Tag Archives: vaccine

When Do Kids Remember the Doctor’s Office?

05/16/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

Getting older isn’t always all fun and games. At least, not when you have a visit to the doctor’s office on the agenda, no thanks to Mom and Dad. Our unsuspecting Avery found this out firsthand when we met Going Mom at the doctor’s for her 18 month checkup.

As I was driving, I wondered if Avery would remember the place where shots are given and have a change in her mood. I think I got my answer soon after walking in with my wife…

Yeah, she wasn’t getting the “good vibes” and I could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she flashed back to previous visits.

That was her 5 month vaccination trip. As you can tell, we had a grand ol’ time! She definitely remembers that platform. Before there were even shots in sight, Avery freaked as we set her down just to get measurements. 21.6 pounds and 32 inches of pure ~~terror~~ love.

What looks like a needle is just the nurse’s pen, if you were wondering. She seemed to calm down after realizing it was just a routine head circumference and length measurement that the nurse wanted and no shots…..yet. We let her roam around the room to explore as we both pulled out our phones to take pictures.

Pictures in the doctor’s office are always a must. So many emotions to capture! We even took turns holding our sweet girl having the other take pictures.

I had to tickle her for that priceless smile. Then it was time for the shot. Only one, but it may as well of been fifty; she was irate. With the pitch of an opera singer, Avery let out screams of disapproval as she was held down on the ~~soft and foamy platform~~ torture bed.

It really must feel like torture when you’re being held down against your will, huh? What kind of people are we?! Oh yeah, just the typical parents. Actually, there would be more shots if we followed the typical vaccination schedule, but since we’re not bombarding her all at once with shots, she should thank us. Maybe right after this stick….

If you can’t tell, this is the exact moment the needle entered her upper quad region. Poor thing, that opera singer would be envious if she heard the screams emanating from the tiny room in the doctor’s office. There’s nothing like the comfort of Mom to make things better though.

18 Month Check Up Crying with Mommy — At least pull my pants back up!!

Well, that and a Cookie Monster sticker from the receptionist.

Just to make sure all is well in the world again, Kelley came back to the car to nurse Avery before she had to go back to work. Nursing right after getting shots is something she has done each time, and it is the perfect way to comfort your upset child.

I love how adamant Going Mom is about making sure Avery is calm and happy; such a wonderful Mommy! And wife! Today we are off to celebrate a neighbor’s 1 year old birthday party and then a belated Mother’s Day with our families. Looking forward to a good day and hopefully more ass healing!

At what age did your kids start to recognize the doctor’s office?

Any big plans for the weekend or just keeping it low key?

Parenting

Are You For or Against Vaccines?

10/11/2014 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

I just read this post from Modern Alternative Momma questioning if getting a vaccine or if sickness is safer for children and found it very interesting and informative.

We are following a revised vaccine schedule for Avery. What do you think about this post?

Parenting

Weekend Recap: Breaking Bad, She Rolled Over, 4 Month Shots Delayed, and Teething

03/18/2014 R.C. Liley 8 Comments

Hey there! Wonder why I’m posting a weekend recap on Tuesday? Well, because Kelley took off Monday to spend time with Avery and me and to go with us to her 4 month wellness check. So it was just a three day weekend for us. Even as a stay-at-home parent, I still love these!

Avery and Mommy with our fat cat photo bombing

After getting Avery to sleep on Friday night, we kicked off the weekend by watching 3 of the 6 episodes of “Breaking Bad” we had left. Geez, it was hard to not keep going, but hey, we’re responsible parents and knew we should rest instead.

Speaking of responsible, we finished the last of the episodes while having Avery with us during the day on Saturday. That’s not wrong, right? She was very demanding of attention, but luckily she accepted being pushed in front of the T.V. and playing peek-a-boo with daddy. And wow, what a great ending for “Breaking Bad!”

Crying or laughing? Couldn't figure it out.... — Crying or laughing? Couldn’t figure it out….

We also made Avery suffer through watching Mom and Dad do a workout video together just like last weekend.

On the food front, I was able to roast a big batch of Brussels sprouts and garlic. I added nothing, just put them on a baking sheet and popped them in the oven at 365 degrees for 50 minutes. I love these things!

Then I cooked several servings of egg whites and turkey patties to last me through most of the week. I didn’t add anything to them while cooking, but always go herb and spice overboard when preparing a meal with them. Tip: adding salsa and/or brown mustard is a great way to quickly add nutritious flavor that won’t weigh you down. Also, try using salsa as salad dressing instead of those rich, creamy dressings loaded with oil.

On Sunday our little girl had one of many “firsts” by rolling over during Tummy Time! Being the new parents that we are, we acted as if she just busted out break dancing! That’s a fun visual……

Anyway, apparently Avery already talked about her first rolling over experience, so this may be nothing new to you. This whole weekend she’s really increased verbally too, and is making the cutest gurgle-like coos ever. Man we love our daughter!

Monday meant it was time for Avery’s 4 month wellness check, so we headed off to the doctor’s office. Once there, they couldn’t find us scheduled and it turned out that when Kelley made the appointment back in early February, they accidently entered February 17^th instead of March 17^th. Oops! So Avery got to skip her shots…..for a few days. We rescheduled for this Thursday which ended up being better since our doctor will be back in town anyway.

Kelley was a little bummed since she can’t take off again, but since we are doing the revised vaccination schedule as recommended by Dr. Sears, she’ll have more chances to join us!

The revised vaccination schedule just spreads the vaccines out so your baby isn’t overwhelmed with so many chemicals in the body at once. The end result is the same, just more doctor visits to get there. Considering my stay-at-home status, this won’t be an issue and we hope Avery benefits from our decision.

Starting just this weekend, Avery has been having completely random bouts of screaming and crying for quite a while and then she’ll go back to smiling eventually. We get she’s a baby and will do completely random things, but that’s just, well……random.

During one of her screaming spells, I sat there holding her while looking in her mouth and I’m pretty sure I see two little teeth working their way out on the top and one on the bottom. She’s been chewing, drooling, and coughing for a few weeks now, but with teeth poking through her gums, she is not happy!

We’ve been keeping her Baltic Amber necklace on all the time now, and I am hopeful it’s keeping her from being in even more pain. I’ll keep a close eye on those teeth and update you soon!

We ended our Sunday with another round of Tummy Time. This time, she had her cloth diaper on which made it more challenging, but after a struggle, she made the roll! Then we put her back on her stomach for another try and this really ticked her off, but she did it once more!

We are so proud of Avery and I enjoyed this long weekend with my girls. Now we only have 4 days until Kelley can join us once more! Plus we have some fun things to try with Avery that I’ll let you know about soon!

Are you a “Breaking Bad” fan?

Have you heard of/followed the Alternative Vaccine Schedule?