Swelling with Pride

We have this nasty cold and cough circulating in our apartment. We have meds up the wazoo being distributed, humidifiers running, tissue boxes in every possible corner.

Last night, Bella was clearly having a hard time sleeping because of it so first thing this morning I took her to get checked out. Turns out she has croup. Nothing we can't get through.

The doctor visit itself was interesting. When she was done with Bella, I asked if she thought I should wait to get Benny's flu shot, let all the yuckiness disappear maybe. She told me that there were already flu cases in Iowa and that, since we go with the injection which is dead, we should go ahead and do it now.

The following was Benny's discussion about this decision:

Benny says, "No thank you. I don't like shots."
Doctor: "Well buddy, this one is going to help you so you don't get sick and feel yucky!"
Benny: "But I don't want a shot!!"
Doctor: "You know, there are some pretty cool Halloween stickers out front you can pick after your shot!"
Benny: "I don't celebrate Halloween."

Doctor: "That's true. There are some really nice pumpkin stickers in honor of the fall out there. I love the fall!"

Benny: "Non-Jews celebrate Halloween, but we're Jewish so we don't!"

Doctor: "I know, everyone has their own beliefs and religions! I bet you have some really amazing holidays you do get to celebrate!"
Benny: "Well, I really like Purim!!"

Doctor: "There, see, that sounds like a cool holiday!"
Benny: "I mean, I have a buzz lightyear costume, and a fireman costume, and a construction man, and a super hero, and a iron man. Those are all my costumes for Purim. Well, I really have a lot more but those are my favorites!"

Doctor: "I'm going to go tell Lois (the nurse) to come in with the shot now Benny"

Benny: "I'm going to let Bella have the shot."
Doctor: "Bella actually already got her flu shot. She was here a few weeks ago and we gave her one then!"
Benny: "But this is HER appointment! She needs to get the shot!"

The doctor walks out of the room and Benny dives under the nearest chair. "I'm going to hide here Mommy, I really don't want the shot." I bent down and reminded him I was the one asking for it so telling me where he was hiding wouldn't really help.

After he got the shot, which he REALLY was not happy about, the nurse apologized to him, saying it was for his good health and such.

He stopped at the sticker stand, reminding Bella not to pick a Halloween one. He managed to finagle an Angry Birds sticker, we are not big fans of the game for kids (although Shuky and I love playing it!) and he knows that, but he worked those tear filled eyes and got one.

In the car, he let me know how upset he was at me that he wasn't supposed to get a shot and how much his arm was hurting. "But she apologized so that made me feel a little bit better. But YOU made me get a shot!!"

And now, both kids are snoozing in their car seats and I'm sitting in the car writing this. :)