Waiting for the Leeches

Steve and I are playing tag team kid rasslin' today as Ian sits through 7 - yes, that's right, SEVEN! - blood draws. A wonderful and caring friend suggested I ask if we could do finger sticks instead of needles and tubes, but the phlebotomist said no. Thanks for the idea though, D.W. It was worth a shot.

The first stick was rough. He screamed, cried, thrashed about, and fought every way he could. The second one went somewhat better, mostly less screaming. Between each hourly draw, he would occasionally ask for something to eat. I wanted desperately to toss him a pack of Fruit Gushers, or a Tic Tac, or a piece of gum. Once I caught him trying to drain a single drop of water from the dispenser in the waiting room - by sucking on the spigot! It was one of those moments when I knew I should correct his behavior; but I was so embarrassed, I secretly hoped no one noticed and I could let it slide. I felt so sorry for him.

With no drugs in his brain, he was a jittery mess. He brought the portable DVD player to watch movies. I am not sure if he actually saw an entire story from start to finish because he spent the entire time with his finger on the controls...

FF FF FF RV RV RV RV PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE FF FF STOP PLAY STOP PLAY FF FF FF FF STOP PLAY EJECT SMACKLID EJECT SMACKLID EJECT SMACKLID PLAY FF FF FF FF RV RV RV PLAY

Thank goodness for headphones!

After it was all over, I took the kids to their favorite restaurant for lunch. Fortunately, there were only a few people there at 3:00 p.m., so our presence wasn't much of a distraction. Ian shoved French fries in his mouth 4 at a time, while Ainsley made occasional trips to the juke box to obtain invisible money (she pretends it is an ATM). Ian ate much less than I expected.

Later in the afternoon, Ian decided he wanted a bowl of Fruit Loops. This he devoured, except for the 2 he stuck up his nose. This is one of the many pictures I will one day show his girlfriends I don't like and want to scare off.

So, that is pretty much how our day went. The rest I cannot share at the moment because I am recovering from the party Steve and I went to later. I have to remember...tequila after a stressful day is only beneficial until it wears off.