"Blooding"

This morning mommy had a doctors appointment... a "PHYSICAL" yikes! I know you both had yours last week (and yes I'm just realizing now that I never blogged about that...) I will get up on it. So, this "physical" if you will, brought about quite interesting conversation. Last night we discussed that mommy is "fasting" for the appointment, well what is fasting was naturally the question that followed. Turns out that's a word you really hadn't been exposed to. When I asked what you thought it was, G thought it was when you run fasting others. To which K quickly interjected with, "actually you mean, you run past". K said she believes it meant when you need to do something real quick, "you do it fasting," was her exact example of the use. Well, when I told you it actually meant, no eating for a while. You were horrified! Why, oh why would they do this to you mommy? Gg shed a few tears for my grumbling hungry belly. Why would you let them? Why can't you have some of your yummy gross gluten free crackers? (Yummy gross - always cracks me up.) When will it be over... (over being extremely exaggerated by Kk)? Once I told you after my blood was drawn then I could eat, you both seemed satisfied with that answer. Now... this brought up a whole 'nother issue - blood. Blood draw... not.cool.at.all. This mama is not a fan of needles (I mean who is?) but, the memory of a Spring day so long ago in May sprang to mind. The little diddy goes like this: G is fascinated with blood -- I believe she is going to be either an animal expert of sorts or a blood doctor for many -- the blood intrigue began many moons ago. Anytime anyone had a cut or a scrap where blood was involved that girl was over there to observe. She called it "blooding, not bleeding" -- I love the phrase "blooding" and sometimes I catch myself saying it because it's so endearing. When G was just a spry little 3 years old, quick as a whip and not letting a thing be missed! We had to go to the hospital every 6 months for Kk to have her blood drawn because at the time she was taking seizure medication and that required some blood. I will never forget that fateful day, actually the first time Gg had ever seen Kk had her blood drawn. Kk was a little squirmy that day and since I had Gg with me all by my lonesome; trying to be all "mommy does it all" with my purse full of books & toys and doing some magical mommy tricks; pulling suckers out of my pockets like a magician pulls rabbits out of hats to calm the fussy and ease the soul of the scared, we did a first together the three of us that unusually warm day in May - we managed an appointment the three of us. Now, Kk is truly the patient here - but one thing that baby girl was - was brave! She had been poked more than a pin cushion at this point. With Kk on my lap and suckin away on her sucker pleased as punch "she got a red, see, hee hee a red for me." When Gg seen the needle - she was sitting in the stroller - she got extremely quiet, mind you Gg was a chatter box, I mean chatter, chatter, chatter... no break for a breath sometimes making me wonder how is she able to do that - maybe she'll be an opera singer ( it was so quiet that the tech in the next booth over peeked her head around to make sure no one passed out) Kk just sat there; letting the tech poke her tiny arm- that's when Gg seen the blood being drawn into the vial. Without missing a beat Gg shrieks, "Kk is blooding, mama why is Kk blooding." She pointed with her sucker stick in between that gap in her front teeth - and she's pointing. I told her, "Kk is doing great, look at her smile." But then Kk got a little freaked out and moved when Gg shrieked. Luckily the tech and I had a firm grip but it wasn't enough to keep the needle from losing the vein. The tech had nearly filled the vial and I told her that had to be enough because we're not poking Kk again. The tech said, "okay but you might have to come back". I told her "so be it". Well, the "blooding" had ended and Gg seemed satisfied with Kk getting a sticker for her bravery AND (I capitalize to show the emphasis of how important an 'and' really is to a child) another sucker. Yes Kk ended up with two suckers. Now, the most precious moment took place... on my lap, from the lips of my little pin pricked 4 year old, she says to the tech; "Can my Gg have sucker too, she didn't get a poke. But she was a good girl." The tech smiled and said, "you pick it out". So Kk picked out a 'good girl' sucker for Gg at the blood draw lab. My one little poke today, brought back that faint yet, seems like yesterday memory. I will never forget the tone used when Gg shrieked, or when Kk asked for a good girl sucker for Gg. I sit here thinking back; even with all the stuff we've endured... we might be doing something right. Maybe.