A new standard is set

Today has been so busy and its barely past 2pm! This morning I spent 29 minutes on hold for the pedicatricians office to get an appointment for Brielle. Then I spent 17 minutes on hold with my PCM to get and appointment for myself. By that time it was 45 minutes until I had to be at my appointment and I still needed a shower after yesterday mornings weight-lifting class. ( I know! Gross! Save your stinky comments, I am already aware of my current lethargy in personal grooming.) I manage to shower, dress both girls --with matching shoes, brush some mascarea on my lashes and even put a barrett in my hair. Brielle packed her packpack with books and candy and we were in the car and on time to our first appt at my doctors office.

First stop: My Doctors Office. Girls were good. We arrive and as the girls are getting out of the car and scampering up the walkway, Annaka trips. She scuffs up her little pudgey knee pretty good. "Yoook!! Dares bah-ludd on ma booboo!" I'm nervous this will taint all my previous efforts to make the busy morning go smoothy. We make it into the office and sit down. Brielle and I search for Tinkerbell fairies in her little book she brought while my youngest eats grapes from her lunch box. We get called in and wait in the exam room. Brielle compliments me on how good I do opening my mouth for the lady with the stick. Annaka spilled a few grapes in the exam room and revisited the need to whine about her scraped knee, which prompted 'momma Brielle' to produce a blue lollipop, from her bag of tricks, to calm her little sister. I do love it when they love each other! I have a nasty sinus infection, and pretty much the only safe meds during pregnancy are water and more water. However, I was given a perscription for an antibiotic "that should be Ok". I packed up my entourage and marched out. So far, so good. We re-examine a bright green dragon fly on the way back to the car and decide that he hasn't moved since we arrived, that he was dead. Brielle wanted to take him home and keep him, but I had to veto that. 1 hour down.

Next stop: Target Pharmacy. Seriously, where else can you get free popcorn (that is pretty tasty!) and great Halloween treats while waiting. Perscription gets dropped off, we get our popcorn and pay for some slushees. We roll through Halloween aisle with the huge double seater cart that he girls selected as their "house". They paw through all the costumes deciding what they will be this year. (I didn't remind them that they both already have costumes at home. Why spoil their good fun?) Annaka wants to be Abby Cadabby and Brielle wants to be a dragon. Hmmm...let me not try to evaluate the meaning behind these choices. We select a pumpkin nightlight for their room as a compromise for leaving their choice costumes until they go on sale, after Halloween. Now its time to get the meds we need and move out. We spend an all-time-low of $18 at Target and continue onto the pediatrician. Girls were great. I am a very proud Momma!! Another hour down.

Next stop: Pediatrician's Office. Brielle decides to leave her backpack in the car, but that they should each bring their babydolls into the office. I forget to sign in and we wait about 10 minutes before I realize my error. Oopps. Brielle's name is called and we are shown to an exam room. The nurse takes a strep culture and Brielle seriously spits on the poor girl. Those Q-tips were really long! We wait in an 8 by 8 ft room for about 45 minutes for the doctor to arrive on the scene. I have used up every "find this in the magazines" that I could and we had used the bathroom and washed our hands twice. The girls are getting really restless and hungry by now. Me too, I might add. The popcorn and slushees we had at Target were small and apparently not very filling. Annaka has unrolled almost the entire roll of exam-table-paper, and Brielle is playing bumper cars with the wall and the doctors rolly stool. I can't imagine what it sounded like to the staff on the other side of the closed door. Annaka finds a pen in my purse and colors the exam table and her leg before I realize what is happening. (She was quiet, and I was busy winning Simon says against Brielle.) The doc comes in. Strep test is negative. Brielle gets another little exam, and the diagnosis is that she has post-nasal drainage. No meds needed, a coolmist humidifier, and propped up sleeping position is recommended. Great. I start packing up. Then the doc mentions they have flu shots available if I want the girls to have them. I say yes, we will take them. Afterall, I wanted to get someting accomplished after this grueling 45 minute wait. She leaves, and it takes the nurse another 30 minutes to come back with the shots! At this point I was exhausted, and feeling a little like a prisoner in that tiny room with 2 girls and no toys. I have briefed Brielle about the shot. She does not want it. I didn't waste time trying to explain to Annaka, she would follow Brielle's lead I knew. When the nurse arrives, I ask Brielle to go first and remind her that if she does not throw a fit she can have her choice of lunch menus. She is brave initially, then the second nurse begins to hug/hold her and she gets nervous. As soon as the nurse begins to insert the needle she jerks her arm and breaks the needle off. Oopps! Since there is a little scrape across her upper arm, they give her a bandaid with bunnies on it and all is good. She thinks she is done. Not so. To get her to take the shot in the second arm was a little trickier. She cried a little, until she saw the shiney silver star shaped bandaid she was getting over her injection site. Ahhh, God bless girly vanity! Now it was Annaka's turn. She strips off her shirt and announces she is a big girl. I am impressed. Her shot is adminstered without even a flinch from her little precious body. While they are applying her star bandaid she turns to me and says " I did-int cwwy. I a big guurrl." I was really surprised. Even Brielle had to ask " Did Annaka get the same shot as me?" Finally, we are leaving. The girls take great pride in selecting their stickers on the way out and we are on our way to lunch.

Next Stop: Dairy Queen. Brielle orders a cookie dough blizzard for lunch with nothing else. Annaka chooses ice cream with lots of sprinkles. I order a cheeseburger combo. Just a note to all of you , who- like me were unaware, Dairy Queen makes crappy food but fabulous ice cream. I think the girls enjoyed their lunches. I did not. Brielle is quick to add that every time we get shots we should have ice cream as our next meal. I am afraid a standard has been set. We will trade-off good nutrition for projected good health in vaccines. Oh well. Worse decisions have certainly been made by this mom.