I'm the opposite of moderate.

[raybear]

In my quest for a nomination for the Best Uncle of the Year, I went with cocolola and IX to the hospital for a blood draw today. The children's hospital lobby feels like the children's museum, but the basement feels pretty much exactly like a basement, even if there is a mcdonald's down a corridor. (How wrong is it to have this fast food establishment in a children's hospital?!?) The little lobby for the laboratory was more cheery, has a giant tv and some toys and mini-chairs, but the draw rooms are right there, just behind a door. There was a 2-3 year old girl there, who I first noticed because of her super stylish and cute outift, who went in for a blood draw and she was not having a good time. It was a pretty intense scream muffled, so I'm sure inside the room it was even more so, and I felt very sad for her. As soon as the door opened, she came out clutching her stickers, face still gooey from tears, and immediately stood at the mini-table where I was sitting in a mini-chair that announced to mommy that she wanted to color. Her mom was like, no, we can leave now, we don't have to stay, let's go get some food. But she kept insisting she needed to color right then, and pulled her book out of the stroller and opened it to the page she wanted. I really loved that she was so clear about what she wanted to do to feel better after the trauma of the needle pricks, and communicated it so clearly. Her mother was just sort of incredulous and gently gathered her up and left, but that made me sad, I was wishing she could have sat there for a few minutes first and colored. After they left, I was alone in the lobby and then I could hear IX making similar sad sounds. Coco came out looking equally teary from the experience. And then they had to do it a second time! It was all very sad in that way that makes your heart ache. Especially given that the method for getting baby's blood is to prick their heel then squeeze it out. (Sorry, if you're squeamish, I didn't expect to just go there, it just came out.)

Afterwards, we got lunch takeout from America's Dogs and I got an all-natural hot dog which tasted good, but was gray. I mean, this makes sense -- its all natural, all beef, and beef is gray when cooked, like hamburgers, etc. But still, it weirded me out. I just looked up at the ceiling the whole time I ate it. Which really was only about 45 seconds, I was quite hungry.

Comments

[blasfemmey.livejournal.com]

awwww, those little baby heels. little sweet soft things. i just love 'em. i am SURE you were uncle of the year before the umbilical cord was cut!

[masscooper.livejournal.com]

Speaking of necessary but awful childhood medical experiences: my sister had a root canal when she was like, 4. She totally freaked out at the dentist when they were trying to give her Novocaine and bit the anesthesiologist (or someone). Really hard. I've always felt really proud of her for getting one good shot in. Maybe that says more about my feelings about the dentist than anything else, but there you have it.

[sorting-laundry.livejournal.com]

We had to take our youngest in for a blood draw every day for a week when he was a newborn, because he had jaundice. I probably hated it more than the baby did (if that's even possible). Squeezing the blood out of the heel seems so barbaric, though I know there is probably a "good" reason for doing it that way.

My sympathies to the new parents.

-k

[keetbabe.livejournal.com]

so sweet you are... it's tough to watch babies and young kids get stuck. unfortunately i see it all the time. but it's the parents who have the tougher time of it, truly.

[anjiyama.livejournal.com]

That is sad, interesting story. I like when you eat the hot dog looking up at the ceiling.

[switch-beat.livejournal.com]

i would be queasy during the grey hotdog and
before that, perturbed baby noises.

[mintwaster.livejournal.com]

Why would any kid willingly go back there when they see other go in, scream, and come out tear stained?

[raybear.livejournal.com]

That is why the mini-lobby has a plasma flat screen tv on one side and Mario nintendo game on the other, to distract and drown out.