Success!

I've had several of you ask when and how Shaelyn's blood test went, so I thought I'd do a quick update. We had scheduled to take Shaelyn in for the blood work last Tuesday, with a follow-up appointment on Thursday, but when she got sick with the puking bug going around, we moved it back to this week. She had her blood drawn today, and has her follow-up appointment scheduled with her pediatrician on Friday to make sure everything's OK.

This time, the blood test was a breeze! We were mentally (and me emotionally) prepared, Shaelyn is older so she can understand situations better and trusted us that this was a quick proceedure that would be over soon, and the techs were a trillion times better than last time. We called ahead to schedule a time when the "pediatric tech" would be in - part of my HUGE mistake last time. Michael came along to hold her down so I wouldn't have to. With my big preggo belly, emotional outbursts, and lack of strength, I was not a good candidate for the job. We had no wait to be seen, Shaelyn only wimpered in the lobby, and she did scream through the whole blood drawing part, but the tech was fast and efficient. This time Shaelyn had George with her to get her through it, Mommy there in her face telling her it was almost over, and Daddy's strong arms around her. The tech turned on a Winnie the Pooh mobile for Shaelyn to look at to distract her, and afterwards gave her a My Little Pony as a prize. Shaelyn calmed down immediately after the needle was out of her arm.

We treated Shaelyn to a family lunch at McDonald's, where she wolfed down her whole bag of fries and was brave enough to go in the play place all by herself. She climbed to the top and went down the slide 6 or 7 times. She did get "lost" in the maze once, and cried for us, so Michael went up to rescue her. The next time she was a little hesitant, so against Michael's urging me not to, I went up with her to reassure her she knew the way to the slide, and then she was good to go on her own again. And no, climbing to the top of the play place and sliding down the slide did not put me in labor...

She has no bruise on her arm and only a tiny prick mark where the needle went in. A night and day difference from my nightmare experience last year. Now we just have to see what the doctor says.