Kelly did pretty well, all things considered. She did get very upset again, crying and screaming as soon as they weighed her, but this appointment didn't last nearly as long as the last one, so it was over shortly after it began, which was awesome.
Her pediatrician didn't find anything with her ears this time, so the infection that she had cleared up with the antibiotics. Her mouth, throat, lungs, heartbeat, everything was normal, so that was good. The doctor thinks it's probably a combination of getting four big molars at once as well as the continued adjustment that is probably the culprit for her sleeping poorly.
I have to tell you all a little secret I discovered though. Has anyone heard of the "Happiest Baby on the Block"? Someone at church mentioned it to me last weekend, and she didn't say much, but the one thing I remembered her telling me was that the author recommends a noise maker with "white noise" for helping babies sleep. She told me her son slept terribly, but after she got the noise maker, he sleeps great now and is much happier in general. So I wasn't sure about spending the money on a noise maker- I figured I'd wait and talk to the doctor first, to rule out any other problems before I went that route, and then if nothing proved to be bothering her, I'd try it. But good old Clint- he doesn't mess around! After I told him about it yesterday, he decided to go out last night and get us a noise maker!
Guess what??!! We used it last night- and Kelly slept all night! I only heard her once, but when I went in to check on her, she was asleep. I guess she just made a little noise in her sleep.
Then today at nap time, I had it on, and she slept for an hour and ten minutes, which is double the time her naps have been! She only woke up because Camryn accidentally slammed her door, and even the noise maker couldn't drown it out, but still, I was just very thankful that this noise maker seems to be helping. I have no idea of the philosophy behind the noise maker... I ordered the "Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD (don't have time to read the book right now!) so I'm looking forward to finding out more about the psychology behind it.
Okay, back to the appointment!
We had to have some tests done on Kelly to make sure she's all healthy, so they had to draw blood. Oh, was I ever anxious about that! Camryn had been to that same lab a few months back and the lady who drew her blood was terrible! When we checked in, I told the gentleman at the counter that I didn't know the lady's name, but there was one lady who drew my older daughter's blood who I DID NOT want to draw Kelly's blood. He asked me what she looked like. I told him I didn't remember much except that she had red, shoulder-length hair. He said, "Did she look mean and evil?" I was taken aback by that comment and didn't know if he was serious or what, so I just said, "Well, I can tell you that she told my daughter, 'There's no easy way to do this,' and stuck her, then when she basically ripped the tourniquet off, it snapped back and hit Camryn on the arm, right where she had just drawn the blood." I told him Camryn's a pretty tough cookie, but this woman reduced her to tears and I did NOT want her near my baby.
He said, "Oh yeah, I know who you're talking about. Don't worry, she's not working today." I told him I didn't know whether or not to take him seriously when he said that about her looking "mean and evil" and he and the lady sitting at the counter next to him looked at eachother knowingly and he said, "Oh yeah, she's pure evil." The lady sitting next to him nodded to me- I was just astonished. I guess she must be pretty bad for them to be so bold in telling someone they don't know from Adam something like that.
So anyway, the lady that did draw Kelly's blood was awesome. She was very gentle and made sure she got the best vein. She only had to stick her once- it was quick and as soon as she got the blood she needed, she bandaged her, gave her a sticker, and sent us on our way. Kelly did scream, of course, but she got over it quickly and was a very happy baby once we left the building!
Phew! I'm just glad it's over and we got through the day! Kelly bounced back much more quickly than she did at her last appointment, so I think that's a good sign that she's adjusting well, and like my sister said, just a testament of Kelly's strong spirit and amazing ability to overcome.
Another quick note now that it's the next day... Kelly slept again, THROUGH THE NIGHT, with that white noise machine! YIPPEEEE!!!!!
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