Swine flu brings out the drama in me

Today was a great day. Today was one to remember. It was supposed to be a simple day. A trip to the doctors office with Ty for his H1N1 vaccine and then on to Denton to see Mimi and Pops. We decided I would take Ty in and Sean would stay with the girls in the car since holding your child down for a nasal mist vaccine is something that every parent should experience and I may have actually dodged that bullet until now.

So anyway. It was supposed to involve me running him into the building with Sean and the girls waiting in the car and it ended up being quite a bit more dramatic, (in a good way for once,) than that. See, Charlie and Joy are both technically "high risk" as far as illness goes so they qualify for the vaccine but we've had a time getting it for them. Joy can't have it until she's a full 6 months but there hasn't been an appointment for her between the 6th and her surgery. We planned on Charlie getting it at her pulmonoligists' office and their original clinic last week was cancelled and then rescheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday from 1 to 5 pm. I'll pretend that the people at the office there don't see small children everyday and that they don't know that small children need naps. I'll also pretend that most if not all kids I know nap between the hours of 1 and 5. When I read that was when the clinic was I had a "Really?" moment. After lots of babysitter attempts and lots of whining on my part, I decided to put my big girl pants on and take the kids tomorrow. All of them. Sometimes it seems like there are more than three. Especially at times like this.

Picture this: Me, Ty, Charlie, and Joy standing in a line for 2+ hours waiting for a shot. Picture this: Ty, Charlie, and Joy standing in line and not in their beds for nap time. Now picture this: Me having multiple anxiety episodes and maybe going a little impatient momma crazy.

That was what I was facing.

Until.

Until.

I walked Ty into the office after sitting in the waiting room with 3 masked children and their parents (!!!) and asked the nurse if maybe the receptionist missed the memo that they in fact DID get the vaccine for Charlie then I asked if even if it meant she would get fired if she would just slip us a shot, you know, on the down-low. I explained my situation that I was facing tomorrow, sounding even more desperate and pitiful that I described for you above.

And then.

Do you know what she said?

I'll type it word for word for you.

ME: "Do you think maybe..."(all listed above)...pitiful sounding, etc.

NURSE: "High risk right? Asthma, little sister having surgery on her lung, right?"

ME: "Uh huh. Help me please I'll give you a dollar."

NURSE: "I can't take your money that's illegal."

ME: "Yeah whatever. I have snacks too if you're interested."

NURSE: "I was gonna say to bring her in before all that but you wouldn't stop talking."

ME: "So you have it? Even though she's not two and the lady up front told me you didn't have the shot only the mist and that means Charlie has to wait until the 28th to get it and by then she'll for sure be in the hospital and then that's just more paperwork for you to deal with and besides I'm so dang fearful of what will happen in the parking lot of that doctors office tomorrow that I'm a little out of it so...I'm sorry what did you say"

NURSE: "Yeah we have it go get her out of the car."

ME: (with an actual tear welling up in my eye) "Oh this means the world to me. Thank you so much. You're the best nurse ever," or something like that.

I don't remember exactly what I said at that point because I immediately launched into hyperactive mommy mode trying to get Charlie in there in case she changed her mind.

She didn't. And she IS the best nurse ever. She's like a shot ninja, in there and done before the kids know what hit them. Plus she knows their names and calls you back within a surprising amount of time for a doctors' office and she's just so nice and perfect and wonderful. I love her. I might love her even more after today.

Want to hear something even better than that? When I called Sean to tell him to bring the car around because I was getting her out he said, "Honey if she gets it too then switch with me and I'll be the bad guy. I'll hold them and restrain them and you can just hang out in the car with Joy."

And then I cried again.

I think I need some counseling.