great.
At the end of Sam's appointment, the doctor started talking about the mumps outbreak in Iowa earlier this year. He said because some of these supposedly-non-existent diseases are making a comeback (probably because so many people aren't vaccinating anymore), doctors are giving the 5-year shots at age 4. Sam was going to need 3 shots this time around!
Sam was really easy-going about it -- I told him was going to get some shots and he just said, "Okay."
I don't think he understood what that meant.
The nurse only came in with two syringes. I thought perhaps the orders got changed, so I didn't mention anything. Sam was really calm until the first one started stinging -- by that time she already had the second one in. I just melted watching his face change from total calm to tears. It took him a few minutes to settle down.
Then they came back and said he was supposed to get one more. Plus the flu shots hadn't arrived yet. We agreed that he could get those two together another time -- I just couldn't drag this out into three different sessions.
(I of course believe it's totally worth a few minutes of tears to avoid the days and days of serious illness. These diseases are bad, even causing death or permanent damage/disability, depending on where they settle in the body. Having sat at the bedside of deathly ill child before, I do everything in my power to prevent the preventable.)
So moms of children under aged 4, be prepared. This year they may start doing the dreaded 5-year shots a year early.
P.S. Tomorrow is the big flu-shot day. I'm hoping to get all three kids done in one fell swoop. Will bribing with chocolate work, I wonder?
