Shots and summer cleaning

Z had to get her shots today. The charter school we are trying to sign up with needs the same kind of stuff a real school would, including a physical check-up and her 5yo shots. Shots are a big deal to Z. She is really afraid of them.

When she was a newborn she was the loudest screamer at the Doctor's office. She sounded like she was being murdered. Everyone in the waiting room would look up and look around frightened when they heard her. I know because the Doctor asked me to sit out there once to see if she would scream less if I wasn't there. I think she screamed louder.

When she was a toddler and pretty smart and mature I still had to hold her down when she got shots or gave (took is more like it) blood. It was awful. My oh so reasonable child just couldn't be reasoned with.

Today I fully expected her to cry hysterically. But, even so, I talked to her about how I never cried when I was a kid. How I wanted to be tough and strong and make my father proud so I didn't cry. I told her that shots don't worry me at all and that they are just like a little pinch and then only uncomfortable while the needle is in me.

I asked her which person she thought hurt more - the person who told themselves that getting a shot wasn't worth crying about and remained calm or the person who started crying and hyperventilating at the word "shot" and had to be held down while they screamed. I acted out both people and she thought it was really funny.

At the Doctor's office we practiced her deep breathing too.

And I am happy to report that Z got five shots (including a tb test) and they took some blood from her finger tip and she didn't cry. Yay!!! I am so happy because she learned today that she can control a great fear of hers.Tonight when she said her prayers she thanked God that she was able to not cry when she got her shots. :)

Something else I am not sure if I should worry about but she weighed one pound less today than she did last spring!

But she had plenty of energy and does eat (although not huge amounts). Pere said we should try to fatten her up but I said that when I was a kid I was very skinny too - just like Z, and when I was older I ate lots of fattening food and it didn't do any good. I was still skinny only I was skinny and ate unhealthy foods. When I was in my early twenties I still ate anything and everything but it finally started to show and it has been hard to fight 20 years of bad eating habits.

Z gets plenty of healthy food set in front of her everyday and she gets a small amount of sweets everyday. I think she is just naturally slender.

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This afternoon Z and I did a little summer cleaning. I cleaned out her closet and in her toy box under her bed. It is actually a huge space meant for a trundle bed but we keep her toys in it. I organized all the little "treasures" that she loves to keep (she wants me to call them treasures and not junk) into some glass yogurt jars so she can display her feathers, shells, rocks, bits of pretty colored fluff, special buttons, and shiny bits that she has found and fallen in love with.

I also cleaned out and reorganized my homeschooling closet. Tomorrow I want to go and buy some things for the coming year. I want to be more organized so I am going to buy a binder for her different subjects and start putting her papers into them instead of into random piles on shelves and under books. *grin* I kind of know that they probably wont stay so organized but I like trying anyway.

Plus we are having some friends over tomorrow to go swimming.

I think I have written here, or on other boards that Z used to have a great girlfriend in our old neighborhood. This girl is nine and had the most interests in common with Z than any other girl I know. She loves Harry Potter, Miyazaki movies, Sailor Moon, Wicked, Pirates, making up songs and dances, etc.

We didn't see them for awhile and I thought it was because her mom was freaked out that her older daughter was playing with a much younger kid. But recently we have got back in touch with them and they have been wanting to hang out more. I am hopeful - Z used to always asked about this friend and it was so sad for me to say that she couldn't have a playdate with them. I hope tomorrow works out. People do change and as this girl grows she may end up out growing Z yet. But Z is in a better place friendship wise these days - lots of gifted kids both online and in real life. Funny how things work out that way.