My Big Brave Girl

Today I had to take Paige back to our GP for a follow up appointment after she had finished all her antibiotics, and while I was there I was going to get Summer's 18 month Chicken Pox needle and I had a blood test request form for Paige as well so I thought Id get everything done at once, however, Summer's needle got postponned till tomorrow as our GP doesnt give the injections himself, the practice nurse does them but she wasnt there today.

It was probably a good thing as Summer wouldve screamed, hell, when my Dr entered the room she took one look at him and started crying.  Anyhoo, after Paige got the all clear and Summer had her ears and throat checked, we went thru to the pathology department and got Paige's thyroid function blood test organised.  Her paed also ordered a test for gluten intolerance as well as I had suspected she may have Coeliac disease, but he seems to think she is fine there, but just to get it in case.

Paige sat on my lap and the nurses tried to find a vein in her little arm.  Her veins arent as prominent as mine, no one has a problem trying to find a vein in my arms.  They found one and one nurse kept her occupied while the other one inserted the needle, and she didnt so much as flinch.  There was no tears, no screaming, no squirming.  She was so, so brave, I was so proud of her.  She has only ever had 3 blood tests in her life and this was the third one.  I was so proud of how she handled it.

It got me thinking to when she was 6 months old and when she had her duct closure.  She was such a good little girl.  My grandmother was cradling her in her arms and she was so tiny, in her little hospital gown.  She was beyond hungry as she had her last bottle at 5.30am, so she was sucking the life out of her dummy.  She didnt cry or whine because she was hungry, it was like she knew she was going to have an operation.  Even after the proceedure itself, there were other children in the recovery ward, screaming and crying in pain and because they were scared, but Paige was so brave, she was too busy rolling around and gurgling and babbling at the nurses.

Same as when she had her grommets put into her ears last year, it was like nothing had happened, she was just so brave. I couldnt be more proud or more happy of my big brave girl.