18 Month Checkup and Torture Session

This morning Rebecca had her 18 month well exam. Her "stats" are as follows-- weight: 24 lbs 10 oz (50-75th percentile) height: 33 inches (75-90th percentile), head circumference: 19 inches (90th percentile).

Joel had asked me to ask Rebecca's doctor to draw a couple labs to check her iron levels (as part of Joel's ongoing paranoia about iron deficiency anemia). Given Rebecca's love of milk and carbohydrates and her pretty much universal disdain for every other food item that might possibly contain iron including but not limited to any type of meat or vegetable, I thought this might be a reasonable request.

Unfortunately, in addition to the unscheduled blood work, Rebecca was also scheduled for two vaccinations today. So after the physical exam (during which she kicked and screamed and cried) she got two shots which made her kick and scream and cry some more. Then, as if that weren't enough trauma for one day, it took two nurses plus myself to hold her down for the blood draw. She screamed during the needle stick, while I was getting her dressed, all the way out to the car, and all the way to day care.

When I got home I called Joel and told him that the next time he wants Rebecca to have blood drawn he can be one of the three people holding her down, not me!