Four-Year-Old Hero

Wow. The four-year-old well visit is a rough one! As luck would have it, Osten's appointment fell during his nap. Poor guy. Talk about adding insult to injury! He had just fallen asleep when I arrived at school to pick him up. He raised his dreary head and reached for me to pick him up. He perked right up as I loaded him in my car, and he asked if we could pick up a lemonade. We hit the Taco Bell drive-thru, and he was a happy little boy sucking away on his straw as we walked into the doctor's office.

A creature of habit, he hopped right on the scale as soon as the nurse brought us back to the intake room. A whopping 35.2 pounds!! On to his height. As has become his custom lately, he was all excited to show off how tall he is. 40 3/4 inches to be exact! Next he had his blood pressure taken, and he giggled and giggled as the cuff tightened around his upper arm. He aced the eyesight test and nailed the hearing test as well. And he checked out just fine on his physical exam, too.

Then came the shots. Three of them. All boosters. But a shot is a shot. He was incensed, insulted, furious and downright hysterical after the first prick in his leg. And then I had to restrain him for two more rounds! I've never seen him cry harder, and it was absolute torture for us both. This was the first time that he was fully aware of what was going on, and it made things so much worse.

No sooner did I get him calmed down from the shots and it was time for a finger prick to check his hemoglobin. WHAT??!! He will usually just whimper for the finger stick, but today it sent him right back into full hysterics. Poor, poor baby!!

But then he settled back down, and he got to take a trip to the magical treasure chest. As Nurse Lynn explained to his wide and tear-stained eyes, you can't shed so much as a single tear when you're near the treasure chest. As she explained, the story goes that a single tear from a child's eye once dropped into the treasure chest, and the chest disappeared. No one saw it for three days! Suddenly, Osten started to perk up a bit, and I could see that his curiosity was piqued. I could watched him collect his composure as he readied himself for the treasure trip.

We dried his tears and disinfected his little hands, and off he went to root around in the treasure chest. Decisions, decisions!! After touching nearly everything in that chest and giving three plastic pirates significant consideration, he decided on an army man clad in BDUs. He also collected a miniature package of Twizzlers from Nurse Lynn as well as a couple of Starbursts from the receptionist. After enduring three shots while being restrained by one of his most trusted confidants and protectors, I thought he was definitely entitled to milk it for some extra candy!

When we got to the car, I gave him the option to go for ice cream or take a trip to the toy store. Not surprisingly, he picked the latter. As we were driving, I asked him if he had anything in particular in mind. He thought about it, and then he said, "Let's just see what they have, Mama." Gulp. When did he get to be so grown-up? So rational? So sweet?

Speaking of sweet, I asked him if he thought we should get just a little something for Marci. Almost immediately, he said, "Let's get her a Tinkerbell!" We started wandering through the store, and I was trying to steer him through the girls' section, but he had other things in mind. Apparently, first on his list was to find that Tinkerbell for his sister. Gulp. When did he get to be so determined? So thoughtful? So sweet?

After giving it some thought, he found just the right Tinkerbell, and he handed it to me to carry as we continued our shopping pursuits. It was so nice not to be in a hurry for a change, and we spent at least 20 minutes in the bike section perusing the different sizes and options in anticipation of Christmas. Then we wandered back through the aisles and quite possibly looked at every toy on the shelves. About an hour later, he happened upon a car-racing helmet and steering wheel set, and his fate was sealed.

When the three of us got home, Osten was all excited to give Marci her Tinkerbell and to play with his new helmet. It's not something that I think I would have ever noticed on the shelves, but that little boy certainly knows what he likes! He wheeled his little legs around the house with both hands on his new steering wheel and his new helmet just a flashing and talking away for the rest of the afternoon! After we put Marci to bed, he sat on the couch to watch Scooby-Doo and wait for Daddy to get home. Poor little fella was so tuckered out from the day's events (plus the lack of a nap to boot) that he fell sound asleep mid-episode sandwiched between the couch cushion one one side and Lamby and his new helmet on the other!

What a trooper. I couldn't be any prouder. As Daddy carried him to bed, I could see that he was equally awed by our little four-year-old hero.