To the Doctor's We Go

Since today is Day 19 of Abby's "tummy troubles", we decided that a trip in to see the doctor was in order. Abby is no stranger to the doctor's office. In fact, I'm sort of on a first name basis with the receptionist. We were careful when choosing her pediatrician, we wanted someone with a good reputation, and someone we could trust. We found that in Dr. Tim. Abby loves Dr. Tim, so much so that there are times when she will ask to go see him, even when she isn't sick.

From the very beginning he was the only one that could get Abby to sit still for exams, and the only one that Abby would let anywhere near her ears. For some reason having that scope pushed into her ears was terribly frightening for her. There were times (when we weren't able to see Dr. Tim) that she would scream so hard that she would break blood vessels in her face. No amount of cajoling or threatening would work. So, we would grit our teeth and hold her down - sometimes while I cried along with her.

In the in-between times we would play doctor at home, using her play stethoscope and otoscope to check out her dolls, Mom, and herself. Along the way she learned that these initial checks were not something to be afraid of, that they didn't hurt, and actually, they tickled just a bit.

Today, as I made sure to put her hair up (for easier access), it was nice to know that she was going in prepared. We got there and she was all smiles. It seemed to be infectious, because as she happily jumped on the scale and raised her arm with enthusiasm for the thermometer the nurse smiled, commenting that none of the other kids she'd seen today were quite that happy to begin their appointment.

While we waited for the nurse practitioner (Dr. Tim was on vacation - how sad!), Abby played doctor and gave me a quick once over (which included a couple of hard raps on my knees - to check my reflexes, you know) before moving on to her pretend friends that I hadn't realized we'd brought along. Abby was excellent for the exam and only made Nurse Sue jump once when she started laughing, instead of crying, when it came to her ears. I couldn't help but watch her and think about how incredibly far we have come.

The consensus was that we needed to do a bit of testing, so tomorrow we are off to the diagnostic center. For now though, I am happy with Abby's great day and how wonderfully she has conquered a fear of hers.

As we were leaving she wanted to double check with me that we could indeed head to the store for a surprise, that she had been a brave, good girl. I assured her that we were golden, and that once again I was very, very proud of her.

Dr. Abby models her lovely gloves!

What a difference! There was a time when there
was no way that she would be up on that table.
Today she climbed up there all on her own.

When we got home from the store she stood in
front of the "picture tree" and waited. She wanted
a picture with her new doll.